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[Philadelphia Flyers]

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 37: William Horcoff is a strong, big netfront presence

After yesterday’s profile on hulking Russian winger Danill Prokhorov, we’ll now move to one of the larger centers of this draft class: Michigan center William Horcoff. Horcoff is the son of former NHLer Shawn Horcoff, who carved out quite the NHL career across parts of 15 seasons with Edmonton, Dallas, and Anaheim.

Horcoff measures in at 6-foot-4.75 and 190 pounds, and he’s been known to use all of his frame in molding his power game to the collegiate level. During his time with the USNTDP, Horcoff was never the highest skilled player on the ice, but he leveraged his size, strength, and positional awareness to be a relatively important piece on those teams. So, let’s get into what makes Horcoff an intriguing early-second round grade in this draft class.

Pre-draft rankings​

No. 50 by The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)
No. 57 by Elite Prospects
No. 50 by TSN (Bob McKenzie)
No. by Daily Faceoff

Bio​

DOB: January 23, 2007
Birthplace: Birmingham, Michigan, USA
Position: Center
Height: 6’4”
Weight: 190 lbs
Shoots: Left

Statistics​

What’s there to like?​

Horcoff is really good at the things you’d expect a third-line center in the NHL, power-forward type to excel at. He’s real sturdy on the ice, goes to the front of the net, battles for rebounds, has a surprisingly good set of hands and moves, and he’s shown a capability to deflect pucks with regularity. In a 6-foot-4 frame, Horcoff’s a massive skilled body in front of the net, and it’s not hard to imagine Horcoff scoring quite a lot of “dirty but good” goals in the pro game.

We’ll get into the flipside later, but Horcoff’s stock really shot up after his move to Michigan. With the Wolverines, Horcoff registered 10 points in 18 games and started to mold his game into the power forward style that might best suit him in the pros. A good example is in the play below, where Horcoff (No. 44) holds his ground in the front of the net to simply force the puck past the Ohio State goaltender.

It’s a really simple, translatable game for Horcoff, but it showed early signs of really working at the collegiate level. He kind of parks himself at the front of the net, and relies on his sheer strength and stick skills to be an effective deflector of pucks, rebound-collector, and to make himself available for netfront passes from his teammates.

Horcoff’s also a bit of a physical specimen in general, backed up by his ridiculous results at the NHL Combine. He was one of the highest performers last week, even breaking the all-time long jump record at the event. It’s not everything, but it’s at minimum a positive sign that Horcoff has the work ethic off the ice to really maximize his size and physical tools.

What’s not to like?​

The things that are not to like about Horcoff can really be traced back to his time with the USNTDP and what prompted his midseason move to Michigan. Horcoff’s development was really stagnating with the national program, in a relatively down year for the USNTDP. Horcoff’s one of the top guys from the program this year, alongside fellow late first round to early second round projections William Moore, L.J. Mooney, and Jack Murtagh. Horcoff struggled with developing his game in terms of upping the pace with the USNTDP, and had mediocre scoring numbers against junior competition (14 points in 28 games). The skill with the USNTDP was at a considerably lower level than previously years, and Horcoff still looked a step below the rest.

Horcoff’s upright skating stride was often exposed, particularly in how slow his first few steps are. He has a pretty strong work ethic and is very willing to get to the dirty areas, but there’s not much separation speed at all, which really limits him as a puck carrier through the neutral zone. Horcoff might just be a guy who is the second or third guy on a line, and can really be maximized by players who are play-drivers and high-end puck carriers. If Horcoff can get set up in the offensive zone and allowed to be a menace up front, there’s probably 20-25 goal potential here at his best. We’ll see, but if he’s going to make it, he seems to have the makings of a bottom-six NHL center.

How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?​

Horcoff’s a center, and everyone in hockey knows the Flyers need quite a few in the system. Horcoff’s physical presence in the Flyers’ playing style is intriguing, but we do wonder if Horcoff could effectively play the fast-pace, north-south style that the Flyers are likely to employ under Rick Tocchet. He’s not a strong skater, not the best forechecker, and not dynamic enough carrying the puck quite yet. We’ll see, but there are a few notes of caution with Horcoff and how he’d adapt his game to a Tocchet system.

Could the Flyers actually get him?​

Definitely. Almost every prospect that we are profiling from here on out in the BSH Community Draft Board will have a realistic possibility of being a Flyer come draft week, as the Flyers have a haul of picks in the second round that they’ll have a chance to use on players in this tier. Horcoff belongs in that tier, and considering the Flyers’ organizational need at the center position, Horcoff could be one of the many darts they throw at the dartboard in their attempts to address the problem.

What scouts are saying​

“Horcoff, the son of former NHLer Shawn Horcoff, was doing just OK to start the year at the U.S. NTDP. He left midseason to join Michigan where his game took off from that point, making a real difference for his team at the college level as a U18 player. He’s a very skilled big man who can make small-man-type plays in tight areas. He sees the ice at a high level and has a creative offensive mind. Horcoff is also good enough in the hard areas and can play the body when he needs to. The issues in his game at the top level will all come down to pace. I’ve seen slower 6-foot-5 guys, but his first few steps are going to be a struggle in the NHL. The rest of his game is good enough, though, that I see a projected middle-six winger.”
—Corey Pronman, The Athletic

“Twice, he pulled a puck through an opponent’s legs off the wall after winning a battle, one time cleverly going out of his way to dangle through them, which created a clear lane to drag the puck to the net front for a chance. He has vision and the skill to prolong passing windows and shift defensive gaps when given some room. He attacks the middle, slows down, and kicks the puck wide, or delays along the wall to wait for his teammate to jump into the lane as he seals off pressure. He does a great job supporting plays: He controls his speed, adjusts his route, and presents his stick for passes.”
—Mitchell Brown, Elite Prospects Draft Guide Game Report

---

With one USNTDP player out, we’ll bring another one in. This time, it’s the small, controversial forward L.J. Mooney.

“I’m still so upset at the injury L.J. Mooney was handed earlier this year. Just when I thought he was finding his legs and confidence, he explodes and misses a length of time with a knee injury. I saw the first couple games he played on the mend and he just did not look the same whatsoever and my hopes of him being a favorite in the class were somewhat dashed. Since January 1, Mooney has landed 18 points in 16 games and my last few games have been a huge step up from early in the season. Mooney is incredibly exciting, hard-working and dynamic and the last handful of performances I’ve seen have been a ton of fun. Surprising to many, he’s one of the most physically involved players in the whole draft class, being relentless with applying pressure all over the ice and doing whatever he can to outperform the questions he faces about his size. He’s still very much a complimentary offensive player, but one heck of an exciting option at that. His quickness, agility, skill level, and playmaking creativity is simply wonderful, and he has the work rate to do his best to overcome his size limitations. He’s another player who I think people will overcorrect on and let fall in the draft, and while he’s a longshot to be an NHL player, if he hits, he’s going to be awesome. His style of play requires near perfect execution and constant effort, but I just can’t not believe in the guy.”
—Will Scouch, scouching.ca

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...am-horcoff-is-a-strong-big-netfront-presence/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Zayde Wisdom rights the ship

This past season for the Phantoms was one with certainly no shortage of compelling storylines, from start to finish. Between new additions stepping up, the goalie carousel, and the constant swings in momentum game over game on the team level, there was excitement everywhere you looked. But with all of this taken into account, there was perhaps no more rewarding storyline to see unfold than the resurgence of Zayde Wisdom across this season.

Having just completed his fourth professional season, he’s certainly ridden the highs and lows throughout that span. Making his debut in the — admittedly taxi-squad depleted — league during the COVID shortened season, he came onto the scene super hot, scoring seven goals and 18 points in 28 games as a 19 year old and setting some likely outsized expectations in the process. And this was a bar he struggled mightily to reach again — in his second season, he only managed to score 10 points across 45 games, and in his third, he had just three and really struggled to find a place for himself in the AHL at all. The stakes were high as he headed into this fourth season, playing for a new contract and his place in the organization, and he rose to the occasion in a big way.

Games played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Shots on goal	Shooting percentage
68	13	19	32	44	92	14.1

On the most basic level, Wisdom took a huge step forward as far as the counting stats are concerned. His 13 goals and 32 points on the season were good for fifth on the team in scoring — respectable enough, to be sure — but even more critically, it was a giant leap forward from the meager two goals and three points he scored in 49 games in his previous season.

Now, some of this surge in production can be explained by a bump in shooting percentage — that’s also up nearly 10 percent from 4.3 percent last season — but it isn’t the whole story, as this year saw Wisdom again bringing a more complete game, checking well and supporting his teammates in the offensive zone, but also getting himself into better shooting positions on the whole. And, what’s more, while that 14.3 shooting percentage from this past season feels a little bit high, it’s a much more reasonable figure than the 21.2 percent that he shot at during his scorcher of a rookie season. That figure was never going to be sustainable, but this might be something closer to it.

Games Tracked	Corsi-For %	Scoring Chances-For %	High Danger Chances-For %	Primary Shot Assists	Secondary Shot Assists
17	51.17	50.96	57.41	7	1

His underlying impacts, too, were quite solid. Looking at the shot attempt and scoring chance differentials, while those do fall each about three percent lower than the (very good, we should emphasize) team averages, they still tell us that the Phantoms were getting a slight edge in possession when Wisdom was on the ice — and additionally, we suspect those averages will go up as more games from the second half of the season, when he spent more time playing alongside noted strong play driver Jacob Gaucher, are factored in to his averages. All the same, those are impacts to be pleased with, and what’s more, that High Danger Chances-For differential is a step up, and falls right in line with the team average in that metrics, suggesting that more than anything else, Wisdom is doing a good job at driving offense right in and around the netfront (which does line up with what the eye would tell us from watching him over the whole of the season).

Three Questions​

Did he live up to expectations?

The expectations for Wisdom coming into this season, in truth, weren’t especially high. Coming off of a pretty disastrous third season with the Phantoms, in which he not only seemed to regress from an already somewhat difficult sophomore season but struggled to find a role for himself at the AHL level at all, his stock wasn’t trending well. Even after a strong camp, there were legitimate questions about what he was going to do through the regular season — because, we recall, he had a strong camp the previous season and couldn’t translate that into a positive season overall — but Wisdom clearly put in some excellent work in the offseason to prepare himself for this new season, and he was able to take off again.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that Wisdom was playing for his professional career in the Flyers organization this season, and he did some pretty tremendous work to not just find his game again at this level, but to make himself all but indispensable to them by season’s end. He was often playing minutes up on that top line with Gaucher, and when he wasn’t, because the line was working well with him on it, it was clear that him being moved around in the lineup was an attempt to give another line a bit more jump and get them going. At even strength, he became one of the straws that stirred the drink for the Phantoms, and became as well one of their go-to guys on the penalty kill, as his solid defensive game continued to develop, and the step he added gave them an extra speed threat for shorthanded chances. All in all, the sum of the effort here is really impressive, to such a high degree that probably no one outside of Wisdom himself expected to see it coming. So all the credit in the world to him for that.

What would we like to see him improve on next season?

The big thing for Wisdom going forward will be the same big thing it’s always been for him — consistency. Because even in his seasons which looked more challenging from a zoomed out perspective, he had some bursts of positive play, when it looked like he might be moving towards getting things back on track, but he wasn’t able to sustain it. He’s put in some really excellent work this season, but the next step is to keep this rolling, and prove that the changes and lessons he brought to his game have stuck, and that this wasn’t just another flash in the pan. Now, with a few more skilled wingers looking like they’ll be joining the mix for at least parts of next season and a new head coach to be installed, he might well see himself shuffled down in the lineup again, so he’ll have to work again to learn how to make the most of lesser minutes, but that remains a valuable lesson as well.

What can we expect from him next season?

Wisdom is still in need of a contract for next season, but one imagines that given the work he’s done over this past season, that he’s more than earned himself a new NHL deal, having gotten himself back on the map with the organization, as it were. Now, he’s still a long ways off from legitimately competing for a job with the big club, but he’s certainly in a much more favorable position heading into this new season than he was the last. And while, as we said, we don’t exactly expect him to be playing top line minutes game in and game out like he was to end the season, we still expect him to play a meaningful role for the team, both at even strength and on the penalty kill. Because, as much as he’s still working to rebuild his stock as a prospect, he is still one of the more experienced players on that roster, and we can also expect to see him embrace a bit more of a leadership role as the team sees more and more even younger prospects brought into the mix.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/zayde-wisdom-rights-the-ship/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Thursday Morning Fly By: Accept no substitutes

*Noah Cates spoke with the media in the wake of his new contract, and he’s pretty psyched about the idea of playing for Rick Tocchet. [BSH]

*It seems like if James Hagens somehow falls to six, the general vibe is that it should be a no-brainer for the front office. Should be. [Inquirer]

*There are several prospects in this draft being compared to some of the Flyers’ best players, which is pretty neat. [BSH]

*Speaking of draftees, up at 38th overall on the BSH Community Draft Board is a center who may not have a super high ceiling, but definitely has a pretty high floor. [BSH]

*Related, we’ve got the latest full mock draft from the brain trust over at the New York Times. [The Athletic]

*Maddie continues her series reviews of the Phantoms with a look at Zayde Wisdom, who really took some strides this year. [BSH]

*One good thing about being in the midst of a rebuild is the relative lack of pressure on both players and front office. Which is why you won’t find the Flyers on this list of teams who are really under a microscope this offseason. [Sportsnet]

*The trickle of NHL Awards winner announcement continued yesterday with the Norris Trophy, which went to Cale Makar. [TSN]

*Apparently Jonathan Toews wants to make his way back into the NHL. What would you think about using him as a very, very short term stop-gap for the Flyers? [Sportsnet]

*And finally, have you gotten your ticket to the Draft Party yet? All of the proceeds from the $5 ticket sales will be going directly to Snider Hockey, so while I know Paying For Things and Doing Stuff is annoying, at least you can feel good about where this five bucks is going. There’s only one Draft Party, and it’s this one. Get your tickets! It’s going to be so fun!

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/thursday-morning-fly-by-accept-no-substitutes/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 39: Henry Brzustewicz is a solid right-shooting defender

As we hit the 39th spot, the draft board shifts to a name that might be familiar to even some of the more casual prospect watchers around here. Henry Brzustewicz, a big, right-shooting defender, just wrapped up his second season with the London Knights of the OHL, playing on that team with Flyers prospects Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk, who made it all the way to (and away with, in the end) the Memorial Cup this spring.

The long playoff run likely gave him some valuable experience in playing in big, high-leverage situations, but with more eyes than ever turning to watch the pinnacle of junior hockey, it also gave Brzustewicz a bit more name recognition, even as he’s projected to go somewhere outside of the first round. Of course, there’s a lot more to Brzustewicz than just the name and the highest of achievements, so let’s get right into all that.

Pre-draft rankings​

#19 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
#38 by Elite Prospects
#46 by FC Hockey
#37 by McKeen’s Hockey

Bio​

DOB: February 9, 2007
Birthplace: Washington, Michigan
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6’1″
Weight: 194 lbs
Shoots: Right

Statistics​

What’s there to like?​

Brzustewicz, on the whole, isn’t an overly flashy player, but he does play a solid, well-rounded game. There’s a clear high level vision of the game with him, and he’s shown that he’s able to break down plays for opponents before they’re able to make them into something overly dangerous. Whether it’s chipping a puck off their stick on the rush, or pinching them up the wing on the wall in the neutral zone, or closing up on them in front of the net to force a turnover, he can neutralize a play in a number of ways. What’s more, he isn’t an overly physical player, but he’s strong enough to push opponents off of pucks with relative ease.

