George Richards, FHN Publisher
The Florida Panthers certainly have a type. On Saturday, the team had six selections in the second day of the NHL Draft and went big most of the time.
With their first two picks, both of which were in the second round, Florida went with two forwards in Simas Ignatavicius (6-foot-3) and Ryder Cali (6-2).
Defenseman Jonas Kemps (6-6) followed in the fourth round, with 6-4 forward Vilho Vanhatalo selected in the sixth.
With its final two picks of the day, Florida went with 6-1 forward Cole Zurawski in the sixth, with Roberto Luongo getting his traditional seventh round pick for a goalie.
As has been the case in the past, Luongo went for a big one: 6-8 Louis-Antoine Denault out of Quebec City.
Denault, 19, went undrafted last year but attended Panthers development camp.
All six of Saturday’s selections, barring travel concerns, should make their on-ice debut with the Panthers at development camp in Fort Lauderdale starting on Monday.
Florida’s first pick of the draft after trading two first-round picks to the Senators for Brady Tkachuk was Ignatavicius who became just the fourth player from Lithuania to ever be drafted.
“A dream come true,” Ignatavicius said after being taken by the Panthers. “Coming from a non-traditional hockey country … if someone would have told me a couple of years ago that I would get called up by Florida, I would not have believed it. I am grateful for this chance, this opportunity. It means a lot to my family, to my country. It shows little kids that whatever you dream for is possible. You just have to work for it and get your chance. When you get it, you have to take it.’’
Cali, who is Swiss but played the past two seasons in the Ontario Hockey League for the North Bay Battalion, will play at Providence College this coming season.
“It didn’t feel real for a second,” Cali said. “I had to make sure that they actually said my name, but when everyone else stood up, I knew it was true. It’s pretty cool. Florida is like the best place, ever, to get drafted to. I could not be more happy and excited.”
Kemps, a native of California, is obviously a big defenseman at 6-6. He will play for Seattle of the WHL this season before going to Michigan State.
Vanhatalo was a selection which sort of jumped off the page due to his background. He said his idol is Panthers captain Sasha Barkov — which makes a lot of sense since the two are from the same hometown, and Vanhatalo plays for Barkov’s Tappara squad in Tampere.
ON DECK: FLORIDA PANTHERS OFFSEASON
- NHL Free Agency: Opens July 1
- Panthers Development Camp: Monday-Thursday; IcePlex, Fort Lauderdale
- Panthers Rookie Camp/Tournament: Late August/Early Sept.; Site TBA
- Panthers Training Camp: Early/Mid September; Fort Lauderdale
- Panthers Preseason (Four Games): Starts Sept. 20 vs. Carolina Hurricanes
- 2026-27 NHL Season Opens: Late September; Site, Opponent TBA