A look at who the Flyers could pick with their second selection (FLA pick 31st or 32nd) in the 1st Round

With the Panthers advancing to the Stanley Cup Final, we know the Flyers will have either the 31st or 32nd pick in this year's draft. With the end of the first round typically being hard to predict, especially in this draft where everything after 1st Overall is wide open. Since there isn't a ton of difference between 31st and 32nd, so I figured I could highlight some names that the Flyers could be looking at at the end of the first round.

One thing I want to point out is that while if you look at Cap Friendly it shows the Flyers also having the Blue Jackets 2nd round pick (36th Overall). But the Jackets have the right to defer that pick to next year after the first round of the draft. I just can't see them giving up that pick, especially with a new GM keen to make an impact with his new team. So if you see some player rankings and think "we could get him at 36th overall" we likely wont have that pick.

Also, trading up has been a hot topic pretty much all year, and while trading up in the top 10 is nearly impossible, moving up (or back) in the later parts of the first round happen all the time. With a likely three 2nd round picks in next year's draft (at least two of them belonging to non-playoff teams), there is a chance the Flyers jump up to get someone.

I wanted to start out with a couple names bigger names that I think have a chance of falling come draft day. These players are still ranked fairly high, but could fall at the actual draft for various reasons and could see a highly talented player available for the Flyers.

The first is Adam Jiricek, the younger brother of David Jiricek was projected as a potential top 10 pick for the last couple years. While not as big as his brother, he's has grown, now being listed at 6'2 when he was previously listed at 6'0. He's a more mobile puck mover than his brother, at least that was his reputation before an injury at World Juniors knocked him out for the rest of the season. While Jiricek has a great reputation, he had already began to slip in rankings after not meeting expectations in the Czech league to start the season and combined with him missing so much high profile hockey many teams might not have a good a read on him as they would like.

The other player who might fall to the Flyers is Aron Kiviharju who missed most of the season with injury. In the years leading up to the draft Kiviharju was thought of as being the top D in his draft class, often expected to go in the top 5. He started to slip a little before the start of the season, and injuries combined with his small size have seen him slip further and further. If healthy, Kiviharju still has elite talent, great and shifty skating as well as being a great passer. I think there is a good chance both he and Jiricek are off the board by the time the Flyers make their second pick, but there is still a chance one is available at the end of the first round.

Now I want to take a look at players who are much more likely going to be available at the end of the first. I'm going to highlight defensemen first, and then forwards. Because player rankings vary so much I will list the range and median of each player's rankings.

Defensemen

Cole Hutson – LHD – 5'10 US NTDP
Range: 21-50, Median: 31-40
If you follow prospects or World Juniors you certainly know Cole's older brother, Lane. He just had two of the best seasons for a first and second year defenseman in the NCAA in recent memory. Cole has a very similar player profile, shifty skater, great playmaker, and confident with the puck. While his regular season stats may not be as good as Lane, at the U18 tournament he is unrivaled. Cole is tied for 1st and 2nd in most points by a defenseman in a single tournament at the U18s, making him the all time leader in points by a defenseman at the tournament (passing for leader Cam York by 8 points). He also joins York and Victor Hedman as the only defensemen to make the tournament All-Star team twice. Hutson has issues defensively, more so than York or else he would probably ranked in a similar spot. If you look at the median, it shows a huge gap showing that there is a clear delineation between guys who think he is a clear late first rounder and a clear mid 2nd rounder. I mentioned when talking about Zayne Parekh in my look at who the Flyers could take at 12th Overall that the difference between Erik Karlsson and Tony Deangelo is more based on truly exceptional offense than defense. Similarly, thats the difference between a guy Tony Deangelo and say TJ Brennan who spent most of his career in the AHL. It's not that Brennan is significantly worse defensively than Deangelo or Karlsson, it's that he doesn't score enough to make up for it. Even if Hutson doesn't become a standout defensively, if he reaches the offensive heights he will still be a solid NHLer. The question is can he reach those heights?

