The Hockey News' Tony Ferrari is currently putting together his 2025-26 prospect pool overview for each NHL team, and recently, he covered the Florida Panthers, who received a fair bit of praise.
When teams are winning Stanley Cups, their prospect pool is usually on the weaker side, as they often trade many of their draft picks and prospects for NHL-caliber players to bolster their roster. While that has been true for the Panthers, they've done an adamant job of keeping some pieces who could carve out roles in the future, even if they don't project to be future star players.
Jack Devine headlined Ferrari's overview, who he believes is the next man up after Mackie Samoskevich graduated to a full-time NHL player last season. Devine is a 6-foot right-winger who doesn't play a very flashy game, but is aggressive on the forecheck and forces his way into high-danger scoring areas.
After four standout seasons at the University of Denver, which included two National Championship wins, Devine is expected to play the 2025-26 season in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers, where he has already garnered some experience.
Sandis Vilmanis and Linus Eriksson were the next two Panther prospects to get rave reviews from Ferrari. Vilmanis completed his first professional season in North America, scoring nine goals and 27 points in 61 AHL games. The 6-foot-2 Latvian winger has a very strong shot and great hands in tight, which gives the 21-year-old projectable NHL skills.
Eriksson had a strong season defensively in Sweden, but the offensive part of his game didn't really translate. The 19-year-old appears to have the game of a solid bottom-six NHL center, but the Panthers will likely hope Eriksson can push for more.
Gracyn Sawchyn continued to put up staggering offensive numbers in the WHL, notching 30 goals and 78 points this past season, leading the Edmonton Oil Kings in both statistics. His jump from the WHL to the AHL next season should tell more about how he projects, but there is a firm belief that his game can continue to improve.
Ferrari believes Simon Zether is the Panthers' hidden gem. The 19-year-old is a two-way center who had a strong season with Vasteras in HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second league. He put up four goals and 12 points in 25 games, while continuing to be a physical presence and winning a majority of his puck battles. Listed at 6-foot-3, 194 pounds, the right-handed faceoff man could carve out a future NHL role as a bottom-six center if he continues his development path.
Because the Panthers have been all in on winning Stanley Cups for the past three seasons, the draft picks they've expended finally caught up to them. At the 2025 NHL Draft, the Panthers did not make a selection until the fourth round. Each player they selected seemed to fit the mold of being very raw, which tends to happen when selecting in the middle rounds.
NHL Prospect Pool Overview ’25-26: Florida Panthers’ Pipeline Isn’t Completely BarrenThe Florida Panthers are next up in our NHL prospect pool overview series.
Ferrari's Panthers' Prospect Pool Strengths:
"The Panthers’ one area of strength in their pipeline is on the wing. Even the players listed down the middle are more likely to find success at the pro level on the wing."
"Sawchyn is a highly skilled, pace-pushing forward who could be a fun winger. Vilmanis is getting closer to being an impact player in the pros. Devine very well could play NHL games this upcoming season. Drott is a raw, speedy forward with a great shot, but must refine things as he develops. They don’t have a star prospect in general, but they have a few wingers who could be effective depth pieces."
Ferrari's Panthers' Prospect Pool Weaknesses:
"The Panthers’ prospect pool as a whole is weaker than most, but it’s not nearly as barren as some would expect. With that said, the defense group is lacking in a major way."
"Michael Benning is an unsigned RFA. Shuravin took a nice step last year, proving himself to be at least a capable puck-mover, but he played primarily at the Russian junior level. Vladislav Lukashevich transferred from Michigan State to Miami-Ohio this off-season as he couldn’t really secure a role with MSU. Evan Nause has struggled to break out of the ECHL over the last two seasons. There just doesn’t seem to be much in the way of NHL-caliber defenders in the system."