Welcome to Scott Wheeler’s 2026 rankings of every NHL organization’s prospects. You can find the complete ranking and more information on the project and its criteria here, as we count down daily from No. 32 to No. 1. The series, which includes evaluations on nearly 500 prospects, runs from March 9 to April 8.

The Florida Panthers’ cupboards were already empty, and then they didn’t pick in the 2025 NHL Draft until the fourth round. They haven’t drafted in the first round in four consecutive drafts now, and while they still have a few prospects worth keeping an eye on, you’re hoping they make the NHL and contribute rather than expecting it.

They’ve won two titles in back-to-back years now: the Stanley Cup and the last-in-Scott’s-pool-rankings trophy. I’m sure they’ll take that trade-off.

2025 prospect pool rank: No. 32 (change: none)

Tier 11. Jack Devine, RW, 22, Charlotte/Florida (No. 221, 2022)

Devine was one of the most productive players in college hockey as a junior and senior at Denver, registering back-to-back seasons of 50-plus points and leading the country in scoring last year with 57 in 44. He has always had a way of fitting his game to his linemates (as a junior, he scored 27 goals playing with the playmaking Massimo Rizzo, and as a senior, he drove playmaking as a passer for trigger man Sam Harris). And that has proven true again in his transition to the AHL, where he has immediately become the Checkers’ leading scorer, fitting pretty seamlessly into the pro game at that level.

Though he was drafted 221st, Devine is a player I had slotted 37th on my list and have always had time for. Now he just has to make the most of a call-up and prove he can fit up and down the lineup with whoever in the NHL. He has looked more like a second-rounder over the last two and a half years than a seventh-rounder, but he’s still not viewed as a surefire top-12 NHLer on a team like the Panthers, although he does benefit from how thin their pool is in terms of the pecking order (though he’d probably be an NHLer already with a lesser team, too).

He uses a tenacious playmaking style to drive play, keep sequences alive and help out in the little battles and areas of the ice that tilt it in the right direction. I’ve also seen his skill flash in possession, hanging onto pucks and playing between checks to blend effort with above-average talent. I believe he’s capable of making a case to become a contributing, complementary NHL forward. When he plays with other smart players, his game works better, which should help him rise into the NHL. Over the last couple of years, I’ve seen him hang onto pucks and look to attack more, and he has shown versatile skill as a dual-threat passer and shooter who is above-average at both without being dynamic at either. He has also added an extra step to complement his good effort level, which has been important. The feel for the game and know-how look like they’re there. I think he figures it out and becomes an everyday contributor.

2. Marek Alscher, LHD, 21, Checkers (No. 93, 2022)

Alscher is a player whose teams have always really trusted and believed in him. They liked him in Portland in the WHL. The Czech federation loves him. And the Panthers have really believed in him: he’s now in his second season in the AHL and playing 20 minutes per game there. He’s a competitive, defense-first left-shot D with size who plays hard in man-to-man coverage, showed an ability to kill plays at lower levels and has always kept it fairly simple but efficient with the puck. I’ve always found his game with the puck very vanilla, though, and have wondered at times if his defense was high-end enough to carry him to an NHL career as a depth D. He gets pucks moving in the right direction and is passable in transition and that, coupled with the size and the defensive trust he seems to earn, does give him a path to becoming a No. 6-8 D. That he ranks here is telling of the Panthers’ pool, though.

3. Kirill Gerasimyuk, G, 22, Savannah/Charlotte (No. 152, 2021)

One of the top goaltenders in the MHL for years, Gerasimyuk played well in his first full year of pro in the second-tier VHL last year and has now split time between the AHL and ECHL in his first year in North America after getting signed. He wasn’t even one of the 13 international goalies ranked by NHL Central Scouting in 2021, but was one of the only goalies outside of the big two from that draft class (Jesper Wallstedt and Sebastian Cossa) that I would have selected at the time. He’s a late August birthday who has begun to build a pretty solid track record. Gerasimyuk is a mid-sized goalie who plays a controlled game that relies on good tracking and anticipation to get to pucks early, and good hands that help him catch and block high-danger scoring chances. I like his reflexes, his movement and his reads. I like the poise he plays with in the net, too. He probably tops out as a No. 3, but he looks like he’ll be good organizational depth for the Panthers.

4. Linus Eriksson, C, 19, Timrå (No. 58, 2024)

I’m not even sure he’ll get an entry-level deal, and he has been a bit of a non-factor in the SHL with Timrå over the last two seasons, but I’ve always had time for Eriksson — he was my 47th-ranked prospect in the 2024 draft when the Panthers drafted him 58th.

Eriksson is an intelligent, average-sized center whose game is all about reads, timing, two-way instincts and the way he operates and moves around the ice. He’s also a strong natural athlete. He plays a well-rounded game, was Sweden’s captain with the ’06s (at Hlinka, the World Jr. A Challenge and U18 worlds) and performed well at U18 worlds, where he was one of their most consistent forwards. He was also a bit of a non-factor at last year’s World Juniors, but rose up the lineup and centered Sweden’s top line to gold at this year’s tournament (though he still had just two points in seven games and was more a complementary component of that line). He’s also progressed to the pro level early, and while he has now played nearly 100 games split between HockeyAllsvenskan and the SHL, his development does feel like it has slowed up there.

