Philadelphia Flyers
Role Player
2025 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 18: Cole Reschny could be a future do-it-all, middle-six center
Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...ould-be-a-future-do-it-all-middle-six-center/
Five spots ago on our BSH Community Draft Board, we profiled Canadian center and U-18 standout Brady Martin. Now, we’ll look at another standout on that Canadian U-18 team, playmaking center Cole Reschny.
As the leading scorer on the WHL’s Victoria Royals, Reschny is now vying to be the first draftee from Victoria ever to be drafted in the first round and to play in a significant amount of NHL games. That’s part of what makes Reschny so impressive in this draft class – he’s doing it as an undersized center, without exceptional tools, in an organization that isn’t exactly known for producing high-end talent and scoring.
When watching Reschny, it’s hard not to really like the style of play that he employs. At 5’11”, he truly plays a big man’s game, can be deployed in all three zones and in all game situations, and is one of the best pure passers in the draft class. If he can improve upon his skating just a bit more, Reschny is a player that has a ton of unlocked potential as a likely effective middle-sixer.
Pre-draft rankings
No. 15 by The Athletic (Scott Wheeler)
No. 33 by Elite Prospects
No. 29 by TSN (Bob McKenzie)
No. 22 by Daily Faceoff
Bio
DOB: April 6, 2007
Birthplace: Macklin, Saskatchewan, Canada
Position: Center
Height: 5’10”
Weight: 187 lbs
Shoots: Left
Statistics
What’s there to like?
Arguably more than any other player we’ve profiled thus far, Reschny is an absolute spark plug on the ice, and the engine that makes Victoria run. He’s been used in all game situations, trusted on both the top penalty killing and top power play unit for the Royals, and as the biggest play-driver for Victoria at 5-on-5. With so many doubts about various first-round caliber centers’ ability to stick down the middle, Reschny is the opposite: Unless you are worried about his size, there’s little to no doubt about Reschny’s long-term viability at the position, which would be an undeniable positive from a Flyers perspective. Stylistically, Reschny just looks and plays like a reliable two-way center that can be leaned upon in all areas of the ice.
As mentioned earlier, Reschny plays a big man’s game for a 5’11” forward, and that can be seen by looking where Reschny compiles most of his points. Reschny’s a high volume passer from below the goal line and behind the net, continually looking for open teammates in the slot or right in front of the goaltender. He’s always in and around the puck, hounding defenders on the forecheck or being in perfect positioning to pounce on a mistake. Combining high motor and effort on the forecheck with extremely smart positioning in the offensive zone, Reschny becomes quite the annoying player for opposing defenses to deal with.
The first play shown is really the quintessential Reschny assist. Receiving the puck at the goal line, Reschny (No. 7) skates below the goal line, protects the puck from incoming pressure, skates behind the net, and takes a hit to make a pass back to the middle of the ice for a goal.
Shot wise, Reschny doesn’t have too strong of a slapper, but he can really wire a puck past a goaltender with his wrister. It’s a simple, deceptive release, and Reschny is very good at finding angles/going far side on a goaltender. There’s quite a few plays on Reschny’s tape like the next highlight, where Reschny uses some lateral skating and slick stickwork to create an angle on the goaltender.
But, the most impressive part about Reschny’s goal scoring, similar to his playmaking, is where Reschny scores his goals. So many of Reschny’s highlights come from him fighting for rebounds, winning a battle, willing his way to the front of the net, or deflecting a puck past the goaltender. There’s a certain fearlessness that Reschny has in the offensive zone, completely unafraid to go up against players bigger and stronger than him. Reschny wins enough of those battles to be a darn good player, and that is something that is going to have to continue for him to thrive offensively in the NHL.
On the other side of the puck, Reschny has also gained a reputation as a pretty stout defensive forward, again relying on his positioning to disrupt and begin sequences heading the other way. There are of course times where a player of Reschny’s size is just going to be outmuscled, but Reschny limits these by being almost always in the right position on the ice to nullify things. That’s what has also earned him time on Victoria’s penalty killing units, and what gives Reschny a fairly projectable NHL floor as a bottom sixer.
What’s not to like?
Detractors of Reschny will often point to his skating as a real source of future problem for Reschny, as they argue that players of his stature really need to be a plus skater in order to have a productive NHL career. There are two points about that argument that need a bit of nuance with Reschny. For one, the knock isn’t really that Reschny is a bad skater, it’s that he isn’t a plus skater. Reschny, while he is never going to really blow anyone away, seems to be a perfectly fine skater amongst his peers and for his own game. Two, there’s no real reason why a player of Reschny’s stature can’t make up for average skating with exceptional hockey IQ and puck skills, which Reschny has. The skating being only average could certainly limit Reschny’s ultimate NHL ceiling, but I certainly doubt that it detracts from his ability to be at minimum an effective bottom-six center at the next level.
Naturally, that leads right into the biggest overall flaw with Reschny, in all facets of his game – his overall ceiling. There is likely not top of the lineup potential with Reschny, but that’s also not a reasonable expectation for a team that picks Reschny. As Scott Wheeler points out in his scouting report of Reschny, the highest possible outcome for him looks something like Seth Jarvis, and that would be a darn good outcome for a mid to late first round selection.
How would he fit in the Flyers’ system?
Reschny would fit really well into the overall scheme that the Flyers have going right now. He’s a playmaking, behind-the-net volume passer, and it’s easy to envision Reschny thriving alongside one or two of the Flyers shoot-first wingers. Reschny would be a player that people would easily come to like in Philadelphia, as Reschny is unafraid to get into the dirty areas that players of his size kinda have to go to in order to have NHL success. There’s a place in any system for players like Reschny, as behind-the-net passing, play-driving, all-situations, middle-six centers often become a coaches’ favorite toy in the NHL.
