The 32-in-32 Series is an annual event here at DobberProspects and has been condensed from two articles to one. The article will bring you: The highlighted team’s draft; insights into its off-season moves; looking at prospect risers, fallers and likely prospects to play NHL games; and of course, the writers’ top-20 prospects. Articles may be brought back when an important team update occurs, so check back because we plan to fill your hockey withdrawal needs all off-season!

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Read past 32 series stories here: https://dobberprospects.com/category/feature/32-in-32-series/

Make sure to check out the Florida Panthers team page here: https://dobberprospects.com/team/florida-panthers/

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After back-to-back Stanley Cups, the Florida Panthers missed the playoffs in 2026 but look to be coming back with a vengeance. Having the opportunity to pick in the top 10 for the first time since 2017, the Panthers passed up this opportunity to trade the 9th overall pick, along with two other firsts and a second, for the younger Tkachuk brother, Brady.

The Panthers also added some underrated talent to their prospect pool, including two players in the 40s who received multiple first-round grades: Simas Ignatavicius and Ryder Cali.

Bill Zito and the Cats’ brass have made it clear that they are going all in to return to Stanley Cup glory and look primed for, at the very least, a deep playoff run.

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2026 NHL Draft

Simas Ignatavicius, 40th overall, Round 2

With their top pick, Florida took Lithuanian forward Simas Ignatavicius. Ranked 31st by us at Dobber Prospects, Ignatavicius is a strong bet for NHL games. Playing against men for the majority of his draft year, he looked far from out of place.

A pro-build at 6-3 and 201 lbs, Ignatavicius was able to gain inside positioning on men more often than not. His offensive tools may be a tad limited, but he compensates for this well with his hockey IQ, and there is a world where Ignatavicius gets NHL games as soon as 2027-28. He immediately jumps to the #1 prospect in the Panthers’ system.

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Ryder Cali, 48th overall, Round 2

Ignatavicius was our #31-ranked prospect, and right after him, with our final first-round slot, was Ryder Cali. He is less than two weeks away from being eligible for the 2027 draft, and despite his relative youth, he was a man amongst boys in the OHL at 6-2, 218. The upside with Cali is rather limited, but he has a strong bottom-six projection as a player who can kill penalties.

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Jonas Kemps, 98th overall, Round 4

The Panthers have had success in bringing in massive, smooth-skating defensemen, and Kemps, standing at 6-6, fits that exact mold. He is incredibly limited offensively, but a player who has clear NHL upside given his size and mobility. Heading to Michigan State in a few years, Kemps will have plenty of time to develop his all-around game and do his best to capitalize on his raw tools.

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Vilho Vanhatalo, 168th overall, Round 6

Vanhatalo is your prototypical power forward. Standing at 6-4, 194 lbs, and with a plus-level shot, Vanhatalo has a ton of projectable traits to the NHL, including his skating. Additionally, he played men’s games in his draft year, which is an indicator of the current stage of his development. At this stage of the draft, he was one of the better picks to be made.

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Cole Zurawski, 181st overall, Round 6

Zurawski is an above-average skater and shooter. Coupled with his relentless motor, he is the type of player who will certainly be a professional hockey player. Whether that is in the NHL or not is dependent on his ability to add another level to his game, ideally defensively.

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Louis-Antoine Denault, 217th overall, Round 7

As is tradition, the Florida Panthers selected a goaltender with their final pick of the draft. The Panthers give Roberto Luongo a pick every year for him to select a goaltender of his liking, and this year it was Louis-Antoine Denault. Standing at 6-8, Denault will be a player who Luongo works closely alongside. Given his size and the fact that Luongo identified him as a talent worth drafting, he may break right.

