The NHL draft is only days away, and anything can happen at the draft. With that being said, here are some diamonds in a rough that the Flyers could end up with late in the latter parts of the draft.
Round 5: (150), RHD, Cooper Cleaves
Cleaves is a beast on the blueline, as he stands at 6’4 while weighing 200 pounds. He is only 18-years of age, and Cleaves will play for the Vernon Vipers in the BCHL next season.
He has plenty to offer, but Cleaves needs some development too. He will play for Dartmouth College in 2025-26. One thing about Cleaves is he loves to suffocate his opponents at the blue line. Cleaves would make it that much harder for opponents to enter the zone on a nightly basis against the orange and black.
Round 5: (148) G, Jakub Milota
Milota is a decent sized netminder, as he stands at 6’2. He appeared in 33 games for the Cape Breton Eagles in the QMJHL while registering a 2.82 GAA, and a .905 Save Percentage. He also went 18-11-1 for the Eagles this past season.
The young prospect in Milota looked composed in net from the start of the year in 2023-24, in his first season from Czechia. Milota has some size in net, and has the ability to cut off the angles well. He can improve his rebound control, and skating. However, Milota has the ability to be a draft day steal for the orange and black with stealing big games on consecutive nights. The Flyers have no need to rush his development with the likes of a young promising netminders in Samuel Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, and Alexei Kolosov waiting in the wings, but there is uncertainty in net, thanks in large part to Carter Hart’s situation from the 2018 Hockey Canada Sexual Assault.
Drafting a goaltender is never a bad thing, as it’s the most unpredictable position the sport has to offer.
Round 6: (177) RW, Diego Johnson
Diego Johnson has a motor. He closes gaps well, and he could be a steal at this point of the draft. For the season, he registered four goals, and six assists for a total of 10 points in 31 games played for the Madison Capitols in the USHL. Johnson needed a good draft season, and he provided that for the competition ahead. He has committed to the University of Wisconsin for the 2024-25 season.
At age 17, Johnson stands at 5’11, and weighs 165 pounds. He is a good reliable penalty killer, that thrives with short-handed goals. Johnson, believe it or not is good as springing his teammates with breakout passes, and he usually places himself in the right positions for a nice easy wrist shot on net. All in all this would be a high valued pick for the Flyers late in the draft.
Round 7: (205) C/RW, Alexander Shen
Shen fell in the draft for good reason. He had trouble scoring at a point per game pace in the MHL. He netted 10 goals and 14 assists in 42 games played for Mamonty Yugry in the MHL this past season.
He has good defensive awareness, and he is willing to sacrifice his body with blocking shots and throwing his weight around, but he has to produce offensively. Shen is only 17-years of age, so he has time to hone in on his development, and get things straight. There is no rush, and he would be worth the pick at this point of the draft.
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