Panthers prioritize offensive skill in Round 1 of NHL Draft with Mackie Samoskevich pick

The Florida Panthers picked outside the top 15 for the first time since 2016 on Friday and added another skilled forward into their mix with their first-round pick in the 2021 NHL Entry Draft.

The Panthers picked Mackie Samoskevich with the No. 24 overall selection in the 2021 Entry Draft. The American right wing was the No. 26 North American skater in the Draft, according to the NHL Central Scouting Bureau.

“He was a player that we had targeted for quite some time,” general manager Bill Zito said. “Our scouts were really, really bullish on Mackie both as a player and a person. They spent a lot of time really doing a deep dive into him as a player. We’re really excited.”

Samoskevich is originally from Newtown, Connecticut, and spent the last three seasons playing for the Chicago Steel in the United States Hockey League. Last year, he scored 13 goals and dished out 24 assists in 36 games. He’s committed to the Michigan Wolverines and Florida will retain his rights for the duration of his college hockey career.

The 5-foot-11, 191-pound forward has a reputation as one of the most skilled American skaters in the Draft. He was the No. 19 overall player in the Draft, according to EliteProspects.com. On Thursday, Zito said he would take the “best player” available in the first round.

The Panthers no longer just sell hope. Now the Draft is for building sustained success

The Panthers have built themselves into a Stanley Cup contender through the NHL Entry Draft, landing All-Star left wing Jonathan Huberdeau, star center Aleksander Barkov and defenseman Aaron Ekblad with a series of top-three picks in 2011, 2013 and 2014, then supplementing them with a series of promising Draft picks in the last few years. They took right wing Owen Tippett with the No. 10 pick in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, left wing Grigori Denisenko with the No. 15 pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, goaltender Spencer Knight with the No. 13 pick in the 2019 NHL Entry Draft and center Anton Lundell wtih the No. 12 pick in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft.

Each of Florida’s top-15 picks in the last four Drafts began the 2020-21 NHL season as top-50 prospects, according to ESPN.com, and should be in the NHL next season. Samoskevich is probably a few years away.

This year, the Panthers had their lowest first-round Draft position in franchise history, picking 24th — although it effectively was the No. 23 pick because the Arizona Coyotes forfeited the No. 11 for a violation of pre-Draft scouting rules. By the time Florida’s pick came, each of the top 10 North American skaters were off the board, as were the top two European skaters. Defenseman Carson Lambos was the top-ranked North American skater available and Finland’s Aatu Raty was the top-ranked European skater.

The first 22 picks mostly went off without any serious surprises. The Buffalo Sabres took Michigan defenseman Owen Powers with the No. 1 overall pick, as was expected, and the first five picks were all players ranked among the top-six North American skaters in the Draft. Swedes Simon Edvinsson and William Eklund, the top two European skaters, went Nos. 6 and 7, respectively, and the next two picks were the last two remaining top-seven North American Skaters.

The Ottawa Senators finally delivered the first stunner of the Draft when they took right wing Tyler Boucher, the 25th-ranked North American skater, at No. 10, then the next dozen or so picks skated along without surprise to set up the Panthers at No. 24.