The Florida Panthers’ prospect pool has a little bit of everything in it right now: a winger knocking on the NHL door, a polished college product ready for a bigger test, a big Russian defenseman headed to North America, a steady blue-liner who already got a taste of the league, and a goalie whose size jumps off the page.
That mix is why NHL.com’s top five for Florida offers such a clear snapshot of where the organization is headed. Some of these players are close.
Some are still a step away. All five, though, have already given the Panthers enough reason to keep investing.
Sandis Vilmanis leads the list after a season that showed real forward movement. The 22-year-old winger, taken with the No. 157 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, played 19 NHL games for Florida in 2025-26 and put up three goals and two assists. He also produced 17 goals and 21 assists in 48 games for Charlotte, finishing third on the affiliate in points.
At 6-foot-1 and 192 pounds, Vilmanis has grown into his frame over the last four years, and his first NHL look last season came with the Panthers dealing with injuries. He looked comfortable enough that he’ll get a chance to compete for an opening-night roster spot.
His season also carried beyond the AHL, with 11 points - four goals and seven assists - in eight games for Latvia at the 2026 IIHF World Championship, along with four scoreless games at the 2026 Winter Olympics. Florida liked what it saw enough to sign him July 1 to a two-year contract that begins next season, even though he still has a year left on his entry-level deal.
"I think people don't understand how good he is," Panthers general manager Bill Zito said. "He's a guy that all he wants to do is be a better hockey player."
Jack Devine is right behind him, and his path looks just as intriguing. Florida grabbed Devine with the No. 221 pick in the 2022 NHL Draft, and after four seasons at the University of Denver, the 22-year-old took a meaningful step in his first full pro year.
He got his first NHL action from Nov. 20-Dec. 2, appearing in six games, and then delivered with Charlotte, where he led the team in assists and finished second in points while tying for second in goals.
Devine, who turns 23 on Oct. 1, posted 18 goals and 25 assists in 63 AHL games, and Zito came away encouraged by the way he handled the bounce between leagues.
"He had good start. He got some attention early at the NHL," Zito said.
"He went back (to Charlotte) knowing that he was going to have to work on his game and has done nothing but work every day to try to be a better hockey player. I'm really excited to see just in the growing process as an athlete what he's going to be able to attain."
Projected NHL arrival: This season.
On defense, Matvei Shuravin brings a different kind of upside. Florida selected him with the No. 97 pick in the 2024 NHL Draft, and after finishing his contract with CSKA Moscow in the KHL, he signed a three-year entry-level deal with the Panthers on June 1. The 20-year-old is 6-4 and 218 pounds, and his first season in North America is likely to start in Charlotte.
Shuravin split 2025-26 between CSKA Moscow, CSKA Moscow Jr. and Zvezda Moscow, and Florida believes the move will help him adjust to the team’s way of playing.
"It's going to help a lot," Zito said. "He's going to be able now to start tailoring what he does to our style of game, to our system, to the way we do things and to get the support both as a hockey player and as an athlete to continue to grow."
Projected NHL arrival: Next season.
Marek Alscher has already shown he can handle a bigger role when given the chance. The 22-year-old defenseman, listed at 6-3 and 206 pounds, played four NHL games in April after Florida was hit by injuries, then went on to represent Czechia at the 2026 IIHF World Championship and score two goals in eight games.
Alscher’s 2025-26 season with Charlotte was strong as well. He finished with three goals and eight assists in 52 games and posted a plus-17 rating, tied for second on the AHL club. That was a clear jump from the minus-2 he had in 53 games in 2024-25.
"He’s coming along," Zito said. "He's on schedule and he's a guy whose style fits the way we play."
Rounding out the group is Cooper Black, whose profile is impossible to miss. The undrafted goalie, signed April 2, 2024, by Florida out of Dartmouth College, is 6-8 and 223 pounds and has used that size and athleticism to become Charlotte’s starter.
Black, now 25, went 25-13-4 in 42 AHL games last season with a 2.47 goals-against average, a .903 save percentage and one shutout. He also led AHL rookie goalies in wins during the regular season before going 1-2-0 with a 2.16 GAA and .892 save percentage in three playoff games. Florida rewarded him with a two-year, two-way contract on June 8.
Taken together, the five names tell the story of a prospect group with real depth at forward, defensive size and a goalie who has already earned trust in the system.
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