Photo Courtesy of Zack Hill, Flyers PR
1st Round: Cutter Gauthier
With their first round selection in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft the Philadelphia Flyers selected Cutter Gauthier.
Gauthier is a product of the highly regarded U.S National Development Team. The young forward currently stands at an impressive frame of 6-2, 189 lbs. This past season he notched 34 goals and 31 assists in 54 games for 65 points in his first full season with the USNTDP. He ranked second on the team with his 34 goals. Additionally, he helped lead Team USA to a silver medal at this year’s IIHF Under 18 World Championships where he posted 3 goals and 6 assists for 9 points in six games.
Gauthier has committed to Boston College for next season, which is an incredible hockey program. Playing for such a renowned college hockey program should be a benefit to his developmental process. As the Boston College hockey program has had a knack for producing skilled forwards.
The most interesting quality of Gauthier’s game would have to be his skating prowess, especially for his size. Gauthier is not the fastest skater when it comes to top end speed however, his ability to stop and start on a dime is quite impressive. He has the capability to reach high speeds through the first step in his skating stride due to his top tier acceleration.
In regards to how Gauthier pots the majority of his goals, that would usually ensue through his snapshot and wrist shot. The young forward has a great deal of velocity behind both shots, and is capable of beating goalies from beyond the faceoff circles, as well as, in close. Exhibiting the versatility within his offensive game.
He also possesses the ability to shoot while leaning off the opposite foot with a great deal of accuracy and power. Further exemplifying another dangerous facet to his game. This can often surprise goalies due to his quick release of the puck and the fact that he can release the puck at various different points within his shot technique. Coupling that with the quickness in which Gauthier typically gets his shot off and it’s apparent that he is an offensive weapon when he is given time and space within the offensive zone.
One facet to Gauthier’s game that should allow him to make a smoother transition to the NHL than most prospects is his versatility. He was able to almost seamlessly switch between the left wing and center position for the second half of this past season while playing for the USNTDP.
He also was placed in vital roles being both a Penalty killer that was leaned on and a Power-Play mainstay. One statistic highlighting exactly how versatile Gauthier is would be his per-game scoring rate. During the second half of his season after his transition to center the prospect posted over a half point higher than his first half production while playing the left wing position. Clearly indicating that the forward can play multiple positions and still be greatly effective if need be.
Gauthier has the size, great skating ability for his size and may legitimately have the best shot in this draft class. I like the pick for the Flyers especially with how the board shaked out in terms of selections one to four in the NHL 2022 Draft.
He is a talented power forward that will automatically become the most coveted young player in the Flyers prospect pool.
Ultimately, with the Flyers selecting Gauthier with the 5th overall pick you can see the upside present within his game. If he hits and reaches his full potential he can be a star. The prospect has great skating ability for his size and has the best shot in this draft class, release wise.
“It’s such a surreal moment. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of, growing up hearing my named called one day. I’m so happy that the Philadelphia Flyers are the one to do it. I’m extremely excited for the future and to see what it holds.” – Cutter Gauthier
“I think it’s a combination of things. Obviously, his size, strength, speed. Very athletic. His testing was off the charts. On the ice, he is physical. He scores goals. He has good hands. It’s really hard to find a player that can be a potential power forward in the National Hockey League. He has a lot of those attributes. We’ll see how he develops and he’s going to a good program at Boston College. He has lots of energy and certainly lots of juice to him, both on and off the ice.” – President of Hockey Operations and General Manager, Chuck Fletcher
3rd Round: Devin Kaplan
With their 3rd round selection in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft the Philadelphia Flyers selected Devin Kaplan.
Kaplan is also a player who was a member of the U.S National Development Team and was a teammate of Cutter Gauthier’s. The prospect is a right winger who stands at 6-3, 191 lbs. He put up 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points in 53 games while playing for the USNTDP during his first full season with the team.
The young forward is a hard-working winger, with good size, and has a hard shot. He also had a high points-per-60 while being stuck on the third line for the majority of the season while playing for the USNTDP. Another aspect to his game was the fact that he killed penalties as well.
A handful of different draft rankings had Kaplan listed as being a 2nd round pick so the Flyers certainly found some value here with this selection. It was even mentioned by Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr that they were surprised Kaplan was still available to be selected when their 3rd pick came around.
Kaplan’s strength is his transition game and his ability to move the puck and help his line gain entry into the offensive zone. He possesses good puck handling ability in tight areas on the ice and good edges to maneuver through the neutral zone.
The winger’s forechecking ability and his wherewithal to forecheck in all positions the F1, F2 and F3 is also a big part of Kaplan’s game.
He forechecks hard as the F1, has good positioning on the wall as the F2, and his hockey IQ along with hand-eye coordination allows him to excel as an F3 forechecker as well. Lastly, Kaplan’s quickness assists with his ability to close in on opposing players while forechecking and take away their time and space. He also quite frequently uses his size and physicality to separate players off the puck.
Check out our Flyers Nitty Gritty Store
Going forward the next step for Kaplan is moving on to the college hockey ranks. He has committed to joining Boston University for the 2022-23 season.
“He’s a power forward. He’s strong on pucks down low. He’s heavy. He plays physical. He’s a tough kid. At the same time, he started making plays and showing a lot more confidence with the puck.” – Vice President & Assistant General Manager, Brent Flahr
5th Round: Alex Bump
With their 5th round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft the Philadelphia Flyers selected Alex Bump. The prospect stands at 6-0, 194 lbs and is a left winger.
