Florida Panthers 2026 Draft Recap

The Cats were finally on the clock on day two of the NHL Draft with two second-round picks, a fourth, two sixths, and a seventh.

2nd Round:

With the 40th overall pick, Florida selected Simas Ignatavicius, who played in Switzerland last season. Simas had 13pts while playing in Switzerland’s top hockey league as an 18-year-old and was ranked the no. 10 overall international skater by NHL Central Scouting. He’s the fourth Lithuanian ever drafted; the other three are Dainius Zubrus, Andrey Pedan, and Darius Kasparaitis. Ignatavicius said that he models his game after Matthew Tkachuk. At the NHL Combine, Simas was all confidence. He was asked which non-NHL player would be a superstar one day, and he responded with himself. That sort of answer fits right in with the Florida Panther swagger that the team carries. Per Elite Prospects: Simas brings a solid straight-line speed and combines that with smart angling, good stick placement, and a strong physical presence.

The Cats also selected at 48th overall and took Ryder Cali, who played for North Bay in the OHL last season. At 6’2 and 218 pounds, he fits Florida’s type of player, big and physical, while producing 36 pts in 47 games. Ryder said he’s a fan of Barkov, which is something fans always love to hear. When he talked with the media, Cali talked about what he’s learned from his mom and said, “The biggest thing she taught me was to be a good teammate. Treat everyone the same no matter what. I think that’s something that helps a team win.” His mom, Fiona McLeod, has been his coach for his whole life and played pro hockey in Switzerland. Those remarks on being a teammate make it no surprise that Florida took him; aside from the on-ice stuff, he already embodies the kind of locker room attitude they have.

Both of Florida’s 2nd round picks are big two-way power forwards, something they heavily favor for their style of play.

4th Round:

Florida added another big defenseman to the organization with their 4th round pick, 6’6 Jonas Kemps from Chicago of the USHL. Next season, he’s set to play with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL, and he’s committed to Michigan State for 2027. According to Elite Prospects, “Mobile with seemingly endless reach, Kemps denies access to the defensive zone. When beaten, it’s usually only momentarily because he just reaches back and knocks the puck away. With possession, he looks for outlets across the rink and has the skill to get pucks through a layer or two.” Kemps is the exact type of defenseman the Panthers love, tall with a long reach, who can cover a lot of ice.

6th Round:

The Cats continued to draft their type in the 6th round and selected Vilho Vanhatalo a 6’3 forward out of Finland. He played for Tappara in Liiga, the team that Sasha Barkov is a part-owner of. Vanhatalo was projected to go in the top 100, but was available at 168 for the Panthers to scoop up. He was ranked the no. 16 European Skaters by NHL Central Scouting. He played on Team Finland for the World Juniors, scoring 1 goal in 5 games. When he talked to the media after getting drafted, Vilho said that while Barkov is his idol, he models his game after Matthew Knies. According to Elite Prospects, “Vanhatalo has the ideal power forward frame combined with projectable quickness and footspeed, along with a powerful shot.”

With their second pick of the 6th round, Florida selected Cole Zurawski, a 6’1 forward out of the OHL, where he played for Owen Sound. Next season, he’s headed to the NCAA to play for Notre Dame. He had 48 points (24G, 22A) in 63 games in the OHL. From Elite Prospects, “A determined Zurawski is a problem for opposing teams. He’s a powerful, deep skater who powers past opponents, then slingshots the puck towards the net.”

7th Round:

In an extremely predictable move, if you’ve watched the Panthers draft over the last few years, they took a goalie with their final pick of the draft. 6’8 Louis-Antoine Denault was the Cats’ goalie pick for the year, very similar in size to Cooper Black, who Florida recently extended on a two-way contract. Denault is not completely new to the Panthers organization, as they invited him to development camp last summer, and he participated in their prospect tournament. Louis-Antoine will be playing for the Newfoundland Regiment in the QMJHL next year. Last year, he had time playing for both Quebec and Newfoundland with a .912 SV% in 42 games. He played 12 playoff games for the Regiment and a .903 SV% with a 3.02 GAA. He re-entered the draft this year after not getting drafted last year.