The Flyers are on their second 10+ game losing streak of the season. They have not won a game in 2022. Their best player in Claude Giroux is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent. Their top acquisitions in Ryan Ellis and Rasmus Ristolainen have been misses. I am officially declaring it Draft Season.
The 2022 NHL Draft is 5 months away, but it is never too early to get familiar with the future Flyers that will disappoint you. The 2022 NHL Draft is considered average with no generational talent at the top of the draft. Here are some of the players that should be drafted in the top 10 of the 2022 NHL Draft
Odds on Favorite to be the 1st Overall Pick
Shane Wright, Center, Kingston (OHL), 6’1”, 187lbs
Stats: 25 games, 12 goals, 19 assists, 31 pts
Wright is ranked 1st overall by pretty much every scouting function from Central Scouting to Bob McKenzie. His production is very underwhelming for a top prospect. He did not play much last year due to the OHL not having a season. He had 66 points in 58 games in his 15/16-year-old season. Wright is currently scoring at a similar pace to that this season. Once again that is not something that you want to see. 13 of his 31 points have come on the power play, meaning he is not getting things done at even strength. Wright feels a lot like Nolan Patrick in his draft year. Wright is a natural center which is a big need for the Flyers. On a positive note, Wright plays with Flyers prospect Zayde Wisdom, so that would be neat to see at the next level. Wright also played for the Don Mills Flyers in Bantam, so he is already looking good in Orange and Black.
Cool Kid
Logan Cooley, Center, U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP), 5’10”, 174lbs
Stats: 25 games, 15 goals, 20 assists, 35 pts (USNTDP), 10 games, 5 goals, 5 assists, 10 pts (USHL)
Cooley, a Pittsburgh native, is committed to the University of Notre Dame in 2022-23. He is the top point per game player on the USA U-18 team. The scouting community has him ranked anywhere from 2nd overall to 9th overall. The Flyers have drafted heavily from the USA U-18 Development Program in the last couple years with current Flyers players Joel Farabee and Cam York as alumni from that program. Cooley can challenge Wright for the first overall pick if he continues to put up points for the USA U-18 team.
Winnipeg Boys
Matthew Savoie, Center, Winnipeg (WHL), 5’9”, 179lbs
Stats: 35 games, 19 goals, 34 assists, 53 points
Conor Geekie, Center, Winnipeg (WHL), 6’4”, 205lbs
Stats: 35 games, 11 goals, 27 assists, 38 points
Savoie and Geekie have a couple similarities past playing on the same junior team. Both have brothers that have been drafted in the NHL. Carter Savoie is an Edmonton Oilers draft pick and Morgan Geekie plays for the Seattle Kraken. Both have also shared a line with Flyers draft pick Connor McClennon. That is where the comparisons stop.
Geekie is in the mold of a Kevin Hayes/Mark Schiefele who uses his size and net front presence to win puck battles. Savoie is in the mold of a Brayden Point who uses his quickness and elite agility plus his hockey sense to win puck battles and influence the game. If Savoie was two inches taller, he would be the top pick.
Geekie is divisive to the scouting community being ranked as high as 4th overall by Central Scouting and as low as 21st overall by DobberProspects. Savoie is ranked as high as 2nd overall by McKeen’s and as low as 8th by Craig Button.
The Finnishers
Joakim Kemell, RW, JYP (Liiga), 5’11”, 176lbs
Stats: 21 games, 12 goals, 6 assists, 18 pts
Brad Lambert, Center, JYP (Liiga), 6’0”, 179lbs
Stats: 24 games, 2 goals, 4 assists, 6 pts
Kemell has the highest points per game on his team and has 5 less goals in 25 less games than Patrik Laine in his draft year. Kemell has been one of the top risers in his draft year.
Lambert is going the other way. He came into this year with the possibility of going 1st overall but has been outplayed by his teammate Kemell in all aspects. Lambert has the whole package but has yet to put it all together. If he does, he could be the best player to come out of this draft, but he carries more risk. Sportsnet has him as their 2nd ranked prospect where Craig Button has him all the way at 18th.
Kemell is ranked as the top European prospect by Central Scouting and the lowest ranked has him at 10th by Future Considerations. The ascension that Kemell is currently on, he looks like one of the few prospects that could play in the NHL next season.
Right-Handed Defensemen
David Jiricek, RHD, HC Plzen (Czech Extraliga), 6’3”, 189lbs
Stats: 29 games, 5 goals, 6 assists, 11 pts
Simon Nemec, RHD, HK Nitra (Slovak Extraliga), 6’1”, 190lbs
Stats: 28 games, 0 goals, 19 assists, 19 pts
The Flyers have not had a homegrown right-handed defenseman for what feels like an eternity. Phil Myers was the closest player to achieving that recently. Jiricek and Nemec are the two top defensemen on the board. Jiricek is out for 3 months with a knee injury that he suffered at the World Junior Championships before it was cancelled. He made his debut in the top Czech league when he was 16 years old. He has NHL size and skill with a plus shot. Jiricek is not an elite skater but uses his hockey sense to get better positioning.
Like Jiricek, Nemec made his debut in the top league when he was 16 years old. Nemec is a better skater than Jiricek but not as physically imposing as his counterpart. Both project to be top pairing defensemen and would be a big need for the Flyers’ prospect pool.
The Russians
Danila Yurov, RW, Magnitogorsk (KHL/MHL), 6’1”, 180lbs
Stats: 21 games, 0 pts (KHL), 9 games, 3 goals, 10 assists, 13 pts (MHL)
Ivan Miroshnichenko, LW, Omskie Krylia (VHL), 6’1”, 185lbs
Stats: 30 games, 9 goals, 6 assists, 15 pts
Yurov and Miroshnichenko are two of the most divisive prospects of the draft and you guessed it, they are Russian. Miroshnichenko came into this year as a top 2 pick but has dropped down the draft boards. Yurov has held water as a top 10 pick but the Russian factor seems to drop these prospects on draft day.
Yurov has modest point totals but he is playing in the KHL and only playing a couple minutes a night. He also has the highest points per game of his MHL team. He has top six forward potential with above average puck skills while being highly creative with the puck.
Miroshnichenko is one of the most interesting prospects of this draft. He is playing against men in the VHL but he is not playing against the top competition in his country. There are people that would argue playing bigger minutes against lesser but still physically superior competition is better for his development. He has all of the attributes that you look for top prospects, skill, size, an elite shot, and plus skating. Corey Pronman of The Athletic has him as his 2nd ranked prospect. Elite Prospects have him at 30th overall.
Hopefully, the Flyers are able to acquire another first round pick and if Miroshnichenko starts to fall, he is someone who Chuck Fletcher, or whoever the Flyers GM is, should go and get.
