Here are the results of Florida’s draft:
2nd Round (40th overall)
- Simas Ignatavicius - 18-year-old forward playing for Geneve-Servette HC (NLA)
2nd Round (48th overall)
- Ryder Cali - 17-year-old forward committed to Providence College next season
4th Round (98th overall)
- Jonas Kemps - 18-year-old defenseman set to play in Seattle (WHL) next season and Michigan State the season after
6th Round (168th overall)
- Vilho Vanhatalo - 18-year-old forward playing for Tappara Tampere (Liiga)
6th Round (181st overall)
- Cole Zurawski - 18-year-old forward committed to Notre Dame next season
7th Round (217th overall)
- Louis-Antoine Denault - 19-year-old goalie playing for Newfoundland (QMJHL)
Next up for the Panthers is their annual Development Camp, which kicks off today in Fort Lauderdale and runs through Thursday.
The roster for Dev Camp can be found here and features an array of prospects and possible future Checkers.
Two players of note that could have an impact on Charlotte this season are Tyler Muszelik and Emil Pieniniemi.
Muszelik, 21, was a sixth-round pick by Florida in 2022 and - after finishing a four-year career at the University of New Hampshire - inked a two-year, entry-level deal with the Panthers in April. The netminder then spent the end of last season with the Checkers on an amateur tryout.
Pieniniemi, 21, was acquired by Florida earlier this month in exchange for the rights to Oliver Okuliar. The Finnish defenseman was a third-round pick by Pittsburgh in 2023 and split his first pro campaign last season between the AHL’s Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (3 points in 9 games) and the ECHL’s Wheeling Nailers (11 points in 26 games). Pieniniemi also led all Nailers blue liners in scoring during the team’s run to the conference finals and also appeared in two Calder Cup Playoff games for the Penguins.
