Florida Panthers: Top 8 prospects worth getting excited about

Here’s a look at the Top 8 Prospects for the Florida Panthers.

The Florida Panthers as an organization have had quite a bit of change over the past year-and-a-half. First was the hiring of Head Coach Joel Quenneville, who is known as one of the best (if not the best) coaches in the NHL, and led the Chicago Blackhawks to three Stanley Cup Championships between 2010-2015.

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While that move was great for the Panthers, they have also made some questionable ones in recent memory, none more so than signing goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky to a seven-year, $70 million contract. The 32-year-old Russian netminder has had a fantastic career, but giving a player on the wrong side of his thirties a contract that big seems like a very bad call. Of course, that signing was by former management, as the team also fired General Manager Dale Tallon this past August and replaced him with Bill Zito

As for the team itself, the 2019-20 season was a bit of a rollercoaster. There is no denying the skill they have, but shaky defensive play and goaltending led them to just a 15th place finish in league standings. On top of last year’s disappointing play, they also lost some key players to Free Agency this offseason in Mike Hoffman and Evgeni Dadonov. Despite that, it isn’t a complete disaster as they boast one of the better prospect pools in the entire league, and have a few top end prospects that could step in as soon as the 2020-21 season to replace both Hoffman and Dadonov.

As mentioned in every other Top 8 Prospects articles throughout this series, any player who has played in more NHL games than any other league in a season, regardless of the season, will not be included. With that being said, here are the Top 8 Prospects in the Florida Panthers organization.

8. Eetu Luostarinen

Kicking off what is a great group of forward prospects for the Florida Panthers is forward Eetu Luostarinen, who was part of the package they received from the Carolina Hurricanes in exchange for forward Vincent Trocheck. The 22-year-old Finnish centerman was taken in the Second-Round (No. 42 overall) by the Hurricanes at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft after a rookie season for KalPa Kuopio in the SM-liiga in which he had seven points in 32 games.

Luostarinen played two more seasons with KalPa, where his numbers drastically improved, before heading to North America for the 2019-20 season. He played in 44 AHL games with the Charlotte Checkers prior to being traded, where he had 25 points. He also suited up for eight games with the Hurricanes, chipping in with one assist. Due to the AHL season having not yet started, he once again suited up for KalPa and had a terrific start, posting 15 points in 17 games. He has since left and is currently at the Panthers training camp.

7. Aleksi Saarela

Another talented Finnish forward the Florida Panthers have in their system is Aleksi Saarela, whom they acquired in a trade from the Chicago Blackhawks in October of 2019. The 24-year-old was a Third-Round pick (No.89 overall) by the New York Rangers at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Much like Eetu Luostarinen, Saarela was drafted after his rookie season in the SM-liiga, where he played for Assat Pori and had 12 points in 51 games.

Saarela, once again like Luostarinen, spent two more seasons in the SM-liiga before heading to North America to close out the 2016-17 season, and spending his first full season there in 2017-18. He has spent the majority of his last three seasons in the AHL, where he has posted solid numbers. This past season saw him put up 12 goals and 31 points in 43 games with the Springfield Falcons.

Saarela also suited up for nine games with the Panthers, posting four points, as well as one Playoff game. He is currently playing for Lukko Rauma in the SM-Liiga and has managed 12 goals and 18 points in 19 contests. It has been announced that he is staying in Europe for the remainder of the season, and given his age, next season’s training camp with the Panthers may be his last chance to become an NHL regular.

6. Max Gildon

The only defenseman appearing on this list is Max Gildon, who the Panthers took with the 66th overall selection at the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The 21-year-old was drafted after a 26-game season with the U.S. National Under-18 Team in the USHL where he posted 14 points. He has since spent the last three seasons playing for the University of New Hampshire, where his offense has come to life.

This past season was the best of Gildon’s college career, as he had seven goals and 29 points in 34 games played. Both his 22 assists and 29 points led his team, while his seven goals were the most by a defenseman. The Panthers were able to sign him to an entry-level contract last March, meaning he will make his professional debut this season.

5. Logan Hutsko

The second straight college player on this list is forward Logan Hutsko. Like Max Gildon, Hutsko was also taken in the Third-Round, though at the 2018 Draft and slightly lower at 89th overall. He had just finished up his freshman season with Boston College at the time of being drafted, where he posted a very impressive 12 goals and team leading 31 points in 37 games. His small frame of five-foot-ten, 165 pounds is likely what held him back from being a much higher pick.

Last season, his third with Boston College, saw him put up a team leading 19 goals, along with 33 points in 30 contests. He elected to return to college hockey for his fourth and final season, and is off to another impressive start with nine points in six games. Panthers management will need to work hard to get Logan Hutsko signed to an entry-level deal before he is set to become a free agent.

4. Anton Lundell

The most recent pick the Florida Panthers have had that cracks this list is Anton Lundell, who was taken 12th overall at the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. Coming into the Draft, the talented Finnish forward already had two seasons with HIFK Helsinki in the SM-Liiga under his belt, the most recent in which he posted 10 goals and 28 points in 44 games.

Lundell is currently playing in his third season with Helsinki, and is off to a terrific start, leading his team with 12 goals and 20 points in 17 games. He was able to show his skills on the world stage at the 2021 World Junior Championship, where he had six goals and 10 points in seven matches. He would likely be the top prospect on many other NHL teams’ lists but, given the Panthers’ loaded farm system, he sits at fourth. Still, the future is extremely bright for him and Panthers fans should be very excited.

3. Grigori Denisenko

Grigori Denisenko, who the Panthers selected 15th overall at the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, is a very exciting prospect. The 20-year-old Russian forward has spent the past two seasons in the KHL, which is very impressive for a player of his age. The 2019-20 season saw him post six goals and six assists in 38 games for Yaroslavl Lokomotiv.

Many may recognize Denisenko’s name from the World Juniors, as he represented Team Russia at both the 2019 and 2020 tournament, and was the team captain his second time around. In a combined 14 games at the tournament, he put together seven goals and 18 points, proving just how skilled he is. He signed an entry-level contract with the Panthers back in July, meaning he will play the 2020-21 season in North America. Whether it is in the NHL or AHL is yet to be determined but, regardless, he has a great chance to become an NHL star.