2019 Draft Check-In: Knight Highlights Large Panthers Class

The Florida Panthers packed their pipeline at the 2019 NHL Draft.
Highlighted by the first-round selection of goaltender Spencer Knight, the organization made nine total picks at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, B.C. - the most players taken home by the team since the 2011 draft.

Opting to build out their blue line after grabbing the top netminder in the draft on Day 1, the Panthers spent three of their first four picks on defensemen to begin Day 2. In the end, the organization's deep and diverse class of prospects took the form of one goaltender, three defensemen and five forwards.
So, how have these players performed in the first season since they were drafted?
With the 2020 NHL Draft set to take place digitally on Oct. 6-7, we decided to find out.

Spencer Knight (1st round, 13th overall)

Position: Goalie
DOB:April 19, 2001
Height: 6'3''
Weight: 192 lbs.
Catches: Left
2019-20 Team: Boston College (NCAA)
Knight certainly lived up to his lofty billing this past season.
Manning the pipes in all but one game for the Eagles during his freshman campaign in 2019-20, the 19-year-old goaltender owned a 23-8-2 record with a 1.97 goals-against average and .931 save percentage. He also ranked third in the nation with five shutouts, including one in just his second-ever NCAA start.
"I spent so much time growing up thinking of this moment, playing for BC," Knight said during an interview on the Territory Talk podcast in May. "When it happened, it hit me that I just have to go out and enjoy this because this is what I've been dreaming of. This is what I've been waiting for."
Territory Talk: Florida Panthers Podcast
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On track to lead Boston College into the NCAA Tournament, Knight went on a career-best, nine-game unbeaten streak before the coronavirus pandemic brought the season to a halt. During that incredible stretch, he allowed more than two goals just once while turning aside more than 25 shots five times.
In his final start, he made a career-high 47 saves in a 3-3 tie at New Hampshire on March 7.
"A really good season from top to bottom," Knight said. "I thought we had a very deep team. From the seniors down to the freshman, everyone was contributing, which was great. It was a great year on the ice. What really drew to that was that everyone was so close."
In addition to being named a finalist for the Mike Richter Award, which is handed out annually to the nation's top goalie, he also earned a spot on the Hockey East Second All-Star Team, was a unanimous selection to the Hockey East All-Rookie Team, and took home a total of six Hockey East Weekly Awards.
On the international stage, Knight was chosen as the starting goaltender for Team USA at the 2020 IIHF World Junior Championship where he registered a 2-2-0 record with a 2.49 goals-against average and .913 save percentage over four starts while finishing as one of USA's top-three players at the event.
In USA's 1-0 loss to Finland in the quarterfinals on Jan. 2, he stopped 28 of 29 shots.
"It was pretty cool," Knight said of the experience. "The first time I went to World Juniors was two years ago, and I was the third goalie there. When you're not on the ice or on the bench, you kind of see a different perspective of things. Just watching then I knew for the next year that I wanted to do this. I wanted to be in the net. There's nothing better than that."
Already considered one of the top goaltending prospects in the entire NHL, Knight plans to chase a championship and return to Boston College for his sophomore season in 2020-21. When the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship is held in Edmonton following the NHL's bubble format, he's likely the favorite to man the crease for Team USA once again.
"Seeing how it just ended and everyone just left and parted ways and didn't have a chance to go on that run, that kind of stuck with me," Knight said of his desire to return to the Eagles. "I think that's the reason why I wanted to come back and want to get back so bad already. Some guys didn't get to live out that end-of-year national championship run. For me, it those kinds of things. Everyone talks about what could have been, but there's nothing we can do about it. It's just going to serve as motivation."

Vladislav Kolyachonok (2nd round, 52nd overall)

Position: Defense
DOB: May 26, 2001
Height:6'2''
Weight: 187 lbs.
Shoots: Left
2019-20 Team: Flint Firebirds (OHL)
Kolyachonok is ready to put his skills to the test against grown men.
After setting new career-highs in goals (12) and points (33) during the 2019-20 campaign with Flint, the 19-year-old blueliner opted to leave the junior ranks behind in order to compete in the KHL in 2020-21.
Prior to heading overseas, his best stretch of the WHL season took place from Dec. 1 through Jan. 17. In that torrid span, he recorded points in five of six games while accumulating three goals and five assists.
Currently playing for Dynamo Minsk in his native Belarus, he's tallied one point in seven games thus far.
"I want to get bigger and work on my offense and defense, just everything," Kolyachonok during Florida's development camp soon after he was drafted. "I want to do everything faster, think faster."

