The 2020 NHL Entry Draft is now in the books. The Flyers went in to the draft with six selections and came out with five players after making a few trades. In the 1st round, they took Tyson Foerster, a winger that loves to shoot the puck. In the 2nd round, they took offensive defenseman Emil Andrae. In the fourth round, they chose Zayde Wisdom, a player who former Flyer and (current) fan favorite Wayne Simmonds said the city will love. The Flyers wrapped up the draft by taking wingers Elliot Desnoyers and Connor McClennon in the 5th and 6th rounds, respectively. Let’s take a deeper dive into each new prospect below.
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Tyson Foerster
For everyone out there clamoring for the Flyers to draft a goal scorer, they got their guy. Foerster, a 6’2, 194lb. RW from the Barrie Colts is never afraid to rip off a shot. He doesn’t need a whole lot of space to get it off either. Foerster’s draft comparison was to T.J. Oshie of the Washington Capitals. Foerster thought it was a great comparison for him because “He’s [Oshie] a complete player. He does it everywhere. He plays penalty kill. He does powerplay. He does last minute.” Foerster racked up 80 (36-44-80) points in 62 games last year for the Barrie Colts of the OHL. While most scouts believe that his skating must improve for Foerster to be successful in the NHL, the same was said about current Flyer and 2020 Selke winner Sean Couturier. He turned out to be pretty good. Foerster looks like he could be a top 6 guy that goes for 25-30 goals every year while also adding 30-35 assists.
Emil Andrae
An absolute steal for the Flyers. Andrae is one of the best offensive defensemen in the draft and he fell right to the Flyers in the second round. Chuck Fletcher, Flyers GM, said the team’s plan was “we absolutely in no circumstances will go for position. Definitely take the best player.” Well, in the second round, they got it right. Andrae, a Swedish product, played for HV71 of the SHL and put up an 11-27-38 line in 40 games. Andrae is a LHD and should move through the Flyers’ system quickly. Although he is not the biggest defender, he is very hard to play against. He uses his frame well to protect pucks, and has excellent vision when making plays. It would not surprise me if he makes the team out of training camp next season.
Zayde Wisdom
Already dubbed “the new fan favorite” by former Flyer Wayne Simmonds, Wisdom is a hard working wing that the Flyers traded up in the 4th round to pick. They sent their 4th and 5th rounders at 116 and 147 to get the deal done. Wisdom played in the OHL last season and put up a 29-30-59 line in 62 games. That is great production from a player that Chuck Fletcher described as a “complimentary piece.” Wisdom has a really good shot and is a very strong worker who is hard to knock off the puck. He also does a lot of his work in front of the net. When he isn’t causing problems for the opposing goalie, Wisdom can be found winning puck battles or laying hits on anything that moves. Philly is really going to like this kid. Great pick by the Flyers’ brass.
Elliott Desnoyers
After another trade, the Flyers again move up and take winger Elliot Desnoyers in the 5th round. Desnoyers is a two-way forward who I could see cracking the Flyers’ bottom 6 someday. In 61 games in the QMJHL, Desnoyers potted 11 goals and added 24 helpers for an 11-24-35 line. The left-handed shot is capable of setting up his teammates in great areas to be able to finish. To go along with his hockey skills, he is also an alternate captain for the Halifax Mooseheads. Scott Laughton is a player that comes to mind when watching Desnoyers play. Another good pick for the Flyers.
Connor McClennon
The Flyers took Connor McClennon in the 6th round. McClennon is a small player but plays bigger than his size. Scoring 49 points in 42 games (21-28-49), McClennon has shown he can be a scorer in the WHL. Another prospect who wore an “A” for his team, McClennon, is a right winger with a right hand shot. Despite not going until the 6th round, many analysts had him ranked in their top-100 list. He was listed as high as 77 by Dobber Prospects. This is another player that can fill out the Flyers’ bottom 6 in the future. To reach the NHL, McClennon may need to put on some more weight while keeping his speed.
The Flyers had a really good draft. Chuck Fletcher made some good trades to get his guys. The scouting staff has always been one of the Flyers’ organizational strengths and they proved it yet again this year. Some might be disappointed to come away with only five players, but if you value quality over quantity, you should be very excited to see these guys come through the system and wear the Orange and Black.
We should value quality over quantity! But last two picks should have been in my mind made for need, and thus would have been right shot defender or defenders! I would have been happy, if we have made only four picks, but that must have included quality right shot defender!