Could the Flyers actually get him?
Honestly, I could see the Flyers really liking Reschny as a trade-up candidate, if Reschny is still there around picks 19-22. I’m not sure if they’d want to trade all the way into the early teens to get Reschny, but if he goes a bit later than expected, due to concerns about size and skating? Sure. It’s even possible that a guy like Reschny falls to where the Flyers are in the mid-20s with the Avalanche pick, considering the various projections about where Reschny may go in this draft. So, yes, Reschny is very much a possibility for the Flyers with one of their late first rounders, I’m just not actually sure Reschny will actually make it that far into the first round. He’s a scrappy, relatively safe bottom-six projection at worst, and I’m willing to bet some team bites in the 15-18 range.
What scouts are saying
“I’ll admit that at time of writing I watched the Victoria Royals in the playoffs last night and Reschny tore a hole through the net on a 3rd period goal he scored against Tri-City, so it pains me extra to have him this low. Let me be clear, I love Cole Reschny. I really, really want him to be an NHL player because he just does so, so much to earn everything he gets on the ice. 92 points this year were hard-earned through battling under pressure, thinking creatively on the fly, and just showcasing high end cerebral traits that made him a huge, huge threat that has rejuvenated a Victoria Royals organization that has had zero players drafted off their team go to the NHL. Is Reschny the first? I so, so badly want him to be. He’s small, but plays a big man’s game so well at this level. Resilient, adaptive, smart and efficient, he’s anticipating play well, getting plenty of scoring chances from mid-range, and thrives as a playmaker in the offensive zone. A fantastic puck carrier who just doesn’t get much of a chance to carry pucks as much as I’d like, he does lack a level of speed and agility that a player his size likely will desperately need in the NHL in order to produce. To me, it’s a make-or-break level hurdle, but I’m cheering for him the whole way. I could easily see a guy like Reschny slip in the draft into the 3rd round or something and similar to Cameron Reid be a curiosity that could develop into something in time. Last year, Clarke Caswell was the highly intelligent, creative and precise player that was tough to project but was a personal favorite and he fell all the way to the 5th round. If something similar happens to Reschny, he could very easily find his way onto Team Scouching as the second or third name taken off my list.”
Will Scouch, scouching.ca
“Reschny isn’t going to beat you with overwhelming speed, but he will crush you with skill, hockey sense, and supporting efforts. He’s always available off the puck, swinging on the forecheck to add pressure to the equation. If the play shifts high, he shifts to the net, targeting rebounds and fighting through crease resistance. It takes a second for him to create a high danger. In the first, he rolled off a net-front boxout like a basketball player going to the rim. He grabbed a puck down low, shielded, cut back against the grain, and sent a perfect backhand to Killfoil in the hash marks — it should have been a goal. That kind of skill and habit blending is what you get. Reschny layered one-touches, worked give-and-go passing plays, and scored off a perfect activation near-board-to-slot, ripping a low-placed effort under the blocker — he’s clinical in his approach. He was the hero too, rolling off-puck with his Victoria teammate Verhoeff, snapping a weak-side wrist shot to seal the game in overtime. Beyond that, you get involved defensive efforts — disruptive pressure, detached coverage of net-front, secondary threats, and dogged perimeter work. His profile is risky due to his size and skating, but he’s intelligent, can string higher-end tools together, and can support the play, potentially enough to be a middle-six contributor in the NHL. A-grade for our final board — we have underrated his game too much this season.”
David Gee, Elite Prospects Game Report (April 30 U-18s)
“Reschny has been a great WHL player, scoring a lot over his two seasons, including a standout playoff performance this spring for Victoria. He’s a highly skilled and intelligent player who can run a power play like a pro and makes a ton of creative stick handles and passes. He’s a quick skater with good edges who plays with pace and makes high-end plays on the move. He’s not the most dynamic skater for a guy his size, but he will be able to move at an NHL level. He’s on the smaller side, but Reschny can create at the net and kill penalties. He’s played center in junior, showing a diligent two-way game. There’s a chance, due to his size, that he’ll need to be moved to the wing as a pro, but the way he plays could end up with him becoming a potential third-line center as well.”
Corey Pronman, The Athletic
After Cole Reschny comes off, we’ll next add another WHL center to the list, Calgary Hitmen center Benjamin Kindel.
“Kindel was one of the most productive players in junior hockey this season and did most of his damage at even strength to finish one point shy of 100. He also wore a letter for the Hitmen this year and reminds me a little of 2024 first-rounder Terik Parascak as a slightly undersized but opportunistic player whose great sense for timing and spacing helps him get open (though I think his engine runs hotter than Parascak’s). He’s a worker with legit skill and smarts. That combination of effort, sense and talent really blends well together at the junior level, and though he looks a little lean, it doesn’t present itself in his game because of his work rate off the puck. I do find he can slow the play down a little too much at times but he thinks it at a very high level. He’s also got quick hands in tight to his body. His production has skewed toward a setup man profile but his most dangerous weapon offensively might actually be his nifty wrister release, which comes off his stick effortlessly quickly and he’s using more this season. He’s not a super physical player but he wins pucks back with his instincts, drive and positioning and can be relied upon to penalty kill. I’m not sure how his game will translate up levels but he has some believers and he’s a very intellectual, hardworking and skilled junior player. He also has positional versatility and has successfully played both the wing and center after a move back to the middle this year (he played the wing as a 16-year-old).”
Scott Wheeler, The Athletic
Source
Source: https://www.broadstreethockey.com/p...ould-be-a-future-do-it-all-middle-six-center/
