With the 2023 NHL Entry Draft only a couple hours away from kicking off, the Philadelphia Flyers sit pretty in the middle, high up in the first round.
They will miss out on top prospects Connor Bedard, Adam Fantilli, Leo Carlsson, and Will Smith for certain. After that it seems like a crapshoot with Matvei Michkov, Zach Benson, and Ryan Leonard mixed in. Anything can happen, things can change on a whim, and who knows, maybe the Flyers draft David Reinbacher instead?
However, for those who are reluctant to the idea of drafting a defenseman so high up in the draft – a first round that is deep with forwards – there are a slew of them available in the back-end of the first round. Oliver Bonk, Lukas Dragicevic, Mikhail Gulyayev, and Dmitri Simashev all should be on the Flyers list of defensemen to target with the later of their 2 first rounders.
Reinbacher is certainly going to be off the board as he holds top-10 potential with some having him going as high as 5th. Axel Sandin Pellikka might be the most offensively-gifted defenseman in the draft and should be off the board within the first 15 picks, while his Swedish running mate Tom Willander – who some suggest is better than Sandin Pellikka – should follow suit.
The volatility of this draft, especially from pick 9 and onwards, will throw curveballs all throughout and will leave a very talented prospect close to the 22nd overall selection that the Flyers hold. A trade could very well be in the cards if Daniel Brière sees a can’t miss prospect still floating around. In any regard, the aforementioned quartet should provide enough impact for the Flyers pipeline even if they can’t nab a Willander or a Reinbacher.
Oliver Bonk
(Dennis Pajot/Getty Images)
Oliver Bonk, son of former NHLer Radek Bonk, is a defenseman for the London Knights. He stands in at 6’2” and 176 pounds, is a coveted right-hand shot, and is coming off his first full season in the OHL. He scored 10 goals and 40 points in 67 regular seasons games, while adding 11 assists in 21 post-season games.
Bonk comes in with glowing reviews from the draft-makers and analysts as he projects to be a very safe pick, responsible in his own zone, and while he doesn’t have elite offensive capabilities, he’ll still register a good amount of points on a yearly basis.
Chris Peters of Flo Hockey: “Bonk is a solid defender who hounds opposing forwards. He has some two-way value, but is still establishing his offensive game. He has top-four potential and could be a good matchups defenseman, too.”
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic: “He’s a pro-built defenceman who plays a firm game, possesses good overall skill, has solid edgework and directional changes, and escapes pressure well. He influences the game through his effectiveness and the consistency of his habits.”
Corey Pronman of The Athletic: “Bonk’s toolkit looks like an NHL defenseman. He’s a 6-foot-2 right shot with strong mobility and offensive touch. Bonk is able to skate pucks up ice, make some skilled plays, and shows good poise from the blue line.”
Jason Bukala of Sportsnet: “Big body. Coveted right shot defenceman. Two-way defender who does not project to run a first unit NHL power play, but can match up against top opponents and provide some push back physically.”
He’s a top two-way defenseman, is very mobile, can defend his own zone with relative ease, and will very rarely draw the ire of his head coach with boneheaded mistakes. His outlet passes, transitions from zone to zone, and his exits are what make him an elite two-way option. His mobility has caught the attention of several general managers and it wouldn’t be egregious to believe that he can go as early as 20.
The Flyers don’t have many prospects like Bonk lying around and he would automatically become their best defensive prospect. With Emil Andrae, Ronnie Attard, Helge Grans, and Egor Zamula highlighting the crop, the quality and quantity is few and far in between.
Bonk is the 18th ranked North American skater, 30th on Bob McKenzie and Craig Button’s lists, 26th on The Hockey News and Daily Faceoff, and 28th on Recruit Scouting.
Lukas Dragicevic
(Jari Pestelacci/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images)
Richmond, British Columbia native, Lukas Dragicevic, stands in at 6’1” and 194 pounds, is also a coveted right-hand shooting defenseman, and is coming off his 2nd full season with the Tri-City Americans of the WHL.
He scored 6 goals and 32 points in 62 games for the Americans in 2021-22 but exploded for 15 goals and 75 points in 68 games this season. Dragicevic has also represented Team Canada at the World Junior Championship U18 with 3 points in 4 games in 2021-22 and 4 points in 7 games in 2022-23.
