Panthers adds 7 new prospects through the 2023 RHL draft.

2023-07-17

Even though the free agency is still yet to come, the Florida Panthers have already been pretty active in this offseason. Already many trades including one that fetched them the 10th overall pick in the 2023 draft. As I’m writing these lines, the last selections in the 2023 RHL Draft have just been made and PKayne added another great batch of young promising prospects. Prospects that I’ll describe briefly in that article.

1st round (10th) – Gabe Perreault – RW – USNTDP

People were talking a lot about Will Smith and Ryan Leonard prior to the draft but Gabe Perreault is the USNTDP player that registered the most points in the past season with 132 points in 63 games. Scouts are still really high on “big boys” so clearly, Perreault’s 165 pounds were a huge factor in teams’ decisions to pick Smith and Leonard before Perreault. According to PKayne, they’re not worried at all with Perreault’s size since he’s still young, he’s 5’11 and could still grow an inch or two and they’re already working on adding a 15-20 pounds on his frame.

The son of former Habs’ legend Yanic Perreault has been absolutely incredible this season, showing his great IQ and over-the-edge offensive skills. He’s a great playmaker that has a tremendous vision combined with a solid set of hands. Despite being a beast in the playmaking area, Perreault also has a great shot.

He probably has to work a bit on his defensive efficiency but he’s aware of it so it’s not a concern at all.

He could very well become a 1st liner on the Panthers roster one day!

2nd round (37th) – Koehn Ziemmer – RW – WHL

Ziemmer has grown into one of the top power forward of this class this season. At 6’ and 202 lbs, he knows how to use his body at his advantage when he’s protecting & fighting for the puck. His top quality is quite obvious: He’s a dangerous goal scorer. But he’s also able to pass the puck quite nicely. His 41 goals and 48 assists for 89 points in 68 games in the WHL this past season are showing just that. He might have to work on his skating if he wants to become a force on the top 6 eventually but the good news is that it’s something that CAN get better with dedication.

5th round (134th) –  Vilmer Alriksson – LW/C – J20 Nationell

The 6 foot 6 and 215lbs Swedish unit has definitely catch the attention this season. He’s still a raw prospect but his skating for a player of his size was one of the main reason why scouts paid attention there.  He’s a really good skater with some good offensive skills but he still needs to learn how to better use his size against the opponents. He’s not projecting as a future top 6 forward (for now) but his defensive awareness makes him a really good project that could become a solid 3rd line addition. It’s gonna take some time, but PKayne thinks he could become a monster with the appropriate coaching.

5th round (140th) – Luke Mittelstadt – D – NCAA

PKayne isn’t known for drafting overagers but when the opportunity is there and he feels it could pays off long term, he’s definitely not against it. Luke Mittelstadt is already 20 years old but he just had a really good season in the NCAA with the University of Minnesota but also with Team USA at the World Junior Championship where he had a great contribution and won the bronze medal. Mittelstadt is an offensive-minded defenseman that will shine a bit more when he’s paired with a more defensive-minded defenseman. He’s not bad defensively but his offensive tools are clearly what allowed him to thrive in his career so far.

6th round (186th) – Will Vote – RW – USNTDP

If he were a bit taller and a bit thicker, Will Vote would have probably went in the 3rd or 4th round. The talent and the offensive skills are definitely there but his 5’8 and 160 pounds  have definitely scared some scouts out there. He played with Gabe Perreault (not on the same line but on the same team) in the USNTDP program and was able to end up as the 6th best point producer. Only Perreault, Smith, Leonard, Moore and Nelson had more points than him. He’s also committed to Boston College just like Gabe Perreault so the Panthers organization will be able to easily follow his progression out there. Vote may not be the bigger player on the ice, but he's shown some high compete level and he’s always at 110%. He has a good hockey IQ and a good shot. Could be a long shot to become a regular RHL player one day but the “homerun” possibility is there in Vote’s case.

7th round (198th) – Yegor Klimovich – Center/Winger – MHL

Just like Will Vote, Yegor Klimovich has been outlooked because of his size. The 5’9 and 159lbs Russian just had an incredible season in the MHL as a 17 years old as he registered 49 points in 36 games. As a comparison, Roman Kantserov got picked in the beginning of the 3rd round (RHL – and 2nd round in the NHL) and recorded less points than Klimovich in the MHL. But, yeah, he’s like 15 pounds heavier so I guess it’s all that matters!

Klimovich still has some things to improve like his skating but he’s got some huge offensive skills and his always a threat when he’s on the ice. That’s probably why some scouts had him as high as the 2nd round on their list. He’s obviously a long shot to make it to the show but still an interesting project to follow!

7th round (202nd) – Yegor Yegorov – Goalie – MHL

It’s never a bad idea to draft some goalies in the later rounds. Even more when it’s a 17 years old Russian that is already 6’3 and looking good in the MHL. He’s not been the starter of his team this season but he should have more starts in the upcoming season where he’ll be able to prove he’s a top 10 goalie in this years draft. Chaotic at times, Yegorov can move fast between the pipes and this skill combined with his size could make him become a really good selection for the Florida Panthers organization.

Hope you had a great time reading this article, Panthers fans! Feel free to leave some comments, questions, insults, whatever.

Have a sunny day!

Mark Kandy

Miami Sun