With all the limelight being thrown towards the 7th overall pick, sometimes we forget that the Philadelphia Flyers have a late first round pick to worry about as well. Daniel Brière acquired the 22nd pick of the first round in a three-team trade that sent Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets earlier this month.
All signs are pointing to the Flyers selecting a forward with the 7th overall pick. There’s a true domino effect if Matvei Michkov slips out of the top-6 because that would leave the Flyers with Dalibor Dvorsky, Nate Danielson, or Oliver Moore as their best options – if they choose the risk is too high on Michkov as well. If Michkov is taken within the top-6, then one of Zach Benson or Ryan Leonard should be available ripe for the taking.
What he ends up doing with the 22nd pick is anyone’s guess because he could try to trade up and draft a prospect like Axel Sandin Pellikka for example. If he decides to sit still, he has the opportunity to add another talented forward to the mix in Daniil But, Andrew Cristall, Riley Heidt, or Brayden Yager.
Daniil But
Coming out of Yaroslavl, Russia, Daniil But is a 6’5”, 2o5 pound left-winger who plays for his hometown club, Lokomotiv Yaroslavl. He spent the 2021-22 season in the MHL with Loko Yaroslavl, where he scored 17 goals and 42 point sin 46 games, before adding 15 goals and 26 points in 26 games this past season. He also spent some time with Loko-76 Yaroslavl where he tallied 3 goals and 6 points in 6 games and also 15 games in the KHL with 2 goals.
EliteProspects: “The first thing that jumps out at you with But – once you get past the way he towers over everyone else on the ice – is just how coordinated, dextrous, and creative he is with the puck on his stick. His ability to chain difficult pass receptions into handling moves and handling moves into passes or shots is really quite remarkable. Not even just for someone his size, either. On top of that, But is a potent finisher, capable of getting his shot off on either leg, with a quick release, and almost textbook mechanical form.”
Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News: “Despite his mobility being average, he is quite good in small area instances throughout a game, showing quickness in tight spots. He can get off the boards quickly and create his own shot or find a teammate in the slot.”
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic: “Scouts are drawn to him because of his size-skill combo and committed 200-foot game, and while he can look a little uncoordinated out there at times, he skates well for his size, his hands are nimble for his size, the draw is real and there are some definite tools there.”
Corey Pronman of The Athletic: “He makes a lot of crafty plays with the puck in small areas, and with his massive wingspan he’s able to pull pucks past a lot of checkers. He can both make and finish plays well, but he’s more of a goal scorer with a shot that can score from range.”
Chris Peters of Flo Hockey: “Casting a massive 6-foot-5 frame, But does not have tremendous quickness, but he has high-end hand skills. Not just good hands for a big guy, good hands period. He has an easy release on his shot and a nose for the net.”
The combination of size and scoring ability has not gone unnoticed with a lot of scouts. The 18-year-old Russian winger has scored at every level he has played in, has above-average skating for a 6’5 frame, and he has pretty soft and nimble hands for a behemoth. His board game has improved, his skating is getting better, and while he’s a tad uncoordinated at times, his shooting and goal scoring balance things out.
But is a little polarizing in the sense that some see him an high-end talent with so much potential, while others see him as a late-first rounder, early-second round player. Corey Pronman has him at #8, McKeen’s Hockey has him at #15, EliteProspects has him as the 24th ranked prospect, Bob McKenzie has him at 25, The Hockey News has him at #30, Craig Button put him at #30, and Dobber Prospects put him at #52. This is usually the case with many Russian forwards – Michkov being the exception.
There are going to be plenty of options near the end of the first round, so Brière shouldn’t fret all too much.
However, if he does end up keeping the pick and remaining in the 22nd slot, But and Heidt should still be around. Cristall has the capabilities of being a top-10 pick and at the very least a top-15 selection but because of team needs, his size and stature, and just the plethora of forwards that will be clumped together in the middle of the first round, Cristall could sneak away and land close to where the Flyers pick. All 3 prospects are very talented, oozing with offensive potential, and each do one thing very well – for Cristall and Heidt it’s their playmaking, for But is his goal-scoring.
Adding either one to the pipeline that already includes Cutter Gauthier, Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, and whoever they draft with the 7th overall pick will instantly ameliorate the system and give the Flyers several different options down the road.
