After picking forward Gracyn Sawchyn in the second round and defenseman Albert Wikman in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Draft, the Florida Panthers went off the board with its selection of Swedish netminder Olof Glifford in the fifth round.
At the time, Glifford was a ghost online and was unranked by both NHL Central Scouting and Elite Prospects. It was difficult to find video of him but it’s not surprising he was on Florida’s radar. In fact, this pick is brought to us by the club’s famous ‘goaltending excellence department!’ After the draft, general manager Bill Zito said in an interview that: “the Panthers’ Goaltending Excellence Department was extra diligent in their research of Glifford. They were pretty happy about (drafting) him.”
Why isn’t it surprising he was on the Panthers radar? Florida, like most teams, loves drafting big goalies such as Spencer Knight, Tyler Muszelk, Mack Guzda and Cooper Black, who all are well over 6’2″ in height.
On top of his physical attributes, Glifford produced a great season in his draft year to catch the eye of Florida’s brass. He appeared in 11 games with HV71 J18 of the Swedish J18 juniors posting a 2.56 goals against average and a .929 save percentage, leading all Swedish J18 South goalies in those categories. In the postseason, Glifford recorded a 2.68 GAA and a .923 save percentage in six appearances.
He made three appearances in the Sweden’s J20 Nationell, going 3-0-0 with a 1.65 GAA and .949 save percentage.
Glifford was also named to Sweden’s entry in the U18 World Junior Championships, but did not get to play any games.
This past season, Glifford spent most of his time with HV71’s J20 squad. He appeared in 24 Nationell games and posted a 16-8 record. He finished with a .905 save percentage and his GAA was 2.94. He was loaned to HC Dalen in the third-tier hockey Hockeyettan, where he went 1-1 with a 3.50 GAA and .863 save percentage.
Glifford was one of six keepers at development camp earlier this month and didn’t surrender a goal during his period of action in the scrimmage held on the final day.
He will be part of Team Sweden’s entry (along with fellow Panthers draftees Albert Wikman, Linus Eriksson and Simon Zether) at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, MI, which runs from July 28 to August 3, before returning home to continue his development with the HV71 organization as he signed a two-year contract extension in April.