The Florida Panthers were quiet Wednesday as they were without a first-round pick for the second year in a row.
But Thursday, they were busy with five draft picks on Day 2 of the 2023 NHL Draft in Nashville.
With their first pick, the Panthers selected center Gracyn Sawchyn (Round 2, No. 63) from the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League. Defenseman Albert Wikman was taken next in Round 4 (No. 127). The Panthers drafted a second Swede in the fifth round (No. 159) in goaltender Olof Glifford. Florida then took another left-shot defenseman Luke Coughlin in Round 6 (No. 191), before finishing the draft with Russian left winger Stepan Zvyagin in the seventh round (No. 198).
Panthers general manager Bill Zito notably didn’t make any trades during the two-day draft.
The Panthers’ first-round pick originally belonged to Montreal until the Canadiens traded it to the Colorado Avalanche earlier in the week. The Avalanche used the No. 31 pick on Russian defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev.
Here’s a look at all five of the Panthers’ draft picks:
Round 2, No. 63: C Gracyn Sawchyn
Sawchyn helped lead the Thunderbirds to a WHL championship this past season, recording 18 goals and 40 assists in 58 regular season games, plus 11 more points in 17 playoff games. Sawchyn was previously a part of the U.S. National Team Development Program. NHL Central Scouting ranks Sawchyn at No. 24 among North American skaters. Sawchyn, 18, is listed at 5-foot-10, 155 pounds and was born in Alberta, Canada.
Round 4, No. 127: D Albert Wikman
Wikman is a Swedish left-shot defenseman for Färjestad BK. This past season, he produced two goals and 10 assists in 43 games in the J20 Nationell junior hockey league. Wikman played in two games in the 2023 U18 World Junior Championships, helping Sweden earn a silver medal. Listed at 6-foot-0, 191 pounds, NHL Central Scouting ranks him at No. 32 among European skaters.
Round 5, No. 159: G Olof Glifford
Glifford, another Swede, is a big goaltender at 6-foot-4, 191 pounds. He’s played in the HV71 program his entire career as a junior, last year spending most of his time with U18’s. In three games with the HV71 J20 team, Glifford posted a 1.65 goals-against average and a .949 save percentage. Glifford is not among the 12 ranked international goaltenders by NHL Central Scouting.
Round 6, No. 191: D Luke Coughlin
Coughlin, the Panthers’ second left-shot defenseman of the day, is a Canadian who was ranked everywhere across the board. FCHockey ranked Coughlin as high as No. 83, while other sites slotted him in between there and all the way to No. 202. Playing for Rimouski Océanic of the QMJHL, Coughlin recorded five goals and 14 assists in 37 games last season.
Round 7, No. 198: LW Stepan Zvyagin
Zvyagin is a Russian winger for the Dinamo Minsk of the KHL. At 6-foot-0, 161 pounds, Zvyagin notched just one goal with no assists in 15 games at the KHL. However, his production increased dramatically with Dinamo-Shinnik Bobruysk in the MHL, jumping to 14 goals and 19 assists in 37 games last season. Zvyagin is ranked No. 75 among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting and is under contract in Russia through the 2025-26 season.