He might be a little rarer to do it, but Brzustewicz does have the skills to make a flashier play, when he feels confident enough to do it, and we’ve seen in flashes this year some positive play from him as a puck carrier in transition, an extra option to help his team create on the rush, as well as an option to activate in the offensive zone, as he brings enough illusiveness in his skating where he’s able to cut through defenders to help keep a cycle alive.

Along with that, there’s also still a bit of untapped offensive potential in his toolkit — his numbers for the season are respectable, and while he’s clearly shown more of an aptitude as a setup, support player, making that quick pass over to the forwards to let them get to work, his shot does have some power to it, and he’s good enough at getting it through traffic that it could be more of a weapon for him, if leaned on a bit more.

Overall, though, Brzustewicz brings a really high level of engagement to his play, and whether that’s manifesting on the offensive or defensive side — and while it can sometimes mean he gets himself pulled out of position — he’s always looking to make something happen.

What’s not to like?​

The one big drawback of Brzustewicz’s game is that while he clearly has some interesting tools at his disposal, he’s still very much working on putting it all together. That is, for much of this season Brzustewicz has served as a good support player on that Knights team, but he hasn’t nearly as often stepped up and found a way to be more of a play-driver. His skillset would suggest that he could do it, but it hasn’t all fallen into place for him yet (maybe this is at least in part a product of how loaded that team is, that he’s felt he can take a bit of a backseat to the older and even more skilled players), and it will take some targeted work and likely a bit of a shift in mindset and approach to get him to a point where he’s comfortable stepping up in that way on a more consistent basis.

Also, for as much success as he’s clearly had with the team, there’s always going to be a little bit of concern with Brzustewicz as a Knights player, and the lingering question of whether he’s really something, or just getting propped up by the buzzsaw system they’ve put together out there. That is, there is in some ways a ceiling to how much a player can develop when they’re on a junior team that’s just rolling over everybody year over year, and that puts Brzustewicz in a bit of a strange developmental position. With him, more than with other prospects in other programs, the team that drafts him will have to be waiting for him to turn pro to really see what they have with him and what they can do with him. Of course, this isn’t an outright negative with the player, just a question of organizational fit — a team looking to fast track the development of their defense prospects might want to look elsewhere, with all this in mind.

How would he fit the Flyers’ system?​

Speaking of organizational fit, the fit for Brzustewicz within the Flyers’s system might be a challenging one. Now, on the one hand, it’s true that they always seem to be looking to stock up on right-shooting defenders who also bring some size, and Brzustewicz does fit that mold, so that might well be enough to make him at least interesting to them. But, on the other hand, the Elite Prospects Draft Guide compares him to someone like a Rasmus Sandin, who plays a game not dissimilar to Cam York, and players like him are already getting very close to coming a surplus within the pipeline, so the question, most broadly, is — do the Flyers need another Cam York-type of player? Or would a high second round pick maybe be better spent elsewhere?

Could the Flyers actually get him?​

The range of projections for Brzustewicz isn’t too spread out like crazy, and with it looking pretty comfortably like he’s going to go somewhere in the early second round, it looks like he’ll all but certainly be an option for the Flyers to grab with one of their earlier picks in that round.

What scouts are saying​

“A 6-foot-1, right-shot defenceman capable of playing a solid two-way game, Brzustewicz has the foundation necessary to transform into a high-end prospect over time and under the influence of the Knights.

In most shifts, Brzustewicz plays a quiet and supportive style of game. Rotating ahead of plays, denying the middle, pushing opponents wide, and walling off the front of the net, he contains the opposition. When they put themselves in vulnerable spots, he engages, skating forward at them, and pushing them off the puck. He retrieves it and moves it to his partner, prioritizing safety over creativity.

For most of the season, Brzustewicz accumulated good tracking results, making those simple plays, but rarely became a playdriver.

What pushed him up our board was the transformation his game underwent when he earned more minutes some nights. His creativity started to shine through, giving us an indication of the player he could become in a larger role over the next two seasons. “Brzustewicz showed some great offensive instincts in this game, joining the rush, creating lanes, breaking out quickly to open up as a passing option high in the neutral zone, and was rewarded for his efforts with an assist on London’s first goal when he received a pass from Sam Dickinson,” wrote OHL regional scout Lauren Kelly in a February report.” He skated into the offensive zone to create an odd-man rush, and then funnelled the puck to the slot for Denver Barkey.”

Brzustewicz can deceive forecheckers, make plays around them and to the slot, and relocate to spots to get passes back and create scoring chances. These abilities, coupled with his all-around projectable defensive game, could turn him into a No.4 defenceman in the NHL, provided he continues to push his play-driving skills over the next seasons.”
—Elite Prospects 2025 NHL Draft Guide

“He skates well moving forward but also opens up and adjusts and uses his feet to get open off the puck, play in and out of give-and-gos, create zone exits and step up and close gaps defensively, with a willingness to play physically, compete and a desire to snuff out and end plays. He has shown confidence with the puck and assertiveness without it.”
—Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

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And just like that, we’re ready to move into the 40s, and we’ve got to add a new player to the poll in the process. Welcome, Adam Benak!

“Part of me is thinking that there’s been a bit of an overcorrection on Adam Benak, but it is also pretty clear that he has had to reprogram a lot of how he plays the game while in the USHL. His first few performances I saw were legitimately troubling as he looked like he was working his tail off trying to be a major focal point of the team and just couldn’t get anything going, especially with the puck. As time has worn on, I think he’s become much more comfortable in a more limited but concentrated role as a more complimentary play facilitator on the rush while coming alive a bit more in the offensive zone with a bit less overall responsibility. He’s quick, but I don’t think he has the speed necessary for a small forward in the NHL yet. He’s got skill, but his frame is so small that pulling pucks around opponents doesn’t really help him as much as it does at lower levels. To counter that, making passes quicker, being more aware of open space and using his quickness to pop in and out of play has been a benefit. He’s still responsible for half of Youngstown’s offense and I’d say his profile is more promising than a player like Kevan’s, but the concerns are greater with a bit more of a questionable map ahead. I still believe in Adam, and if teams overcorrect and he’s a player you could take a flyer on in the middle rounds, you could be rewarded in the future, but I’ll admit the chances may be lower than I thought they’d be to start the season.”
–Will Scouch, scouching.ca

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...zustewicz-is-a-solid-right-shooting-defender/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers fans’ dream top 13 picks in 2025 NHL Draft

As the 2025 NHL Draft quickly approaches, a flurry of mocks have hit the internet — scouts and writers alike begin to try and figure out who is going where and when. But what all of these draft guides or mock first rounds are missing, is that the only thing that really matters is how those picks can benefit the Philadelphia Flyers.

Thus, with such a lack of Flyers-centric draft lists making the rounds, I figured it was time to put together a top-13 that is solely based around benefitting the Flyers, while also trying to remain attached to reality at least a little bit.

#1 Overall: The New York Islanders select… Matthew Schaefer (D), Erie Otters (OHL)

Schaefer has been the consensus top pick since 2025 began, and while a broken collarbone at the World Junior Championship derailed the lion’s share of his draft year, his elite skating and dynamic ability to move the puck at a high-level has separated him from the rest of the pack.

He is the one player in this draft with the potential to be a number one defenseman, and in a class lacking the slam-dunk Celebrini or Bedard level prospect from past years, that has proven to be enough to convince scouts his is worth the 1-1 selection.

Not much else to say about this pick; the Islanders need whatever good they can get, and this is a good first step to building something beyond the middling outfit they currently possess.

#2 Overall: The San Jose Sharks select… Michael Misa (C/LW), Saginaw Spirit (OHL)

The Sharks say thank you very much, and select another dynamic center to put behind Macklin Celebrini in Saginaw’s Michael Misa. I am a big fan of Misa’s expansive toolkit, and the lack of any real deficiencies in his game, in 65 OHL games, Misa torched the entire league while scoring nearly a goal-per-game, finishing with 62 tallies and 134 points to take the scoring title by a whole 10 points.

Misa plays a quality 200-foot game and is engaged in battles all over the ice, with or without the puck. He took on the full workload of a first line center, and performed admirably while showing that he will have the ability to play the position at the pro level.

This is another layup pick, this time for San Jose. With a crop of blue chip prospects already in the stable, Misa joins the aforementioned Celebrini to go along with guys like Will Smith and Sam Dickinson in what is a group of very high ceiling talents, and the Sharks jump all over what is to me, a very obvious selection.

#3 Overall: The Chicago Blackhawks select… Caleb Desnoyers (C), Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL)

This is where things begin to get very interesting. Instead of selecting the prototypical big winger to play alongside Connor Bedard in Porter Martone, it seems like Bedard’s current lack of a two-way game has convinced Chicago’s brass that the most pressing priority is acquiring a more well-rounded second-line center to play behind him. Desnoyers is boring but effective, and while his high-end ceiling may not necessarily be there on either end, his archetype as a long, rangy centerman that can play a 200-foot game is something that the Blackhawks seem to covet.

He slots in behind Bedard long term and offers a little bit more size than the former option, but this is still an instance where a team is prioritizing a perceived need over taking the most skilled player available. Desnoyers as an intelligent, less flashy workhorse is a pick that seems to address the worry that Bedard may not be able to develop some of those traits in the future. We will see if that pays off.

#4 Overall: The Utah Mammoth select… Anton Frondell (C), Djurgardens (HockeyAllsvenskan)

There is a good chance that these last two picks are interchangeable, with the Mammoth selecting whoever the Blackhawks don’t select to be a bit beefier of an option up the middle to compliment the slighter stature of Logan Cooley. Frondell can really rip a puck and has more potential as a goal scorer than Desnoyers does, despite maybe being a bit rawer. He fits well in Utah, who also could be well served taking Martone to ride shotgun alongside Cooley, Keller, or Dylan Guenther, but instead decide to prioritize size and potential up the middle behind Cooley.

Frondell will look to serve as the long term second-line center with a slight chance of maybe becoming something more. His production wasn’t anything unbelievable, and we will still have to see if he can keep scoring when he takes a step up to the Swedish first division. He left a bit to be desired after the Under-18 worlds, but that hasn’t put a damper on his value, and it seems like he is destined to either go three or four.

The league-wide trend of valuing the ability to play center continues, and some very talented players keep falling.

Flyers feeling after four selections:

The Flyers would be interested in Frondell’s services, and Desnoyers has been on their radar as well, especially with his brother Elliot still being in the organization, but from a pure talent standpoint this may be the best possible outcome. If this top four ends up becoming reality, which is actually very feasible, the Flyers would be guaranteed either the hulking Jason Robertson archetype in Martone, or the deft playmaker with high-end pedigree in Hagens. Either player is great value for the sixth selection, and it would ensure the Flyers come away with someone to be excited about.

#5 Overall: The Nashville Predators select… Porter Martone (RW), Brampton, (OHL)

Barry Trotz can’t resist the big talented winger to join a prospect pool that already consists of 6-foot-4 Matthew Wood and 6-foot-2 and extremely physical, Yegor Surin. If past drafts are anything to go off of, Nashville seems to have a type of player it likes to take early in drafts, before branching out and taking more swings on potential later on. Martone should be a pretty sure thing at the NHL level, he isn’t the best skater, but he does have a dogged work ethic on the forecheck, and unbelievable hands for someone his size.

Trotz liked teams that played heavy as a coach, and now as a general manager I doubt his philosophy has changed all that much.

#6 Overall: Your Philadelphia Flyers select… James Hagens (C), Boston College, (NCAA)

This tees the Flyers up to take a guy who at one point not all that long ago, was considered the best pick in this draft. Hagens ran the show all year during his time with the USNTDP U-18 team, scoring 102 points in 58 games and establishing himself as a truly elite talent.

His debut season at the college level with Boston College left some wanting more, however. That combined with his slighter frame of 5-foot-10.5 and 186 pounds has soured the opinion of enough scouts to make it plausible that he could fall to Philly at number six.

Thirty-seven points in 37 games in the NCAA is nothing to scoff at, and there is an argument that Hagens was sort of glossed over at BC and overshadowed by already drafted studs Gabe Perrault and Ryan Leonard. I also would submit the opinion that if he had played somewhere like the OHL or HockeyAllsvenskan, with a less physical style of play to adjust to and a much wider talent disparity, he would still be a lockdown top-three selection. The transition that he had to make, especially when compared to some of the other players drafted around him who were just returning to the Canadian Hockey League with an added year of experience, was difficult, and I wouldn’t be shocked to see him rip up the NCAA in his Draft+1 year.

#7 Overall: The Boston Bruins select… Brady Martin (C), Sault St. Marie (OHL)

The Bruins select a mean, nasty, honey badger of a forechecker, because of course they do. Martin has shot up draft boards after a great display at the U-18 worlds, and is a handful for opposing defenders. He has a motor that does not stop, and while he isn’t the most skilled player, He brings the work ethic and leadership of a potential 20-year pro.

Boston needs to replenish its cupboards after the remnants of its old guard have all moved on. Martin is a good start to rebuilding that classic Bruins culture that has sort of fallen apart as of recently. Fraser Minten and Martin as prospect centers in the same system seems a little redundant, but this is the sort of selection Boston would love to make, and if Martin gets to them, I think they do.

#8 Overall: The Seattle Kraken select… Jackson Smith (D), Tri-City (WHL)

Seattle supplements its D-corps after taking forwards with each of their first three selections in all three of the drafts in their history, and they take the highly mobile and smooth-skating Smith, who still has some work to do re: thinking the game quicker and moving the puck accordingly, but he does have a lot of the skills that teams covet in modern defensemen.

The Kraken are wandering through the wilderness with their back end, and I think this slot is where the run on defensemen may start.

#9 Overall: The Buffalo Sabres select… Radim Mrtka (D), Seattle (WHL)

The Sabres tries their hand at the Ristolainen experiment once again because they need size on the back end, and their franchise has no direction to speak of. Mrtka is a big body at 6-foot-5, and is the classic big, raw prospect that needs to develop the rest of his game in order to stick as a top-four NHL defender. Bowen Byram is a restricted free agent, and will probably be moved due to being redundant on a team with Rasmus Dahlin already manning the power play. And after drafting Konsta Helenius last year, they pivot to defense and try to shore up a very confusing NHL unit.

#10 Overall: The Anaheim Ducks select… Jake O’Brien (C), Brantford (OHL)

O’Brien slides to the double digits, but not past Anaheim who scoops up another skilled playmaker to add to its collection. Measuring in at the combine just a hair under 6-foot-2, the Ducks can at least know that will at least have another rangy frame up front to help diversify their forwards. The Ducks seemed to have trouble at times getting all of their young defensemen playing time at the NHL level, and still need some middle-six depth, O’Brien should help.

#11 Overall: The Pittsburgh Penguins select… Victor Eklund (RW), Djurgardens (HockeyAllsvenskan)

A very Kyle Dubas pick here, as they select a slam-dunk middle six winger with the potential to be even more. As Crosby and Malkin reach the end, building up the forward core for the future is the key focus, and Eklund offers a solid building block to start to build up the position that has been a strength for two decades. Playing alongside Frondell with Djurgardens, Eklund played with pace and urgency, offering a bit more forechecking pressure without some of the more elite offensive tools.

