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The best fourth round pick in Florida Panthers history is Daniel Tjarnqvist

The Panthers have had twenty-nine 4th round draft picks over the course of their history. Of those, only three saw any sort of consistent NHL ice time, and of those three (Joey Tetarenko, Daniel Tjarnqvist, and Ivan Novoseltsev), only Tjarnqvist played more than 250 games, making him Florida’s best 4th round draft pick. Sadly, he never played a game for the team, a trend that seems to be consistent throughout LBC’s recap of the best Cats draft picks.

Tjarnqvist, a defenseman, was drafted 88th overall in the 1995 NHL Entry Draft, out of Sweden’s Elisterien. He would remain in Europe for six more years before making the jump to the NHL, though he suited up for the Atlanta Thrashers, not the Florida Panthers. After the 2004-05 lockout, he jumped around, playing with the Minnesota Wild, the Edmonton Oilers, and the Colorado Avalanche for a number of seasons. Injuries cut his NHL career short, however, and he moved back across the pond. He now plays in Germany’s top league, the DEL, with Kölner Haie.

Tjarnqvist racked up 90 points in 352 NHL games, which is not a bad stat for a defenseman. He was also a member of the 2006 Swedish gold medal Olympic team. He played all 8 games in the tournament, and had 3 points.

Overall, Tjarnqvist probably would have had a longer NHL career if it weren’t for injuries. Regardless, he was a sturdy 4th round pick, and has Olympic Gold on his resume. It’s just a pity he never played for the team that originally drafted him, way back in 1995.

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