Preview of who the Flyers could pick at 22nd Overall

With the Flyers adding a second pick in the 2023 draft I wanted to take a look at the players who could be available at 22nd Overall on draft night. When getting into this part of the first round it usually becomes harder to predict where guys will go, especially this year when people are even having a hard time handicapping picks outside the top 3. Predicting the Flyers selection is even tougher, given Briere and Jones don’t have an established track record, the team likely didn’t scout players in this range as intensely throughout the year, and the fact that (as of right now) the team wont pick again until 87th Overall means that there are a lot of unknowns in figuring out who the Flyers could pick. So I will cast a wide net to show a wide variety of players who could or should be available.

**Have** **to** **Fall**

I did a preview on [who the Flyers could pick at 7th Overall](https://old.reddit.com/r/Flyers/comments/13d2tuo/preview_of_who_the_flyers_could_pick_at_7th/) last month. 8 of those 15 players (Cristall, Sale, Barlow, Reinbacher, Yager, Danielson, Perreault, and Wood) are all ranked 22nd or lower in at least one draft ranking, so there is always the chance that one of those players fall. While I wouldn’t get your hopes up on any one specific player, and there is a good chance that all of them are off the board at 22nd, there is a chance that one of these guys slips through to the Flyers second pick. Outside of these guys there is only one player that I’ll categorizes as “Have to Fall”.

[Riley Heidt](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/565748/riley-heidt) – F, 5’11, Prince George Cougars – Heidt has some high end tools that could see him come off the board earlier than a lot of people expect, but some deficiencies that could keep him on the board until 22nd OA. He has great speed and can handle the puck at speed. Combined with the fact that he is an elite playmaker makes him one of the most dangerous set up men in the draft. His ability to change direction and create small openings to thread the needle lead him to the top of the WHL assist charts, tying Bedard for the league lead. One of the big drawbacks is that he is probably too much of a playmaker, he doesn’t have a strong shot and does use his shot enough, with this draft being big on shooters we could see teams taking shoot first guys over someone like Heidt. He is also pretty slight and while being 5’11 which is not really undersized he does play a small player’s game. I think he’ll be off the board, but if he’s available the Flyers could steal a super talented playmaker. He’s played a lot of center but will likely be a winger in the NHL.

**Wheelehouse**

[Mikhail Gulyayev](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/700461/mikhail-gulyayev) – D, 5’10, Avangard Omsk Organization – Gulyayev had been considered the top defenseman in the draft for most of the year, on a pure talent level he likely still is with him falling behind guys like Reinbacher and Sandin Pellikka due to Russian circumstances. Gulyayev is an elite skater, not just fast but with excellent edgework that makes him able to maneuver at speed and breeze by players. He’s got great hands and vision making him a dangerous passer in all three zones. These offensive attributes are combined with a great hockey sense that helps in positioning as well joining the rush and positioning. He does have a bit of an issue being overaggressive and sometimes leaving to early or over pursuing in the D zone, but those are fixable issues. He is small, only 5’10 which means he may take a little more time getting to the NHL. The bigger issue is as a Russian player it’s unknown how much Flyers scouts have seen him and it’s unclear how the geopolitical situation with Russian players will impact where he goes in the draft. If Russia didn’t invade Ukraine Gulyayev could have been a top 10 pick, so if the Flyers like what they see he could be a steal.

[Dmitri Simashev](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/708607/dmitri-simashev) – D, 6’4, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Organization – The other big Russian D prospect, and I mean big in both prominence and statue. Simashev is a big defensive defenseman, but skates almost as well as his 5’10 countryman Gulyayev. He is great at all the major defensive skills, his positioning is great, stick checks are quick and accurate, and he can be physical but he’s not an overly dominating physical presence. The biggest drawback is there is almost no offensive upside. Given how strong of a skater he is you would think there would be more offense, but he is a weak puck handler which not only limits his offense but can lead to problems getting zone exits if its not figured out. Like with Gulyayev, the limited scouting, lack of best on best comparisons, and geopolitical issues make it difficult to guess where Simashev will go, and he could even slide out of the first round.

[Otto Stenberg](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/534828/otto-stenberg) – F, 5’11, Frolunda – Stenberg is another really interesting prospect in this range. He has tons of talent, with great speed, great hands, and a great shot. He also has great intangibles, he’s a smart player, a hard worker, and a great leader. With that kind of skillset he should be projected to go closer to 7th than 22nd, but he is projected to go 22nd or later by a majority of rankings. The reason being that he failed to impress not only at the SHL level but at the Swedish junior level as well. Not being able to stand out in a pro league at 17 isn’t that strange, but perhaps a bit underwhelming given Stenberg’s skills, but not putting it together in the junior league is a bit bigger of an issue. While he has struggled for his club Stenberg has been legendary for his country. At the U18s he finished with 16 points, right behind the great American trio, and tied the Swedish record for most points at a U18 (tied with Willie Nylander). The next highest scoring player on Sweden had 11 points, that gap being the biggest between 1st and 2nd scorers in the tournament. It was similar at the pre-season Hlinka-Gretzky tournament where Stenberg had 9 points in five games, with a four point gap between the second highest scorer. And like at U18’s Stenberg had the second most points ever at a Hlinka tournament by a Swede. When Stenberg is going he’s a superstar, but even when he’s not he’s still a reliable depth player. He could be Mitch Marner, or he could be Scott Laughton. While that may be a wide gap, drafting a boom/bust type where the “bust” is still a great depth player should be something the Flyers (and a lot of other teams) consider.

