The Florida Panthers grabbed forward Simon Zether in the fourth round (129th overall) of the 2024 NHL Entry Draft at Sphere in Las Vegas after they selected fellow Swedish forward Linus Eriksson in the second round and Russian defenseman Matvei Shuravin in the third.
During his draft season Zether appeared in 42 Swedish Hockey League games for Rögle BK, collecting four assists for the club that finished in ninth-place in the fourteen team circuit.
After winning its play-in series against Timrå IK, Rögle pulled off stunning sweeps over Färjestad BK and Växjö Lakers before falling in five games to Skellefteå AIK in the final round of the playoffs.
Zether suited up in all 15 of the team’s postseason games and scored his first-ever goal in the league.
In addition to his time in the top division, Zether also played in 18 games for Rögle’s J20 squad. While he struggled to score against men in the SHL, he was much more effective against his peers, putting up 11 goals and 27 points while accumulating 25 PIM.
Zether came into the draft with 29 games of international experience for Team Sweden over two seasons. He had four goals and 11 points in those games.
Here’s what Dobber Prospects said at the time:
“Simon Zether is a calm and mature forward in the SHL, demonstrating solid defensive intelligence with effectiveness in puck battles and positional awareness. Despite needing to heavily improve his intensity, Zether has shown unexpected offensive tools, particularly in transition. His composure under pressure stands out; however, a more aggressive, risk taking approach could unlock new heights for his potential. If Zether can improve his footspeed and agility, he has the potential to transform from a defensive specialist to a third-line producer.”
After being selected by the Cats, Zether attended his first development camp in Ft. Lauderdale and played three games for Sweden at the World Junior Summer Showcase in Plymouth, MI.
This past season saw Zether spend the majority of his time on loan to Västerås IK of the second-tier HockeyAllsvenskan. Unfortunately, his playing time was limited by injury. He ended up scoring four goals and collecting eight assists in 25 regular games and went scoreless in two playoff games. He did make three SHL appearances with Rögle, picking up one assist.
Zether recently attended his second development camp and is expected to be back full-time in the SHL with Rögle this season. A bit on the slow side, Zether is a smart, hard-working player who excels in small areas. With more polishing, he could find himself in Florida’s bottom-six in the future.