His brother William has provided a template as to what Victor can become at the next level with San Jose, and I feel as if the Pens will think they’re getting a real high floor bet without much risk. Dubas has come under fire early in his tenure, so playing it safe here makes sense from his standpoint, too.

#12 Overall: The New York Rangers select… Kashawn Aitcheson (D), Barrie (OHL)

The Rangers have long had an organizational love affair with a more rough-and-tumble playstyle, and Aitcheson brings that in spades. The most vicious hitter in the class by far, the Barrie defender plays a well-rounded game that is already pretty polished. Aitcheson’s stock has steadily risen while the playoffs continue to highlight the need for hyper mobile physicality at every position. K’Andre Miller looks set to be priced out of New York, and this pick offers up a pretty decent replacement. He can score from the point, make the difficult breakout passes, and if it all pans out, he should be a solid middle-pairing defenseman for years to come.

#13 Overall: Your Philadelphia Flyers select… Roger McQueen (WHL), Brandon (WHL)

TRADE:

Red Wings receive: 2025 22nd overall, 2025 31st overall, 2027 3rd round pick

Flyers receive: 2025 13th overall

Danny Briere makes his move to take a big swing on a big man. The Red Wings aren’t going to necessarily give this pick away, but in a draft where picks 10-25 are mostly down to preference, they feel comfortable with moving back eight slots to grab another couple picks. Jeff Petry is a free agent this summer, and with Ben Chiarot, Justin Holl, and Erik Gustafsson all set to be free agents next year (mercifully), the Red Wings only have Moritz Seider under contract on the back end past 2026-27.

With the consensus top three defensemen already off the board in this scenario, Detroit shifts their focus to names like Blake Fiddler and Cameron Reid, who will still likely be available later on in Round 1. For their troubles, they get a chance to double down on defensemen and add some more assets to their war chest down the road.

The Flyers, meanwhile, add a potentially game changing prospect who, if not for a health scare that may not even be as bad as previously thought, would be locked-in as a top-5 selection. McQueen is a 6-foot-5 center with silky smooth hands for his size, and who got more and more comfortable with his physical side after returning from a long absence due to a pars fracture in his back. McQueen has the skill set, smarts, and size to be an elite top-line center at the NHL level, and if it all comes together, this has the potential to be an absolute steal.

The Flyers would readily give up some of their surplus of picks if it meant getting not only one, but two, potential top-line players for the future. Both have the ability to play center, but if both pan out and reach something resembling their ultimate potential, one could bump over to the wing if needed and you wouldn’t necessarily feel the sting.

This first half of the first round has the potential to push the Flyers into a very exciting territory. That’s why it would make every single Flyers fan smile ear-to-ear.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...2025-nhl-draft-prospects-mock-draft-rankings/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Who experts have Flyers drafting at No. 6 after scouting combine

The 2025 NHL Draft is now just two weeks away, and there are still plenty of questions about who the Philadelphia Flyers might have available to them at the sixth overall pick.

Things are clearing up at the top with Matthew Schaefer and Michael Misa holding strong. After that, though, it gets a bit murkier.

The next group of centers — Caleb Desnoyers, Anton Frondell, and James Hagens — and winger Porter Martone could be selected in any order. Then you have late-rising centers Brady Martin and Jake O’Brien, and even Roger McQueen could go higher than expected after a healthy combine.

Desnoyers and Frondell were the most popular picks for the Flyers at six in our post-lottery mock draft compilation. Who are the experts expecting now after the scouting combine?

The Athletic (Staff): Porter Martone​

“The top-tier centers coming off the board in the top five might not be ideal for the Flyers, who still need depth at that position. But they also need more size and physicality on the wings, and Martone gives them that, along with some scoring punch. — Kevin Kurz“

The first post-lottery mock draft had the Flyers taking Frondell as the last of the top six on the board. Martone is now the last of that tier, with Frondell’s stock rising to third overall.

While it’s not one of the top-tier centers, Martone is a playmaking power forward who could turn out to be a top-line winger in the NHL. He had 98 points (37 goals, 61 assists) in 57 games with the Brampton Steelheads in the OHL this season.

The Athletic (Pronman): Caleb Desnoyers​

“Desnoyers is a complete center with the size, skating, skill and off-puck play to be a big-minute NHL center, which is something Philly truly craves.“

Note that Pronman’s most recent mock draft came out before the scouting combine, but he still has the Flyers landing one of the top centers after Fondell, Martone, and Hagens go three through five.

Desnoyers is a familiar name to Flyers fans as his brother Elliott was drafted in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. He was named MVP of the QMJHL playoffs as led his Montcon Wildcats to the Memorial Cup Final.

He racked up 30 points (9 goals, 21 assists) in 19 playoff games after putting up 84 points (35 goals, 49 assists) in 56 regular-season games. It’s worth noting that the QMJHL is one of the higher-scoring junior leagues, but Desnoyers has impressed at every level.

The Athletic (Wheeler): James Hagens​

“If Hagens gets here, I think the Flyers like him and would consider taking him. Same goes for Desnoyers, whose well-rounded game and smarts could really support and complement Matvei Michkov. But Desnoyers isn’t going to be there. If Hagens isn’t, I think they lean Martin over Jake O’Brien here in terms of the other centers (though they did take O’Brien to dinner in Buffalo). The pull of a center, and a player like Martin, is real in this range.”

Wheeler gives some good insight into the potential options for the Flyers in his blurb. He is the first one to have Hagens drop to six.

Hagens was considered the top prospect for this draft heading into last season before having a strong — but not amazing — freshman year with Boston College, posting 37 points (11 goals, 26 assists) in as many games. He has the ceiling of a top-line center and the Flyers should be thrilled if he’s available at six.

NHL.com (Kimmelman): James Hagens​

“General manager Daniel Briere has said the Flyers plan to spend some of their draft assets — they have seven of the first 50 selections, including three picks in the first round — on centers. Hagens would be a good place to start. He was a point-per-game player as a college freshman and was a standout for the U.S. at the World Juniors. What he lacks in size he makes up for in dynamic skill and skating.”

Kimelman also has the former No.1 prospect in this draft dropping to the Flyers at six. He’s remaining consistent in the Flyers passing on Martone, who he has going to the Sabres at nine.

NHL.com (Morreale): Jake O’Brien​

“The right-handed shot (6-2, 172) was tied for seventh in the OHL with 98 points (32 goals, 66 assists) in 66 games and had 50 power-play points (nine goals, 41 assists). O’Brien, named OHL Rookie of the Year in 2023-24, has good hands, creativity and can read the ice well with the puck. The Flyers certainly could use some size and flash down the middle and O’Brien, who compares his style to Dallas Stars forward Wyatt Johnston, offers plenty.”

Morreale is in line with his colleague in having the Flyers pass on Martone to land a center, except it’s O’Brien instead of one of the top guys falling to six.

O’Brien (no relation to Jay), had 98 points (32 goals, 66 assists) in 66 games with the Brantford Bulldogs in the OHL this season with 11 points (3 goals, 8 assists) in 11 playoff games as well.

Not landing one of the top centers and passing on the potential of a Martone would be disappointing, but O’Brien’s stock has been rising and you can’t get too mad if the Flyers opt to add another prospect down the middle.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...yers-drafting-at-no-6-after-scouting-combine/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Friday Morning Fly By: Wonder if they Cam do it

*Folks were talking about Cam York’s contract situation yesterday. Which is interesting; wonder if it means there’s been some movement there. [Inquirer]

*Cam York’s contract was the big “I’m Hearing” thing yesterday, but there are other offseason stories to look at as well. [The Athletic]

*Other than that it’s all draft all the time in the hockey world, and here at BSH you people have selected a relatively solid right-handed defenseman with pick 39. [BSH]

*Obviously the main focus for the Flyers (and us, the Flyers fans) is what they’re going to do with that 6th overall pick, but there may be some gems to be found with those later round picks as well. [NBC Sports Philly]

*If you’re a subscriber over at Charlie’s website, you can check out which ten guys he thinks are worth a look once you get past the consensus Top Guys in this draft. [PHLY]

*Speaking of later round guys, Jackson Smith is a real interesting one. So we watched some tape to break down his game for you. [BSH]

*A pretty big trade went down in the Metro Division yesterday. Pretty big! [Sportsnet]

*Speaking of trades, the Flyers really shouldn’t be involving themselves in any bidding wars for mid-tier defensemen. [BSH]

*And finally, the idea of “letting them play” in the playoffs may seem like a good one, particularly if you’re a hockey fan of a certain age. But the fact of the matter is the NHL is ruining what should be the best hockey we watch all year by putting away the rulebook. [Habs Eyes On The Prize]

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/friday-morning-fly-by-wonder-if-they-cam-do-it/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 40: William Moore is a center still putting it together

And just like that, we’ve made it through the top-40! What a journey, and with a ways still left to go. As we hit the 40th spot in our ranking, we’re stopping to check in with William Moore, an intriguing — if a bit projecty — center out of the National Team Development Program.

It’s been an interesting arc for Moore over these last few years — one of the more highly touted prospects coming out of his age-16 year (which saw him scoring two points per game at the junior level), Moore made the jump to join the NTDP but hasn’t really seen his game making the significant steps forward that we might otherwise have expected. The tools are there and often on full display, but he’s struggled to put them all together into a high-impact play style on a consistent basis. All of this brings some question marks about where he stands as a player, but it also might make him an intriguing option for a team looking to make a swing and confident in their ability to right the ship for him with their own development infrastructure.

Pre-draft rankings​

#29 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
#35 by Elite Prospects
#55 by FC Hockey
#35 by McKeen’s Hockey

Bio​

DOB: March 24, 2007
Birthplace: Mississauga, Ontario, CAN
Position: Center
Height: 6’2″
Weight: 174 lbs
Shoots: Left

Statistics​

What’s there to like?​

Despite the sort of strangeness of his development arc, to date, there’s still a lot to like about Moore as a player. His game might not be overly flashy in aggregate, but he falls more into the category of “guy who does just about everything right.” He can play a responsible game down the middle, bringing a focused, hard checking effort that makes him something of a menace to opponents with the puck. And while he’s not an absolute burner as far as the speed is concerned, he can bring a strong enough overall pace of play to make his game really effective.

Of course, Moore’s game isn’t completely devoid of flash, and he does have the skillset to pull off a high-skill play that really excites viewers. Whether that means bring a show of slick passing through traffic, or manipulating the speed of play to cut through defenders as the puck carrier in the offensive zone, or threading a shot through himself with some noticeable zip, there’s a clear high-level vision of the ice at work for Moore.

He brings a lot of finesse to his game, but he also isn’t afraid of getting to the front of the net for chances — he might not have the frame to be a really dominant physical presence there, but he has to hands to still come away with a good tip-in chance from time to time.

Consistency is going to be key when it comes to Moore’s development at large, and while, as we’ll see, there are some concerns about the habits he’s formed and the ceiling there is to his game, but there’s no doubt that, if he’s able to get things moving in the right direction as he graduated from the National Team Development program and the couple of underwhelming years put together there, there could well be some potential for him to be one of the more interesting steals from this draft.

What’s not to like?​

On the most basic level, Moore is still a bit slight, relative to his frame, at 6’2″ and just a 174 pounds. There’s certainly room for him to grow into that frame, and that’s encouraging, but he’s not there yet. Getting into a college program will likely help with him filling out over time, but he might struggle a bit with the physicality of play at the NCAA level in the meantime, and this might be, shall we say a yellow flag, for any folks who are generally more highly concerned with a prospect’s size.

But the larger concern about his game — if we even want to call it that — is the sort of flip side of the game we laid out in our last section. That is, Moore can bring these real flashes of brilliance, but so far, he hasn’t been able to sustain that in a way which would see him both developing into a higher end player, and raising his stock in the draft, in turn. As much as he can make a play and bring some high skill to the mix, he can look disengaged off-puck and take shifts off, leaving his games looking quiet as a result. The lack of physical maturity likely plays some role in this, but it goes to mentality as well — Moore can seem to pick and choose when he wants to compete at a high level, rather than having a consistently high motor seemingly innate to him, as we’ve seen from prospects elsewhere in this ranking. As it stands, it’s hard to parse out whether this is an issue with the player himself necessarily, or if he’s been somewhat stifled by the structure with the NTDP throughout his time there, so it will be interesting to see how things might change for him when he gets into a program like Boston College’s in the fall.

How would he fit the Flyers’ system?​

The question of fit here is a particularly slippery one because it’s not really clear just yet what exactly Moore is as a player. But, keeping it more basic, from a purely positional standpoint, there could certainly be a fit here. After all, the Flyers are very thin at the center position, and Moore would offer them a bit of much needed bolstering down the middle. And for all of the questions about whether he was held back by a poor fit at the NTDP or if there’s something not quite up to par with his habits, there’s no doubt that there’s the potential for a high-end skillset here, and with the Flyers being a team with draft picks to spare in the second round, Moore might well be the type of high-upside swing that they could look to take.

Could the Flyers actually get him?​

With Moore projected to come off the board somewhere in the early second round, there is a chance that a team might really like to take a shot on him and grab him just about as possible, keeping him out of the Flyers’ reach, but the odds are on him at least being an option for them with one of their own early-round picks. But we’ll see how this shakes out.

What scouts are saying​

“Moore does a bit of everything, from high-end plays right down to the finest details. In his best games, he manipulates defenders with driving crossover rushes, lands look-off passes, crashes the net, and puts on a down-low clinic with possession. He drives wide, gets the defender to follow, and then instantly cuts inside for a better look.

At times, power forward elements in Moore’s game surfaced, combining details with impressive handling skills for big results. Dir. of North American scouting Mitchell Brown wrote about March 22nd, one such performance:

“He was a menace along the walls and in front of the net. He had one shift where he won a battle by engaging the defender a few metres out from the wall, then screened the goalie, freed his stick, and grabbed the rebound. Down low, he battles off two defenders with one hand on his stick before setting up a chance. Won positioning proactively, giving him the inside track for loose pucks, and he also showed much more willingness to control contact/engage back pressure in these positions.”

Putting together all these great pieces has proved challenging for Moore. A lack of strength and sturdiness impacts his physical game and mobility, while a lack of consistent engagement and off-puck speed leads to many quiet nights. Too content to wait for the play to come to him, Moore will have to change his approach to achieve his lofty upside.

If he takes the leap in his development, Moore could become a middle-six, perhaps No. 2 centre. More likely, he gradually improves and becomes a well-rounded bottom-six forward who splits time between wing and centre.”
—Elite Prospects 2025 NHL Draft Guide

“Moore is a 6-foot-2 center who can challenge offensively and go directly at players with his skill and skating but can also at times drift to the perimeter and just needs to attack and create more consistently. When he plays to the middle and gets off the wall to the inside, he can show speed, skill and scoring and be a lot to handle.”
—Scott Wheeler, The Athletic

---

We’re getting closer to winding things down around here, but we’ll stick with one theme a little bit longer, and add another college-track player to the mix. Welcome to the poll, Benjamin Kevan!

