Luke Coughlin

May 2025 – Coughlin has almost wrapped up his QMJHL career, spending it all with the Rimouski Océanic and not developing the offensive upside he once had. His transition skills stand out as some of the better traits of his game, but he did not progress in the offensive zone like it was once thought he could. He has struggled this year with injuries and was held out of most of the Océanic’s deep QMJHL playoff run. Coughlin’s rights with the Panthers are set to expire on June 1, 2025, and with him heading to the University of Maine next year (not being allowed to be under an NHL contract while in the NCAA), Coughlin, in all likelihood, will not be signed. Hopefully, he can further hone his skills at the NCAA level with Maine and could someday crack an NHL lineup, but it will take a few more years of development for the undersized defenseman to get there. James Connelly

June 2023 – Coughlin was selected 191st overall by the Panthers. Pat Quinn

June 2023 – Coughlin is a mobile defenseman with strong agility, small-area adaptability, and the instinct to jump up as a fourth attacker quite frequently. His lack of dynamism, high-end top speed, and limited handling skills limit his upside as an offensively oriented defenseman; however, his defensive game, physicality, and motor skills are below the NHL average. If he can work on his offensive tools and add pace to his transition game, he could project as a #5 or even #4 defenseman focusing on generating offense, but the road to that level is relatively long. Sebastian High