Top Prospects: The NHL System Rankings
#31: Florida Panthers
Number of Ranked Prospects: 27
Number of Forwards in the Top 50: 0
Number of Defensemen in the Top 50: 0
Average Rank of Top 10 Prospects in Pool: 154th
Top Forward Prospect in The System: Simon Zether (104th)
Top Defenseman Prospect in The System: Matvei Shuravin (71st)
System Score: 1
Lifting the Stanley Cup is much easier when it is not full of prospects, and the Panthers skating around the rink a few months ago were well appreciative of the absence of several junior and college players clinging to the rim. Much like those in Boston, the cupboards in Sunshine, Florida are remarkably empty with only two prospects ranked within the top 100 on either the forwards or the defensemen lists. One key difference between the Bruins and the Panthers is named Anton Lundell, the Finnish center that Florida selected 12th overall in 2020 and has since became a mainstay in the starting lineup with 216 NHL games thus far (in which he has scored 112 points). Despite having four first-round picks since the 2018 draft, the Panthers have not had a first-rounder since they took Mackie Samoskevich in 2021. In fact, the highest pick they have used in the past three drafts 58th overall in 2024 which they used to select Linus Eriksson.
The Top of The Pool:
In simple terms, there are no true top prospects in the Florida pool, which should come as no surprise. There are some good prospects, though, with at least moderate potential to become NHL players.
Florida's top prospect in the a player selected 129th in the 2024 draft, Simon Zether (ranked 104th). Despite being selected below Linus Eriksson, Zether's size and scoring ability outweigh Eriksson's better skating. Eriksson's poor puck management skills and his tendency to simply get rid of pucks of instead of making intentional passes hurts him in the rankings, while Zether is a more dependable player.
Matvei Shuravin is the defensive prospect (ranked 71st among the defenders). Taken at pick 97 in the 2024 draft, Shuravin is a big (6'4, 218), strong project defender who will make his NHL impact as a bruising, stay-at-home player. NHL general managers went hunting for size in the last couple of drafts, and Shuravin is a prime example of a large defender who at 17 has already been playing in Russia's top men's league.
Justin Sourdif rounds out the top three in the system, followed closely by the darling of the 2023 draft, Gracyn Sawchyn. Sourdif got an extended look at the Florida training camp at the start of the 2023-2024 season, and after a good year in the AHL, may be just about ready to crack the NHL lineup. More probable is a season of yo-yoing between the NHL and the AHL, but he's getting closer. Sawchyn followed his draft year with an okay season split between the WHL's Seattle and Edmonton. He is still a work in process, but his hustle is undeniable.
Return to the Team System Rankings
Below is the full list of Florida's ranked prospects.
Top Forwards
| Team Rank | Rank | Name | Position | Age | Height | Weight | Draft Selection | Pre-Draft Ranking | A/P Score |
| 1 | 104 | Zether, Simon | Center | 18 | 6'3 | 176 | 129 | 86 | -1.02 |
| 2 | 162 | Sourdif, Justin | Right Wing | 22 | 5'11 | 165 | 87 | 48 | -0.70 |
| 3 | 168 | Sawchyn, Gracyn | Center | 19 | 5'10 | 155 | 63 | 48 | -0.76 |
| 4 | 196 | Eriksson, Linus | Center | 18 | 6'0 | 170 | 58 | 47 | 0.15 |
| 5 | 213 | Samoskevich, Matthew | Right Wing | 21 | 5'9 | 175 | 24 | 36 | -0.48 |
| 6 | 256 | Devine, Jack | Right Wing | 20 | 5'10 | 177 | 221 | 100 | 0.38 |
| 7 | 375 | Vilmanis, Sandis | Left Wing | 20 | 6'1 | 192 | 157 | 102 | 0.34 |
| 8 | 401 | Davies, Josh | Left Wing | 20 | 5'9 | 195 | 186 | 300 | 0.38 |
| 9 | 442 | St. Martin, Hunter | Left Wing | 19 | 6'2 | 174 | 193 | 300 | 0.27 |
| 10 | 477 | Gorbunov, Stepan | Center | 18 | 6'5 | 196 | 169 | 300 | 0.49 |
| 11 | 496 | Ekmark, Elliot | Center | 22 | 5'9 | 150 | 198 | 127 | 0.25 |
| 12 | 559 | Kos, Jakub | Center | 21 | 6'3 | 187 | 184 | 300 | 0.64 |
| 13 | 717 | Arnsby, Liam | Center | 20 | 5'10 | 170 | 214 | 162 | 0.58 |
| 14 | 804 | Magnussen, Kasper | Center | 20 | 6'0 | 192 | 250 | 300 | 0.56 |
| 15 | 923 | Lindmark, Owen | Center | 23 | 6'0 | 193 | 137 | 96 | 0.72 |
| 16 | 973 | Keppen, Ethan | Left Wing | 23 | 6'2 | 212 | 122 | 89 | -0.46 |
Top Defensemen
| Team Rank | Rank | Name | Position | Age | Height | Weight | Draft Selection | Pre-Draft Ranking | A/P Score |
| 1 | 71 | Shuravin, Matvei | Defenseman | 18 | 6'4 | 218 | 97 | 48 | 0.54 |
| 2 | 92 | Nause, Evan | Defenseman | 22 | 6'2 | 186 | 56 | 49 | -1.13 |
| 3 | 155 | Benning, Michael | Defenseman | 23 | 5'9 | 170 | 95 | 72 | -0.83 |
| 4 | 165 | Lukashevich, Vladislav | Defenseman | 21 | 6'1 | 165 | 120 | 82 | -0.26 |
| 5 | 217 | Wikman, Albert | Defenseman | 19 | 6'1 | 194 | 127 | 95 | 0.73 |
| 6 | 227 | Coughlin, Luke | Defenseman | 19 | 5'9 | 172 | 191 | 125 | -0.56 |
| 7 | 238 | Alscher, Marek | Defenseman | 20 | 6'3 | 198 | 93 | 300 | 0.48 |
| 8 | 277 | Jansson, Ludvig | Defenseman | 21 | 6'0 | 176 | 125 | 96 | 1.32 |
| 9 | 330 | Puutio, Kasper | Defenseman | 22 | 6'0 | 185 | 153 | 103 | -0.41 |
| 10 | 510 | Uens, Zachary | Defenseman | 23 | 6'1 | 180 | 105 | 172 | -0.58 |
| 11 | 520 | Staois, Nathan | Defenseman | 23 | 5'9 | 168 | 250 | 300 | -0.36 |