The Florida Panthers selected forward Cole Schwindt in the third round (81st overall) at the 2019 NHL Entry Draft at Rogers Place in Vancouver, British Columbia.
In his draft season, Schwindt played in all 68 regular season games with the Mississauga Steelheads and amassed 19 goals and 30 assists to go along with 25 PIM and +4 rating. This was a pretty solid jump over his first-year OHL numbers of eight goals and 18 points.
After a solid start to the 2019-20 campaign, his third in Mississauga, Schwindt caught fire in-season, producing 17 goals and 15 assists during a torrid 20-game span. He finished up his junior career with career-highs in goals (28), assists (43), points (71) and plus/minus rating (+11). He led the Steelheads in assists and points, and only trailed James Hardie in the goals and shots on goal categories. Unfortunately, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the OHL playoffs were cancelled.
Schwindt inked his entry-level contract with the Panthers on April 8, 2020. This past season was a bit of a lost one as he only appeared in ten AHL games with the Syracuse Crunch. He notched his first professional goal on March 3 in a 2-1 shootout win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and produced his only other point with an assist in a 6-3 win over those same Penguins three weeks later.
The now 20-year-old is slated for a spot on the Charlotte Checkers this upcoming season. Schwindt is an intriguing, well-rounded, versatile two-way forward who is solid in all three zones. He has a good frame, is physical and possesses all of the intangibles needed to be a NHL level player, despite some concerns about his skating.