“Benjamin Kevan is a little bit of a boom or bust player, but every time I’ve seen him, I’ve seen some very interesting potential. There’s a ways to go to get there and his offensive game is very difficult to project to the NHL, but he’s an impressive skater on the forecheck and creating gaps to make himself a breakout pass target. He’s one of the less active passers with the puck in transition, and he’s going to need to get stronger to fight off and evade pressure at higher levels, but he drove play up the ice very successfully more often than not. He’s one of the worst in the class when it comes to shot selection, peppering the net from all over the offensive zone and not really generating offense for linemates while on the ice. All that said, I can’t help but feel like there’s something more to Kevan in the future. Working dump and chases a bit more, making quicker decisions in the offensive zone to generate shots from other players he’s on the ice with, and coaching down the shot-based tendency he has a bit. He’s one of the most active transition threats of all wingers in this class, and he brings a great flow to his skating stride, but he’s a work in progress likely to need a good college stint to be a likely NHL projection..”
–Will Scouch, scouching.ca

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...-moore-is-a-center-still-putting-it-together/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

2024-25 Flyers Player Grades: Tyson Foerster’s starting to pop

The season started slow for Tyson Foerster, but he finished with a bang, registering nine goals in the games after John Tortorella was fired. He even threw a hat trick in there and, in back-to-back games, nearly scored a second one. That strong finish and ever-solid underlying play earned Foerster a two-year bridge deal, so let’s get into his season.

Games Played	Goals	Assists	Points	PIM	Shots on Goal	Shooting Percentage	Average Time On Ice
81	25	18	43	49	142	17.6	16:52

As we mentioned at the top, a good chunk of Foerster’s scoring in the final weeks of the season. Most of the year, however, he scored sporadically; in February and March, he had a 14-game scoring drought, which isn’t what you want to see from a player touted to have an elite shot.

Guess when he broke that streak, though–that’s right, the first game after Tortorella was fired. Foerster then scored eight more over the final eight games for good measure. That’s what you like to see, and hopefully he can carry that over into the 2025-26 season.

Is a 17.6 shooting percentage sustainable, though? It’s too early in Foerster’s career to tell but, considering how highly touted his shot has been, maybe this will be the norm–his career average is 14.8% over parts of three seasons, with 2023-24’s 12% his lowest. A long-term, 15-plus percent goal scorer with strong underlying play is quite the asset to have. Plus, if he starts getting to the net more like in the following clip, we could see him crack 30 or more goals next year.

Tyson Foerster, what a goal! #MensWorlds pic.twitter.com/n5DibDLDTZ

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) May 20, 2025

Now about that underlying play…

Goals-For Percentage	Expected Goals-For Percentage	Corsi-For Percentage	High Danger Chances-For Percentage	PDO
50.57	51.76	47.42	55.34	1.006

All stats are 5-on-5

Foerster was one of only three Flyers forwards to have a goals-for percentage over 50–the other two were his linemate, Noah Cates, and de facto top-line center Sean Couturier. His expected goals share was more middle of the pack but, as a sophomore, still impressive. The main reason his expected and actual goals-for percentages mostly aligned? That 1.006 PDO was the second highest among regular Flyers forwards, which means a) the players on the ice scored at a higher rate (Foerster’s on-ice shooting percentage of 10.6 was third-highest among all regular Flyers) and b) they actually got saves from their goaltenders (the on-ice .900 save percentage for Foerster was fourth among regular Flyers). Add in that Noah Cates had the highest PDO of regular Flyers forwards, and you start to see how the Foerster-Cates-Bobby Brink line were strong in the offensive zone and rarely gave anything back defensively.

Points Per 60	Shots Per 60	Shot Attempts Per 60	Expected Goals Per 60
1.74	5.82	12.1	2.38

All rates are 5-on-5

Foerster’s rate stats were relatively middle of the pack, so there’s not much that jumps out here. However, his 5-on-5 goals per 60 of 0.9 was tied with Morgan Frost for second among regular Flyers forwards, and the leader in that category was…Owen Tippett, with 1.08? Huh, maybe Tippett didn’t have as bad a season as we might’ve thought, but that’s another article entirely.

Three Questions​

Did he live up to expectations?

If you’d asked this question in December, the answer would be no, but since we’re considering the entire season it’s a resounding, “yes.” While the scoring only became prolific in the final weeks of the season, the underlying play was strong all year and we’d call it an overall successful sophomore effort.

What can we expect from him next season?

Hopefully, a continuation of the scoring he uncorked in late March. In his first season, Foerster scored 20 goals; in his second, he scored 25–it only stands to reason that he will crack 30 in his third full NHL season. Perhaps a new coaching staff and a functioning power play will be enough to get him there.

How do we grade his 2024-25 season?

There’s not a lot to dislike about Foerster’s season, but there isn’t a lot to gush about, either: he maintained his strong underlying play from his rookie year, and finished his sophomore year with more goals and points. Steady progression is better than peaks and valleys, so Foerster grades out well.

Grade: B​

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/2024-25-flyers-player-grades-tyson-foersters-starting-to-pop/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 41: The small but mighty Adam Benák

We are in the 40s of our draft board, and entering the conversation at No. 41 is Czech center Adam Benák.

Benák is one of the smallest players of this draft class, particularly among players projected to be taken in the first couple of rounds. He’s a meager 5-foot-7, 163 pounds, and that’s made Benák quite the polarizing player throughout this draft year.

Benák’s big break as a prospect came in the 2024 Hlinka Gretzky Cup, where Benák’s 10-point showing gave him the second highest point totals ever for a 16-year-old in the competition. During this tournament and throughout most of his time in Czechia, Benák played down the middle of the ice, mostly due to his extremely high skating ability and hockey IQ. He’s been able to compensate for his size at every level so far, but he struggled a little bit in the USHL after his midseason shift to the Youngstown Phantoms. Benák still put up strong point totals (59 points in 56 games), but his play-driving abilities really diminished. That’s a major concern, and even prompted Youngstown to begin playing Benák on the right wing to relieve him of a center’s responsibilities. There’s a ways to go with Benák, but there’s an intriguing skillset here that’s going to need to continue improving for him to cut it in the NHL.

Pre-draft rankings​

No. 37 by The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)
No. 102 by Elite Prospects
No. 39 by TSN (Bob McKenzie)
No. 44 by Daily Faceoff

Bio​

DOB: April 10, 2007
Birthplace: Plzen, Czech Republic
Position: Right Wing/Center
Height: 5’7”
Weight: 163 lbs
Shoots: Left

Statistics​

What’s there to like?​

For a player like Benák to exceed, that player has to show high-end puck skills and almost zero deficiencies in any other area of his game besides his size. For a long time in the development of Benák, scouts raved about Benák’s chances to become that kind of player.

It’s not hard to see why, as offensive creation and skill oozes off of Benák’s stick, making him a fun player to watch over his many years of international competition and development in the Czech junior leagues. Namely, Benák is quite the skater, and moves down the ice and past defenders in an instant. He’s got a real burst of speed, he’s deceptive and quick in changing direction, and isn’t afraid to attack the middle of the ice with regularity. In the clip below, Benák (No. 9) chases after a loose puck in the neutral zone, gaining multiple steps on the defenders before executing a pass into the slot.

The “attacking the middle of the ice” component really came into focus when Youngstown shifted Benák to the wing this season, as they made sure to encourage Benák to skate the puck into dangerous areas on a shift-by-shift basis. By all accounts, Benák made significant strides on this in the USHL, especially once he went through a positional change. There were numerous plays in the second half of the USHL season where Benák took the puck in stride on the rush, cut to the center of the ice, and created a dangerous chance for the Phantoms, like the next play.

Another fun thing about Benák is his relentless motor and work rate. He’s probably in the top-10 of this draft in compete level, and he’s a surprisingly physical small forward. Benák is certainly not afraid to throw a hit, engage in and win battles along the boards, and to park himself in front of the net. That’s really surprising for a player of his stature, and again – it’s a good attribute for Benák to have if he’s going to beat the odds.

Benák has always been known to thrive as a playmaker, with the puck on his stick, and on the rush. He’s a player that not only finds himself with the puck in dangerous areas, but one who continually makes the smart play as well. That combination of hockey IQ and puck skills has really endeared him to a lot of scouts, and made it possible that he breaks the conventional mold as a 5-foot-7 winger in the NHL. He’s going to have to take a few more jumps, but Benák is certainly worth a flyer in the mid-rounds.

What’s not to like?​

Honestly, the previous sentence really sums up what’s not to like with Benák. There’s a way to go for Benák to beat the odds as a very small player in the NHL, and one source of improvement is his shot. It’s fine, but Benák isn’t really able to beat goaltenders clean with regularity. He’s crafty, scoring a lot of his goals close-range and with deception, but there isn’t a ton of pure power and range here.

Another area of improvement definitely is Benák’s even strength play, where he can sometimes disappear as a passenger on his line. It’s part of the rationale for why Youngstown moved him from center to wing, so Benák could make more offensive impact in bursts, rather than dragging down the shift-by-shift performance of his line in the middle. Benák has been a bit of a power play merchant throughout the years, and unless Benák proves to be exceptional on the power play in the NHL, he’s going to need to be passable at 5-on-5. The hope is, Benák’s high-end work ethic and puck skills eventually translate into a more consistent shift-by-shift player, and one that an NHL team wants to have in their lineup. We’ll see, but Benák is very much a project pick in the second or third round.

How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?​

Organizationally, if the Flyers believe that Benák is a winger, adding Benák would be further increasing the strong quality and depth of the winger position in the organization. More specifically, it would be adding even further to the small winger archetype the Flyers seem to like. There’s already Bobby Brink, Denver Barkey, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, and potentially Maxim Shabanov in the organization and projected for NHL roles. Benák would add another player of that mold into the mix, so it would be an interesting organizational fit.

Could the Flyers actually get him?​

Yes. Benák is probably going to linger into the late second or early third round, and the Flyers will have numerous chances to take Benák in the second round if they want to. Small forwards often drop even if they are more around the 5-foot-9 range, let alone at Benák’s 5-foot-7. There’s little doubt in our minds that Benák goes way later than he should in this draft, despite the fact that he’s a very reasonable swing to take in the second or third round. He might not make it to the NHL, but if he does, it’s because his skillset and work ethic increase to a point where Benák’s small frame does not matter. Truly, Benák seems to be top-6 or bust, and the Flyers will have an ability to take on lots of risk with their seven top-50 picks. We’ll see if Benák will be a part of that equation, but we doubt it, considering the Flyers’ bevy of small prospects and players already.

What scouts are saying​

“Combining burning speed, high-end vision, and a headiness and maturity beyond his years, Benak has been able to find offensive success at every level he’s played. With 3 assists in 3 playoff games, Benak wrapped up what has been a decently productive season at the USHL level (17 goals and 59 points in 56 games) and a very productive year internationally (7 goals and 24 points in 12 games). Nevertheless, at 5-7 and lacking a consistent defensive game, as well as high-end scoring ability and dynamism, there is reason to question Benak’s path to the NHL.”
—Luke Sweeney, Dobber Prospects

“Benák continues to look more and more comfortable as a pacy creator from the right wing. He provided a pair of assists in this one, cutting inside upon entry far more often and dishing cross-seam pucks. His competitiveness has been irreproachable all year, leaving it all on the ice in all three zones. He’s also evolved into a more deceptive dual-threat, having added power to his release and hinting shot far more often than earlier in the year, opening up playmaking lanes and accessing new playmaking opportunities through shooting for rebounds. A slippery skater along the boards, Benák implemented 10-and-2’s to make defenders bite on drop passes and cutbacks before attacking north. With more diversity in his puck touches and offensive tendencies, he was far less predictable in this game than earlier in the year. Still, his projection hinges on his high motor and under-estimated physicality remaining separating factors as he progresses to the professional ranks as a 5-foot-7 forward. He’s a high-end C-grade on my April board. He’s likely to slip significantly on draft day, but the intensity, smarts, and playmaking skill continued to stand out as some of the best in the whole league in this game.”
—Sebastian High, Elite Prospects Draft Guide (April 11 Game Report)

---

With Benák leaving, we will bring in our second goaltender into the poll, Russian goaltender Pyotr Andreyanov.

“Andreyanov has outstanding quickness in his lower half. He makes a ton of highlight reel-type saves due to his athleticism, plus his compete level. He never seems like he’s out of a play due to his effort. Andreyanov is also a good technical goalie who can make smooth, efficient saves with good reads. NHL teams’ only concern with him will be his size. He’s a very small goalie by NHL standards, and will need to prove he’s just not very talented, but especially talented to be an NHL goalie. I’ve seen enough flashes of special to think he has a chance to make it.”
—Corey Pronman, The Athletic

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...-board-no-41-the-small-but-mighty-adam-benak/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Who experts have Flyers drafting at 22nd and 32nd overall

The 2025 NHL Draft is now just 10 days away. It’s expected to be a pivotal point for Danny Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers, who have three first-round picks and seven selections in the top 48 overall.

The Flyers may end up using some of those assets to trade up or for a roster player, but for now, all we can do is speculate who the team could draft with those picks.

Several mock drafts have been released in recent weeks, and the experts were split on who the Flyers would take at No. 6.

Let’s now take a look at who those mock drafts have the Flyers taking with their second pick at 22 and third pick at 32.

The Athletic (Staff)​

22nd: Jack Nesbitt

“Since we bypassed the Flyers’ biggest need, center, with the No. 6 pick, we’ll go here with Nesbitt, who not only gives the prospect pool some needed depth at that position but also some welcome size and physicality. Nesbitt has something in common with 2024 Flyers first-rounder Jett Luchanko, too, as a player whose stock seemed to rise as his draft-eligible season progressed. — Kurz”

As Kurz notes, he had the Flyers taking a winger in Porter Martone at sixth overall.

Nesbitt is a center with size at 6-foot-4 and put up 64 points (25 goals, 39 assists) in 65 games with the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL this season. If the Flyers plan on taking multiple centers in this year’s draft, Nesbitt is a name to keep an eye on.

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 33: Jack Nesbitt has some question marks

32nd: William Horcoff

“Horcoff is a bit like our pick at No. 22, Nesbitt, in that he’s a center with good size who needs to keep working on his skating. While the Flyers don’t end up with any of the truly high-end center prospects in this mock, Nesbitt and Horcoff would immediately bolster their prospect group down the middle. If just one of them hits, that would still be a win. — Kurz“

Horcoff is an American center who came up through the USNTDP program and played at the University of Michigan last season, posting 10 points (4 goals, 6 assists) as a freshman. The son of former NHLer Shawn Horcoff, William is another 6-foot-4 pivot who would fill a hole in the Flyers’ system.

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 37: William Horcoff is a strong, big netfront presence

The Athletic (Pronman)​

22nd: Milton Gästrin

“A responsible, hard-nosed, two-way center, Gastrin adds leadership traits and versatility to the Flyers’ forward group that is building their center depth with this draft class.“

Pronman had the Flyers taking Caleb Desnoyers at six and adding another center here in Gästrin. The Swedish center had 42 points (18 goals, 24 assists) in the J20 Swedish league while also playing eight games in the SHL.

Gästrin is another one of these centers with a strong defensive structure to his game. He would be a nice third center to have in the pipeline behind Luchanko and Desnoyers.

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 31: The inconsistent but play-driving Milton Gastrin

32nd: Cullen Potter

“Potter’s great skating and puck skill give the Flyers a dynamic, high-upside forward, even if his size and perimeter play do raise questions.”