Henry Mews – RHD – 6'0 – Ottawa 67's (OHL)
Range: 16-50, Median: 32
Mews is potentially the most intriguing prospect in this part of the draft. He has excellent edgework and great acceleration, pairing that with silky hands and it gives him some great escapability. He's got great offensive instincts, so while his shots and passes may not be the hardest or exceptionally accurate, he is able to create more offense than guys with those skills because of how he can read a situation. Mews, like Hutson, struggles defensively which isn't too uncommon for offensive defensemen at this level. The bigger issues come from his compete and his ability to get bullied off the puck. Mews can be inconsistent compete level wise, also something not that uncommon – especially in this draft, but what is slightly more worrying is how he doesn't handle physical play well even at this level. He's not particularly small at 6'0, and you see smaller guys like Cole Hutson or even smaller Emil Andrae lean into physical play and make it a strength not a weakness. Even Gostisbehere who wasn't particularly physical in the NHL was much more physical at his age group in the NCAA and World Juniors. But the reason he is intriguing is that if you look at him, he plays a style similar to Cale Makar, and everybody would be interested in finding a Cale Makar at the end of the first round. His aversion to physical play may just be because he's not used to being hit with his skill set, and if the Flyers think they could fix his bad habits they may think they could be getting a real high level talent.

Charlie Elick – RHD – 6'3 – Brandon Wheat Kings (WHL)
Range: 22-58, Median: 33-34
Changing gears from smaller, high offense players, to bigger defensive defenseman brings us to Charlie Elick. Elick is a formidable D, one of if not the most physical defenseman that could go in the first round. Throwing big hits, clearing the front of the net, and winning puck battles along the boards is where Elick shines the most. His biggest weakness is his offense which is pretty limited, while he has a good first pass he does not have the offensive instincts to create off the rush or be a major playmaker from the blue line. But that does not mean he doesn't have some good attributes typically associated with offensive defensemen. He is a very strong skater, both with straight line speed and maneuverability. He has decent puck handling skills and can protect the puck with his large frame. Potentially most importantly is his first pass which is hard and accurate making zone exits much easier than defensive defensemen of the past. We are starting to see a new breed of defensive defensemen, ones with good mobility but just don't have the offensive instincts of guys like say Artyom Levshunov or Carter Yakemchuk at the top of this draft. Given how high the Flyers are on a prospect like Hunter MacDonald, a player like Elick who is a similar style but considered more physical and a better skater could be a player they are looking at closely. They should be very familiar with him as he is a teammate of last year's second round pick goalie Carson Bjarnasson.

EJ Emery – RHD – 6'3 – US NTDP
Range: 17-44, Median: 35
Emery is in a similar mold to Elick, a smooth skating defensive defenseman who does not really project to have much offensive upside in the NHL. He is a good passer, especially in his defensive zone which helps make up for more limited puck skills compared to other defensemen like him. While he isn't as physical as a player like Elick, he has a very high hockey IQ which makes him very difficult to beat one on one. While a player like Elick can't take advantage of offensive situations, Emery is more focused on making the safe play. It may be a boring style of game, but high defensive skills and high hockey IQ are valuable skills and, based off the Bonk pick last year, something the Flyers value. Unlike with Bonk though, I don't think there is a surprise offensive awakening in Emery. Bonk had solid offensive numbers last year and if you look at him in camp he was much more willing to attempt skill plays than a lot of the other defensemen. I don't think anybody expected the breakout he had, but there were offensive skills there and a desire to use them. Emery is much more limited, this past season Emery didn't score a single goal across 95 games in all competitions and only got 28 assists. Emery was paired with Cole Hutson on the NTDP's top pairing this year, which could explain why his regular season point production was so stunted while his U18 points (6 assists in 7 games) was comparatively a lot higher. The defensive Emery balancing the aggressive Hutson when playing tougher and older competition with the NTDP, but was able to find the score sheet more when they played a more balanced style. He is headed to North Dakota next season which as done a good job in developing the offense of defensive defenseman lately, I don't think Emery will ever be a big point producer or have a Bonk-esque jump, but his defensive skills are certainly something to keep an eye on going forward.

