Olof Glifford

May 2025 – Glifford was up and down all year in Sweden. Splitting time between the J20 Nationell and the SHL, Glifford posted sub-.900 save percentages in both leagues, but played far better than those numbers suggest. On an HV71 team fighting relegation, Glifford, at 20 years old, proved to be a reliable backup and wound up stealing a few games. During his best stretches in the SHL, he was one of the best goalies in the league, but during his worst stretches, he would let in 4+ goals regularly. However, Glifford deserves some grace as the team in front of him was not the greatest and often left him out to dry. Next year, Glifford will be on loan in the Allsvenskan (Swedish AHL) with IK Oskarshamn and will get into far more games, barring injury, than he did this year against professional competition. He is a big goaltender who plays like his size and is quite positionally sound. Watch for a big year in the Allsvenskan before jumping to North American hockey in the summer of 2026. James Connelly

June 2024 – Glifford is a goaltender with boom or bust potential. With HV71’s J20 club, Glifford played in exactly half of the games, posting a .905 save percentage and a 2.94 GAA while also going 16-8-0. He recently signed a two-year extension to stay with HV71, which means the Panthers will have to wait till 2026 for more hands-on development for Glifford. Still, with a figure like Roberto Luongo helping develop him, you can expect the Panthers to attempt to unlock his potential. Glifford will be participating in the U20 World Junior Summer Showcase next week and will look to make the upcoming U20 World Junior Championship roster. Overall, a goaltender with the potential to be the number one man in net for the Florida Panthers, but with a long development road ahead, there is a low level of certainty in his game. James Connelly