Potter is a speedy forward who may ultimately end up as a winger at the NHL level. However, his upside might be worth taking a chance on after he put up 22 points (13 goals, 9 assists) in 35 games at Arizona State in his freshman season.

The 5-foot-10 left-hand shot could turn out to be a steal if he’s available at the end of the first round.

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 19: Cullen Potter has steal potential

The Athletic (Wheeler)​

22nd: Jack Nesbitt

“I think it’s absolutely possible the Flyers take centers with two of their first three picks, and Nesbitt could be a potential 3C behind whoever they take at No. 6 and Jett Luchanko (though there are some who think Nesbitt may end up on the wing in the NHL). He also gives their pool some needed size.“

Wheeler also has the Flyers grabbing Nesbitt at 22 after James Hagens fell to Philadelphia at six. Flyers fans would likely be very happy if the board were to fall this way.

32nd: Shane Vansaghi

“One of the things that I heard repeatedly at the combine was that Vansaghi could sneak into the end of the first round. The Flyers, if they’d like to continue to add size to their relatively small pool, could double down with Nesbitt and Vansaghi, two of the biggest, strongest prospects in the class up front. Vansaghi projects as a heavy bottom-six player in the NHL someday.“

Vansaghi stands at 6-foot-2 with a motor that never stops. He had 16 points (6 goals, 10 assists) in 37 games at Michigan State. He’s a physical player who would fit right in with the Flyers, and it doesn’t hurt that he has some offensive upside.

The one downside is his skating, which is something the Flyers have been willing to work on with draft picks like Tyson Foerster. But if they get Hagens and Nesbitt with their first two picks, a swing on Vansaghi could make sense.

NHL.com (Kimmelman)​

22nd: Cameron Reid

“After selecting a center with their first pick, the Flyers address their second-biggest need with Reid, who is an explosive skater who won’t shy away from physical play. The 18-year-old left-handed shot projects to be a top-four defender who effectively can quarterback a power play.“

Kimelman also had the Flyers taking Hagens at six, but shifts to the blue ilne with Reid here at 22. The 5-foot-11 blueliner had 54 points (14 goals, 40 assists) in 67 games for the Kitchener Rangers last season. Reid has been compared by some to Cam York, who the Flyers grabbed at 14th overall back in 2019.

While the Flyers need some defensive depth in the system, taking Reid over Potter or Gastrin could make some fans scratch their heads.

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 27: Cameron Reid is dynamic skater on the blue line

32nd: Jack Ivankovic

“The Flyers use the benefit of having three first-round picks to select a player one scout called, “probably the most skilled goalie in this draft.” Ivankovic (5-11, 178) doesn’t have the typical NHL size for the position, but he’s won everywhere he’s gone, including a gold medal for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Under-18s Championship when he was 6-0-0 with a 1.05 GAA, .961 save percentage and two shutouts in six games and was voted the tournament’s best goalie. He also was the rare 17-year old goalie (he turned 18 on May 22) to play for Canada at the 2025 IIHF World Junior Championship. Ivankovic will play at the University of Michigan next season.“

You can never have too many goaltenders in Philadelphia. There are a few prospects already in the system, namely Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin, but it wouldn’t hurt to add another.

NHL.com (Morreale)​

22nd: Daniil Prokhorov

“With three picks in the first round, the Flyers can afford some swings, and this choice fits the bill. He offers size (6-6, 209), skill and physicality, and is strong at the net front. Compared by some to Avalanche forward Valeri Nichushkin, the left-shot forward had 27 points (20 goals, seven assists) in 43 games in the MHL, Russia’s junior league, and was seventh in the MHL with 187 shots on goal.“

Prokhorov at 22 would be a huge swing for the Flyers, especially if they were to take Jake O’Brien at six as Morreale mocks. He has the potential to become a force in the NHL, but he could also be out of the league and back to the KHL in a few years.

The big Russian might be someone to keep an eye on with the later pick or early in the second round, but it’d be questionable at 22.

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 36: Daniil Prokhorov is the biggest swing a team can take

32nd: Joshua Ravensbergen

“Ravensbergen wasn’t among the 214 picks, including 24 goalies, chosen in the 2021 WHL bantam draft but could be the first player at his position off the board in the 2025 NHL Draft. In addition to his standout play in the WHL this season, he also had an assist and made 15 saves on 16 shots in a 6-1 win against the NTDP in Game 1 of the CHL USA Prospects Challenge in London, Ontario, on Nov. 26.“

Morreale follows his colleague’s lead with the Flyers taking a goalie at 32, but he has it being Joshua Ravensbergen (who Kimelman had going to Nashville at 26) instead of Ivankovic. The 6-foot-5 netminder has the potential to be a franchise goalie and the Flyers should look to grab him if he falls this far or even into the second round.

2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 29: Joshua Ravensbergen has all the tools to be a No. 1 goalie

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/2025-nhl-draft-mock-philadelphia-flyers-experts-22-32-pick/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

All-time Flyers NHL Draft: Round 6

The Philadelphia Flyers made 526 selections leading up to this year’s NHL Draft. Obviously, some of them were great picks, some of them so-so and a glut of late-round picks never got a whiff of NHL playing time. But Broad Street Hockey has decided to delve deep into the picks, creating a seven-round NHL Draft of all-time Flyer selections. Some slots aren’t included because, well, the Flyers never picked at that slot. Other picks may consist of a handful of players who never played a game in the NHL. In some cases the Flyers picked a handful of players at that number but we took what we thought was the best of the best. Here then is the sixth round of the Flyers all-time NHL Draft (#192 to #161, although this writer accidentally put #192 in round seven so we’ll put it here again).

Round Six​

#192: Paul Healey (1993 and yes we put him in round seven accidentally, my bad) played six games for the Flyers but his biggest NHL season was during the 2002-03 when he suited up with the Leafs 44 times. After four games with the Rangers the following season, Healey saw two games for Colorado in 2005-06. He scored six goals over 77 NHL games.

#191: Goaltender Rjean Beauchemin (2003) tended the nets for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, and some ECHL teams (who can forget the Idaho Steelheads?) before ending his career in the CHL’s Allen Americans in 2011-12. Fourteen picks after the Flyers took Beauchemin, the San Jose Sharks took a chance on Waterloo Black Hawks forward Joe Pavelski.

#189: The best pick the Flyers possibly ever made in the late rounds was selecting blueliner Gord Murphy (1985). Murphy was a steadying presence on Philadelphia’s back end, appearing in 19 playoff games his rookie season before the Flyers lost to Montreal in the Conference Finals. Murphy played three full seasons in Philadephia before he and a draft pick was traded in January 1992 to Boston for Garry Galley and Wes Walz. Murphy played 862 games in the pros while also having stops in Florida and Atlanta. A second stint in Boston in 2001-02 closed out his career. Here he is getting into Mario Lemieux’s face.

#188: Yes, Ivan Fedotov (2015). The Flyers goaltender finally made his NHL debut in relief against the Islanders in the 2023-24 season. Fedotov had several trials and tribulations getting to the NHL after Russia arrested him for eluding military service. He spent time in the Arctic as part of his service but eventually got across the big pond. His play in 2024-25 for Philadelphia didn’t win over many fans, but his backstory is one of the more interesting in Flyers history.

#187: Roman Malov (1996) spent one season with the Kingston Frontenacs and that was it for North American hockey. He spent the rest of his career playing different Russian leagues, with a four-year gap before finishing his career in 2013-14.

#184: The 1983-84 rookie year for Len Hachborn (1981) was pretty good with 32 points in 38 games. Unfortunately he scored 27 points during the remainder of his NHL days, most with Philadephia and a handful with Los Angeles. The Kings traded his rights back to the Flyers for cash in 1985. Hachborn played in Austria for some years when not bumping around the AHL, IHL and WCHL until 2000-01.

#183: Ken Moore (1978) played three collegiate seasons in goal for Clarkson University but that was it for a hockey career.

#182: After several seasons in Sweden, Magnus Roupe (1982) played 40 games for Philadelphia over two seasons (1987-88, 1988-89). But by the end of the 1988-89 season, Roupe was back in Sweden. Roupe scored three times and had five assists over those 40 games.

#181: Having never played in the NHL, Rob Nichols (1983) played with the Kalmazoo Red Wings in 1985-86 where he had 406 penalty miinutes. The following season with the same team he toned it down with a mere 357 penalty minutes. Nichols bounced around the IHL for a few years before the first chapter of his career ended in 1997-98. The second chapter began and ended in 2019-20 when Nichols, then 55 years young, played a game for the Elmira Enforcers of the Federal Prospects Hockey League.

#180: Glen Wisser (1989) was drafted out of the Philadelphia Jr. Flyers. But that was as close as he came to the NHL Flyers, concluding his brief amateur career with the ECHL’s Dayton Bombers in 1991-92.

#179: Nick Luukko (2010) played for The Gunnery but didn’t have much of an career in the pros, playing just seven games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms over two seasons. However he remains in hockey. In 2024 the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins hired Luukko as an assistant coach to Kirk MacDonald.

#178: Flyers tough guy (one of dozens I know) Zac Rinaldo (2008) played five seasons with the Flyers, coming up for some playoff games in the 2010-11 season. Rinaldo was suspended a few times over his career, the most infamous probably his head shot to Penguins defenseman Kris Letang which cost him eight games.

#177: Having played in Russia his entire career, Andrei Razin (2001) was taken with the draft pick the Flyers received in a trade sending Marc Bureau to Calgary. He’s not to be confused with a popular Russian singer with the same name.

#176: Petr Placek (2011) is the lone pick in this slot in Flyers history. Like many around this portion of the draft, he ended up being a miss after three seasons playing for Harvard University.

#175: The Flyers took a swing on Claude Jutras (1992) and hoped his minor league career would translate. During the 1993-94, while playing for Hull in the QMJHL, Jutras had 31 goals and 37 assists for 68 points. Oh, and he had 351 penalty minutes that same year (down from his previous season). In his final season in the ECHL, split among three teams, Jutras managed to have at least 126 penalty minutes with each of the three teams for a total of 399 penalty minutes. In 52 games.

#174: It’s too early to predict but perhaps Ethan Samson (2021) ends up being the first player to play NHL hockey for Philadelphia at this number. Three other prospects never panned out.

#173: And just like Samson, the jury is still out on Ilya Paultov (2024), a Russian right-winger who put up 45 points for the junior Red Army club this past season.

#172: Known for being a hard defender to play against, Dennis Seidenberg (2001) spent parts of three seasons with Philadelphia. He also had time with Phoenix, Carolina, Florida, Boston, and the Islanders before hanging up his skates after the 2017-18 season. He earned a Cup with the Bruins and played 859 regular season NHL games.

#171: The late Roman Cechmanek (2000) had just three seasons with the Flyers. But what seasons they were! Cechmanek’s best was 2002-03 was when he played 58 games and ended up with a miniscule 1.83 goals-against average (and a .925 save percentage). Cechmanek was traded in May 2003 to the Kings for a second-round draft pick. Cechmanek returned to Czechia and continued played through the 2008-09 season.

#170: The Flyers drafted Ladislav Scurko (2004) but he never played in the NHL, instead played most of his career in Slovakia after three seasons in the Western Hockey League with the Tri-City Americans and Seattle Thunderbirds. In 2009, Scurko confessed to murdering a referee at a service area in Slovakia, stabbing him to death. He served eight years after being deemed not responsible due to “diminished sanity.” After serving his sentence in two stints, Scurko continued his career, playing until 2021-22 season.

#169: Tanner Laczynski (2016) played 46 games so far in his career, 38 with the Flyers and eight this past season with the Vegas Golden Knights. Laczynski spent most of the season with the Vegas AHL affiliate the Henderson Silver Knights.

#168: The Flyers took goaltender Antero Niittymaki (2000) and delivered some decent seasons. His best season with Philadelphia would be his last as Niittymaki joined the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2009-10. Four of his five career shutouts came as a Flyer.

#167: Murray Baron (1986) only played 83 regular season games for Philadelphia. But he played a key role in a franchise-altering trade with St. Louis. In September 1991, Baron and Ron Sutter were traded to the Blues in exchange for Dan Quinn and Rod Brind’Amour. Baron played just shy of 1000 regular season games with St. Louis, Montreal, Vancouver and Phoenix. He had 10 of his 35 career goals as a Flyer.

#166: Colin Forbes (1994) played three games for the Flyers in 1996-97, getting his first NHL goal in that stint. After two more seasons with the Flyers (and 129 regular season games), Forbes and a draft pick were traded to Tampa Bay for Sandy McCarthy and Mikael Andersson. Forbes played for a handful of NHL clubs before heading to Germany where he played through 2010-11.

#165: The Flyers remain high on Hunter McDonald (2022) and they should be. The blueliner helped Lehigh Valley defeat Wilkes-Barre/Scranton in the play-in round of the AHL playoffs. And he helped take the Phantoms to five games against the two-time defending Calder Cup champs Hershey Bears to five games before being eliminated.

#164: Todd Fedoruk (1997) played 268 of his 545 NHL games with Philadelphia, scoring 13 times and 26 assists in that time. He was also traded by Philadelphia in 2005 to Anaheim for a second-round pick. A year later he was back with the Flyers as Anaheim swapped him back. After stints with Dallas, Minnesota, and Phoenix, Fedoruk ended his career with Tampa in 2009-10. Fedoruk has been the color commentator on Flyers radio broadcasts since the 2023-24 season.

#163: In 1984, Luke Vitale was selected by the Flyers. His career ended in the ECHL in 1990-91. He’s not to be confused with an actor of the same name.

#162: Merrick Madsen (2013) had four great years at Harvard University playing goal. But that didn’t translate into the National Hockey League. Madsen was traded to Arizona in 2017 along with Nick Cousins in exchange for Brendan Warren and a fifth-round pick. The Flyers used the pick to take Wyatt Wylie.

#161: Despite an honorable mention to Pat Maroon (2007), this writer leans more towards Pelle Eklund (1983) in this slot. Eklund played all but five games in his career with Philadelphia. He was also crucial in the Flyers’ deep playoff run in 1986-87 where he had 27 points in 26 playoff games, including back-breaking goals against the Canadiens that eliminated Montreal in six games.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/all-time-flyers-nhl-draft-round-6/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers reportedly adding Todd Reirden to coaching staff

The Philadelphia Flyers have reportedly made their final addition to their bench, hiring a familiar face to the Metropolitan Division to be Rick Tocchet’s third assistant.

Although the team has yet to make it official and there’s been no confirmation as of yet, it sounds like the Philadelphia Flyers are adding Todd Reirden to Rick Tocchet’s coaching staff for the 2025-26 season. The addition would see Tocchet’s staff featuring Reirden joining Jay Varady and Jaroslav Svejkovsky. Varady and Svejkovsky were brought on board earlier in the month.

Sounds like #Flyers have made progress on adding Todd Reirden to the bench to fill out Rick Tocchet’s new staff.

Reirden has spent his entire NHL coaching career in the Metropolitan Division.

— Frank Seravalli (@frank_seravalli) June 19, 2025​

We’re not sure what Reirden’s role will be, although through process of elimination — Svejkovsky being in charge of the offense and the power play and Varady acting as more of a communicator and do-it-all assistant — we have to assume that the newest hire will be the Flyers’ defensive coach.

Reirden did spend time working in Pittsburgh with the Penguins defensemen and the power play. However, according to The Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel, Svejkovsky was confirmed to be the power play coach and who we now know as Todd Reirden, would be the defensive and penalty kill coach.

