Philadelphia Flyers NHL Draft Analysis

Ah the NHL Draft has come and gone.

Two of my favorite days of the year. This was surely going to be an interesting one, being the first under Danny Briere and the big Flyers’ managerial overhaul.

The Flyers decided to not “tank” last year, much to the dismay of many fans, including myself. The 2023 Draft class is one of the strongest in recent memory with four to five players that would have all been the first pick last year.

It was a perfect time to tank. Spoiler alert, the Flyers were lucky enough to come away with one of those star players despite trying their best to compete last season. Maybe things are finally starting to turn in Philadelphia!

I’m here to give you a breakdown on that particular prospect and all of the other Flyers draft picks from 2023.

I came away quite impressed with Danny Briere’s first Draft. Of course we can not fully judge these picks until years down the road. Still, I liked Danny’s combination of big time upside, value picks, and some positional needs. I believe he has things trending upward. Most importantly, that he filled one major, hard to acquire need in the first round. Let’s dive in!

Round 1 (7 overall): Matvei Michkov RW – 5’10, 172lbs

I’m not sure where to start on this pick and yet, I could talk about it for hours… days… years!! (Maybe 3 years…)

The Flyers took a player here with transcendent offensive potential. When was the last time that was ever written? Matvei Michkov is not quite the prospect Connor Bedard is, but he was neck and neck with him for several years leading up to this draft and is a lot closer to him than you may think.

The two of them have been hyped up since they were 12 years old, and for good reason. Michkov is the best Russian prospect since Alex Ovechkin and Evgeni Malkin. He does not have the size they have, but he is an offensive genius and finds ways to make plays that others cannot even conjure up.

Michkov has spent the last couple of years breaking record after record in the Russian hockey history books. Out pacing all former Russian legends at the same ages. He accumulated 20 points this year in 27 KHL games. In Ovechkin’s draft year, the great eight put up just 4 more points… in 26 more games! He would be a first overall pick in the vast majority of drafts, and an incredibly strong one at that.

Flyers Finally Catch a Break

For the first time in what feels like forever, the Flyers caught a break. Due to a contract with Matvei’s current KHL team that runs through 2025 and the ongoing geopolitical climate with Russia, he dropped. A potential superstar fell to Philadelphia at 7 and they were not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Now of course the reason he fell is legitimate and the Flyers will have to most likely wait out that KHL contract. However, the talent is far too good to pass up anywhere after the first 3 players of this draft, let alone at 7, and I for one am not worried about the Russia status.

Some Flaws

He is not without his flaws as a player. The defense is not great, and probably never will be. I do think his lack of defense is a little overblown. Let’s face it, he is not going to ever be paid to win a Selke. He also is a little undersized with average speed. Alternatively, his edge work is great, and his hockey IQ is off the charts.

What Philly is getting is a dynamic player who makes flashy plays all over the ice, but not unnecessary flashy plays. Despite the insane moves he routinely pulls off, he is incredibly safe with the puck. The way Michkov thinks the game is just on another level.

He has the skills to execute the plan he’s envisioned. He sees things happening before they happen.

He manipulates defenders and sets them up. In a flash, he’s deked them out of their skates. Deposits the puck into the back of the net and celebrates accordingly.

His stickhandling allows him to problem solve with the best of them. His playmaking is fantastic of course, everything about his offensive game is, but his goal scoring ability is his bread and butter. He can beat goaltenders in a variety of ways. He pretty much has every offensive tool in spades.

No Brainer Pick

He adds a little more feistiness than you’d think and wants to win. By all accounts, he has said that he wants to be in Philly. He was hoping they were the one to draft him. He wants to win a Stanley Cup.

The Flyers will have to wait for him, but I promise you, it will be worth the wait.

I think this was a no brainer pick because of the ridiculous talent. Believe it or not but there were teams afraid to take him. You have to credit Danny Briere for having the courage to make his first NHL pick Matvei Michkov.

It is not a sure thing that he hits his enormous potential, but if you ask me, I think history will look back fondly on this pick and the Flyers will finally have their game-breaking, perennial 40+ goal elite player. I encourage you to go enjoy his highlight reels.

