Florida Panthers Select Eight Players During Day 2 of 2020 NHL Draft

SUNRISE, Fla. - The Florida Panthers selected eight players during day two of the 2020 National Hockey League Draft.
"We are excited to complete the second day of the Draft having selected a deep, talented and diverse group of young players," said Panthers General Manager Bill Zito. "Our organization has added speed, skill, physicality and compete to our prospect pool and we look forward to their development and future with the Panthers."

Florida selected forward Emil Heineman in the second round (43rd overall), forward Ty Smilanic in the third round (74th overall), forward Justin Sourdif in the third round (87th overall), defenseman Michael Benning in the fourth round (95th overall), defenseman Zachary Uens in the fourth round (105th overall), defenseman Kasper Puutio in the fifth round (153rd overall), forwardElliot Ekmark in the seventh round (198th overall) and goaltender Devon Levi in the seventh round (212th overall).
The Panthers acquired the 153rd and 212th overall picks from the Toronto Maple Leafs in exchange for the 137th pick.
Heineman, 18, appeared in 29 games with Leksands IF J20 of Sweden's top junior league, the J20 SuperElit, producing 41 points (26-15-41). His 26 goals led his team. The 6-foot-1, 185-pound native of Leksand, Sweden also played 11 games for Leksands IF men's team in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), registering two assists.
In the 2020-21 season, Heineman has appeared in four games with Leksands IF and one game with Leksands IF J20.
On the international level, Heineman represented Sweden at the 2020 U20 4 Nations Tournament, producing five points (2-3-5) in four games.
Smilanic, 18, appeared in 34 games with the United States National Team Development Program (USNTDP) U18 team, producing 22 points (7-15-22). Over 12 United States Hockey League (USHL) games with the USNTDP, the 6-foot-1, 175-pound native of Elizabeth, Colo., posted nine points (3-6-9).
He is committed to Quinnipiac University (ECAC) for the 2020-21 season.
Sourdif, 18, appeared in 57 games with the Vancouver Giants of the Western Hockey League (WHL), registering 54 points (26-28-54). The 5-foot-11, 173-pound native of Richmond, British Columbia, ranked second on Vancouver in goals and points, while leading his club in plus/minus (+30) and game-winning goals (6).
He earned a Silver Medal with Canada at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, producing five points (1-4-5) in five games.
In 2018-19, Sourdif registered 46 points (23-23-46) in 64 regular season games with Vancouver. He posted eight points (2-6-8) in 17 playoff games. He notched three points (1-2-3) in six games with Canada Red at the 2018 World U17 Hockey Challenge.
Benning, 18, appeared in 54 games with the Sherwood Park Crusaders of the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL), producing 75 points (12-63-75). For the second consecutive season, he led all AJHL defensemen in scoring, and was named the AJHL's Most Outstanding Defenseman and the Canadian Junior Hockey League's (CJHL) Most Outstanding Defenseman.
The 5-foot-9, 177-pound native of Sherwood Park, Alberta, appeared in four games with Canada West U19 at the World Junior A Challenge, posting one assist.
He is committed to the University of Denver (WCHA) for the 2020-21 season.
Benning's father Brian Benning was an original Panther playing in Florida's first two seasons (1993-94 to 1994-95) and played 568 career NHL games for Florida, the St. Louis Blues, Los Angeles Kings, Philadelphia Flyers and Edmonton Oilers. His older brother Matthew Benning has played 248 career NHL games, all with Edmonton. His uncle Jim Benning is the General Manager of the Vancouver Canucks and played 610 career NHL games with Vancouver and the Toronto Maple Leafs. His cousin Brandon Benning is a scout for the Canucks and his grandfather Elmer Benning was a former scout of the Montreal Canadiens.
Uens, 19, appeared in 34 games with Merrimack College (Hockey East), producing 18 points (4-14-18). The 6-foot-1, 180-pound native of Belleville, Ontario, led Merrimack with 68 PIM, and his four goals were tied for most on the team by a defenseman.
In 2018-19, he amassed 22 points (6-16-22) with the Wellington Dukes of the Ontario Junior Hockey League (OJHL) in 2018-19, tied for most goals by a defenseman on the club. He helped lead Wellington to a 2017-18 OJHL championship, recording eight points (4-4-8) over 25 playoff games.
Puutio, 18, appeared in 21 games with the Everett Silvertips (WHL), producing 12 points (4-8-12) and 35 games with the Swift Current Broncos (WHL) recording 16 points (1-15-16). The 5-foot-11, 180-pound native of Vaasa, Finland recorded three assists with his country's U18 team at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He was selected first overall by Swift Current in the 2019 CHL Import Draft.
In the 2020-21 season, he has played in two games in Finland's top junior league, for Kärpät U20.
Splitting time between Kärpät U20 and U18 in 2018-19, he helped lead the U20 club to a league championship. He registered four assists in six games with Finland at the 2018 World U17 Hockey Challenge.
Ekmark, 18, appeared in 31 games with Linköping HC J20 (J20 SuperElit), producing 26 points (12-14-26). The 5-foot-9, 162-pound native of Linköping, Sweden, appeared in four games with Linköping HC of the SHL.
He earned a Bronze Medal with Sweden at the 2019 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, scoring one goal in five games. He also earned a Bronze Medal with Sweden at the 2018 World U17 Hockey Challenge, scoring one goal in six games.
Levi, 18, appeared in 37 games with the Carleton Place Canadians of the Central Canada Hockey League (CCHL), where he posted a 34-2-1 record, eight shutouts and a league-best 1.47 goals against average and .941 save percentage. The 6-foot, 184-pound native of Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec, was named CCHL MVP, CCHL Top Prospect and was named the Canadian Junior Hockey League (CJHL) Top Goaltender and Top Rookie.
With Canada he won a Silver Medal at the 2019 World Junior A Challenge and was named tournament MVP after posting 2.86 goals against average and .917 save percentage over six games.
He is committed to Northeastern University (Hockey East) for the 2020-21 season.
The Panthers selected nine players in total over the two days, Florida selected forward Anton Lundell in the first round (12th overall) during Day 1 of the NHL Draft.
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Photo Credits: Michael Benning - Target Photography. Zachary Uens- Merrimack College.