Reirden is certainly no stranger to the Metropolitan Division. In 2010, Reirden became an assistant coach in Pittsburgh under head coach Dan Blysma. He was relieved of his duties on June 25, 2014, weeks after the Penguins fired Blysma. His unemployment stint was short-lived as the following day the Capitals hired him as an assistant under Barry Trotz. After being an assistant with Trotz during the Capitals’ Stanley Cup winning season in 2017-18, Reirden became the Capitals head coach after Trotz and Washington couldn’t agree on a contract extension.

Reirden had an impressive rookie season as head coach, leading the Capitals to a 104-point season in 2018-19. That was followed by a 90-point season. However, the regular season success didn’t translate into playoff success as both seasons Washington was bounced in the opening round. Reirden was fired in August 2020. However a week after that firing, he would be back with the Penguins as an assistant to head coach Mike Sullivan. That second Pittsburgh stint ended in May 2024.

The assistant coach bounced around the NHL as a player. A 12th-round pick of the Devils in 1990, Reirden spent most of his career in the minors on the blueline. He had stints with Edmonton, the Blues (where he played 56 games in 1999-2000), Atlanta (65 games in 2001-02) and Phoenix. He scored 11 goals and added 35 assists for 46 points in 183 regular season NHL games.

Again, it’s not confirmed just yet, but adding another experienced coach should hopefully help this younger Flyers roster next season and down the road. Clearly Reirden’s time with the Penguins didn’t result in developing a lot of younger defensemen as the Penguins still remain quite long in the tooth. How his style and coaching techniques will compare to previous assistant coach (and defensive guru) Brad Shaw is anyone’s guess, particularly on a back end that has a few young’uns on the roster and more on the way. But for now we can at least be happy knowing the staff has, most likely, been filled out.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...t-news-hire-assistant-coach-todd-reirden-nhl/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Flyers most likely not matching Canucks’ trade offer for Marco Rossi

The Philadelphia Flyers have been heavily linked to Minnesota Wild center Marco Rossi as the team searches for a young, top six center. Unfortunately, it does not look like the Austrian forward will be heading to Philadelphia this summer due to some stiff competition coming from out west.

It’s not just the Flyers that are interested in acquiring Rossi, of course. The Wild are, for some reason, willing to part ways with the former ninth-overall pick and pending restricted free agent, just because they don’t think his 60-point campaign last season is repeatable without Kirill Kaprizov next to him — or something like that. And instead of paying him, they’re going to try and trade him for something that jives more with what Wild general manager Bill Guerin wants his team to look like.

One of those teams trying to pry Rossi from Minnesota is the Vancouver Canucks and they are reportedly hot after him. But what would it actually take for the Wild to hand over the young center? Well, according to a recent article from The Province’s Patrick Johnson, more than we initially thought.

As first reported by The Athletic’s Mike Russo, Postmedia has confirmed the Canucks have tried to pry the young centre away from the Wild in a trade, offering up their 15th overall draft pick in next week’s NHL Entry Draft, plus a player. Whether that player is on the NHL roster or a prospect isn’t currently known. Russo’s reporting suggests that Wild GM Bill Guerin is after an NHL roster player, rather than a prospect.
—Patrick Johnson, The Province

The Canucks have reportedly sent an offer that included their 15th overall selection this year, and a player that is either a prospect or a roster player. That is some package, depending on the player.

It does feel like a pointless exercise trying to guess who the player is that was offered by Vancouver to Minnesota — since it could be as nonconsequential as an AHL depth player, or as substantial as a top-six winger like Conor Garland. But regardless, the sheer fact that the Canucks want to part ways with the 15th overall pick is something that the Flyers most likely can’t match.

Of course, the Wild would rather have assets that help the team right now, so draft picks aren’t great unless they work on another separate trade to then flip that pick into win-now help, which would mean more work for the front office.

Regardless, all of this means is that the Flyers most likely will not be able to realistically match what the Canucks are willing to part ways with. Philadelphia owns the sixth overall pick, but that’s way too expensive for a player still with some question marks. And then after that it’s the 22nd and 31st overall, and even if they pair them together, it gets to that point that the Flyers are just unwilling to do that, specifically for Rossi.

Because, while we can certainly think and look at some statistical evidence that Rossi should be worth two late-first round picks, that doesn’t take into consideration that it is most likely not something the Flyers are willing to do. While previously we thought that the early reports of the Flyers not wanting to start trade discussions surrounding one of those late first rounders or Tyson Foerster, was simply public negotiation and the team hoping that they could get Rossi for less, with the added context of what the Canucks are offering, it puts the Flyers completely out of the running now.

It is obvious that the Flyers possibly fall into the category of NHL front offices that don’t believe Rossi is a bona fide top six center in this league. And maybe they think that Kaprizov carried his production through his sophomore season. And maybe, they would just rather send Bobby Brink and one of their second rounders to Minnesota instead of parting ways with a real asset. Because, Rossi does need a new contract and that is most likely why he isn’t already traded. Some team will need to commit real dollars to him and want him as one of their top centers instead of potentially paying someone else. The Flyers are most likely a team that does not want to do that.

Now, the Flyers will just need to find another way to find a young center that can seamlessly fit into their top six for the next decade. Maybe that’s in the first round of the 2025 NHL Draft later this month. Maybe it’s in free agency next summer. Or maybe they’re cooking up a separate trade for an even better center than Marco Rossi.

Only time will tell but we will have to cancel our pre-order of a Rossi jersey in Orange and Black.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...de-rumors-matching-canucks-offer-marco-rossi/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

Peterka, Byram reportedly drawing trade interest from Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers apparently have their fingers in everything. After a lengthy saga of back-and-forth reporting about center Marco Rossi potentially coming to Philadelphia, there was a brief report of New York Islanders defenseman Alexander Romanov possibly being a trade target for the Flyers. And now, there’s a new batch of players that Flyers general manager Danny Briere has reportedly checked in on.

According to multiple reports, the Flyers have checked in on and are interested in the two Buffalo Sabres who could be traded from the team this offseason: Goalscoring winger J.J. Peterka, and mobile defenseman Bowen Byram.

While this interest does not solve either of the Flyers’ biggest problems — a starting goaltender that can consistently save 90 percent of the shots he faces, and a top-six center — these are two players who address some sort of need and could certainly fit the rebuilding timeline. Peterka, 23, is a natural left-shot winger that can be an answer for inconsistency at the left wing position for the Flyers and just had breakout season, scoring 27 goals and 68 points in 77, tying for second in scoring among all Sabres skaters.

Meanwhile, Byram, a 24-year-old left-shot defenseman who is a very good skater and capable of moving the puck up the ice, just scored 38 points while playing in all 82 games last season, but his situation is a little different. Byram is in a tricky situation and has been ever since coming to Buffalo from the Colorado Avalanche in a one-for-one swap for center Casey Mittelstadt in the middle of last season. Being on the left side, he is underneath two former first-overall picks, Rasmus Dahlin and Owen Power, on the Sabres’ blue line and considering the financial situation of the team, the Sabres have been seeing what sort of offers are out there for the young defenseman.

Most importantly, both Byram and Peterka are pending restricted free agents. The Sabres do have a significant amount of cap space available to them, over $23 million to be exact, but it is unclear if they are willing to make a strong commitment to both of these players. Which, of course, has led them to being two of the top trade targets for plenty of teams this summer.

The Flyers will not be alone in the pursuit of both of these talents. Almost every single team can justify acquiring either of these players, but it just depends what the package going the other way is. The Sabres are most likely done with future assets — they do not want to sell off any more roster players for a package of draft picks and prospects to try and sell hope to a fan base that hasn’t seen the playoffs since 2011.

According to the reports linking the Flyers to these two players, it is unclear what the Flyers could offer. Cam York is a restricted free agent, Bobby Brink might just be the odd-man out on the wing (especially if Peterka is coming to Philadelphia), Owen Tippett had a disappointing campaign after signing his contract extension — there are some similarly aged roster players that the Flyers could move on from, as well. But, does that make sense for the Flyers? Peterka doesn’t address the size issue, being a 6-foot, 189-pound winger that doesn’t play with a real edge. And even Byram isn’t known as someone difficult to play against.

As previously mentioned, a whole lot of teams are going to be interested in these two restricted free agents. Teams that aren’t just trying to turn their first corner out of a rebuild, but would see both Peterka and Byram as two players addressing a lack of skill they have on their roster, because they already have the role players and veterans and top-of-the-lineup talents at their disposal.

All in all, the price may just be too high to acquire and then re-sign these players — because they would need to commit real dollars to these young players. Reportedly, Byram and his new agent Darren Farris, who is notorious to squeeze as many dollars as possible out of teams, are looking for a contract that would have a cap hit more than Power’s $8.35 million AAV if he were to sign long term. That is a dangerous game to play when you don’t even know how well he could fit in on this team.

Could the Flyers then just use an offer sheet on either of these players? Unfortunately, they are both in that price range that would result in sending the Flyers 2026 first-round pick unprotected over to Buffalo and that feels like a massive risk for this front office to take at this time.

Nevertheless, it is clear that Danny Briere and Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones are having plenty of conversations with teams before the 2025 NHL Draft next week, with eyes on improving the roster before training camp. Whether it is a massive swing like these two Sabres, making a hockey trade for a defenseman that plays their preferred style, or trying to address the center problem; the Flyers are making calls.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...rumors-jj-peterka-bowen-byram-buffalo-sabres/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

All-time Flyers NHL Draft: Round 5

There have been 526 players selected by the Philadelphia Flyers over their history. Some of them have been hits, a lot of them have been misses and some in between stuck around for a handful of games. Using the seven rounds of the current 2025 NHL Draft framework, BroadStreetHockey have decided to do their own all-time draft of Flyers: who might have been the best Flyer selected at a specific slot. And some who were picked in a specific slot but never made the cut. Here then is the fifth round (picks #160 to #129) of the Flyers all time NHL Draft:

#160: A year before the Flyers defeated and physically pummeled the Red Army at the Spectrum — causing the visiting team to leave the ice for some time before returning — Philadelphia made history when they selected Viktor Khatulev in the 1975 NHL Draft. He was the first Soviet-born player ever selected by an NHL team. According to various reports, Khatulev only found out he was drafted by the Flyers in 1978 as Russian officials kept it a secret. The idea being if a Russian player found out he was drafted by an NHL club, he might have considered defecting to North America.

The Flyers knew at the time there was nearly zero chance they’d get the rather rough and tumble Khatulev over to play, but the selection later paved the way for other teams to select Soviet-born players who would eventually come in the late ’80s. Khatulev never played an NHL game. He was also drafted by the Cleveland Crusaders of the World Hockey Association in 1975. Tragically, Khatulev died in 1994, reportedly under suspicious circumstances. He was 39.

#159: Dave Isherwood (1977) never saw action in an NHL, AHL, or ECHL game. He played four seasons: two in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League and two in the Western Canada Hockey League, another junior league and a forerunner of the Western Hockey League.

#158: Cooper Marody (2015) has almost come full circle. After being drafted by Philadelphia, the Flyers traded Marody to Edmonton for a 2019 third-round pick. Marody played seven games with the Oilers, spending much of his time in Bakersfield, Edmonton’s AHL affiliate. In July 2022, Marody was signed by the Flyers. He’s spent the last three seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

#153: The Crowder Brothers were two of Boston’s favorites in the early 80s. Bruce Crowder (1977) never played a game for the Flyers, instead suiting up for the Maine Mariners. Crowder was let go by Philadelphia and signed with Boston as a free agent. He played three seasons with Boston (and his brother Keith) before playing 26 games with the Penguins, closing out his career in 1984-85. Crowder scored 47 goals and 51 assists for 98 points in 243 games.

#152: Jon Kalinski (2007) spent 22 games with the Flyers over two seasons. His bigger claim to fame is being part of a trade which saw Philadelphia send him and two 2013 draft picks to Tampa Bay. The Lightning sent back defenseman Pavel Kubina. Kalinski scored one goal with four helpers in those 22 games.

#151: In 1990, Philadelphia took Patrik Englund in this slot. The forward spent his entire career in Sweden, never making the trek across the pond to play in North America. Of course, hindsight being 20/20, the Flyers could’ve picked another available prospect. Washington decided to take a chance five picks later on Peter Bondra. Bondra played over 1000 games and finished his career with 503 goals.

#150: Austrian keeper Bernd Buckler (2001) never played an NHL game. But he has made a career out of hockey. After playing in the KHL, Buckler co-wrote a book about his experiences entitled This Is Russia: Life In The KHL. He is currently a sports agent after spending time in the AHL, the ECHL and four seasons with the University of Wisconsin playing NCAA hockey.

#149: Gino Pisellini (2004) was selected using the pick the Flyers acquired after trading Eric Weinrich during the 2004 trade deadline. Pisellini had a bit of a goal scoring touch but was primarily relied upon to be an enforcer, racking up 214 penalty minutes with the OHL’s Plymouth Whalers in 2003-04. The furthest Pisellini got professionally was a 32-game stint with the Philadelphia Phantoms in 2006-07.

#148: The lone pick in this slot is Noah Powell (2024). Powell split his 2024-25 season with Ohio State University and Oshawa Generals. At 20 years of age, there’s plenty of time for Powell to develop into a player the Flyers can use.

#147: Tony Horacek (1985) played three years with the Flyers and 116 games. He scored nine goals over that time before being traded to Chicago during the 1992 trade deadline for Blackhawks defenseman Ryan McGill. His final NHL season was with Chicago in 1994-95.

#146: Jussi Timonen (2001) was the lesser known of the Timonen brothers who played for the Flyers. Jussi played 14 games in 2006-07 with Philadelphia before the Flyers traded him to Dallas, getting a seventh-round pick in return. Timonen, the younger brother of Kimmo, had a lengthy career in Europe, playing in Finland up to the 2019-20 season.

#145: Jon Rheault (2006) bounced around the minors but managed to play five games in 2012-13 for the Panthers (who signed him as a free agent). Rheault then played in Europe with stops in Mannheim and Manchester. Rheault’s sister Jenna also has the hockey gene as she plays in the PWHL with the Boston Pride.

#144: Chris Zarb (2004) played three seasons at Ferris State University but the closest he got to Philadelphia was playing four games for the Phantoms who, in 2008-09, called Philadelphia home. Zarb concluded his career with some time in France.

#143: Sam Ersson (2018) has had his share of problems in goal. Ersson was thrust into the spotlight after being deemed a backup to start the 2023-24 season. After a horrible 2024-25 among all three Flyer goalies, it’s unclear what the future holds for the beleagured netminder.

#142: The Flyers selected Steve Short (1974) but the WHA’s Phoenix Roadrunners also drafted Short the same year. Unfortunately for Short, he never played for either team. He was traded to Los Angeles in 1977 for future considerations (which later turned out to be Paul Evans). Short played six games in the NHL, five for Los Angeles in 1977-78 and a single game for Detroit the following season.

#141: In 2012, Philadelphia took a chance on forward Reece Wilcox. Wilcox looked to be a good, big defenseman but suited up for over 200 games for the Phantoms from 2015-16 to 2019-20. The blueliner ended his career with two seasons in Austria, the last in 2022-23.