Dominik Badinka – RHD – 6'3 – Malmo (SHL)
Range: 23-61, Median: 38
Badinka is a good balance between the four defenseman I've already mentioned. The Czech has bounced from Czechia, Finland, and now Sweden in the last three years, but has the size and skating of Elick and Emery paired with the offensive instincts and ability to jump into the play of Hutson and Mews. His puck skills and skating aren't as dynamic as the small guys, and his defense and physicality isn't as exceptional as the big guys, but he has good marks in all categories. The thing that probably stands out the most in both ends of the ice is his confidence, he has the ability to hold on to the puck in his defensive zone to make easy exits and has the ability to make smart passes and shots in the offensive zone even if he doesn't have the mobility of Hutson or Mews. One player he really reminds me of is Boston Bruins defenseman Mason Lohrei, a rookie this season who may not be a household name, but I saw a lot of Lohrei while at Ohio State so he's one of the players I know the best. At the NCAA level Lohrei was able to control games with his strong smooth skating and confience with the puck, even taking over games against guys like Matty Beniers, Adam Fantilli, and Logan Cooley. He may not be a name that jump off the page right now, but if you watched the impact Lohrei had for Boston in the playoffs you'd definitely want the Flyers got their own Lohrei. Whether they select Badinka is another story, one could call Badinka as a jack of all trades and a master of none (except confidence) so he doesn't have the on attribute that makes him jump out at you. If the Flyers think they can fix certain flaws or fill in certain gaps with the other defensemen, their single defining trait could be enough to make up for other short comings and still make a positive impact. Badinka does not have a glaring weakness that would keep him from being an NHLer, but he also does not have the one thing that could make him indispensable for a team. This isn't to say Badinka does not have a high ceiling, in the right situation he could be a 40 point defenseman, but the fact that he has a high ceiling and a high floor makes me think he could be the best option among the defensemen I mentioned.

Forwards

Jett Luchanko – C – 5'11 – Guelph (OHL)
Range: 18-53, Median: 31-38
Luchanko has a lot of tools that could make him a great NHL center. He has great acceleration and pairs it with high top end speed and strong edges that make him all around one of the best skaters in the draft. He has a high compete level and high hockey IQ that makes his speed a weapon on both offense and defense. One of the knocks on Luchanko is that he does not high the high end offensive skill or knack for the net that we see in some other high end prospects. If you look at the other forwards projected to go in the first round you see either a great shot, high end puck skills, or an ability to score dirty goals around the front of the net. Luchanko, while he does not have that, is an elite playmaker, using his vision to find open players and his speed to get to spots a lot of players can't find. One big issue with some fast players is being able to make decisions at speed, not just decision making when you are going fast, but when the level of competition picks up and now everyone is not only going fast but making smart decisions at speed. Hopefully the combination of speed and high IQ for Luchanko make him a player that doesn't hit a wall against fast competition, but his tools already give him a low floor where worst case scenario he could be a Ryan Poehling type.

Cole Beaudoin – C – 6'2 – Barrie (OHL)
Range: 30-56, Median: 43-45
Beaudoin has a couple similarities with Luchanko, both have high hockey IQ, a high compete level, and vision and passing accuracy making him a great playmaker, with Beaudoin probably having a slight edge in all those categories. The biggest difference is speed, with Luchanko being one of the fastest forwards and Beaudoin being one of the slowest forwards in this range of the draft. His skating has improved from last season, but it still has a long way to go, but Beaudoin has a few other highlights that make him a very interesting option. He plays more of a power forward type of game, at 6'2 he is not only more physical but he is able to win battles around the net to score goals. It's a combination of skills you don't see often in the NHL, net front power forward mixed with elite playmaker, combined with a great defensive forward. It may be that he ends up finding one niche and working that way, instead of being more of a Swiss army knife, which could make him less appealing if the Flyers think he'll trend to be a more one dimensional player. His offensive play took a massive jump forward and if he continues to develop at that rate in junior he could be one of the more dynamic players if he does not get pigeon holed into a certain role. Beaudoin is similar in a lot of ways to David Krejci, and if he is able to use his smarts and skill to make up for his lack of speed he could have a similar career. But if his speed doesn't reach a high enough level, or he is able to get speed but is forced to become more one dimensional it could hinder him from not only making an impact in the NHL but making the league at all. In a lot of ways he's a safe pick, in some others he's a bit riskier.