He comes in with very similar attributes to Oliver Bonk with the slight advantage in the fact that he can quarterback the top unit of a power play. Bonk could become a power play quarterback but most likely with the second unit, where Dragicevic has the offensive capabilities to do it as soon as possible. His disadvantage to Bonk however is his defensive play since he is more offensively oriented.
His transitions and outlet passes are a strength and his confidence shines when he’s showing off offensively. Part of that wizardry with the puck is his elite skating mixed in with his passing. He can not only set you up with the outlet pass, he can hit his teammates in stride, tape-to-tape, and with his head up all the time, he can find the open man with relative ease.
Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News: “If you love all-out offensive attacking blueliners, you’ll love Dragicevic. The Tri-City defender is excellent with the puck on his stick in transition, looking to create off the rush and generate offense for a squad that struggled to compete and produce at times.”
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic: “But Dragicevic’s game has some real warts, highlighted most notably by, as one scout aptly describe to me, “clunky feet.” He gives too much in his gaps, likely to compensate for his footwork and also his processing speed (he’s just doesn’t pick up on when to close gaps in real time fast enough).”
Corey Pronman of The Athletic: “He shows the high-end IQ to let plays develop, hold pucks under pressure, and jump into attacks at the right time to go with a strong point shot. The question with Dragicevic will be without the puck.”
Jason Bukala of Sportsnet: “Evolving defensively. Average on the penalty-kill. Aggressive on the offensive blue line. Deceptive and elusive. Not shy about directing pucks on goal from range and pinching down to keep pucks alive.”
He comes in ranked 20th on McKeen’s Hockey, 24th on The Hockey News, 26th on Recruit Scouting, and 27th from Bob McKenzie. Dragicevic is a gifted offensive defenseman that can make an immediate impact for the listless Flyers backend and power play.
Mikhail Gulyayev
(RvS.Media/Monika Majer/Getty Images)
Hailing from Novosibirsk, Russia, Mikhail Gulyayev, is one of the more underrated and not-so mentioned names in the first round of the upcoming draft. Playing in Russia sometimes has it’s disadvantages because the scouting has lessened and it allows players with great upside to slide further in the draft than originally planned.
Gulyayev is coming off a 2022-23 season where he played for Avangard Omsk of the KHL, Omskie Krylia of the VHL, and Omskie Yastreby of the MHL. In the KHL he recorded 1 assist in 13 games, in the VHL he recorded 4 assists in 12 games, and in the MHL he scored 2 goals and 25 points in 22 games with 10 points in 17 post-season appearances. He is expected to play a full season in the KHL in 2023-24 and is under contract under 2024-25.
He is a first-round talent bar none, has excellent skating abilities, and is an offensive dynamo from the backend. He is confident, can handle the puck like no other, and similar to Dragicevic and Bonk, he excels in the transition game. He set an MHL record for a 16-year-old when he scored 35 points in 54 games, paced his own defensemen in points with less games played, and has found ways to put the back in the back of the net in all leagues he’s stepped foot in.
Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News: “A skilled offensive blueliner who is excellent on the breakout, Gulyayev must work on his defensive decision-making to truly ascend the draft board. His passing from the offensive blueline is one of his best assets.”
Gray Matter of Smaht Scouting: “A dynamic and elusive offensive defenceman with good puck skills all around. He lacks some size and physicality, he gets knocked down easily, and can struggle with physical battles sometimes; but in spite of this, he defends decently well.”
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic: “He’s a commanding offensive defenceman who is at his best when he’s looking to take charge with his feet. And while we don’t often see smaller non-Quinn Hughes defenceman taken as high as I have him ranked here, he doesn’t play small and I like his game at both ends of the ice because of his mobility and the way he reads the play.”
Jordan Harris of Dobber Prospects: “He is a smooth skating offensive creator who is a shrewd passer and excels at reading the play, displaying these skills on the rush and off the cycle, as well as from up top on the power play. Gulyayev is also a willing and capable defender who uses his mobility to disrupt oncoming rushes and an active stick to break up plays.”
EliteProspects: “Man, can Mikhail Gulyayev fly out there. You give him an inch, and he’s sprinted a mile past you with about as effortless and clean a stride as you’ve ever seen. It’s the defining characteristic of his game; the foundation on which every other part rests. Every bit as comfortable a defensive skater, Gulyayev gaps up early, often attacks puck carriers on an arc, and always takes away the middle of the ice with his stick.”
