With the 135th overall pick in the 2023 NHL Entry, Daniel Brière and the Philadelphia Flyers drafted defenseman Carter Sotheran from the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL.
After a terrific first day of the draft where they grabbed Matvei Michkov 7th overall and Oliver Bonk 22nd overall, the Flyers continued their draft success into the 2nd day. They traded into the 2nd round with Chicago to draft the top ranked North American goaltender in Carson Bjarnason at #51. In return, Chicago received pick #167 and a 2024 2nd round pick that originally belonged to Los Angeles.
Then they drafted Russian goaltender Egor Zavragin with the 87th pick, Denver Barkey with the 95th pick, Cole Knuble with the 103rd pick, and Alex Čiernik 120th. Barkey, Knuble, and Čiernik were great picks and had slipped a little later than anticipated.
Sotheran looks like another great value pick for Brière and company as he was ranked 55th by Elite Prospects.
“A transition ace, Sotheran consistently creates favourable situations up the rink with patience and skill on the breakout. The anticipation and feel for the game appear on the side of the puck, too. He angles opponents, forcing them wide before going for the puck. And when he recovers possession, he instantly makes the best pass to start the counterattack.”
In his first season in the WHL, Sotheran scored 4 goals and 23 points in 68 games. He stands in at 6’3” and 205 pounds, is a physical specimen, plays great defensively, and most importantly he’s an RHD, which the Flyers have been coveting after acquiring Helge Grans and drafting Oliver Bonk.
The Manitoba native played for the Pembina Valley Hawks U18 AAA the year prior, where he scored 20 goals and 54 points in 41 games before taking the stage in the WHL. Many draft boards had him going in the third round including McKeen’s Hockey at 72, Smaht Scouting at 77, and Consolidated Rankings at 87.
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