This past season Bump scored 11 goals while notching 6 assists for a total of 17 points in 27 games during this past season playing for the Omaha Lancers in the USHL. He also put up 48 goals in 31 games while playing for Prior Lake High School. Bump’s ability to play with some feistiness makes him a tough player for oppositions to play against.
Concerning next season Bump has committed to playing for the University of Vermont for the 2022-23 season
“He came on the scene this year. He’s one, if not probably the top player in Minnesota high school this year. He started in the USHL and came back. He had a big, big year in high school and finished strong when he went back to the USHL. We’re all excited about him. Obviously, he’s going back to play another year of junior and then off to Vermont. I think he’ll have a big role right away.” – Vice President & Assistant General Manager, Brent Flahr
6th Round: Hunter McDonald
With their 6th round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft the Flyers have selected Hunter McDonald. McDonald is a towering left handed defenseman who is listed at 6-3, 207 lb. Due to being passed over in last year’s draft McDonald is a 20 year old overager. However, the Flyers went the route of selecting him anyhow as they like his size and upside and believe he is a late bloomer.
He posted 4 goals and 10 assists for 14 pts in 54 games in the USHL. McDonald is a stay at home defenseman who is physical and can clear the front of the net, as well as play on the penalty kill. He models his game after Brandon Carlo, per his media availability.
For the 2022-2023 season McDonald has committed to playing for Northeastern University.
“He’s got a heavy shot. He’s a hard nose big D. He makes you pay the price. He’s a late bloomer though. He’s had a big impact on games physically, but then he was traded to Chicago, which is a totally different style of play. It took him some time to adjust. He’s a raw kid still a little bit, but he is mean and big. He’s physical. He’s a strong skater straight-line. He’s had a little longer path, but he’s going to a good program at Northeastern.” – Vice President & Assistant General Manager, Brent Flahr
7th Round: Santeri Sulku
With their first 7th round pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft the Philadelphia Flyers selected Santeri Sulku. The prospect stands at 6-4, 194 lbs and is a Center. His size and puck skills make him an intriguing selection despite the fact that his skating needs some improvement. Though as it’s been seen before that is something that can be worked on and adjusted.
Sulku played for the U20 Jokerit team during the 2021-22 season. Where he scored 13 goals and 19 assists for 32 points in 35 games. Almost playing at a point per game pace.
Next season Sulku will play for the U20 MoDo team in the Swedish J2 league.
“Sulku is tall, lanky, a little raw. He’s got really good hands, shoots the puck and can skate. He’s going to have to evolve his game a little more North American style as he fills out and gets a little stronger. A lot of tools to work with. It’s just changing his game a little bit.” – Vice President & Assistant General Manager, Brent Flahr
7th Round: Alexis Gendron
With the second of their 7th round picks in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft the Philadelphia Flyers selected Alex Gendron. Gendron is listed at 5-10, 174 lbs and plays the Center position.
The prospect currently plays for the Blainville Armada in the QMJHL and put up 30 goals.(which led his team) and 16 assists for 46 points in 66 games this past season.
Gendron was a top-six scorer for the Armada and showed up in the 2021-2022 playoffs. His play directly contributed to the Armada qualifying for the playoffs the last two seasons. In those playoff appearances Gendron scored a total of 8 points during both of those playoff runs. He has great skating ability and uses that attribute to attack the middle of the ice. Which enables him to carry the puck into high danger scoring areas, despite being a smaller sized player. Along with this, he shows tenacious forechecking acumen that can be a hassle for other teams’ defenders to contain. This makes him tough to play against.
Next season Alexis will still be playing in the QMJHL for the Blainville Armada.
“Alexis is a really competitive kid. He’s grown a huge amount. He’s come a long way. He’s highly competitive. He can score. He’s a no brainer for us.” – Vice President & Assistant General Manager, Brent Flahr
Final Thoughts:
To sum up the 2022 NHL Entry Draft from a Philadelphia Flyers perspective they certainly came away with a talented first round selection, that has an enormous amount of potential to his game in Cutter Gauthier. It should be interesting to see if Gauthier signs his Entry Level Contract with the Flyers after this upcoming season at Boston College in potentially March of 2023 or around that time frame. This would afford him an opportunity to be introduced to the pro game before the 2023 off-season. Such an experience could be a valuable asset in Gauthier’s overall development.
In terms of a theme to this draft there were a handful of attributes that seemed to be present in the majority of the Flyers draft picks. The most obvious in this case is size. As it’s clear the organization wants the team to get bigger and stronger moving ahead. The Flyers also seemed to prioritize prospects with a high compete level that are difficult for opposing players to play and defend against. It does appear that certain leadership qualities were attractive to the Flyers too and may have factored into the team’s selections.
Coupling a draft where the Flyers made some noteworthy prospect selections with the Tony DeAngelo trade, GM Chuck Fletcher and his staff have undoubtedly been busy throughout the two day NHL Entry Draft event. What this activity likely means for the Flyers is even more potential movement from the organization when looking ahead. Considering the fact the Flyers are currently cap strapped they’ll need to clear out some salary to realistically make any more additions in free agency or through trade. As a result, it will more than likely be an even busier week ahead for the Flyers.