Having already put pen to paper on his three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers all the way back in September of 2019, Kolyachonok, who's starting to earn a reputation for being an aggressive two-way defenseman, is expected to continue honing his all-around skills in the KHL for the time being.
"I'm really excited, first of all," Kolyachonok said of the road ahead. "I have lots of more maturation to do with what I want to do. I'm going to keep working on every part of my game. I want to win the Stanley Cup as fast as I can."

John Ludvig (3rd round, 69th overall)

Position: Defense
DOB: Aug. 2, 2000
Height:6'1''
Weight:205 lbs.
Shoots: Left
2019-20 Team: Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Ludvig saw his offensive numbers grow by leaps and bounds this past season.
After posting 25 points over his previous two seasons combined, the 20-year-old broke out during the 2019-20 campaign to the tune of 62 points (17 goals, 45 assists) over 60 games with the Winterhawks.
In addition to finishing third among WHL defenseman in points (62), he also ranked fourth in goals (17).
"It's definitely something that I wanted to work on this season, my offensive side of the game," Ludvig said. "But, like I said before, we have a great team this year. I'm just getting open, and guys are getting open for me. They're making everything really easy on me back there."

Already known for his physicality and penalty killing prior to being drafted, Ludvig's offensive surge can also be credited to his newfound knack for running the show on the power play. Quarterbacking Portland's top unit, he amassed 27 points with the extra attacker on the ice, including eight goals.
Late in the season, he earned some well-deserved recognition when he was named the WHL's "Player of the Week" for the week ending Feb. 9 after posting nine points (two goals, seven assists) in three games.
"I've always been a defensive, physical guy," said Ludvig, who also recorded 57 penalty minutes. "But I knew this year I wanted to step up my offensive game, so that's been more of my focus this year."
After captaining the Winterhawks to the best regular-season record in the WHL, Ludvig is expected to make the jump to the professional ranks after signing a three-year, entry-level contract with Florida in March.

Cole Schwindt (3rd round, 81st overall)

Position:Center / Right Wing
DOB: April 25, 2001
Height: 6'2''
Weight: 183 lbs.
Shoots: Right
2019-20 Team: Mississauga Steelheads (OHL)
Schwindt was so sharp this past season that he earned himself a contract.
After leading Mississauga with a career-best 71 points (28 goals, 43 assists) over 57 games during a breakout 2019-20 campaign -- a huge jump from his previous career-high point total of 49 -- the 19-year-old forward put pen to paper on a three-year, entry-level contract with the Panthers in April.
"It was unbelievable," Schwindt said shortly after the ink had dried on the deal. "It kind of took me by surprise a little bit. I didn't think that anything was coming anytime soon. It was great. It's nice to get it out of the way, and now I can focus on getting better this summer."

In December, Schwindt garnered headlines when he was named the OHL's "Player of the Month" after leading the league with 21 points (12 goals, nine assists) in 12 games. A model of offensive consistency, he found his way onto the scoresheet in 11 of those 12 contests, including scoring a pair of hat tricks.
"That month kind of took me by surprise," Schwindt said. "I had no idea I was even in the running for the OHL's 'Player of the Month.' When I saw the tweet posted, I was kind of taken aback by it. I got a huge congratulations from the team. I told them that I owed it all to them."
With a chance to build off a strong season, Schwindt expects to return to the Steelheads in 2020-21.
"There's a ton of things that I can add to my game still," Schwindt said. "I'd say that I'm a pretty good two-way player, but maybe adding a little more offense and trying to hit the 100-point range is something that I'm looking forward to next year. Then, obviously, it's all about helping Mississauga win."

Carter Berger (4th round, 106th overall)

Position: Defense
DOB: Sept. 17, 1999
Height: 6'0''
Weight:194 lbs.
Shoots: Left
2019-20 Team: University of Connecticut Huskies (NCAA)
Berger found quite a bit of success during his first season at UConn in 2019-20.
Appearing in 31 games as a freshman, the 21-year-old ranked third among the team's defenseman in scoring with 10 points (two goals, eight assists). His best game came on Feb. 28, when he registered a career-high three points (one goal, two assists) to lift the Huskies to a 3-2 upset win over No. 8 UMass.
Mid-season, he strung together a five-game point streak in which he collected a goal and four assists.