[Samuel Honzek](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/578968/samuel-honzek) – C, 6’4, Vancouver Giants – Honzek is another member of the Slovak prospect Renaissance, but unlike guys like Slafkovsky, Nemec, or this year’s Dalibor Dvorsky, Honzek made the jump over to North America for his pre-draft year. He could be looked at like a Slafkovsky-lite, though Honzek is slightly bigger. He has good speed, good skill, good physicality, and a great quick and heavy shot. His ability to play in tight spaces and get off a quick accurate shot makes him an ideal power forward, drawing comparisons to a player like Alex Tuch. He has defense and consistency issues, but he’s also a smart player so those issues could be worked out as he develops. With this year’s draft being heavy on smaller forwards I wonder if a team earlier in the draft grabs Honzek, after Leo Carlsson there are only 2-3 forwards 6’2 or over projected to go in the top 20, but if he’s on the board he will definitely be someone the Flyers give a close look to.

[Calum Ritchie](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/603108/calum-ritchie) – C, 6’2, Oshawa Generals – Ritchie was oddly a player I was hoping the Flyers avoided most of the season, because I don’t think he has 7th Overall talent. But he could be a very interesting option at 22nd, if he gets there. Ritchie is a big bodied but not overly physical two way center. That two-way center thing is what made me dread the Flyers reaching for him in the top 10, but the fact that Ritchie compliments his two way abilities with great playmaking, anchored by excellent vision and a good set of hands make him more than a one dimensional defense-first center. He is not a particularly fast player, while this draft class has a number of guys that aren’t really plus skaters, most of the guys expected to go in the late teens-early 20s are pretty speed which would hurt Ritchie. He also does not have a great shot and often defers opportunities to shoot. It’s an odd comparison, but think of him as a taller more defensive Morgan Frost. That could be just the type of player the Flyers are looking for long term.

[Quentin Musty](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/685701/quentin-musty) – LW, 6’2, Sudbury Wolves – Musty was the 1st Overall pick in the OHL draft and has the skills to show off why. He has a great shot, very good hands, and combines good speed and vision to be a great playmaker – all this leading to him having the highest ppg for a U18 in the OHL this season. All that in a 6’2 frame makes for quite the intriguing prospect. The problem with Musty is that he is not always engaged and can sometimes float around. He is not particularly good defensively and is not really physical. Right now he’s a fairly one dimensional player, a boom/bust type where he could have a higher potential than someone like Stenberg or Honzek, but couldn’t play the same depth role they could. But if the Flyers believe in that high end potential and that Torts and the Org could shake out any bad habits they could see taking him as less of a risk.

One interesting thing to consider is that there is a wide variety of skill sets, sizes, and potentials with these players listed so far. The players around 7th Overall are similar in that it’s a very diverse group of players. Who the Flyers take at 7th Overall and 22nd Overall will give us a good idea of what attributes the new front office values most, if most of the players discussed are available.

**Reach**

I say “Reach” but at this point in the draft there is usually more differences in pre-draft rankings and what actually happens. Plus pretty much every player in this draft has a wide range of rankings, with some players that are in the “Wheelhouse” for 7th Overall being ranked lower than 22nd, and every player in this “Reach” section being ranked higher than 22nd Overall in at least one ranking. So when I say “Reach” I’m referring to players ranked 26th or lower in the Elite Prospects consolidated rankings.

[Gavin Brindley](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/538006/gavin-brindley) – RW, 5’9, Michigan – Brindley carved out a place on an absolutely stacked Michigan team and earned a spot on the US World Junior team. Brindley has a ton of skill with great hands and some creative passing, and along with a high level of speed and acceleration, and paired with a high compete level and good defensive play. This combination of factors has lead some people, such as Corey Pronman at The Athletic, to rank him as high at 8th. His big problem? He’s only 5’9. He’s also not a remarkable shooter like other undersized recent forwards like Caufield and DeBrincat. Outside of games on TV I actually saw Brindley live this season and he can be an absolute force on the ice, he stood out Michigan almost as much as Fantilli and can overwhelm opponents with his speed and tenacity. Maybe Briere will see something of himself in Brindley and take a shot on the little guy.

[Daniil But](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/779971/daniil-but) – LW, 6’5, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl Organization – But is the biggest player listed here and if he goes in the first round he will very likely be the biggest guy taken. He is similar to Honzek in that he has great size, can win battles, and has a big shot that could make him an asset. But But is also Russian leading to a lot of complicating factors already mentioned, not to mention he has an acceleration issue even if his top speed and edgework is solid. The only way I see the Flyers going with But is if they have their heart set on Honzek and he gets taken at 21st overall.