This is easily the most exciting Flyers draft pick since Peter Forsberg/Eric Lindros. No pressure, Matvei.

Round 1 (22 overall): Oliver Bonk RHD – 6’2, 176lbs

No offense to Oliver, but this analysis won’t be quite as fun.

With the Flyers second 1st round pick, they took Bonk, the rangy right-handed blueliner. The Flyers attempt at improving their right-side defense starts with Radek’s son.

Bonk’s game is built on defending his own zone. He is a very reliable shut down defender and good puck retriever off the boards. He defends both his blue line and his crease quite well with great gap control, positional awareness, and a long reach. These skills should translate and get him into the NHL.

He has average mobility, that could improve to above average as he gets stronger. His ultimate upside will then come down to his offensive game.

For the London Knights, he is a good two-way defenseman. He scored 40 points in 67 games and his tracking numbers prove his two-way worth as well, courtesy of Mitchell Brown from EP Rinkside. In the NHL however, the offense will be harder to come by.

He does have an array of moves in the offensive zone and shows flashes of high-end play making, but for the most part he tends to be a volume shooter rather than a creative playmaker.

His handling skills need some work as well. I think he can be a good modern day defensive defenseman, as that side of the puck is already sound and he should get stronger and better in all areas.

I do not believe he has top pair potential, and this was a little bit more of a conservative pick, but the Flyers likely do have an NHLer here. With the right improvements, he could be a reliable second pair right-handed defenseman.

Round 2 (51 overall): Carson Bjarnason G – 6’3, 190lbs

I do not scout goaltenders like I do all other positions. I do however subscribe to the theory that teams should take at least one in every draft. Goalies are voodoo after all.

The Flyers traded up to nab one in the second round. The 2023 goalie class is believed to be a strong one. While opinions on the rankings vary, Bjarnason was the top ranked North American stopper in the class according to NHL Central Scouting.

Carson had an inconsistent season, but also played on a very bad Brandon Wheat Kings team. He has been deemed good enough to be a part of Hockey Canada – a backup role at the Hlinka and a starting job at the U-18 Worlds. While that tournament did not go well, it will be interesting to see if he gets a shot at redemption for the U-20 World Juniors.

Bjarnason is a large goalie who reads the play exceptionally well. Much like Carter Hart, who he mentioned he models his game after, his intelligence allows him to make some tricky saves look routine.

The tools are there, the size is there, and the IQ is there. The consistency has eluded him so far. As mentioned before, goalies are very hard to predict, and their development curves are different.

There were several talented players available in round 2 that I would have liked, but there is potential here in Carson. The Flyers have drafted some good goalies of late, namely in Hart, Kolosov, Fedotov, and Ersson.

There is clear upside and enough history to trust in their evaluation.

Round 3 (87 overall): Egor Zavragin G – 6’2, 183lbs

While I am always okay with taking a goalie in the draft, two in a row came as a surprise.

Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr mentioned that it was just the way the board fell and the value they placed on him was too good to pass up.

Zavragin is another goalie with a good frame and strong processing. Egor is coming off a nice season in the MHL where he posted a .920 save percentage and he is very young for his draft class.

Byron Bader on twitter has shown that drafting European goalies that reach high levels of pro hockey at a young age is a very smart move for NHL teams. He also mentions that Zavagrin is trending well in his young career.

With his age, production, and size, Egor seems like a good dart throw for the Flyers. 

Round 3 (95 overall): Denver Barkey C – 5’9, 154

Denver Barkey not only has a great hockey name, but he is a lot of fun too.

Barkey combines great speed with ferocious compete and a good skill package. He produced at just under a point per game clip in the OHL and I would expect him to have a big year there next season.

He is a fearless player with some high-end flashes. Obviously, Denver is very undersized, and I am not sure his skill is quite dynamic enough to overcome it totally.

I do believe that his skating, defensive ability, and IQ will make him an NHLer though. His ultimate upside might be a 2nd line winger, but I would sooner bet that he becomes a pesky and 3rd liner who can move up and down a line up.

