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) 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 for Belarus 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.
In the summer of 2024, 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 a helper.
After a second appearance at development camp in July of 2025, Zvyagin returned to Europe and again played for two different clubs. In 39 games with Dinamo-Molodechno, he produced nine goals and 31 points, cooling a bit after a hot start that saw him score a goal and accumulate six assists in the first six games of the Extraleague campaign. He also appeared in 14 VHL games for Russian outfit Khimik Voskresensk, putting up a goal and five assists. He suited up in four postseason games and collected one helper.
Highly-skilled, but a bit undersized, Zvyagin is an intriguing prospect with loads of offensive upside who’s yet to put it all together to earn a full-time role in the KHL. He’ll need time to adjust to the North American game if he ever decides to cross the pond.