Lucas Pettersson – C – 5'11 – MoDo (SHL/Junior)
Range: 30-55, Median: 37
One thing Sweden does well in hockey development is make sure their players are well rounded. Pettersson posses high end skill, a dynamic shot, great speed, strong playmaking ability, and great defensive awareness that makes him a player who can be equally gifted offensively as he is defensively. He was one of the highest u18 players in the Swedish junior league and got a brief call up to the SHL. If you look at his highlight reels and see how people talk about him, you'd assume he'd go off the board much earlier, maybe even push the top 10. The biggest issues with Pettersson comes down to consistency, both in performance and effort level. While inconsistent effort level may raise more red flags, I think the fact that he wasn't consistently producing even when working hard a little more worrying. If you can reach a player to raise their effort level that problem will go away, and while every player can be streaky it's not a great sign when a high skill player is streaky at a lower junior league. That said, there is no denying Pettersson's skill and his defensive abilities make him still a very appealing prospect at this point in the draft. His defense makes it so that even if he is streaky offensively he'll be a consistently effective player in his own zone. I'm sure that will lead to some people being frustrated why he can't always be a great offensive player, while others see his offense as a nice little bonus.

Dean Letourneau – C – 6'7 – St. Andrew's Prep (Prep/AAA)
There are a lot of things to like about Letourneau. Obviously, his size at 6'7 makes him stand out, but he has a number of other solid attributes as well. He has great speed, not just for someone his size but is genuinely quick, and he has great puck skills for a big man. His size and puck stills make it easy to protect the puck at his level, and he is able to rip a heavy shot, especially off the rush. I know there are a lot of fans of Letourneau in the sub, almost certainly stemming from his size, but I think this would be the one player I'd be disappointed if the Flyers take. I think he'll be a controversial pick no matter who takes him. Letourneau plays in a very low league in terms of the NHL draft, especially the first round. His St. Andrew's team plays in the Prep High School league in Canada and in a U18 AAA league. The league is closer (if not lower) than the GOJHL where the Flyers drafted 6th Rounder Ryan MacPherson out of last season. His size and speed are great attributes, but they also provide him a disproportionate advantage over kids in his league. The league also prevents him from playing against older competition, unlike guys playing in even non-CHL Canadian junior or the USHL. I mentioned before making decisions at speed is a huge factor that often isn't focused on, and facts are that he's never been in a situation playing against the higher end players in his age group. Even looking at Ryan MacPherson who made the jump from the GOJHL to the BCHL, he started out very strong then struggled mightily in the second half. There have been an number large, skilled, good skating centers to be drafted in the first round in recent years, like Logan Stanley and Michael Rasmussen, but neither have really developed in to stars and both came up playing against much tougher competition. Letourneau has a long development timeline, which isn't necessarily bad, but he is a high risk pick, with a relatively low reward. Even if you look at his best comps like Tage Thompson, or a bigger Chris Kreider, those players are very streaky power forwards. When one of the better potential outcomes is that he's a tall Chris VandeVelde it may not be the best person to pick in this spot.

Matvei Gridin – LW – 6'1 – Muskegon (USHL)
Range: 26-61, Median: 43
Another Matvei. Gridin came over to play in the USHL in 2022 and was the leading point scorer in 2023-24. He is a dynamic offensive talent, possessing great hands, a great shot, and being a great playmaker. He is in a lot of ways the prototypical Russian star player, high end skill, physically very strong, and can sometimes float around to get the right opportunity. Apparently, he has floated less and less as he has gotten more used to the North American game and I imagine he'll continue to become more competitive next season when he goes to the University of Michigan. One of his bigger issues is a lack of high end speed, not as slow as Beaudoin, but a player that relies more on his skill to get him up the ice. He is also not particularly strong defensively or someone who battles in front of the net. Gridin is one of the riskier picks in this round, given that he projects to be a one dimensional offensive player. Much like how I talked about the difference between Karlsson and Deangelo is about offense, the same works for one dimensional offensive forwards. Gridin will either be a baseline 60 point winger, or he wont be in the NHL. He probably stands a better chance at being a 60 point, top 6 winger than the other guys we mentioned, but it will be harder for him to work his way up. Think about Bobby Brink who also has speed issues but projects to be the type of player who won't stick in the NHL if he can't get a top 6 role (or be on a more offensive oriented third line). But the reason he gets opportunities is his high motor and relentless compete. As of right now, I don't see Gridin being that same type of player. But given his great skills and offensive instincts, plus the chance to pair him with another certain Matvei, that one dimension could be enough to land him in the first round and be a real asset to the Flyers down the line. Back in the day I would refer to Kimmo Timonen as Nicklas Lidstrom-lite. They played a similar style, and while Kimmo wasn't in the same category of the super elite Lidstrom, he was still a great player and would have caused fits if both were on the same team. I imagine it would be similarly tough for teams if they had to go against Michkov and Wish-brand Michkov on two separate lines.

