Florida selects two defensemen, two forwards and one goaltender in Nashville
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Thursday, June 29, 2023Nashville, Tenn. – The Florida Panthers selected five players during day two of the 2023 National Hockey League Draft in Nashville, Tenn.
Florida selected forward Gracyn Sawchyn in the second round (63rd overall), defenseman Albert Wikman in the fourth round (127th overall), goaltender Olof Glifford in the fifth round (159th overall), defenseman Luke Coughlin in the sixth round (191st overall) and forward Stepan Zvyagin in the seventh round (198th overall).
Sawchyn, 18, appeared in 58 regular season games with the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League (WHL) in 2022-23, recording 58 points (18-40-58). He scored 11 points (3-8-11) in 17 postseason games, capturing the WHL Championship for the Thunderbirds.
The 5-foot-11, 155-pound native of Grande Prairie, Alberta amassed 22 points (8-14-22) in 35 games with the USNTDP (United States National Team Development Program) of the United States Hockey League (USHL) over the 2021-22 season.
Wikman, 18, played for Färjestad BK throughout the 2022-23 season, appearing in 11 games with Färjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) and 43 games with Färjestad BK J20. Amassing 12 points (2-10-12) in 43 games with Färjestad BK J20, Wikman finished second among team defenseman in penalty minutes with 56.
The 6-foot-0, 191-pound native of Karlstad, Sweden represented his country at the 2023 U18 World Junior Championships, earning the silver medal.
Glifford, 18, appeared in 11 games this season with HV71 J18 of the Swedish J18 juniors posting a 2.56 goals against average (GAA) and a .929 save percentage (SV%). In the postseason, Glifford recorded a 2.68 GAA and a .923 SV% in six games played.
The 6-foot-4, 198-pound native of Husqvarna, Sweden led all Swedish J18 South goaltenders in both save percentage and goals against average for the 2022-23 season.
Coughlin, 18, appeared in 37 games in the 2022-23 season with Rimouski Océanic of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL), amassing 19 points (5-14-19) in 37 games.
The 5-foot-10, 172-pound native of Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island spent the 2021-22 season with the Océanic skating in 55 games and collecting 18 points (4-14-18).
Zvyagin, 19, appeared in 37 games with Dinamo-Shinnik Bobruysk of the Molodezhnaya Hockey League (MHL), amassing 33 points (37-14-19). He also appeared in 15 games with Dinamo Minsk of the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL).
The 6-foot, 154-pound native of Moscow, Russia was named the MHL Rookie of the Week on October 31, 2022.
2023-24 Florida Panthers Territory Memberships are on sale now! The Panthers open up their home portion of the season on Oct. 19 when they host the Toronto Maple Leafs at FLA Live Arena at 7 PM. Celebrate the 30th Anniversary Season with exclusive benefits, savings and events as a Season Ticket Territory Member. Visit FloridaPanthers.com/TerritoryMemberships to learn more or fill out this interest form.
