2025 Florida Panthers Draft Recap
Who did the Panthers add to their system with six picks outside of the top 100?
The Panthers used a good chunk of their 2025 draft capital to hang a second Stanley Cup banner in the rafters, but they still ended the day with six selections to add to their prospect pool. Here are quick summaries of each pick and some scouting profiles as well courtesy of the Elite Prospects draft guide.
Round 4, pick 112: F Mads Kongsbak Klyvø (Frolunda Jr., SWE)
According to Panthers beat writer Jameson Olive, Klyvø is the first ever Panthers draft pick from Denmark. He scored 29 points (14 goals, 15 assists) over 42 games in the Swedish J20 Nationell last season. He helped Denmark get promoted to the top tier of competition at both the U18 and U20 levels, and was second on his team in scoring at the U18’s. He should be a part of Denmark’s World Juniors team this coming winter.
Here is his Elite Prospects scouting profile: “Mads Kongsbak Klyvø is a toolsy, above-average-skating two-way winger who shows finesse in transition. At 6-foot-2 and almost 200 pounds, he combines the ideal power forward build with projectable skating ability. Thanks to his ideal mechanics and low centre of gravity, he’s very hard to knock out of balance, but he’s also explosive and fast. In combination with a good work rate, his skating makes him a big-time nuisance on the forecheck and backcheck alike.”
Round 4, pick 128: F Shea Busch (Everett Silvertips) (WHL)
Busch played in both the BCHL and WHL last season, and scored a combined 23 goals and 13 assists over those 61 games (22 with Vernon in the BCHL and 39 with Everett).
Here is his Elite Prospects scouting profile: “Some shifts, it seems impossible to knock Busch off the puck. He leans into defenders’ space, using every limb required to lock them on his back. With reverse hits and stiff arms, he creates some separation, and then he shows some playmaking touch to find an open teammate.”
The social media folks out of Everett had some fun celebrating the pick.
Round 5, pick 129: F Shamar Moses (North Bay Battalion) (OHL)
With the very next pick in the draft, the Panthers selected Moses out of the OHL. He’s had a very interesting draft year, being traded to the Battalion in October and scoring a point in 16 of the next 21 games thereafter, eight of those being multi point games. With 48 points (12 goals, 36 assists), he finished third on the Battalion in scoring. He was a defensemen until he moved to forward at age 15.
Here is his Elite Prospects scouting profile: “Moses has eyes on the back of his head, spotting teammates cutting behind him and dropping them the puck just as defenders collapse on him. He constantly uses outlets all around him, involving multiple layers of offence in the attack. On top of never giving away his intentions, he can fire missiles to the top of the net, shield possession on the wall, and push through checks before sending passes to teammates in space.”
Round 6, pick 192: F Arvid Drott (Djurgårdens Jr., SWE)
The Panthers took two different forwards from the J20 Nationell in Sweden this draft, the second being Drott. He scored 18 goals last season, which was tied for 10th most in the J20 Nationell, and also played seven games at the U18 level for Sweden.
Here is his Elite Prospects scouting profile: “Drott has an enticing profile. He’s a powerful skater with projectable quickness and a level of directness to his game, allowing him to burst through the coverage and beat defenders to the outside before driving the net.”
Round 7, pick 197: D Brendan Dunphy (Wenatchee Wild) (WHL)
The only defensemen the Panthers took in their 2025 class, Dunphy is a big 6’5’’ and is heading to UConn to play college hockey next year. The Southern California native scored 22 points last season, and the Panthers traded a 2026 7th round pick to Chicago to select him.
Here is his Elite Prospects scouting profile: “Dunphy is a battler. He shoves opponents to the ice, pins them to the walls, and tosses them away from his net. When defending the rush, his reach acts as a deterrent, keeping his stick in the middle and forcing opponents to peel away. He sets pick on opponents, absorbs contact on retrievals, and occasionally starts the breakout.”
Round 7, pick 224: G Yegor Midlak (Spartak Jr., RUS)
Last and certainly not irrelevant, the Panthers took goalie Midlak with their last pick and the last pick overall in the 2025 Draft. Under Bill Zito and his goaltending department of excellence, the Panthers have taken a goalie in every draft since 2020, though it took until the very last pick in this draft to do so. Midlak is 6’6’’ and joins Kirill Gerasimyuk and Denis Gabdrakmahnov as Russian goalies in the Panthers pipeline. He played four games in the MHL in Russia and had a .941 save percentage.