Photo Credit: Tyger Williams/Philadelphia Inquirer
Who? What? The Flyers did what? The Flyers made a trade to snag Carson Bjarnason, G, who plays for the Brandon Wheat Kings. The Flyers traded up with the Chicago Blackhawks to No. 51 at the 2023 NHL Draft. They gave up a second rounder for next year as the main focal point of the deal.
He’s a big goalie and Bjarnason was third in saves in the WHL around mid-December. Bjarnason stands at 6’4 and weighs 190 pounds. He finished the season with a paltry 3.08 GAA, and a .907 Save Percentage. Some perceived him as the best goaltender in the draft, and his numbers do not suggest how good he was/is. He wasn’t given much help this past season for the Wheat Kings either.
Bjarnason came to Flyers’ Developmental Camp in great shape. He just looked confident, and moved laterally from post to post well. Bjarnason is a good skating netminder, and that was on stage at Developmental Camp.
Brent Flahr indicated before the 2023 draft that the Flyers would look to add a Goaltender, well enter Bjarnason, arguably one of the most talented Goaltender of the crop of draft eligible prospects. How this will end is anyone’s guess, but that was your selection for the Flyers at 51.
“Carson was one of the top-rated Canadian goalies coming into the season. He’s big. He’s athletic. He has dynamic movements. Our goalie coaches and goalie scouts have been very high on him. He’s had a big role in Brandon the last couple of years and he has a chance to be a Hockey Canada goalie here going forward. We are excited to get him,” Brent Flahr said of Bjarnason.
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Heading into the 2023 Draft, Bjarnason was considered by many pundits to be the top rated goalies of the class. Bjarnason tracks the puck at an elite level, and he appears to always be in position to make a crucial save.
“Foot work is a big thing for me. I have to use my size a lot more, speed and size,” Bjarnason said. “There is always room for development and work.”
Believe it or not, Bjarnason has a good glove hand, and the way he makes blocker saves is a rarity in today’s sport. He has a knack for the game, and is able to adjust quickly. Even with his size he moves laterally from post to post well. He did say to us (Media at Flyers’ Developmental Camp in 2023) that one of his goals was to make his national team for the world juniors for the next few years. Evidently he takes pride in that.
How Bjarnason will turn out is anyone’s guess, but he has all the tools to be successful at the professional level. Jesper Wallstedt is a good comparable with both being well over six foot, and both appear to have the same playing style.