He has played to good results in depth roles even if the production hasn’t been there, but eventually he’ll need to earn more minutes and then contribute more on the scoresheet if he wants to get signed. He sees the ice well as a passer and can make plays through layers. He competes and tracks and is a good, rounded player when he has played his peers. I want to see him get to the interior and score more; he doesn’t generate a ton of shots or threaten from the slot, which, with his strong skating and speed, he should be able to do more. His smarts will carry him, and he has some pro quality in traits and approach. I’m not sure that’ll be enough, but you also have to remind yourself of his age still.

5. Gracyn Sawchyn, C, 21, Charlotte (No. 63, 2023)

After leaving the national program to join the contending Seattle Thunderbirds for his draft year, Sawchyn found a way to showcase his obvious skill level on the puck while playing on arguably the deepest team in the CHL — and often lower than he would have elsewhere. He then spent two seasons as a top creator with the Edmonton Oil Kings after the rebuilding Thunderbirds dealt him, finishing his three seasons in the WHL with 200 points in 166 games (an 82-point pace per 68 games). He’s a player I think could have benefited from a season or two in college, but didn’t have that option available to him because he’d already signed his entry-level contract. I’ve liked what I’ve seen of him on tape in his rookie season in the AHL this year, though, and there’s room for more.

He has extremely quick hands that give him legitimate one-on-one skill and regularly flashes in dangling sequences inside the offensive zone. He can beat defenders in transition or in traffic and does a really nice job holding onto pucks, drawing attention, delaying and then hitting seams as they open. He’s built quite slightly, though, with a listing that has hovered around 160 pounds. Still, defenders have a tough time marking him, and he can wiggle his way through traffic and is willing to go to the dirty areas (though he’s not always effective there). I like his competitiveness in battles and on the puck for how light he is. Add in some positional and special-teams versatility (he can play center or the wing, and the power play and penalty kill), and he’s relevant.

With continued work in the gym and patience when he gets to the AHL, he might have a chance. There’s also a very early chance he just becomes a second-line AHL producer, though.

6. Stepan Gorbunov, C, 19, Chelyabinsk (No. 169, 2024)

I wasn’t super familiar with Gorbunov’s game pre-draft, but he was a 6-foot-5 August birthday with skill and skating, and the Panthers took a sixth-round flier on that. After he got off to a strong start in the MHL and registered back-to-back four-point games to start his post-draft season last year, I decided to spend some time on him and have been intrigued ever since. Since then, he has become a very productive second-tier VHL player and has now scored his first KHL goal.

Gorbunov isn’t your typical big man, either. He doesn’t play the net-front on the power play. He’s a strong skater who has gotten out in transition and scored some nice goals off the rush, fairly regularly drawing breakaways or getting the jump on defenders. He’s competitive enough, but he’s not mean. And he has some small-area skill to his game that allows him to be more than the chip-and-chase guy you might expect at that size. He’s worth following and looks like an interesting development project for the Panthers to me.

7. Hunter St. Martin, LW/RW, 20, Charlotte (No. 193, 2024)

St. Martin is a rangy, left-shot winger with a good athletic profile and natural wrister who played the right wing opposite Gavin McKenna in Medicine Hat last year, winning a WHL title and scoring 47 goals and 78 points in 87 combined regular-season, playoff and Memorial Cup games. The Panthers signed him to an entry-level contract after he made a strong first impression at their development and training camps and he even scored in NHL preseason action last year, too. Now he’s slowly getting acclimated in his first full year of pro.

He’s a strong north-south skater with a fluid stride and a willingness to play in straight lines, track pucks and support the play. He has quick hands and can play one-on-one, though it’s direct instead of crafty. I like his stick-to-it-iveness. There are fair questions to ask about whether he has enough offense/smarts for an NHL projection, but he looks like an interesting sixth-round play; he has some pro quality, and there are folks who think he can become a fourth-liner or a call-up option. He reminds me a little of Zack Ostapchuk with his rangy straight-line game, work ethic and secondary skill (little toe drags, wrister with some pop), etc.

8. Shea Busch, LW, 18, Everett (No. 128, 2025) 

Busch, a Penn State commit, made the move from the BCHL to the WHL midway through his draft year last year and then played a depth role on a deep Everett team. When the Panthers drafted him in the fourth round, they were betting that with his natural physical tools (6-3, more than 210 pounds) he’d break out this year with the Silvertips — he’s also a June birthday, so they were likely counting on some natural catch-up. And prior to suffering an upper-body injury that has sidelined him since late November, that’s exactly what he did to start this year, opening his post-draft season with 13 goals in 12 games. He also got into a preseason game with the Panthers as an 18-year-old, impressing enough through development camp to get a look (he played well, drew a penalty and finished plus-1).

