Panthers Draft (2013 Edition) Part 1

  With his 6th draft at the helm of the Panthers, Dylan set out on a new path with his recent championship winning team. And it was pretty clear what direction they decided to take. Defenseman! Of the 12 picks by Florida this year, eight were on the backend along with three forwards and a goalie. They ended up selecting 5 Canadians, 4 Americans and 3 Swedens, sticking with what they believe the top 3 country systems for hockey. "Our depth in the system was weak on defense, and we had a lot of depth up front, so that was our focus heading in, and I think we succeeded in executing that."

24^th Overall Pick

Shea Theodore, Defenseman, Seattle Thunderbirds

Born: August 3^rd, 1995 Aldergrove, BC

HT: 6’2 WT: 175 lbs

GM’s Take:

“We wanted Shea badly. We thought there was a good chance we could still grab him at 30, but we didn’t want to take that risk and moved up to secure the pick. This guy right now is a purely gifted offensive D. He was on a weak Seattle team, and he really show cased his talent for moving the puck. We also saw it showcased at the U-18, and we fully expect to see it some more this year. He needs to tighten up his defensive game, but he’s already got the skating and puck-moving ability down. He is one of the youngest guys in the draft, and we feel we got a great young player to add to the ranks here in Florida.”

35^th Overall Pick

Rober Hägg, Defenseman, Modo

Born: February 8^th, 1995 Uppsala, Sweden

HT: 6’2 WT: 203 lbs

GM’s Take:

“We really couldn’t believe that Hagg fell to our 2^nd round pick. He might not be the flashiest defenseman in the draft, but he is a very solid two-way defender. He can move the puck up the ice with ease, and he uses his size to his advantage which we like to see. He really impressed us as a 17 year old at the World Juniors, and we fully expect to see him there again. We really believe we got a huge steal with this pick.”

42^nd Overall Pick

Ian McCoshen, Defenseman, Waterloo Black Hawks

Born: August 8^th, 1995 Faribault, Minnesota

HT: 6’3 WT: 207 lbs

GM’s Take:

“Another guy who is one of the youngest guys in the draft class, McCoshen adds a different element from the other two. This is a guy who will use his size a lot more, and is definitely more competent and complete defender than the other two. He is a guy we can envision eating up big minutes at the pro level, being one of those steady D that you can count on, on the PK or during close games near the end. He is a little bit of a further project, going to Boston College, we fully expect him to spend three or even the full four years there before turning pro.”

64^th Overall Pick

Tommy Vannelli, Defenseman, Minnetonka High

Born: January 26^th, 1995 Minnetonka, Minnesota

HT: 6’2 WT: 170 lbs

GM’s Take:

“Our fourth pick and fourth defenseman. Tommy is a guy who has a lot of room to grow. He is a very raw player who can skate well and read the play with some of the best in the class. We were ecstatic that he fell to our 3^rd pick and just added to what was becoming a great haul for us. Tommy is definitely a long term project for us. We have the pieces on the pro team, and in the system, that he can afford to wait. We really hope to see him dominate at the University of Minnesota over the next few years.”

69^A Overall Pick

Carter Verhaeghe, Centre, Niagara Ice Dogs

Born: August 14^th, 1995 Waterdown, Ontario

HT: 6’1 WT: 181 lbs

GM’s Take:

“It took us till the 3rd round and our fifth pick to select our first forward. Like our last two picks, this one is definitely a long term project.  Being another one of the youngest guys in the draft, we feel there is tons of potential in Carter. His stats weren’t the greatest on the Ice Dogs, but he was impressive with Canada at the U-18. He really came in to our radar when watching Strome play with the Ice Dogs, and we are looking forward to that this year, when Carter has to take on a much bigger role, with a bunch of the top guys turning pro.”

97^th Overall Pick

Keaton Thompson, Defenseman, US National U-18

Born: September 14^th, 1995 Devils Lake, North Dakota

HT: 6’1 WT: 187 lbs

GM’s Take:

“Keaton is only a couple of days away from being a 2014 draft pick. He is another two-way defender that we feel can really complement our system. He is a safe player, and we are hoping he tries to break out of the shell more in College. He can skate well and pass well, and defend well, so really he has the tools to do much more. Going to North Dakota is a huge selling point for us, as we love that system and we’ve had a lot of success picking from their pool.”