Andrew Cristall
In Andrew Cristall, the Flyers would be selecting a diminutive winger who stands in at 5’9”and 167 pounds but is coming off a season where he scored 39 goals and 95 points for the Kelowna Rockets in just 54 games. He’s a crafty playmaker, has the speed and skating to go with his size, and has a pretty lethal shot – especially on the power play.
Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News: “Cristall is a magician with the puck on his stick in the offensive zone, deking and dangling opponents with quick and precise hands. He can rip a snap shot from the home plate area in the offensive zone or make a pass so pretty, you’d marvel at how it got to its destination.”
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic: “Despite his diminutive size, he’s also a smarter player off of the puck than he gets credit for and I’ve been struck by how often he’s in the right position above the puck to hold play inside the offensive zone.”
Corey Pronman of The Athletic: “Cristall is so dangerous on the power play because of his skill but also his great shot, as he’s scored a ton of goals from range this season. The concerns come down to his frame and especially his skating.”
Chris Peters of Flo Hockey: “As creative as any player in the draft, Cristall simply knows how to score. His ability to anticipate and read the defense to find the right spot to put himself is next level. The legitimate concern beyond his below-average size is that he is also a below-average skater.”
There’s a chance he goes before the 22nd pick as the draft boards have him all over the place. The Hockey News ranked him #6, Smaht Scouting has him at #12, Bob McKenzie put him at #18, McKeen’s Hockey has him at #25, and Craig Button has him at #35.
Cristall is extremely talented and already boasts several intangibles that are always hard to teach. Skating, speed, and his hockey IQ are off the charts but once again, it’s his stature that has him a lot lower than he should be.
Cristall scored 28 goals and 69 points in 61 games for the Rockets in 2021-22 and as Elite Prospects mentioned, he’s a dynamic player.
“A dynamic player through and through, Cristall adds the extra flash to every play. He beats defenders with head fakes, handling skills, and slick edges before cutting inside or finding a teammate burst into the slot. He starts the plays, builds them, and then puts the finishing touches on them. He’s an inventive playmaker, capable of turning the mundane into the brilliant, breaking down opponents with feints and deception before sending perfectly weighted passes to his teammates to do the rest.”
If the Flyers find him to be a can’t-miss-prospect, Brière and company could look to trade up just in case they think another team is going to draft him right before the 22nd selection.
Riley Heidt
Riley Heidt also comes from the Western Hockey League as he plays his junior hockey with the Prince George Cougars. In 2021-22, Heidt scored 21 goals ad 58 points in 65 games, before adding 25 goals and 97 points in 68 games this past season.
Similar to Cristall, his size might come as a disadvantage for his draft stock as he comes in at 5’10” and 178 pounds. The centre-iceman is an elite playmaker, has incredible vision, and is also a very strong skater. Heidt finished 5th in the WHL in points, behind only Connor Bedard, Chase Wheatcroft – his teammate – Zach Benson, and Logan Stankhoven – who he tied with. His 72 assists were tied for first with Bedard and he led the league in power play assists with 39.
Tony Ferrari of The Hockey News: “Riley Heidt is a silky-smooth passer who uses deception as a playmaker to enhance his offensive game. It’s not often a player can make passes cross-body or with the puck pulled into his feet the way Heidt does, but that ability to contort his body position and make a pass from irregular positions has been noticeable in Heidt’s game.”
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic: “He’s also a strong skater who is light on his edges, plays with jump, builds speed quickly into flight to put defenders on their heels and/or create separation, leads a lot of neutral-zone carries into entries, and makes plays into space for himself or his linemates at pace, though he can over-pass at times (to the point where he passes up good looks). He’ll make plays through seams.”
Corey Pronman of The Athletic: “He hits seams at a high rate and makes a lot of creative passes. The question on him will be whether a 5-foot-10 forward with mediocre speed and compete is going to make a dent in the NHL.”
Chris Peters of Flo Hockey: “Heidt doesn’t have the size factor in his favor, but he absolutely torched the WHL this season, has high-end vision and can make some really good soft-skill plays.”
EliteProspects: “Nasty physically, despite his 5-foot-11 frame, Heidt has the handling, shooting, and vision to inflict major damage on opponents. He takes the extra stride to play the body, never passes up an opportunity to sneak in a shot behind the play, and is an enthusiastic combatant in scrums. On retrievals, Heidt establishes inside positioning early, drives through opponents’ hands, and separates them from the puck. And the use of contact to create space in the small area game allows him to spin off of defensive pressure and attack the inside.”