Round 4 (95 overall): Cole Knuble C – 5’11, 185 lbs

As Simon Gagne’s biggest fan, Mike Knuble has a special place in my heart, being the perfect compliment to him and Peter Forsberg back in the mid-2000s.

Yes, Cole is Mike’s son and is now a Flyer! He probably should have been drafted last year but went undrafted. To his credit, put his head down and went about improving his skating.

Coming into this draft, he was one of the top overagers available. He doesn’t have his father’s size, but he has a non-stop motor, good intelligence, and drives the net.

His skating is still just average but could keep improving as it did this year. He has underrated handling skills and has demonstrated good line driving results in Junior hockey.

Knuble has the makings of a hard working fan favorite bottom sixer in Philly.

Round 4 (120 overall): Alex Ciernik LW – 5’10, 179

Aside from Michkov, this may be the biggest steal in terms of value.

The Flyers scooped Ciernik with the 120th pick, despite having a consensus “public” ranking of 50, including one source listing him 19th, according to hockeypipeline.com. Ciernik produced pretty well in Sweden this year and he is a key player on Slovakia’s international teams.

Alex has a good bit of developing ahead of him before having a chance to make an NHL impact, but there are enticing tools here.

It starts with his electric skating ability.

Alex has great speed, combined with impressive edge work and a unique ability to make plays while in full stride. He can put defenders on their heels and he loves to create.

He has plus hands and can fit passes through tight seams, which he loves to attempt. His shot is not bad but does need some improvement. He will need to progress defensively and work on becoming more engaged and inside driven as well.

There is a lot to like in his offensive toolkit and if he hits, Ciernik could be an NHL 2nd liner. I love this swing for the Flyers.

Round 5 (135 overall): Carter Sotheran RHD – 6’3, 203lbs

The Flyers continued to beef up their right-side defense with another big bodied defender.

Unlike Bonk though, Carter’s defense must improve and there is a lot more projection to his game.

Sotheran is a very good skater, and coupled with his size, that is already an intriguing combo. He is dynamic in transition but raw in the rest of his game. He flashes some good examples of handling and playmaking but without a ton of consistency. He only had 23 points in 68 OHL games this year but wasn’t handed big minutes.

It will be interesting to see if he is given more next year and if he can bloom if given those opportunities. The size and skating package to go with his transition game is enough to make this a decent shot at this stage in the draft.

Round 6 (172 overall): Ryan MacPherson C – 6’0, 176lbs

MacPherson played his draft season in the GOJHL.

He will next be playing in the BCHL before going to the University of New Hampshire. There is a long way to go with his development and Brent Flahr seems to like taking guys like that later in the draft.

Ryan played on a line with his twin brother Connor, who will likely be attending the Flyers Development Camp as an invitee. The GOJHL is not very good competition, but the two of them both finished top 15 in the league in points.

He is a decent skater with good hockey sense, but it is hard to know how he will translate to better leagues. You would hope he dominates the BCHL as well before heading to the NCAA, where things will start to get much tougher.

Round 7 (199 overall): Matteo Mann RHD – 6’6, 229lbs

The Flyers closed out their draft with another right-handed defender, this one being a massive Mann.

Playing in the QMJHL, Mann managed only 5 points this season, all assists. He is not a great puck handler, and it will only become harder as he progresses levels. Offense is not what he is the ice for though.

Mann’s value, probably unsurprisingly, comes from his physicality. He is a good skater, especially for his size, and he is a hulking defender, so he could be an intimidating force on the backend if all goes well.

The Flyers clearly wanted to add right-handed shots and some size to their defense corps. I wouldn’t expect Matteo to become an NHLer, but who knows, maybe the Flyers will have their version of Arber Xhekaj.

PAUL POLLOCK IS HEAD OF HW HOCKEY’S ANALYTIC DEPARTMENT AND PART OF THE SCOUTING TEAM
PHOTO: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports
LISTEN TO HIGH AND WIDE RADIO ON APPLE PODCASTS OR SPOTIFY
FOR MORE FLYERS COVERAGE, FOLLOW AND SUBSCRIBE TO HIGH & WIDE HOCKEY ON FACEBOOK, TWITTER, AND YOUTUBE!