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Off-season Moves

Incoming

Brady Tkachuk – 2 years remaining, ~$8.2 million
Jacob Markstrom – 2 years remaining, $6 million
Akira Schmid – 2 years remaining, $2 million
Radko Gudas – 6 years remaining, $1.5 million
Garnet Hathaway – 1 year remaining, $1.2 million
Lars Eller – 1 year remaining, $850,000
Sam Lafferty – 1 year remaining, $850,000

Outgoing

Sergei Bobrovsky
Mackie Samoskevich
AJ Greer
Evan Rodrigues
Jesper Boqvist

Re-signed

Eetu Luostarinen – 8 years, $5 million

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In the System

Risers

Sandis Vilmanis

Amidst numerous injuries last year, a ton of Panthers prospects got opportunities to play in the NHL last year. The most impressive of the group to get the call was Vilmanis, who displayed his trademark speed at the highest level. Additionally, Vilmanis represented Latvia at the Olympics and the World Championship (where he led Latvia in scoring with 11 points in eight games).

Gracyn Sawchyn

In his first year of professional hockey, Sawchyn struggled with injuries throughout the year but still impressed during his time on the ice. After being sidelined for nearly three months, Sawchyn returned in May and scored six points in his final eight games of the year. He is ever-elusive, and it is beginning to work against men. Watch for him to break out in the AHL next year.

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Fallers

Hunter St. Martin

St. Martin played in a depth role for the Checkers this year, and while not a net negative for his development, it goes to show he is further down the depth chart than it originally seemed. However, St. Martin is able to play in the depth role effectively, but for his long-term NHL outlook, he will need to climb the ranks this year or be relegated to a career AHLer.

Olof Glifford

Glifford became a full-time professional netminder this year, and the results were a tad underwhelming. While he posted a .904 in the Allsvenskan, he had a worse save percentage in the SHL this year than he did last year. Across both the Allsvenskan and SHL, Glifford had a losing record. However, at 6-5, he is a long-term developmental project and could easily bounce back next year in the SHL.

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Likely to see NHL action

Sandis Vilmanis would certainly be an NHL regular in almost any other NHL organization. However, Florida is not among that grouping. With Brad Marchand to miss the first bit of the season while recovering from surgery, Vilmanis could be the man to step in.

Jack Devine got NHL games last year and was held scoreless during his first taste of NHL action. He led the Checkers in points per game in his first year of professional hockey, which is a great indicator of his long-term future.

Mikulas Hovorka also got NHL action last year, and while on the older side, he would be a #7 or #8 defenseman on a few NHL teams. His defensive game, alongside his size and skating, is his bread and butter. He led the Checkers in +/- last year and could be a player the Panthers go to amidst injuries.

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Top 20 Prospects

This section is intended to paint a picture of the Florida Panthers prospects whose current trajectory projects them making the most positive fantasy impact at the time that they reach the NHL. Arrival date and NHL certainty have been taken into consideration; however, potential upside is the most important factor in determining this list.

1. Simas Ignatavicius, F
2. Gracyn Sawchyn, C
3. Jack Devine, RW
4. Sandis Vilmanis, LW
5. Ryder Cali, C
6. Matvei Shuravin, D
7. Linus Eriksson, C
8. Marek Alscher, D
9. Arvid Drott, RW
10. Mikulas Hovorka, D
11. Cooper Black, G
12. Kirill Gerasimyuk, G
13. Stepan Gorbunov
14. Shea Busch, LW
15. Mads Kongsbak-Klyvo, LW
16. Vilho Vanhatalo, RW
17. Simon Zether, C
18. Hunter St. Martin, LW
19. Denis Gabdrakhmanov, G
20. Jonas Kemps, D

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Final Thoughts

The Panthers’ prospect pool is sneakily underrated. Many players should get NHL games over the course of their careers. While nobody has elite, high-end upside, this is to be expected as they won two of the last three Stanley Cups.

The decision to part with Mackie Samoskevich (who got the 25th pick and a 2nd-round pick), the 9th overall pick, and another first-round pick to get Brady Tkachuk was a no-brainier. The Panthers’ style of hockey is built for June, and Brady Tkachuk is probably the best player for June hockey that could have been traded for.

For fantasy purposes, there are better prospect pools to look at for high-end talent, but if you are looking to win league championships, it would be a no-brainer to pull from the Panthers’ NHL roster. All in all, everybody should eagerly await the Panthers vs Hurricanes 2026-27 season opener, where we will get to see the reigning Cup champions take on the new and improved Cats trying to take back their crown.

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Make sure to check out the Florida Panthers team page here: https://dobberprospects.com/team/florida-panthers/

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James Connelly