Heidt is an exceptional young talent who could very easily be a top-15 player in almost any other draft. The 2023 draft class just features an abundance of very skilled forwards and because of that, Heidt is figured to drop in around the 22nd pick. One intangible that sometimes gets overlooked because of his size is his bodychecking and physical play. He knows when and how to finish his checks and they are usually of the hard-hitting variety.
The Hockey News has him ranked 20th, Bob McKenzie put him 22nd, EliteProspects has him 27th, and McKeen’s Hockey has him ranked 29th.
Brayden Yager
The volatility of this draft could push a player like Brayden Yager closer to the Flyers later in the first round. There have been several mock drafts that have placed him in the mid-teens, while some have even pegged him to be selected in the early 20s and if that is the case and he somehow drops, the Flyers should be interested in the player if they believe his second half of the season was just an anomaly.
His reviews have been widespread and can vary depending on who the analyst is. The 5’11”, 166 pound centreman came in 7th on Bob McKenzie’s mid-season ranking behind only Bedard, Fantilli, Carlsson, Michkov, Benson, and Smith. He was 9th on Sam Cosentino’s list in March but was 22nd on Tony Ferrari’s midseason ranking. Nevertheless, Yager is coming off a good season where he scored 28 goals and 78 points in 67 games for the Moose Jaw Warriors of the WHL.
In Ferrari’s midseason ranking, he said, “Brayden Yager is a high-level finisher who has an unreal release, blistering shots by netminders with ease. When he gets going, he can pick up speed and is a very dangerous player off the rush. Yager is a good passer in motion, creating some of his best chances for teammates as a give-and-go presence on the rush. But there are far too many instances of Yager taking his foot off the gas when he doesn’t have the puck. His defensive commitment can be frightful at times. If Yager was a player who took the play into his own hands more often, he could probably find greater success.”
He followed back up in June with, “Yager played center on Moose Jaw’s top line for much of the season, developing a decent playmaking touch to go along with his shot. Unfortunately, production and raw shooting talent never seemed to line up as he failed to reach 30 goals this season despite hitting 34 last year.”
Chris Peters of Flo Hockey: “Like Benson, Yager has been very hard to pin down. There’s a wide array of opinions on him and where he’ll go. Yager has legitimate scoring talent that took a slight dip this year.
“His offensive tools are without question as Yager has good hands, a terrific shot and an offensive sense that rivals many players in this class. He has one-on-one skill, knows how to create time and space for himself and can make those around him better.”
Corey Pronman of The Athletic: “He plays with a lot of speed and energy, showing the ability to carry pucks up the ice and make skilled plays with pace. He’s not the biggest center, but Yager plays hard, showing a commitment to making plays without the puck and winning a lot of battles even though he’s not overly physical.”
Scott Wheeler of The Athletic: “Yager plays a threatening, attacking, puck-dominant game with skill in straight lines and in cutting sequences in transition. He’s got smooth skating mechanics.”
The tools for him to succeed are there and ever-present, however it seems that sometimes he plays a little lackadaisical. He has the speed, the skating, the passing, the shooting, and everything in between but many believe he let up in the second half, which explains the drop off in his ranking. He was being touted as a top-10 pick at one point and now it’s not the craziest thought that he drops into the 20s and perhaps very late in the first round.
In his recent top-12 draft rankings, Bob McKenzie mentioned that 5 other players received top-12 rankings from multiple scouts with Yager being one of them. The other 4 included Nate Danielson, Samuel Honzek, Oliver Moore, and Axel Sandin Pellikka. Once again making a strong point that the volatility of this draft will change things on a dime after the first 3 picks are in.
Yager scored 34 goals in 2021-22 and was expected to break the 40-goal mark and beyond this past season with his draft stock on the line. He had a great first half of the season but fell off near the end, making him a bag of mixed tricks. That still shouldn’t affect his draft stock too much and it wouldn’t be an egregious selection from the Flyers if they chose him with the later of their two first round picks.
Any of these three forwards would do wonders for the depth of the Flyers pipeline and in a few years time could be seen walking into the confines of the Wells Fargo Center making their NHL debut alongside fellow prospects Tyson Foerster, Cutter Gauthier, and Bobby Brink.
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