Florida made five selections on day two of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville
The 2023 NHL Draft came and went rather quickly this week in Nashville.
Over the two-day event inside Bridgestone Arena, the Florida Panthers were not one of the busier teams.
Florida came into the draft holding five selections, and they would keep each and every one of them.
Overall, Panthers General Manager Bill Zito said he was pleased with how the two days played out.
That’ll happen when you try to trade up for a guy, don’t end up making the deal and still end up drafting him.
“It's good, I think the scouts were pretty happy,” Zito said. “There was a couple of situations where we were trying to move up, trying to get more picks, and ended up getting the player anyway. So that was great.”
One of those occasions was for Florida’s top pick, center Gracyn Sawchyn.
“We were trying,” Zito said of trading up for Sawchyn. “It was a situation where it's kind of ‘what's the cost?’ and you roll the dice a little bit, and we didn't want to give up more picks. We were willing to for the right situation, but it worked out for us.”
Here’s a little bit of info on the newest members of the Florida Panthers, including comments from Zito on each of them:
Round 2, pick No. 63: Center Gracyn Sawchyn
He’s listed at 5-foot-11, 155 pounds from Grand Prairie, Alberta. 18 years old.
Sawchyn brings a solid combination of skill and grit to the table, and his compete level is extremely high. Last season, his first with the WHL’s Seattle Thunderbirds, Sawchyn collected 18 goals and 58 points in 58 games, adding another 11 points in 17 postseason contests.
Zito on Sawchyn: “He fits right in (to the Panthers’ style of hockey) and you think of that highly skilled player who has that compete, and it can manifest itself in a lot of different ways. It’s exciting.”
Round 4, pick No. 127: Defenseman Albert Wikman
He’s listed at six feet tall, 191 pounds from Karlstad, Sweden. 18 years old.
A solid skating defenseman, Wikman made his SHL debut for Färjestad BK last season after working his way up the Swedish junior ranks. A high hockey IQ defenseman, Wikman is said to keep tight gaps and know how to use his size to his advantage.
Zito comments below.
Round 5, pick No. 159: Goaltender Olof Glifford
He’s listed at 6-foot-4, 198 pounds from Husqvarna, Sweden. 18 years old.
Coming off an injury last season, Glifford played quite well in 11 appearances for HV71’s J18 squad in the Swedish J18 junior league, posting a 6-5-0 record with a 2.56 goals against average and .929 save percentage. Similarly during the postseason, he posted a save percentage of .923 and a goals against average of 2.68. Glifford also made three appearances in the J20 junior league, going 3-0-0 with a 1.65 goals against average and .949 save percentage.
Zito said the Panthers’ Goaltending Excellence Department was “extra diligent” in their research of Glifford. “They were pretty happy about (drafting) him.”
Round 6, pick No. 191: Defenseman Luke Coughlin
He’s listed at 5-foot-10, 172 pounds from Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. 18 years old.
Another good skater, Coughlin is said to be quick to change direction and move in transition, and despite being a smaller guy, he has a big presence on the ice. He is also known for having good hands and a deceptively quick shot. In two seasons with Rimouski of the QMJHL, Coughlin racked up 9 goals and 37 points in 92 regular season games, and another seven points over 11 playoff contests.
Zito on Wikman and Coughlin: “I think the commonality of the two of them is the compete and the grit. One is a bigger guy and he’s mobile, the other guy is sort of 5’11-ish, but again, mobility and grit. The skating helps. We have a couple, in (Gustav) Forsling and (Brandon) Montour, a couple guys who can really wheel, and you can see that it helps.
Round 7, pick No. 198: Forward Stepan Zvyagin
He’s listed at 6-foot, 154 pounds from Moscow, Russia. 19 years old.
A more seasoned prospect at 19 years old, Zvagin is a long-term play as he’s got a couple years left on his contract with Dinamo Minsk of the KHL. He split time between Dinamo and their MHL team, where he accumulated 14 goals and 33 points in 37 games at the lower level. He had one goal in 15 KHL games last season.
Zito on Zvyagin: “He’s from Belarus and he's under contract for a couple years, so that was one where I think maybe he fell because you might not have access to him for a while, but he is tremendously skilled, and (he’s also) playing with the men (in a professional league)."