John Mustard – 6'0 – LW – Waterloo (USHL)
Range: 30-64, Median: 40-45
Could it be Col. Mustard in the Farg with a hockey stick? Mustard is actually a really intriguing prospect given how he has rocketed up the last few years. He was drafted in the 8th of 10 rounds in the USHL draft in 2022, but wasn't offered a spot until 23-24 after a big year at U16 AAA. The jump from U16 AAA to the USHL is a pretty big leap, with players usually struggling their first season. Mustard won the rookie of the year in the USHL, and I've seen multiple scouts and coaches use the term "natural goal scorer" but you I've also seen comments about his great vision and high hockey IQ. He's another player that has high offensive upside but right now is a more one dimensional player. Like Gridin, who is adjusting to the North American game, there is still a lot of opportunity for growth for Mustard, arguably more than with Gridin. Like Letourneau, he's a bit raw, but Mustard has produced great results against much stiffer competition. There are still areas of concern, he hit a pretty hard wall later in the USHL season, it happens a lot for rookies in any league especially when making a big jump. If he has made huge leaps and bounds due to natural talent and his body catching up physically, it offers a big opportunities to reach new heights, but also some worries that he may hit a wall that he won't be able to overcome at some point in his path to the NHL. Also, he's headed to Providence College, likely next season. Providence is a great program and Coach Nate Leaman is one of the best coaches in the country, and while they have had high skill players put up great numbers none have become in to star players at the NHL level – most being depth grinders. That said, Mustard could be the type of raw talent the Flyers feel like they could mold into a star player.

So who will the Flyers take?

For the most part, I listed players who should be on the board when the Flyers pick, it's at least likely that a majority of them will be there at either 31st or 32nd overall. A few could even still be available when the Flyers pick at 51st, as 10 of the 11 players I discussed have at least one person ranking them lower than 51st. There is also at least a chance the Flyers move up, but in that case it would likely be for a player they have their eye on specifically, or if a player falls further than they expect.

The back half of the draft will likely be in flux based on what happens in the first half of the draft. Ottawa, Montreal, Calgary, and potentially Anaheim could have a 2nd first round pick directly prior to the Flyers selection. If they take a forward early in the draft they would likely be more inclined to take a defenseman later, and vice versa. Same with the Flyers, though I don't think it is certain they don't go with two forwards or two D. Also, if the team takes a riskier pick early (such as Cole Eiserman) they would likely aim for a safer pick later.

Me personally, I would prefer to go with a more balanced player at this spot in the draft. If you look back at previous drafts and the discourse in the years that follow, a lot of times there are players with one or two high end attributes taken between 25-40. They do not have one big flaw holding them back, instead it's one great attribute pulling them forward. I think this is generally a tougher development pathway, as you are fixing more things often at the expense of the their one great attribute. Morgan Frost is not only one of the better players to come out of the 25-40 range in recent years (league wide), but an example of what I'm talking about. He's much better defensively and competes much more consistently – two of the bigger knocks against him early in his career, but his offense doesn't seem like it will be consistently high enough be the offensive player people hoped for when he was dominating the OHL.

I think it's better to get a more balanced player and try and hone certain skills to find out what his best potential role could be. I'd probably be happiest with a guy like Dominik Badinka, Jett Luchanko, Cole Beaudoin, or Lucas Pettersson. If I had to guess I think the Flyers would be leaning a bit more towards Charlie Elick or EJ Emery.

Hope you enjoyed the lengthy post, or if you only read part of it I hope you liked what you saw. Sorry if you are a big Dean Letourneau person. I think this will be one of the hardest to predict drafts in a while so hopefully these posts help you know see the wide range of players available.