Full of promise, Berger, who set career-highs in goals (27), assists (36) and points (63) while manning the blue in the BCHL in 2018-19, will look to continue making strides as a sophomore at UConn in 2020-21.
"I'm a late-bloomer," Berger said after being drafted by the Panthers. "With the college route, it offers you so much time to develop. You obviously want to make that step to pro hockey as quick as possible, but at the same time you don't want to rush it. I think the college path is perfect for that."

Henrik Rybinski (5th round, 136th overall)

Position: Left Wing
DOB: June 26, 2001
Height: 6'1''
Weight: 170 lbs.
Shoots: Right
2019-20 Team: Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL)
Rybinski felt some growing pains, but still showed off a lot of potential this past season.
Despite seeing his year-over-year point total dip down from 35 to 31, the 19-year-old forward did finish the 2019-20 campaign with a career-high 11 goals. A 200-foot player, he also brought an edge to each one of his shifts, which resulted in him finishing third on the club with a career-best 61 penalty minutes.
Rybinski's best stretch of the season took place from Dec. 17 through Jan. 4. In that span, he racked up 12 points (five goals, seven assists) over a five-game point streak. On Dec. 27, he earned first-star honors when notched two goals and two assists to lead the Thunderbirds to a 9-4 win over the Spokane Chiefs.

Looking ahead, Rybinski is expected to continue rounding out his overall game in Seattle in 2020-21.

Owen Lindmark (5th round, 137th overall)

Position:Center
DOB:May 17, 2001
Height:6'0''
Weight: 190 lbs.
Shoots: Right
2019-20 Team:Wisconsin Badgers (NCAA)
Lindmark got off to a hot start during his freshman season at Wisconsin.
Over the first five games of his collegiate career, the 19-year-old forward registered five points (three goals, two assists), including scoring a shorthanded goal in a 5-3 loss to No. 6 Boston College on Oct. 11 and finding the back of the net twice during a thrilling 6-2 win over No. 3 Minnesota-Duluth on Oct. 18.
In the end, Lindmark finished the 2019-20 campaign with 23 points (six goals, 17 assists) in 36 games. Of those goals, two were shorthanded, which led the team and placed him tied for eighth in the nation. A two-way player and excellent faceoff specialist, he also went 148-for-286 (51.7 percent) in the circle.

Prior to the event being cancelled in July, Lindmark was one of 43 players that had earned an invitation from Team USA to attend the 2020 World Junior Summer Showcase. If international competition does resume later this year, he'll hope to earn a coveted spot at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship.
As for the 2020-21 campaign, Lindmark is expected to return to Wisconsin for his sophomore season.

Greg Meireles (6th round, 168th overall)

Position:Center / Right Wing
DOB: Jan. 1, 1999
Height: 5'10''
Weight:190 lbs.
Shoots: Right
2019-20 Team: Kitchener Rangers (OHL)
Even during a shortened season, Meireles still managed to eclipse the 30-goal mark.
After lighting the lamp a career-high 36 times last season, the 21-year-old forward notched 31 goals to go along with 34 assists for a total of 65 points in 48 games with Kitchener during the 2019-20 campaign.

Ending the season on a tear, Meireles tallied 18 points (eight goals, 10 assists) over the final 11 games of the season. In his final game before the season was paused due to the coronavirus pandemic, he posted a career-high six points (three goals, three assists) during a 7-4 win over the Guelph Storm on March 11.
A high-volume scorer, he ended up with seven multi-goal games, including a pair of hat tricks.
Heading in 2020-21, Meireles is expected to attempt to make the jump to the professional ranks.

Matthew Wedman (7th round, 199th overall)

Position:Left Wing
DOB:May 25, 1999
Height:6'3''
Weight:196 lbs.
Shoots: Left
2019-20 Team: Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) / Kelowna Rockets (WHL)
Wedman produced at just under a point-per-game clip during his overage season in the WHL.
After opening the 2019-20 campaign with 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) in 19 games while captaining Seattle, the 21-year-old forward was shipped to Kelowna for a package of draft picks on Dec. 5, 2019. In the 36 games that followed the trade, he went on to post 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) for the Rockets.

"We've been pursuing Wedman for six weeks,"
Rockets general manager Bruce Hamilton told the Kelowna Daily Courier after the deal was finalized.
"It's been a long grind of negotiations, and we knew it was going to cost picks. He's going to elevate our team in leadership and scoring."
Ending the season on an uptick, Wedman recorded 20 points (11 goals, 9 assists) over his final 13 games with Kelowna, including scoring a hat trick during an 8-3 victory over the Tri-City Americans on Feb. 12.
With his junior career behind him, Wedman will attempt to make the leap to the pros in 2020-21.