Panthers select Ryder Cali No. 48 overall at the 2026 NHL Draft
The Florida Panthers have selected center Ryder Cali with the No. 48 overall selection of the 2026 NHL Entry Draft.
Cali was projected to be selected around 42nd overall on average across all of the main draft rankings, going as high as 32nd and as low as 59th. He was also ranked 25th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Daily Faceoff prospect analyst Steven Ellis projected him to go above consensus at 38th overall.
Ellis had this to say about Mutryn in his most recent draft rankings:
“I liked Cali in Jr. A last year – putting up more than 50 points as a 16-year-old in the OJHL is no small feat, even if the competition has diminished over time. But I was hoping to see more from him offensively in North Bay this year. Cali is built like a tank, though, and he puts a ton of power into every shift, with and without the puck. I can see him becoming a solid bottom-six forward if he can improve his playmaking. I considered ranking him lower, but I know some scouts really like him as a long-term project. With an NHL frame and solid hockey sense, there’s something here.”
Cali spent the entirety of his 2025-26 season with the North Bay Battalion in the Ontario Hockey League. In 47 games, he had 16 goals and 20 assists for 36 points as the Battalion finished fifth in the Eastern Conference with a 38-26-3-1 record. He finished seventh on the team in scoring and second among players 18 or younger behind Evgeny Dubrovtsev.
Cali also had one goal and three assists for four points in 10 playoff games with the Battalion as they were swept in the second round by the Brantford Bulldogs.
While Cali was born in Lugano, Switzerland, and grew up in the Cayman Islands, he has elected to represent Canada on the international stage. He did just that for the U-18 World Championship, where he had one assist in five games. Canada finished second in their group before falling to Sweden in the quarterfinal.
Cali is committed to Providence College for the 2026-27 season.