With its final choice of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft in Nashville, the Florida Panthers selected Belarusian forward Stepan Zvyagin in the seventh round (198th overall), a pick that originally belonged to the Arizona Coyotes, from the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk organization.
In 15 KHL games with Dinamo during his draft season, Zvyagin netted one goal. He was much more productive against his peer group, racking up 14 goals and 33 points in 37 games with Babruysk Dinamo-Shinnik of the MHL.
He also played nine games internationally, totaling two goals and an assist.
The 2023-24 season saw Zvyagin suit up for four different clubs. He played ten more KHL games for Dinamo Minsk and collected his first assist in the league. In 25 MHL games with Babruysk Dinamo-Shinnik, he averaged more than a point per game, producing 10 goals and 20 assists. He played 15 games for Dinamo-Molodechno of the Belarusian BETERA Extraleague and scored three goals and added eight assists. He finished up by playing 11 postseason games with Dinamo-Olimpik Minsk of the second-tier Vysshaya Liga, where he put up five goals and ten points.
Last season, Zvyagin attended his first development camp with the Panthers and saw a bit more stability as he split his time plying his trade with Dinamo-Molodechno and on loan to Kunlun Red Star. He played 20 Belarusian Extraleague games and scored four goals and added six assists. In his 27 KHL games with Kunlun, he totaled two goals and an assist.
After a second appearance at development camp in July, Zvyagin returned to Belarus and is playing with Dinamo-Molodechno again, producing a goal and six assists in six games to start the season. He is in the final year of his contract and will finally be able to sign with Florida, if there is mutual interest, afterwards. Highly-skilled, but a bit undersized, Zvyagin is an intriguing prospect with gobs of offensive upside. He’ll need time to adjust to the North American game if he decides to cross the pond.