He is the 10th ranked European Skater, is ranked 19th on McKeen’s Hockey, 23rd on Sportsnet and Daily Faceoff, 24th with Bob McKenzie, and 30th on Dobber Prospect.
Gulyayev is truly a can’t miss prospect in the middle part of the first round and has so much offensive talent that the Flyers should be salivating at the thought of him coming in 2025 and walking the blue-line for years to come. The Russian factor might have hurt his draft stock a little bit but that does more good than bad for the Flyers sitting at #22.
Dmitri Simashev
(KHL)
Coming in at 6’4 and 201 lbs from Kostroma, Russia is defenseman, Dmitri Simashev. The already-hulking Russian prospect is one of the top defenseman of this draft and could fall within the 20s due to the mass exodus of forwards in the middle round.
Unlike Gulyayev and Dragicevic, Simashev is more defensive minded, his offensive talents are a little subpar and questionable, but brings about a rugged, tough, and physical brand of hockey, while remaining responsible in his own end. For someone who comes in at 6’4 and 200+ lbs at the age of 18, Simashev still has room to grow but his skating is surprisingly one of his strongest suits.
Defensively, he can shut plays down, he prevents zone entries, and his quick lateral movements prevent forwards from getting around him in the offensive zone. He spent the 2022-23 season in the KHL with Lokomotiv Yaroslavl and in the MHL with Loko Yaroslavl. He went pointless in 18 games in the KHL and registered 10 points in 29 games in the MHL.
His knock is his offensive game and it’s evidenced by his lack of production at either levels in Russia. That can be chalked up as a work in progress but it shouldn’t overshadow the fact that he is especially sound defensively and is still one of the highest ranked defensemen in this draft class.
Chris Peters of Flo Hockey: “Simashev isn’t a swing from an ability standpoint as he’s big, mobile and showed more offensive capabilities as this season wore on. He very well could be a top-four defenseman that moves pucks and defends at a high level.”
Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News: “Simashev has all of the tools. He is an excellent skater, physical force, deft puck-handler, crisp passer and an intelligent defender with a booming shot.”
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic: “It’s hard not to like the way he way he can play in transition, whether defending the rush with his feet and reach or skating through neutral ice or out of the defensive zone in possession. But I don’t see a ton of skill/smarts in control, where his game can simplify.”
Corey Pronman of The Athletic: “Simashev is a toolsy defenseman as a 6-foot-4 blueliner who skates quite well for his size. He’s not dynamic offensively, but he has good puck skills, can beat checkers one-on-one with his hands, makes a solid outlet pass and makes some plays from the offensive blue line.”
EliteProspects: “He has perfect posture, sinking deep into his stride, with ample flexibility through his hips, knees, and ankles, allowing him to generate power and agility that few can match. He gaps up early in space and can match opponents speed with relative ease, and his considerable defensive range allows him to recover if he’s lost a step. He can match opponents footwork with ease in the small-area game, taking away time and space before closing with force.”
Simashev comes in as the 8th ranked skater for Dobber Prospect, 9th ranked for McKeen’s Hockey, 10th for Recruit Scouting and Smaht Scouting, 14th on Daily Faceoff, and 35th on Bob McKenzie’s list.
The Flyers will have plenty of options to choose from defensively with Bonk, Dragicevic, Gulyayev, and Simashev all projected to be later picks in the first round. Bonk is one of the best two-way defensemen in his draft class, Dragicevic and Gulyayev are offensive defenseman with a flair for skating, passing, and transitions, and Simashev is a big-bodied defensive defenseman with a booming shot who needs to work on his offense but has his defense on lock. If they choose either one of these 4, it’ll provide a quality name to a pipeline bereft of quantity of quality after the aforementioned quartet of Andrae, Attard, Grans, and Zamula.
2024 Stadium Series Trip
Flyers Nation and Philly Sports Trips have teamed up to bring you on an amazing bus trip to the 2024 NHL Stadium Series between the Flyers and Devils. Place an early deposit to reserve your spot at the ultimate tailgate experience at MetLife Stadium before the game. The package includes a game ticket, round-trip charter bus, an all-inclusive tailgate party with unlimited cold beverages, “Philly Style” catered food, live entertainment, and more.
