Florida Panthers - Prospects

The Florida Panthers prepared for last season expecting their overflowing pool of prospects to provide three players for the NHL roster. Turns out, five from NHL.com's top 10 list made their NHL debut in 2012-13, with a sixth playing one-third of the 48-game schedule and a seventh setting the stage to become a regular. One, Jonathan Huberdeau, wound up winning the Calder Trophy as NHL Rookie of the Year. Another, Jacob Markstrom, enters 2013-14 as the No. 1 goaltender. A third, Drew Shore, skated in 43 games. Then, Florida's fall from division champion to last in the League gave the organization two more top draft picks to add to a collection that remains among the NHL's best.

1. Aleksander Barkov, C: He'll forever be known as the player the Panthers took instead of Seth Jones, selecting the 17-year-old Finn with the second pick of the 2013 NHL Draft. Tallon raved about Barkov (who turns 18 on Sept. 2) before and after the pick, saying a pre-draft interview, when the teenager was adamant about playing in the NHL as soon as possible, sealed the deal. This despite the fact he's recovering from shoulder surgery he had in March. Also on the plus side is Barkov's experience playing for Tappara in Finland's top league, where at a still-growing 6-foot-3 and 209 pounds he was able to more than hold his own. His 48 points (21 goals) in 53 games ranked ninth in the league.

2. Nick Bjugstad, C: The 19th pick of the 2010 draft made his NHL debut April 6, signing after his third season at the University of Minnesota. It took him until the last of his 11 games to score his first goal. At 6-6, 215, the 21-year-old fits the Panthers' stated ambition to be huge down the middle.

3. Alex Petrovic, D: The 36th pick in the 2010 draft made his NHL debut April 18. He did not have a point in six games after getting 17 in 55 games for San Antonio in the American Hockey League. The 6-4, 206-pound 20-year-old did have 25 penalty minutes.

4. Vincent Trocheck, C: Though one of the few who did not reach the NHL, Trocheck had the most successful season of anyone on this list. The 64th pick of the 2011 draft was named Most Outstanding Player in the Ontario Hockey League after scoring 50 goals and a league-high 109 points in 63 games with the Saginaw Spirit and Plymouth Whalers, ending with a 21-game point-scoring streak. He had 24 points in 15 playoff games for Plymouth, and helped the United States win gold at the 2013 IIHF World Junior Championship. At 5-10, 182, he, along with Rocco Grimaldi, provides a different look among the Panthers' hulking forwards.

5. Colby Robak, D: Drafted No. 46 in 2008, Robak made a three-game NHL cameo in February 2012 before returning a year later. He played 16 games, shuttling back and forth from Florida to San Antonio. Robak (6-3, 194) had one point for the Panthers, and 23 in 63 AHL games. The season prior he had 39 points in 73 AHL games and was a plus-15. The 23-year-old signed a two-year contract this summer.

6. Quinton Howden, C: The 21-year-old made a one-game NHL debut Jan. 26, then returned March 21 to play in the final 17. The 25th pick in the 2010 draft did not score a point. Howden (6-2, 189) did have 209 points in 177 games in his final three Western Hockey League seasons, and had 30 in 57 games with San Antonio last season.

7. Michael Matheson, D: The 19-year-old is bound for his second season at Boston College, but seems ready to graduate to the NHL. Matheson (6-2, 180) had eight goals and 17 points for the Eagles. The 23rd pick of the 2012 draft will be college teammates with Ian McCoshen, chosen by Florida with the 31st pick in 2013.

8. Rocco Grimaldi, C: He responded after missing almost all of his freshman season at North Dakota with a knee problem by totaling 13 goals and 36 points in 39 games as a sophomore. At 5-6 and 160 pounds, the 20-year-old is an annual attention-getter at development camp. The 33rd pick of the 2011 draft will return to school as MVP of the gold-medal game at the World Junior Championship, when he scored two goals in the Americans' 3-2 win against Sweden.

9. Jonathan Racine, D: A rare stay-at-home defenseman in the system, the 87th pick in the 2011 draft played eight games for San Antonio last season after accumulating 138 penalty minutes with the Moncton Wildcats in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. Racine (6-2, 202) was plus-36 in 122 QMJHL games the past two seasons. He turned 20 in May.

10. Michael Houser, G: It is almost impossible to believe the 20-year-old is on the brink of playing in the NHL. Houser was born with bilateral club feet, had 15 surgeries on each foot before he turned 4, then two more when he was 12. Passed over in three NHL drafts, he attended 2012 development camp as a tryout and was given a three-year contract. With Jose Theodore not expected back, Houser (6-1, 185) sits third on the organizational depth chart behind Markstrom and Scott Clemmensen. The 2012 OHL Goalie of the Year, Houser was 17-10-2 with a 2.55 goals-against average for Cincinnati in the ECHL last season.