#140: Dave Brown (1982) followed the lead by another tough, rugged Flyer named Dave in the ’70s. Brown, an imposing fighter (6’5″, 210 lbs), had two seasons where he scored 10 or more goals. Perhaps his biggest claim to fame was the “brawl in Montreal” back in 1987. Montreal and the Flyers got into a pre-game melee before Game 6 of their Eastern Conference Finals. And pummeling Chris Nilan. Although most of his career was with Philadelphia, Brown played two years in Edmonton. In 1989, the Flyers sent Brown to the Oilers for Keith Acton. In 1991, Brown, Cory Foster and Jari Kurri were traded by Edmonton to the Flyers for Craig Berube, Craig Fisher, and Scott Mellanby. Brown wrapped up his playing days with the San Jose Sharks in 1995-96. He ended up with 1789 penalty minutes in 729 regular season games.

#139: Philadelphia took Linus Hogberg (2016), a defenseman on the smaller side. Hogberg spent most of his time in Sweden. He played two partial seasons with Lehigh Valley and made it to the big club for five games. Hogberg didn’t score for the Flyers in those games but had two assists. He spent last season playing in Sweden for Frolunda.

#138: For all the promise he showed, Oskar Lindblom (2014) is one of those players we’ll never know how good he could’ve been. Sadly, he was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma (a form of bone cancer) in late 2019. Surprisingly, Lindblom was on the ice in September, 2020 during the playoffs of the pandemic-shortened season having made a full recovery from the disease. Lindblom finished his three-year deal with Philadelphia and signed with San Jose as a free agent. He returned to Sweden following the 2023-24 season. As a Flyer during regular season action Lindblom had 50 goals and 47 assists

#137: With 40 goals and 62 assists in 235 games, Noah Cates (2017) is probably going to be with Philadelphia for years to come. We know it’ll be for the next four seasons probably after inking his $16 million contract.

#136: Nanaimo, B.C. native Clint Eccles’ heyday was junior hockey with the Kamloops Chiefs. The following season Eccles played 42 games with the Milwaukee Admirals in the IHL in 1977-78. That was the peak of his professional career.

#135: Pete Peeters (1977) bookended his career with the Flyers, beginning in 1978-79 and finishing in 1990-91. His first full season saw Peeters with an impressive 29-5-5 record in 1979-80. But the season ended with Bob Nystrom beating him in overtime, giving the Islanders their first Stanley Cup. In 1982, Peeters was traded to Boston for defenseman Brad McCrimmon, a deal that worked out quite well for both sides. In 1989, after five seasons with Washington, the Flyers and Peeters were together again.

Peeters was part of one of the strangest trades in NHL history back in 1989 when he and Keith Acton were traded for future considerations to Winnipeg. The future considerations ended up being Acton and Peeters. The ploy was to avoid one or both of them being claimed on waivers. Both Philadelphia and Winnipeg were fined $10,000 for the swap.

#134: Darre Switzer (1978) racked up a batch of penalty minutes with the Medicine Hat Tigers over two seasons. Switzer played only three games with the Maine Mariners in 1978-79 before a few stops in the minor leagues.

#133: With all due respect to Jesse Boulerice (1996), most fans of today’s Flyers are hoping Alex Bump (2022) develops into one of Philadelphia’s key pieces down the road. Bump had an impressive finish to his NCAA career with Western Michigan and more than held his own with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms during their playoff run this past season.

#132: The late Dmitri Tertyshny (1995) was primed to be a decent to good Flyers defenseman. His rookie season, 1998-99, saw him play 62 games, scoring twice and adding eight helpers. Tragically, Tertyshy died in a terrible boating mishap in July 1999 in British Columbia. He was just 22.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/philadelphia-flyers-nhl-draft-history-round-5-lindblom/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

2025 NHL Draft prospects worth it for Flyers to trade up for

The Philadelphia Flyers have more ammunition at the 2025 NHL Draft than any other team. With three first-round picks and four second-round picks leading their haul of draft capital, general manager Danny Briere and the rest of the front office can do a whole lot whether it is trade them away for NHL players, bolstering the prospect pipeline with all seven high-end picks, or, just maybe, use a combination of some draft picks to move up in the draft.

It’s not always smart for anyone to expect something to happen heading into a draft, but we can feel with some level of certainty that the Flyers have the capability to upgrade some of their selections. Crazy stuff happens. We’ve seen multiple Russian offensive dynamos fall way too late in the last couple of years. We’ve seen projected first-overall centers slip all the way down to fourth. But, the ability for the Flyers to move up (if they wanted to) feels tangible.

Of course, this would only happen if the right scenario played out for Philadelphia and a player that they coveted and expected to already be gone by the time their pick rolled around, was suddenly dropping right into that range for them to snatch up. With the Flyers having the 22nd overall pick, the 31st overall pick, and then piles of upper-half second-rounders, they could have the right value to move up to as high as 14th or 15th overall, we bet.

Who could these players be, though? Who are players that we could see dropping into that range? And why? And would the Flyers even be interested in these players?

Okay, yeah loads of questions. Let’s try to answer them.

Roger McQueen​

While it appeared to be much more likely that Roger McQueen was going to significantly drop in the first round before he calmed the speculation about his injury at the NHL Draft Combine, it’s still a possibility. All it takes is the right order of teams that are cautious about a 6-foot-5 center who still has to put on some weight to play professional hockey and how a potential nagging back injury would handle that.

But, if McQueen is fully cleared medically and his back is not something that will affect his development, then he is a perfect candidate for some team to take a substantial swing on. If the Brandon Wheat Kings center was healthy all season, there is a possibility he could be battling with Michael Misa for the second-overall spot, or at least be a top three pick in this class.

If his name starts slipping and is still available in the second half of the first round, while unlikely, the Flyers should be throwing about as many picks as possible it would take for any team to move down with them. McQueen would solve a whole lot of issues the Flyers have in their prospect pool.

Victor Eklund​

While McQueen is more unlikely to drop, Eklund is going the other way in likelihood. Teams towards the bottom half of the top 10 are going to prefer the physical players like Brady Martin. And then, as we get out of the top 10, those teams might prefer to take a defenseman than a smaller, skilled winger from Sweden. Then teams might just start to prefer other skilled players like Justin Carbonneau, or the solid center Braeden Cootes. Suddenly, we’re looking at a player who was arguably the driver of Anton Frondell’s line available in the late teens of the first round.

While Eklund wouldn’t solve any positional issues for the Flyers — he literally compared his game to Travis Konecny as a heavy forechecking and nasty winger — he is so skilled and his ceiling of a top-line winger, would be too enticing to pass up and would raise the future floor and ceiling of this team by a significant margin. It’s not the best pick for those who want to pencil lineups of the 2028-29 Flyers, trying to figure out where Eklund could be, but he is too talented to not pay a couple lower picks to grab.

Jackson Smith​

The lone defenseman on this list, Jackson Smith has a baseline of talent that is hard to pass up. The main complaint of him as a prospect — and why he could drop into a range in the first round that the Flyers could trade up into from 22nd overall — is his hockey sense. That is sometimes lacking but everywhere else is extremely solid.

Smith is one of the best skating defensemen in the draft class, has excellent four-way mobility, can handle and pass the puck very well, and can be a power-play threat if his shot develops just slightly more. He is uber talented, but teams could certainly prefer other defensemen to him in that range. Kashawn Aitcheson if they want a physical threat on the blue line, Radim Mrtka if they want size and reach (and shooting right-handed), and maybe even a Cameron Reid if they want a smarter playmaker. All of these possibilities would let Smith slip significantly, and maybe the Flyers can snag a high-ceiling defenseman in the first round for the first time in a little bit.

Carter Bear​

If the Flyers want a Brady Martin type of player — a physical, hard-working forward that can also produce some points — they can get exactly that (and potentially one more impactful than Martin) later in the first round, in Carter Bear. He does everything you sort of want from a forward to play in crucial games. Bear is a competitor in every sense of the word while also having a top-tier playmaking ability.

Why will he drop then? That seems like an ideal player for a whole lot of teams. Well, Bear suffered a partially lacerated Achilles tendon that ended his WHL season early and teams have not been able to see his recovery. He is reportedly skating and feeling 100 percent better, but with so much pressure to make the right pick, teams might opt to take someone who didn’t suffer a late-season injury. But also, maybe teams just want a defenseman more, or want more upfront skill like an Eklund or Carbonneau, as previously mentioned.

Bear would bring his right mix of skill and work ethic to a prospect pool that has some players with the same attributes. He feels like a perfect Flyers for the next rendition of this team. And, he could possibly play center.

Lynden Lakovic​

Lakovic isn’t a perfect player, but he has more than enough skill to warrant a trade-up scenario. He deserves to be taken in the first half of the first round but again (it’s a familiar theme of this whole thing) there are reasons that teams might prefer to take other prospects before the 6-foot-4 winger out of Moose Jaw.

For being that size, Lakovic doesn’t really play a physical game and a decent amount of his offense comes from the perimeter, but he is excellent in possession, creates space for his teammates in the offensive zone, is a top-tier transition player. But, again, some teams might just want a defenseman or prefer other forwards and then the large winger starts to slip.

While other offensive wingers like Eklund is just about increasing the overall talent, Lakovic would really fit the Flyers well on the wing. He is Large and uses his body more for puck protection than laying out dudes in open ice, and is a very smart playmaker. Basically, he is like a playmaking Tyson Foerster with better handles. That could be very handy anywhere in the Flyers’ top nine right now, opposite of Matvei Michkov or Travis Konceny in a potential lineup.

There is some talent that might slip and while we think that it could be so simple for the Flyers just to make the right calculation and give draft picks to one team to take theirs, there are so many other factors. The other team would want to actually make that trade and not just draft the player falling down the board into their lap, and the Flyers would need to offer the best value in a trade as other teams will certainly want to trade up as well.

We’ll see how it all shakes out this Friday.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/2025-nhl-draft-prospects-worth-it-for-flyers-to-trade-up-for/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

What we could expect with Flyers’ 31st overall pick, historically

Last year, we broke down the history of the 12th overall pick in anticipation of the Flyers making that selection. Of course, they didn’t make that pick–they traded back to 13th and drafted Jett Luchanko. Thanks for making us look silly, Flyers!

Anyway, with the 2025 NHL Draft starting this Friday, we’re taking it a step further than last year and breaking down every first round pick the Flyers have–all three of them. Normally, we’d start from the 2005 draft at the dawn of the NHL’s cap era, but…there weren’t 31 teams until the 2017 draft. So, we’re going to start there for their 31st-overall pick. Keep in mind, then, that quite a few of these players are still very young–several haven’t even played in the NHL yet–so it’s difficult to assess if those picks have panned out or not yet.

And before we dive in: yes, we are fully aware that the Flyers are unlikely to make all three selections in the first round. A lot can happen between now and the moment Danny Briere’s called upon to make his selection! Let’s get into it.

The Draftees​

2017: Klim Kostin (C), St. Louis Blues​

Spoiler alert: Kostin may be the best player selected 31st overall of the entire bunch. He’s bounced around the NHL, including stops in Edmonton, Detroit, and San Jose after a few years with the team that drafted him, the Blues. The 6-foot-4 center has played 190 NHL games, and has scored 25 goals and 53 points. As far as drafting a fourth-line center goes, Kostin’s about as good as you can hope for.

2018: Alexander Alexeyev (D), Washington Capitals​

In 80 NHL games, Alexeyev has one (1) goal and eight points; even for a depth defenseman, you’d want to see more offense than that. At 25 years old, it’s hard to see the Capitals committing to the pending RFA, as Alexeyev seems to be little more than AHL depth at this point.

2019: Ryan Johnson (D), Buffalo Sabres​

Johnson has played 44 NHL games across the last two seasons, and in that time has zero goals and seven points. Like Alexeyev, it’s unlikely Johnson becomes much more than what he already is, even though he’s not turning 24 until next month.

2020: Ozzy Wiesblatt (C), San Jose Sharks​

Wiesblatt never played a game for the team that drafted him, as he was traded to the Nashville Predators; he played five NHL games last season and recorded one point (an assist). At 5-foot-10, Wiesblatt’s got a hard path ahead of him to becoming an NHL regular, but he’s young enough (23) that it could still come together for him.

2021: Logan Mailloux (D), Montreal Canadiens​

Woof, this was a controversial pick.

Looking past the character concerns, Mailloux’s had a successful run in the AHL so far and, in eight games with the Habs, has two goals and five points. While star-in-the-making Lane Hutson gets most of the attention in Montreal, there’s a lot of upside for the 6-foot-3 Mailloux as well, and one of the organization’s top five prospects according to Scott Wheeler’s pipeline rankings.

2022: Isaac Howard (LW), Tampa Bay Lightning​

The drama continues, as Isaac Howard has made clear he is not signing with the team that drafted him. The Flyers are all too familiar with this sort of thing, but Howard is not the caliber of player that Cutter Gauthier was. Still, Howard’s had a successful NCAA career and, unless Tampa trades his signing rights, will become a UFA after one more year of play at the collegiate level.

2023: Mikhail Gulyayev (D), Colorado Avalanche​

We are now firmly in the “too early to tell” portion of the article. Gulyayev has a been a regular on a solid KHL team (Omsk Avangard), and while he’s not generating a ton of points (27 in 131 games across two seasons), there’s still some NHL upside to his game, and Wheeler ranks him as the second best prospect in the Avalanche’s pipeline.

2024: Ben Danford (D), Toronto Maple Leafs​

Danford could be an NHLer, as he’s sound defensively, but he’s likely a high-floor/low-ceiling third pair defender in time. At only 19 years old, however, there’s plenty of runway for him to develop into something more.

Historically speaking, it seems unlikely the Flyers will strike gold with the 31st overall pick. Not that long ago, pick 31 was a 2nd-round pick, and the “1st-round pick” moniker foisted on prospects taken there these days might be a little unfair. There are players who go in that range that turn into impact NHLers, though, so there’s always a chance–we just have to hope the Flyers get it right. Stay tuned for our dive into the 22nd overall pick!

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...t-with-flyers-31st-overall-pick-historically/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

How Trevor Zegras trade affects the Flyers’ salary cap

With the news still fresh on the Philadelphia Flyers acquiring forward Trevor Zegras from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for two draft picks and center Ryan Poehling, the Flyers on the ice should have a bit more offensive upside from the 24-year-old forward. But with that addition comes a little bit more financial finagling Flyers general manager Danny Briere has to do moving forward. What will Zegras bring to the Flyers this year could determine a lot in terms of another bridge contract when his contract expires after this season, or signing Zegras up for the long haul.

Does a great season and instant chemistry possibly with Matvei Michkov mean a massive increase in his current earnings? Or does an average to substandard year cloudy the waters a little more, leaving Briere to consider the bridge deal more than anything else?

Well, first things first. In removing Poehling from the salary cap the Flyers shed $1.9 million off the books this season. Poehling had just this coming season remaining on his deal, leaving him as an unrestricted free agent at the conclusion of 2025-26. So, while it’s not oodles of cash, it’s another bit of coin that can be used elsewhere. Whether it’s offsetting the cost of some younger restricted free agents wanting a raise in pay or being the slight difference in luring an unrestricted free agent on July 1, it’s almost $2 million extra wiggle room.

