Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher and Head Coach Alain Vigneault (AV) have managed to transform a team that was down on their luck and did not believe in themselves into a fine-tuned machine that now boast extreme confidence in not only themselves, but also the manwho is calling the shots behind the bench (AV). The Flyers have bought in to coach Vigneault’s system completely; now playing a full sixty minutes of hockey on a nightly basis (which in the past was not always the case) where all five players out on the ice are now one defensive unit when they do not have the puck in their possession. This has shown to be paying off well via
their latest victory over the President Trophy award winners (an award that is given to the team that finishes with the most points at the end of the regular season) the Boston Bruins, in round robin play just a few short days ago.
There is little doubt that Fletcher and his team will consult with the Jack Adams Award finalist (award given to the best coach in the NHL) Vigneault to see who he thinks might fit into his system nicely in the years to come.
There’s just one thing the Flyers still lack, and that’s physicality! The Flyers need to finish their checks and learn to better police their opponent so that dirty deeds (like the one that happened to Michael Raffl late in the game against the Bruins) does not go unpunished. In this upcoming draft, the Flyers should look to add size and grit to the lineup without sacrificing
talent. This complete mock draft as follows will do just that.
In the first round of the impending draft, the Flyers should look at who’s left on the draft board when their turn comes. This draft has a lot offensive depth: If they find that there are plenty of names on the board that they like, the best first round draft selection for the Flyers may be none at all! Depending on where Philadelphia finishes the season, it might be best to call up a team like the Ottawa Senators on draft day and see if they would like to move up into the first round yet again. The Senators have a wealth of selections in this year’s draft (as well as next year’s draft) due to the fact that they sold the farm at the trade deadline this season. In this year’s
draft alone, the Senators hold the rights to a total of 13 picks. These include: three first-round picks, four second-round picks, and two third-round picks. The Flyers could look to use this to their advantage if the Senators covet a certain player who is still available when it’s the Flyers’ turn to make their selection. Names like Noel Gunler, and John-Jason Peterka might still be on
the board, and Ottawa may just jump at the opportunity to get one of these players to pair with their third and/or fifth overall selections that they own in this year’s draft. Gunler would make a nice line-mate for fellow Swede Lucas Raymond in the future, who the Senators might select in the top five. Or the Senators might look to acquire Peterka with the Flyers’ selection to go alongside his former German World Junior Championships line mate Tim Stutzle (who the Sens are predicted to select possibly third overall this year). Although these prospects are good, they lack the physicality that the Flyers desire.
The Flyers will not be doing the Senators a favor for free though. The cost of the Senators good fortune isn’t going to come cheap. Such a deal might look like the following:
Flyers Receive: Senators Receive:
Sens. 2020 2nd Rd. pick #33 overall Flyers 2020 1st Rd. Pick
Sens. 2020 3rd Rd. pick # 64 overall
Sens. 2021 3rd Rd. pick
If he can pull off this trade, Chuck Fletcher would not only acquire a third pick this year to replace the one he traded away to get defenseman Justin Braun (from the San Jose Sharks), but he would also be receiving another third-round pick for next season. For those of you that think the Flyers should receive more if they were to make this trade, keep in mind that the Senators would only being moving up a couple of spots depending on where the Flyers finish the season. Moving forward let’s make some selections.
2nd Round
With the 33rd overall pick (previously owned by the Senators), the Flyers should look to obtain a sizeable scoring winger. To do this, look for Chuck Fletcher to call out the name of Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Barrie Colts’ leading goal scorer, winger Tyson Forester. Tyson, who stands at 6’1 and weighs in at 194 pounds, already possess an NHL frame. Additionally, he
has an elite NHL-caliber shot and release as well. Forester used these impressive qualities to amass thirty-six goals and forty-four assists on the year totaling eighty points on the shortened season (the 2nd best player on his team only had forty-seven points). Forester lead the OHL in
power play goals this year, even beating out the top-ten talents of sniper Jack Quinn. With that being said, this talented prospect has fallen to this point in the draft because he is still developing his skating and defensive abilities. Tyson has worked hard on these skills, both during this past
season and during the break. As a result, he should make his presence known in Philadelphia sooner rather than later.
Still in the second round: This time using the Flyers second-round selection, the team will stay in the OHL, this time selecting winger Will Cuylle from the Windsor Spitfires. Cuylle will be an instant fan favorite the moment he first steps on the ice for Flyers! He epitomizes what it is to “BE A FUCKING FLYER!” as AV so eloquently put it. Will never takes a shift off and takes
pride in doing the dirty jobs that are needed on a nightly basis to give his team the best chance of winning. To say that Cuylle plays with an edge to his game is an understatement! Not only can this 6’2 201 pound prospect score with the best of them, but he also managed to lay some of the biggest hits in all of the CHL this past season. Not stopping there, Cuylle has shown over his junior career that he is more than willing to police the opposition, no matter what their size, after a dirty hit on one of his teammates. With Will’s phenomenal shot (which he used to score twenty-two goals and twenty assists on the season totaling forty-two points), along with these
other above mentioned reasons, expect to see Will Cuylle patrolling the Wells Fargo ice in a Flyers uniform in the near future.
