The Florida Panthers selected forward Vilho Vanhatalo in the sixth round (168th overall) of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft held at KeyBank Center in Buffalo, NY.
This feisty Finn spent the majority of the 2025-26 season anchoring Tappara’s U20 team in the SM-sarja, where he posted 10 goals and nine assists while racking up 43 PIM in 38 games.
His impressive performance earned him eight games with the men’s squad in Liiga, where he recorded his first professional assist.
Vanhatalo returned to the Under-20 circuit for the postseason and led his team in points with 12 in 13 games played.
Prior to the start of the season, Vanhatalo took part in the 2025 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, producing two goals and an assist while playing in all five of Finland’s games. He scored and added an assist in the tournament-opening 5-3 loss to Canada and also lit the lamp in a 6-5 semifinal defeat to Sweden.
Following the season, Vanhatalo was on Finland’s roster for the 2026 U18 World Championship in Slovakia. He suited up in all five games and his lone point of the tournament was a goal in a 5-4 overtime win over the host country in the group stage.
After being drafted by the Cats, Vanhatalo put in his first appearance at Florida’s development camp in Fort Lauderdale. He scored a pair of goals in the 3-on-3 scrimmage that closed the event. He also took part in the World Junior Summer Showcase in Windsor, Ontario and put up two goals and an assist in five games for his home country.
The Panthers weren’t the only North American team to select Vanhatalo as he went to the Ottawa 67’s with 52nd overall pick in the 2026 CHL Import Draft. Vanhatalo is set to join returnees Ondrej Ruml (Colorado Avalanche) and Filip Ekberg (Carolina Hurricanes) as Ottawa’s three imports for the 2026-27 season.
One distinct trait Florida was looking for in Buffalo was size and they continued that trend when they grabbed Vanhatalo late in the draft. Vanhatalo, who won titles at both the U16 and U18 levels in Finland, is a future power forward in the making. He’s got an ideal NHL frame, displays good athleticism and possesses a powerful, deceptive shot. In an interview at the draft, he mentioned that he models his game after Toronto’s Matthew Knies. While he’s an intriguing prospect, he does require further development and maturation. The move to the OHL’s 67’s should benefit him and his performance at this summer’s WJSS put him in contention for a roster spot on Team Finland for the upcoming 2027 World Junior Championship.