He’s a big, strong, pro-built winger who can drive down ice with strong pushes, and drop a shoulder and drive the net. He has a pro shot. He’s a good, solid skater who is a lot to handle when he gets going. And then he has some of the finer tools of puck protection to be able to get to the inside and off the wall. He’s not the most cerebral player and has to learn to manage the puck and use his linemates better, but he’s a push-and-pop go-getter who can win battles and play north-south off skill, and there’s a world where he becomes a fourth-liner who scores 10-15 goals.

You’ll notice a theme in this three-pack I’ve put together. Watch the way he drives and pushes downhill here:

And here:

And here:

9. Sandis Vilmanis, LW, 22, Charlotte/Florida (No. 157, 2022)

After a season and a half with the Sarnia Sting, Vilmanis was traded after the World Juniors to North Bay two seasons ago and scored at nearly a goal per game (28 in 30) to finish his junior career. A consistent standout for Latvia at the U18 and then U20 levels, Vilmanis is now in his second AHL season. He didn’t look out of place as a 20-year-old for Charlotte and has been really solid for them this year, playing in all situations. Vilmanis is a gritty, versatile, hardworking, above-average skating winger who goes to the net, plays physical, doesn’t shy away from going at defenders and involves himself shift to shift. He takes pucks to the middle and finds ways to get open. I’ve not been sure that I see everyday NHL upside, but he’s been a good player internationally and across levels, and I don’t think it’s completely out of the question that he sticks. He might never be quite talented enough to convert or play-make off his up-tempo game as much as you’d hope, though.

10. Simon Zether, C, 20, Rögle (No. 129, 2024)

Zether, who ranked one spot ahead of Eriksson on my 2024 NHL Draft board at No. 46, was one of the older players in his draft class. For a time, his profile early in his career also reflected that — he was a point-per-game J20 player and got appearances at U18 worlds and the World Jr. A Challenge three seasons ago, and took a smart but at times passive game to another level as Rögle’s captain at the J20 level two seasons ago. He hasn’t continued to progress ahead of his peers, though, over the last little while. He was a solid contributor in middle-six minutes in the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan last year, but has played a limited role and made a limited impact in the full-time move to the SHL this season.

Zether has pro size to work with, an intelligent game built on plus-level vision, a head that’s always up and hands that control the puck smoothly at a little over 6-2. He has work to do to get a little quicker and play with more pace, but he has made progress there, and he’s good at knowing where to be and using spacing to his advantage. He reads the game at a high level, he has some skill and he’s a right-shot center who plays a reliable game, but I would like to see him take pucks to the interior and look to create for himself a little more instead of always making the efficient but low-upside play. He’s a little more of a high-floor, low-ceiling type, and while I think he has a chance, I think there’s also an outcome where he just becomes a good AHLer/SHLer.

Tier 211. Matvei Shuravin, LHD, 19, CSKA (No. 97, 2024)

Shuravin is a good-sized defender who looked good across Russia’s three levels in his draft year, playing to positive results in 11 games in the KHL with CSKA and finishing at No. 66 on my board when the Panthers took him No. 97. He hasn’t taken a major step in the two seasons since, though, and continues to play primarily in the MHL, where he remains one of the top two-way D in the league but you’d like to see him expand his game further offensively. I like his ability to manage an efficient game at five-on-five, and he generally plays to positive results. He handles pressure and pace fine, he’s competitive, he moves pucks quickly and firmly, he’s mobile, he has a good stick and he seems to read the game really maturely and efficiently on both sides of the puck. There were some in his draft year who viewed him as a depth NHL D, but he’s going to have to start establishing himself up levels here.

12. Arvid Drott, RW, 18, Djurgården (No. 192, 2025)

Drott was a role player with Sweden’s 2007 age group last year and has been a really strong player for Djurgården’s J20 team. His game is driven by his NHL speed. He plays fast, driving around the ice with his strong skating, finishing his checks and getting to and staying around pucks. I like his attitude and spirit. He’s also an August birthday who was on the younger side of last year’s draft, and you can afford to be patient with him because he has some pro attributes. His skill level and sense are just average, though. He’s going to have a long pro career, but he could top out as a third-line SHL/AHL type. The skating makes him worth following at minimum.

13. Shamar Moses, RW, 18, North Bay (No. 129, 2025)

Moses was dealt from Barrie to North Bay in the Dalyn Wakely trade as the Colts tried to load up for an OHL playoff run last season, and then registered 51 points in 66 combined regular-season and playoff games with North Bay to get drafted. I thought he would take more of a step this year than he has, but there isn’t a lot of talent on that North Bay team, and he’s more of a go-getter who works with skill guys than a primary offensive creator. He’s still a consistent factor in games even when he’s not scoring, too.

Moses is a strong, hardworking, heavy winger who was a first-rounder in the OHL draft and captain of the GTHL Don Mills Flyers. He has some power forward elements to his game. He goes to the net and will get after it on the forecheck and use his body to win battles, but he also has some sneaky craft and skill, likes to try things and has made some plays over the last two seasons in open ice. He’s got work to do to get a little quicker, but there are some tools there, and he has some versatility and the competitiveness. I debated excluding him because it’s going to be hard for him to get signed and he has had a tough post-draft season, but I’ve heard lots of good things and wanted to introduce him a little to Panthers fans.