The coming Edmonton Oil Kings season is full of intrigue and anticipation, as fans are recognizing that this team has entered another championship window and are ready to see the kingdom return to glory. One of the biggest spots of intrigue before we get to the season is the situation of superstar Gracyn Sawchyn. In November 2024, Sawchyn signed his Entry-Level Contract with the Florida Panthers, and in July 2025 he attended his 3rd consecutive year of Florida Panthers development camp.
As a former 2nd round pick of the Panthers, it’s only been a matter of time before Florida came calling for the skilled forward. The Grande Prairie native put up 43 points in 2023-24 after arriving in a trade from the Seattle Thunderbirds, and followed that up with 78 points last season with the Oil Kings through only 54 games. He is beloved by fans, and a highlight reel waiting to happen on any given night.
This season is a big one for Gracyn, as he is now 20 years old and has the opportunity to finally take the next step in his Pro career. Florida will surely give him a long look in training camp, although they have a heavily loaded NHL roster hunting for the three-peat this season and may not have a place for a rookie to make a name for himself. Edmonton only has the ability to bring back three over-age, 20-year old, players and would need to decide if Sawchyn is one of them. The Charlotte Checkers of the AHL are Florida’s farm system, and a very real possibility for where we may have to follow Gracyn for the coming year.
I’m going to review all the options, alongside Sawchyn’s scoutable skills, and give you my thoughts on where I think he ends up this season. I’ll finish with my verdict of where I believe he will go whether he will be “Ascending the Throne” to go play pro, “Defending the Throne” to stay in Edmonton, or “On The Drawbridge” if it’s too close to call.
Option One: Panthers or Bust
First, the dream scenario for a player like Gracyn. He excels in training camp, forces the hand of GM Bill Zito and Head Coach Paul Maurice, and secures himself a place in the Panthers opening night roster. I’m sure this is every players intention when they attend an NHL Training Camp, it would be surprising if it wasn’t, but the reality is, I don’t see it happening this year.
Florida enters the season after surprising everyone by retaining all of the big names from their 2025 Stanley Cup Roster. Carter Verhaege, Brad Marchand, Sam Bennett, Jesper Boqvist, and Tomas Nosek have all re-signed to stay with the team on the hunt for an unprecedented third consecutive Stanley Cup. This backlogged the Panthers roster to a point that it’s hard to see anybody finding a way to crack the lineup
Being a right handed, projected center, stuck behind the likes of Aleksander Barkov, Bennett, Anton Lundell, and Nosek, as well as 2024 1st Round pick mackie Samoskevich, means even if Gracyn could somehow secure a roster spot he would have to transition to playing on the wing, and likely be stuck in a 4th line role. Not the ideal spot for an undersized, skill player used to playing with speed and creating opportunities.
Most reports coming from Florida’s development camp refer to Sawchyn’s size and are consistently talking about his need to bulk up. Gracyn is listed at a very slight 6’0” and 154 lbs. If he wants to crack an NHL lineup someday he is going to be required to put on some muscle and build himself up. We’ve seen smaller sized skill players excel in the NHL before, but to do so they have to be able to hold their own against much larger competition.
Option 2: A Sawchyn Swan Song in Edmonton
As Edmonton is our passion here, of course our dream is to get one more season with a player of Gracyn Sawchyn’s caliber. A team on the rise, a potentially long playoff run waiting on the horizon, and a family connection to draw him back for one more ride before making the move to the Pros could be enough to entice him to come back for one more year if he doesn’t have a spot waiting for him in Sunrise, FL.
For anyone with close siblings it’s easy to see the passion and the desire to want to win with your sibling. The on-ice chemistry between Gracyn and Lukas has been undeniable and was a large contributing factor to Edmonton getting to Game 7 of their first round playoff series this past spring. Lukas joined Gracyn for Florida’s development camp, but as of this writing is still without an NHL contract and could end up being drafted somewhere else when the next NHL draft rolls around. If this is the last season the brothers Sawchyn could play together, why not make it a good one? With increased roles for top draft picks like Joe Iginla, Kayden Stroeder, Parker Snell and Noa Ta’amu (among others), a return to Edmonton would be the final piece of a roster aiming to win and win now.
Of course, this option is mostly out of Gracyn’s (and the Oil Kings) control. The power rests with the Panthers organization and where they think is the best place for Sawchyn to continue his development. No matter where Gracyn plays this season, the first year of his ELC will be burned, and that is an important factor in Florida’s decision. Do they value the time he is getting in a winning program in Edmonton, in the Canadian junior hockey system, and playing on a line alongside his brother? Or, would Florida rather have an opportunity to see what Gracyn can do for a season away from his brother, playing against larger men and more skilled competition, in a system where Florida’s chosen coaches can further advance his physical and mental development?
Option 3: A Checkered Goodbye
The last option is that Gracyn says farewell to the CHL, and bids adieu to his brother and the Oil Kings organization, on his way to joining the Charlotte Checkers of the AHL. Florida has their own coaches installed there, they have a development system designed to build players to be ready for the NHL Systems, and closer scouts to monitor and evaluate Sawchyn’s skills development more consistently than a junior scout being assigned to travel to Edmonton repeatedly.
Center depth in Charlotte is currently a need for the Panthers development system, All of their top centers are tied to the NHL team, leaving Charlotte thin down the middle and the perfect reason for a player like Sawchyn to be brought in.
Florida signed former 2017 1st round pick Jack Studnicka this summer from the LA Kings, brought back former Arizona 2017 3rd Round pick Mackenzie Entwistle, and have undrafted Checkers veterans in Ryan McAllister and Wilmer Skoog filling out the center depth. This is an ideal situation for Sawchyn to slide into an AHL roster and give himself a chance for success.
The Checkers top 3 centers from last season are all gone, Skoog is the only one who played the entire season and was less than impressive on the stats sheet. Sawchyn is the young star waiting in the wings. As a 2023 draft pick, and only 20 years old, he has a much higher ceiling than the 2017 draft picks who’ve bounced around the league for years, and it’s hard to consider any reason that Florida wouldn’t want him in their AHL system immediately.
Final Verdict: On The Drawbridge
The pros are calling, and Sawchyn appears to already be on his way out the door. With a spot waiting for him in Charlotte, it’s almost a sure thing we have seen the last of Gracyn Sawchyn in the Oil Kings jersey. However, there is still a possibility that Kirt Hill and Co could find a way to negotiate something with the Panthers organization for a WHL Return.
Edmonton currently has Miroslav Holinka, Niko Tsakumis and Brady Craik as the other potential 20-year-old players on the roster. This restricts the ability to bring Sawchyn back based on the CHL's restriction of only 3 over-age players per team. Kirt Hill and Barry Zito could have a surprise in store, or at least we can hope that they do.
If this is the end of Gracyn Sawchyn’s time in Edmonton, it may have been short but it was a thrill ride the entire time. We can selfishly hope for one last ride together, a Sawchyn brothers trip to the Ed Cheynoweth Cup, and a Memorial Cup berth, but we can also be happy for Gracyn if his career takes the next step towards being a future NHL player. For now, we can wait and hope, and hold onto our goodbyes until the departure becomes a reality.