Under-the-Radar Players to Watch at Florida Panthers Training Camp

The Florida Panthers released their 54-man training camp roster on Tuesday. Here's a few under-the-radar players to watch when camp opens this Thursday.

Photo by Colby Guy

As the Florida Panthers open up training camp, 54 players will take the ice looking to make an impression on the defending Stanley Cup champions.

Among those are young players going into their first professional season, familiar faces who played a handful of NHL games with the big club and some new faces vying for a roster spot.

With key players like Brandon Montour, Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Vladimir Tarasenko leaving in free agency, there is an outside chance for some to do just that. Others could end up making an impact in the AHL with the Charlotte Checkers before eventually earning a call-up down the road.

Here are a few players to look out for when training camp opens on Thursday, Sept. 19:

Justin Sourdif

Last Season: 12 goals, 38 points, 58 games (AHL Charlotte)

Justin Sourdif made an impression on the Panthers last season, earning a spot on the NHL roster early in the season and playing in three NHL games while platooning on the third line with Mackie Samoskevich.

This season, that roster spot is wide open yet again with Tarasenko’s departure to the Detroit Red Wings.

Samoskevich outperformed Sourdif in Charlotte last season, but the 22-year-old has shown a lot of maturity in his game on both sides of the ice. He is a powerful skater with a great shot who could fit Florida’s hard-forchecking identity.

He showed a lot of improvement during his second season of professional hockey — upping his goal total from seven to 12 and his point total from 24 to 38 — and proved to be one of the biggest standouts from the Checkers.

There is a real possibility he will make some noise in the battle for an NHL roster spot this season once again.

Sandis Vilmanis

Last season: 38 goals, 77 points, 60 games (OHL North Bay/Sarnia)

Entering his first season of professional hockey, Sandis Vilmanis will be an interesting player to watch in this year’s training camp.

The 6-foot-2 forward looked dominant at times during his final season of junior hockey — including a 28-goal, 39-point stint with the North Bay Battalion in the back half of this season. He added 10 goals and 27 points in 16 playoff games while leading North Bay to the third round of the OHL playoffs. They lost to the London Knights in seven games.

Vilmanis, a 2022 fifth-round draft pick, is not likely to crack the NHL roster, but he will be interesting to watch for the next few years. The 20-year-old is a power forward with a slick shot who could potentially be an impact player for the Checkers this year.

Gracyn Sawchyn

Last season: 18 goals, 64 points, 54 games (WHL Seattle/Edmonton)

Gracyn Sawchyn turned heads during his first NHL camp, showing some top-end speed and even some physicality from a player who stands at 5-foot-11, 165 pounds. And the 2023 second-round pick parlayed that into a solid season at the junior level.

Sawchyn started the season fairly strong, scoring six goals and 15 points in 21 games for the Seattle Thunderbirds and he continued that momentum after a mid-season trade to the Edmonton Oil Kings. He scored 13 goals and 43 points in the final 37 games of the season.

The 19-year-old will most likely return to Edmonton for another WHL season, but he has some tools to his game that will shine at the NHL level. He is a crafty forward who handles the puck well and is a solid playmaker. He also never gives up on a puck battle, which is a part of his game the Panthers love.

Mikulas Hovorka

Last season: five goals, 16 points, 51 games (Czechia)

One year after Uvis Balinskis made an impression in his first North American season coming out of the Czech league, 23-year-old Mikulas Hovorka hopes to do the same.

The 6-foot-6 defenseman showed promise on both ends of the ice this season, leading all blueliners on Motor Ceske in goals (five) and plus/minus (plus-14). His 16 points in 51 games is a big jump from his first season of professional hockey, where he put up three goals and six points in 39 games in 2022-23.

Like Balinskis before him, Hovorka has a chance to play in NHL games this season if he makes an impression in camp. The Panthers are very weak on the right side of their blue line after Brandon Montour’s departure and he could help bring balance to it at some point.