My list of the top 10 2026 Florida Panthers prospects is now complete, the link to which is below.
The Panthers have not had many high draft picks recently, as they have continued their quest to remain near the top. However, they have continued to draft well in the mid to lower rounds, and have managed to consistently find future contributors with the resources at their disposal. To drive home this point, the top two players on this list are forwards Sandis Vilmanis (157th overall in 2022) and Jack Devine (221st overall in 2022), who both project as middle-six players at the NHL level. Although both are projected to begin this season in Charlotte of the AHL, that may change depending upon whether Brad Marchand’s late-summer surgery keeps him out of the lineup to begin the season. The same can be said of forward prospect Gracyn Sawchyn (65th overall in 2023/#10 rating), who can act as a reliable depth piece in Marchand’s absence.
The Panthers did a nice job this off-season in acquiring Jacob Markstrom and Akira Schmid as their new goaltending tandem in the wake of longtime starter Sergei Bobrovsky’s departure to Toronto. However, projected starter Markstrom is 36 years of age, and may have to be spelled more often than in past seasons. That may open the door for highly-rated prospects Cooper Black and Kirill Gerasimyuk to log some NHL minutes. Both are set to begin the season in Charlotte.
Finally, while Florida’s d-man prospect pool is thin, it is not completely bare. The Panthers’ most NHL-ready prospect on the back-end is Sweden’s Ludvig Jansson (125th overall in 2022), who helped lead his Swedish pro team (Lulea HF) to an SHL championship in 2024-25. This led to Florida inking Jansson to a three-year deal en route to a four-game stint with the Panthers last season. He also is projected to start the season in Charlotte, but will likely log more time in Sunrise this year.
https://thehockeylawyer.net/team-stats/florida-panthers/