Now, on the other hand, Zegras is entering the third year of a three-year, $17.25-million deal that carries a cap hit of $5.75 million. Adding that and taking out Poehling’s contract, the Flyers now have $15.141 million in cap space with 11 forwards, six defensemen, and their two goalies signed. Of course, Jakob Pelletier and Cam York are the two restricted free agents that still need contracts, so that cap space will go down depending on the size of those two contracts. Even considering those two contracts, the Flyers could have upwards of $10 million of cap space with this roster fully in-tact.

Zegras was fantastic the last two years of his entry-level deal, scoring 23 goals with 38 assists for 61 points in 75 games in 2021-22. He one-upped that slightly in 2022-23, getting the same 23 goals but adding four more assists over the previous season for 65 points. On signing the latest contract, Zegras only played 31 games in 2023-24, with a mere six goals and nine assists for 15 points. This past season was somewhere in the middle, not as bad as 2023-24, but roughly half the production he saw in those two very good seasons with 12 goals and 20 assists in 57 games. Last December, Zegras went under the knife, fixing a torn meniscus in his right knee which sidelined him six weeks. Needless to say, it was probably a season he’d like to forget. Add in the fact Zegras often found himself on the wing and not his preferred position made things even more arduous.

So, with Zegras more than likely wanting to play center, and the Flyers more than willing to agree to that positioning, it seems like this should be a great fit. If Zegras is able to help Michkov get over the hurdles that sometimes comes with a player’s sophomore season, that’s worth money right there. If he’s able to rediscover that scoring touch while resurrecting a power play that hardly had a pulse the last three years, all the better. But above all, if Zegras comes in and rekindles some of that magic he had earlier in his career, with Michigan attempts galore, then the idea of signing Zegras next summer is a given. It’s doubtful a good to great first season in Philadelphia would result in both sides not finding common ground and ending up in arbitration. That doesn’t seem to me to be a piece of Briere’s tool belt given the first two years of his tenure.

The financial impact beyond next season​

The biggest thing would be whether Briere would decide on simply giving Zegras a short “bridge” contract. Would Briere continue the precedent he has set so far with contracts to the younger Tyson Foerster? That might seem the most logical road, as Briere probably would need more of a sample size to ensure Zegras is worth the cap hit a capable top-line or second-line center would command — since the contract for a top-six center compared to a middle-six wing would differ greatly. It may also placate Zegras and his agent, as they would be lining themselves up for a larger contract a little further down the road. Particularly with the salary cap ceiling raising by leaps and bounds the next few seasons.

For example, a seven percent share of the 2026-27 cap ceiling (projected to be $104 million) would be $7.28 million. For the sake of argument, if Zegras and Philadelphia agreed to a two-year “bridge” contract after 2025-26, then Zegras’s next long-term contract would begin in 2028-29. With the projected cap for 2027-28 slated for $115 million, it’s reasonable to think the cap would be pushing $120 million. A seven per cent share of $120 million is $8.4 million. So, waiting a few seasons for his bigger payday would see him possibly making a million more a season. If he delivers what Briere, the Flyers and the fans are hoping for, then it’s doubtful Briere tries to pinch a few more pennies away from Zegras.

Another thing to consider, but it’s probably a non-starter, is the option of Briere simply hedging his bets and signing Zegras to an extension this coming July 1. He’s eligible for an extension then. But would Briere, who has preached common sense since the beginning of his time as general manager, roll the dice without Zegras playing a single game as a Flyer? Most likely not. So, let’s set that idea aside. When asked directly about Zegras and his next contract during a presser Monday, Briere was more concerned with how Zegras would play for Philadelphia.

One major thing to consider is what other contracts could be signed next summer, when Zegras also needs a new deal. As of now, forward Bobby Brink is the only other notable restricted free agent, but both Matvei Michkov and Tyson Foerster will be eligible for extensions on July 1, 2026. We have to assume, if everything goes according to plan, those will be long-term, sizeable contracts and it could limit how much the Flyers want to commit to Zegras — depending on how he performs next season.

On the blue line, the best friend of Zegras, Jamie Drysdale, is also a restricted free agent next summer — so is Egor Zamula and Emil Andrae but those will be manageable — and will need a new contract. And, goaltender Sam Ersson also needs a new deal as a restricted free agent. Basically, there are some key players on this roster that could be getting sizeable pay raises just as Zegras needs that final deal.

The massive benefit the Flyers will have, though, is that there is a lack of unrestricted free agents who have the option to take more money elsewhere and would be harder to keep. Nic Deslauriers, Rodrigo Abols, and Ivan Fedotov, are the only pending unrestricted free agents on the potential roster.

With a projected salary cap of $104 million for the 2026-27 season, the Flyers right now are expected to have about $49.9 million in cap space to sign those theoretical Zegras, Brink, and Drysdale contracts — but that number also doesn’t include what York is going to get this summer. Should still be enough to get contracts wrapped up, and potentially add someone in free agency, like the Flyers keep on mentioning.

With Zegras yet to meet the Flyers media and beat reporters, wear the hat, put on the jersey, say all the right things, and smile for the cameras, it’s hard to know what are comparables for him in terms of compensation down the road. And again, with an increase in the cap year over year, comparables will be used in terms of percentages of the cap, not necessarily the average annual value (AAV). What we do know is if Zegras produces and helps the team win, the contract talks will be amicable and probably negotiated quickly. It won’t be a distraction.

Zegras is possibly the center a lot of people have hoped for. Briere is hoping the same. And should he produce, Briere will more than likely keep him here for the long run and pay him accordingly. The hard part was possibly getting a center for the top line or second line. That’s done. And with very little subtracted in the process. The easy part should be regarding contract negotiations.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/how-trevor-zegras-trade-affects-the-flyers-salary-cap/

 

[Philadelphia Flyers]

All-time Flyers NHL Draft: Round 3

We’re now down to the top 100 (well 96) when it comes to all-time Philadelphia Flyers draft picks. Most likely the players become a bit more familiar and there will be a lot more hits than misses as the countdown continues. Here then is the third round of the Flyers all-time NHL Draft.

#95: Patrick Sharp (2001) spent his first 66 games of his NHL career with the Flyers. He only scored 10 goals, and had five assists in that time. But in December 2005, the Flyers decided they saw enough, dealing Sharp off to Chicago along with Eric Meloche for Matt Ellison and a third-round pick. As history shows, Sharp could score, with eight seasons of at least 20 goals and four seasons over 30 goals. Sharp also picked up three Stanley Cups along the way with the Blackhawks, the first of which was against Philadelphia. Like Justin Williams and Sergei Bobrovsky, Sharp obviously was a player the Flyers probably shouldn’t been so rash to part with. And yes the video below may be painful to watch.

#94: Zayde Wisdom (2020) had a good 2024-25 with Lehigh Valley, with 13 goals and 19 assists. Even more importantly, Wisdom had a strong playoff with a goal and three assists in seven games. While he sill remains a work in progress, he’s working in the right direction towards possibly becoming a regular Flyer.

#92: Rob Bellamy (2004) spent time with the Philadelphia Phantoms for two years and the Adirondack Phantoms for the 2009-10 season. After a season playing in Britain, the winger played four years in the ECHL, the last in 2014-15 with the South Carolina Stingrays.

#91: Oskars Bartulis (2005) had an impressive year with the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in 2006-07, getting 48 points in 52 games. The defenseman spent 53 games in 2009-10 with Philadelphia, with seven playoff games also. The following year Bartulis only played 13 games for the Flyers. But after that season Bartulis never played in the NHL again. Two years in the AHL preceded nine years in the KHL. His final year was in 2020-21 playing in Austria.

#90: In 1975, Gary Morrison had a choice. Both the Flyers and the Phoenix Roadrunners of the World Hockey Association drafted him. He decided on Philadelphia. The Michigan native made his Flyer debut in 1979-80, getting two assists in three games. The following season saw him play 33 games for Philadelphia where he scored a goal with 13 helpers. Following another seven games in 1981-82 Morrison’s playing career was done.

#89: Michael Chaput (2010) bounced around the NHL, with his longest stop being 77 games with Vancouver over two seasons. He also suited up with Montreal, Arizona, and Columbus. Chaput never played for Philadelphia as he was traded along with Greg Moore to Columbus for Tom Sestito in 2011. In 182 games, Chaput scored six goals.

#88: The late John Kordic’s brother Dan Kordic (1990) played nearly 200 games with Philadelphia, and had almost 600 penalty minutes in that time. Two seasons he had over 200 penalty minutes but finished his days as a Flyer in 1998-99 with two games (and only one minor penalty in those pair of contests).

#87: Ryan Potulny (2003) scored seven goals in his 44 games with the Flyers. In June 2008, Potulny was sent to Edmonton in a trade which saw the Flyers acquire Danny Syvret. Potulny’s biggest year was with the Oilers in 2009-10 where he scored 15 goals and added 17 assists in 64 games. After playing in the minors, Potulny heading to Europe to play a few more seasons, his last in Britain with the Braehead Clan.

#86: Mark Friedman (2014) isn’t on many Philadelphia Christmas gift lists. After the Flyers drafted him, and played all of 11 games with them, he was placed on waivers. Pittsburgh claimed him, and Friedman rarely hid his vitriol towards the Flyers as a Penguin. Obviously the Penguins didn’t think much of Friedman as a player, trading him to Vancouver in 2023. He’s played primarily in the minors, with five games for the Canucks this past season.

#85: Alexandre Picard (2003) played a few games for the Flyers in 2005-06. The following year he had 22 points in 62 games, including a game against New Jersey in 2007 where he had five assists. Following stops in Tampa, Ottawa, Carolina, Montreal, and Pittsburgh, Picard concluded his playing days in Europe, with his final season in Germany.

#84: Taras Zytynsky (1980) had two chapters to his professional hockey career. The first portion ended in North America in 1985-86 for the Rochester Americans. A five-year gap took place before his second chapter in hockey commenced in Europe in 1990-91. Zytynsky played through the next ten years in Europe before a few years in the Quebec Senior Professional Hockey League in 2000-01.

#83: The Flyers drafted Mark Bar in 1986, Bar’s last season in the OHL was with Peterborough, who were stacked with future NHLers. Mark Freer, Jody Hull, Tie Domi, Mike Ricci, Corey Foster, and Dallas Eakins (ok, NHL coaches too). Bar wasn’t a future NHLer, playing one more season in 1989-90 before ending his career.

#82: Carsen Twarynski (2016) played 22 games for the Flyers, a 15-game stint in 2019-20 and another seven games the following year. He’s best known as the pick the Flyers acquired along with Jordan Weal from Los Angeles in January 2016 in exchange for trading (dumping?) Vincent Lecavalier and Luke Schenn. In 2021, the Seattle Kraken claimed him from the Flyers in the expansion draft. Twarynski is still playing, having split his time between two AHL clubs in 2024-25.

#81: Stefan Ruzicka (2003) had the size and heft to survive the NHL. Yet things didn’t pan out for him with Philadelphia. Ruzicka spent all of his time in Philadelphia, but primarily with the Phantoms who at the time called Philadelphia home. A single Flyers game in 2005-06 was followed by 40 games in 2006-07 where he scored three goals and had 10 assists. After another year mostly in the AHL, Ruzicka spent the rest of his career in Europe and Russia.

#80: Russian goaltender Kirill Ustimenko was selected with a pick the Flyers got from Boston, trading away Zac Rinaldo in the process. Ustimenko spent two seasons in North America and a handful of games over two seasons with Lehigh Valley. However, he returned to Russia and is still continuing his career between the pipes.

#79: Kudos to Jon Matsumoto (2006). While only playing 14 games between Carolina and Florida in 2010-11 and 2011-12, Matsumoto plodded around the AHL before heading across the Atlantic, winning two league championships in Germany with Munich. He put up 50 points in 50 games this past season with the Krefield Penguins.

#78: One that some still rue for getting away, Shayne Gostisbehere (2012) was something to behold when the Flyers called him up early in the season. Gostisbehere dazzled, scoring 17 goals to go with 29 assists in 64 games. His speed and rover-like mentality made him a fan favorite despite his small size on the back end. Gostisbehere was sent out to Arizona along with two draft picks for essentially nothing in return. He played for Detroit and is enjoying the second of two stints he’s had with Carolina. Gostisbehere had 219 points in 361 games for Philadelphia.

#77: Czech native Milos Holan (1993) saw action with three different teams (and three different leagues) in 1993-94. A few games in the Czech league, 27 with the Hershey Bears (then the Flyers AHL affiliate), and eight with the Flyers. Holan scored a goal and had an assist in those eight games. He was later traded to Anaheim in 1995 for Anatoli Semenov. Holan played 41 more NHL games with Anaheim prior to playing in Europe.

#74: Michel Latreille (1973) never played a game in the NHL. His lone season of minor league action was split between the IHL’s Dayton Gems and the AHL’s Richmond Robins.

#72: Goaltender Rick St. Croix (1975), like a few others of the era, was drafted by Philadephia and a WHA team (Houston Aeros). St. Croix served as a backup for most of his seasons with the Flyers with his 1980-81 season his best in Philadelphia with a 2.50 goals-against average and a .913 save percentage. St. Croix was traded to Toronto for Michel “Bunny” Laroque in 1983.

#71: Vaclav Prospal (1993) was a five-time 20-goal scorer in his career. “Vinny” had his biggest year with Philadelphia during his brief second stint with them in 2007-08 when the Flyers acquired him at the trade deadline for Alexandre Picard. Prospal had 13 points in 17 playoff games. Prospal played over 1100 NHL games with his best seasons with Tampa Bay, including getting 80 points in 2005-06.

#70: Swedish goaltenders have not been the exception for the Flyers over their history. Felix Sandstrom (2015) played just 30 games so far with Philadelphia, including 20 in 2022-23. But with Sandstrom’s poor play, and a short leash from John Tortorella, the netminder never found his footing with the club. Last signed he signed as a free agent with Buffalo.

#69: Colin Fraser (2003) was a depth centerman for a handful of NHL teams. He never saw a game with the Flyers as they traded him in 2004 as part of a package to Chicago for a draft pick and Alexei Zhamnov. Fraser potted 20 goals in 359 games with the Blackhawks, Edmonton, Los Angeles and St. Louis.

#68: Pest Nick Cousins (2011) was one of two picks (and Jakob Voracek) the Flyers acquired as part of the Jeff Carter trade back in 2011. Cousins has been an energy bottom-six player most of his career. He never had much offensive upside, but he’s still in the league and driving opponents crazy in the vein of Garnet Hathaway. Cousins has a Stanley Cup ring thanks to his role in the Florida Panthers’ 2023-24 run.

#67: Marc-Andre Bourdon (2008) was a big, burly blueliner. Yet he only saw 45 games with Philadelphia back in 2011-12, scoring four goals and adding three assists.

#66: Garrett Klotz (2007) is still playing, despite never playing in the NHL. Klotz has spent most of the last decade in the ECHL, playing most of those years with the Rapid City Rush. At 6’6″ and 250 pounds, Klotz has maintained his career by being an enforcer and dropping the gloves when needed.

#65: After scoring 111 points for the Regina Pats in 1981-82, Dave Michayluk (1981) should’ve been a producer for the Flyers. Yet he only ended up with 14 games under his belt in 1981-82 and 1982-83. Michayluk racked up an incredible run of great IHL seasons, including eight consecutive seasons of over 100 points (he was one point shy of it being nine straight years in 1993-94). He had 137 points for the Mukegon Lumberjacks in 1987-88.

Source

Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/post/all-time-flyers-nhl-draft-round-3/