After selecting Marek Alscher, Ludvig Jansson and Sandis Vilmanis at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, Florida Panthers general manager Bill Zito grabbed his second forward of the event when he chose Joshua Davies in the sixth round (186th overall). This was the pick the Panthers received from the Columbus Blue Jackets for helping facilitate the trade of Maxi Domi to the Carolina Hurricanes on Deadline Day.
Davies, 18, appeared in 64 games with the WHL’s Swift Current Broncos during his draft season, posting 36 points (16G/20A) which ranked fourth on the club. Over 87 career WHL games (2019-20 to 2021-22) with Swift Current, Davis has produced a total of 22 goals and 45 points.
On the international stage, the 5-foot-9, 197-pound native of Calgary, Alberta played in three games with Canada at the 2022 IIHF U18 World Junior Championship, registering one assist.
Davies was unranked in Neutral Zone’s NHL Draft Final Rankings Top 305 and carried a C grade (NHL Draft consideration but unranked in our final list).
They had this to say on the prospect:
Davies is an excellent skater and puck carrier. He is a responsible two-way forward who showed that he can both produce offensively and be there to help out in the D-zone as well. He is a strong skater with decent size, but he is not big enough to bully his way to success. What he lacks in size is made up for with his vast collection of tools. He is quick, has elite speed and can make plays with the puck with pace. He showed the ability here to make quick decisions under duress and has natural offensive instincts. Joshua will walk through the top of the circles and slip through the seams looking for opportunities to make plays. He was giving perfect sauce passes in stride, maneuvering his way through traffic with elusive stick skill, and showed a rocket snapshot. A talented player with bite and compete who finished this tournament with two goals and four assists in seven games.
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