[Lukas Dragicevic](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/529817/lukas-dragicevic) – D, 6’2, Tri-City Americans – Dragicevic is a great skating offensive RHD who put up great numbers in the WHL this season with 75 points in 68 games. He’s got good instincts when joining the rush and has the speed to make up for mistakes on the back check. But as you can guess seeing these insane offensive numbers on a guy projected to go late in the first round there are some defensive issues. He can be over active in the D zone pushing himself out of position, or he can lose focus and puck watch and fall behind, leading to potentially the worse combo for a defenseman. If the Flyers think they could work through those issues they may think they have a steal, but time will tell if Dragicevic turns into a Shea Theodore, Michael Del Zotto, or a David Rundblad.

[Oliver Bonk](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/590255/oliver-bonk) – D, 6’1, London Knights – Bonk is a RHD who will likely be more of a defensive defenseman in the NHL. Projected more as a 2nd rounder Bonk could move up into the first given the lack of defenseman in the first round. But Bonk’s high hockey IQ, positioning, and ability to create turnovers on defense make him an interesting pick. If the Flyers are dead set on a defenseman with this second pick, and don’t want to risk taking a Russian, I could easily see them taking Bonk over Dragicevic.

**Goalies**

Taking goalies can certainly be risky in the first round. Recently first round goalies have been fairly hit and miss with guys like Jake Oettinger and Spencer Knight looking like potential franchise goalies, Samsonov looking streaky or serviceable, and the jury still being out on Askarov, Cossa, and Wallstadt but they are each showing mixed results. Still, with the Flyers potentially moving Hart or at least thinking about it, now would be the time to look at drafting a goalie considering their longer timelines and the fact that there are some pretty talent guys available. The Flyers not having another pick until 87th could also affect this as the three top goalies listed should all be off the board by then. I’m going to look at three goalies who all have potential to be first rounders, though it’s unlikely more than any one guy ends up in the first round.

[Michael Hrabal](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/619024/michael-hrabal) is a 6’6 Czech playing in the USHL. He put up solid numbers for a pretty terrible Omaha Lancers team and very good numbers for an underwhelming Czech U18 team. He is very fluid in his motion for such a big guy and uses that size when battling to make saves. He will be playing at UMass next season who is noted for usually having a strong defense. That could allow him to develop without having to keep his team in games.

[Carson Bjarnason](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/646947/carson-bjarnason) is the archetypal goalie. 6’3, great at tracking pucks, and great moving around in his crease. Like Hrabal he played on a bad junior team with the Brandon Wheat Kings, and while his stats weren’t impressive most places I’ve see say he has all the skills to build into the perfect pro goalie. He’ll also likely backstop Canada’s world junior team the next two seasons.

[Trey Augustine](https://www.eliteprospects.com/player/710572/trey-augustine) – Speaking of starting for World Junior teams, Augustine has already won a Bronze medal at World Juniors for Team USA, along with winning Gold at the U18s. At 6’1 Augustine is a bit undersized, and with any undersized goalie that means his positioning, agility, and reactions need to great to compete at a high level. If Augustine was 6’3 I think he would be a shoe in for a top 16 pick as his athleticism and precision make him a great puck stopper. Augustine will be joining Michigan State this upcoming season, re-teaming with his former NTDP coach who has started drawing some of his old players back through the transfer portal. Augustine could turn Michigan State into a force to reckon with in a tough Big Ten.

**Who** **Should/Will** **They** **Take**

A couple of things I want to mention. One is I think there is a chance the Flyers move up or down, they have assets and depending how things shake out as it gets closer to their pick they could jump up or slide back. Also, I know a lot of people will believe that with two picks the Flyers should take a forward and a defenseman, but given the players available I don’t know if the Flyers should go in with that logic. Reinbacher and Sandin Pellikka are both more middle first round pick type players than 7th Overall and I think it would be mistake to reach for them. Similarly, outside of the Russians, Dragicevic and Bonk are more late first/early second round players and the Flyers would have to reach past more talent and well rounded forwards to get them. And frankly I don’t think the Flyers will take one of the Russians, based largely on the fact they probably haven’t scouted them as thoroughly as they’d like.

Who I think they’ll take and who I want them to take is actually the same person, **Otto** **Stenberg**. The Flyers usually have more eyes and put more emphasis on international tournaments where Stenberg has shined. If he’s off the board the guy I’d be most interested in is **Gulyayev** or **Brindley**, but the guy I think they’d go with is **Ritchie**, but if Ritchie is also off the board I think they actually go with **Bonk**.

For the draft overall, I think the best value for selection would be if Michkov and Gulyayev fell, the Flyers would be getting a first overall talent (in most other years) and a top 10 talent at 7th and 22nd. But I think there is little chance the Flyers take any Russians and almost no chance they take two. My ideal situation would be to take **Zach** **Benson** at 7th OA and **Otto** **Stenberg** as 22nd OA, while I think **Ryan** **Leonard** at 7th OA and either **Stenberg** or **Calum** **Ritchie** at 22nd OA is who they will take. Actually, between this and my 7th Overall preview I’ve covered 29 players, so the Flyers will probably take one of the few guys I didn’t cover like Nate Danielson or Ethan Gauthier haha.

by hawks27-2