3rd Round
Now that the Flyers have a third-round pick (#64 overall) thanks to the Senators, look for them to choose to go overseas with this selection- to Sweden to be exact. The Flyers will select 6’1 185-pound Winger Emil Heineman from the Leksands Idrottsforening of the SHL. It may seem
repetitive at this point- selecting yet another winger- but it is the weakest position in the Flyers farm system to date. Heineman is an anomaly for a Swedish forward. Emil loves to hit anything that moves in a different color jersey (something that most Swedes don’t do). Heineman uses his
blazing speed to fore-check/back check and score with the best in the league. In the Super Elit (Sweden’s top junior league) this season Emil had twenty-six goals, and fifteen assists, which accumulated to forty-one points on the season before being called up to the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) (Sweden’s professional League). Heinemann’s 1.57 point per game average in the Super Elit this season bested that of fellow Swedish Prospects (first-round talents) Lucas Raymond and Noel Gunler this season. Still, for some reason, Heineman is still vastly unknown by most NHL scouts and fans. If the Flyers can acquire the rights to this hidden gem who possesses first round talents this late in the draft, it would be one of the best steals in the Flyers draft history!
4th Round
At this point it starts to get a little tougher. The elite talent is now gone and you have to begin to really search through a lot of players to find one that shows signs that he can develop to be something more. With this pick the Flyers will select the 6’1 170-pound overage prospect center Gage Goncalves from the Everett Silvertips of the Western Hockey League (WHL). The Flyers
will have seen plenty of games of Goncalves this season (whether they were in person or on tape) seeing that the Flyers defensive prospect Wyatte Wylie played for the Silvertips as well. Gage was passed over in his first year of eligibility last season because he lacked hardly any point production. This season was widely different though: Goncalves scored thirty-three times this year and assisted other teammates thirty-eight times on the season, for a total of seventy-one points on the year. To go along with that, Gage was also good defensively and averaged a plus thirty-two on the season. This versatile player understands what it means to play a two hundred ft. game and can slot in at any forward position making him a perfect fit for coach Vigneault’s system in the future.
5th Round
With their fifth-round selection, look for the Flyers to acquire a stay at home defenseman with size and grit. For that, Fletcher will have to look no further than Seattle Thunderbirds’ Cade McNelly. Again, Flyers management will have seen plenty of McNelly’s games because they
have a prospect in their system that already plays for the Thunderbirds: Goaltender Roddy Ross. The Flyers have plenty of puck-moving, offensively-minded defensemen in their system already: that’s why they could use this bruising D-man who landed some of the most punishing hits in the WHL this season. As a result, Cade made players think twice before coming across his blue line again. That is not the only way McNelly served as the team’s muscle though: Cade also is well versed in the art of fist-to-cuffs too (which you can spend the next hour on You Tube watching his fight videos if you don’t believe me). With Flyers’ Sam Morin often on the shelf due to
injuries, this pick would make sure the Flyers would have other fighters coming out of their corner if Morin cannot stay healthy.
6th Round
Going back to Seattle for the team’s sixth pick; The Flyers should continue to add size with center Matthew Rempe. This massive 6’8 215-pound man-child puts the “thunder” in Thunderbirds for Seattle, with his booming hits that leave opposing players confused and asking their coach if its nap time yet when they get back to the bench. Rempe uses his long strides to be able to catch up to anyone on the ice or find his way to the front of the net where he has been known to screen the other team’s net minder RATHER WELL. Rempe has extremely soft hands for a big man which he used to amass twelve goals on the season and assisted on another twelve for a total of thirty-one points on the year. Adding this towering center will enhance the Flyers’ depth down the middle for sure.
7th Round
The Flyers have two seventh-round picks in this year’s draft. Philadelphia will use the first one on goaltender Devon Levi. Levi played for the Central Canada Hockey League’s Carlton Place Canadians a Junior A team. Now you may be thinking WHO? WHERE? And you would be right in thinking that. But Levi, who will attend and most likely start next season for the Northeastern University Huskies of the NCAA, had quite the impressive season this year to say the least. Averaging a 1.47 Goals Against Average and a .947 Save Percentage while managing to total a 34-2-1 record on the season- which included eight shut outs! With these kinds of numbers, the
Flyers will be more than willing to risk a 7th round pick on this potential future star.
With the last pick the Flyers have in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft they will select WHL’s Calgary Hitmen’s defenseman Jackson van de Leest who stands at 6’7 and tips the scales at 229 pounds. The Flyers will be aware of how van de Leest plays because this gigantic defenseman played on the same blue line as current Flyers’ defenseman Yegor Zamula this past season. Jackson, who is a plus defender, uses his size to clear the opposition from in front of his team’s net, and is willing to put up his dukes up in a fight to protect his fellow teammates. If selected, van de Leest would
be yet another impressive defensemen in the Flyers’ system, further building depth in case the Flyers are to lose one of their blue liners to the Seattle Kraken during their upcoming expansion draft.
This Mock Draft would give the Flyers everything they currently lack (size, grit, and scoring wingers) as well as adding still more depth to positions that the team is already stacked in. Doing so will allow Vigneault to be able to utilize these young men in the future to utilize these young men in the future to help carry the Flyers deep into the playoffs for years to come!
