19-year-old has played three seasons in Finland’s top professional league
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
Tuesday, Oct. 6, 2020
SUNRISE, Fla. – Florida Panthers General Manager Bill Zito announced today that with the 12th overall pick of the 2020 National Hockey Draft, the Panthers have selected forward Anton Lundell.
“Playing in Finland’s top professional league for parts of three seasons as a teenager, Anton has continued to develop into a highly-talented two-way forward,” said Zito. “He is a responsible, cerebral player who possesses great hockey sense and compete. We are thrilled to have selected Anton and are excited for his future.”
Lundell, 19, appeared in 44 games with HIFK of Finland’s top professional league, Liiga, and registered 28 points (10-18-28).
In three games with HIFK in the 2020-21 Liiga season, Lundell has posted two points (1-1-2).
He earned a Gold Medal with Finland at the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship, producing four points (1-3-4) in seven games. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound native of Espoo, Finland helped his country win a Gold Medal at the 2018 IIHF World U18 Championship, posting six points (2-4-6) in seven games. At the 2018 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, he produced two points (1-1-2) over four games with Finland.
In 2018-19, Lundell recorded 19 points (9-10-19) in 38 games with HIFK and appeared in three games with HIFK in the Champions Hockey League. Lundell also played in 10 games with HIFK U20 of the top Finnish junior league and amassed 15 points (6-9-15).
Lundell’s father Jan Lundell played 16 seasons as a goaltender in Liiga and serves as the goaltending coach for HIFK. In 2019-20, the two Lundells played together in one game for HIFK.
Day 2 of the NHL Draft will begin at 11:30 am on NHL Network. The Florida Panthers own the following selections:
- 2nd Round – 43rd overall
- 3rd Round – 74th overall
- 3rd Round – 87th overall (via Colorado)
- 4th Round – 95th overall (via Ottawa)
- 4th Round – 105th overall
- 5th Round – 137th overall (via Toronto)
- 7th Round – 198th overall
Stay tuned to all Panthers Draft headlines at FloridaPanthers.com/DraftCentral presented by South Florida Ford and use #CatsDraft on social media. Fans can find a special draft-themed augmented reality filter on Instagram and a lens on Snapchat.
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-PANTHERS-
