June 25, 2016
Before the 2016 NHL Draft, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall talked about trying to bolster the team's forward pipeline. The Flyers' system is well stocked with talent, but many of the current top prospects are blueliners.
So Hextall went out and took seven forwards with his ten picks, including five of the first six. Here's what the Orange and Black did on Day 2:
After trading back last night, Hextall mentioned that he wanted to get back into the top of the second round. Hextall swapped 18 and 79 with the Winnipeg Jets for 22 and 36, and with that 36th pick he selected 6’1” forward Pascal LaBerge from Victoriaville of the QMJHL.
LaBerge was generally ranked as a late first-round pick after racking up 68 points in 56 in the high-scoring “Q.” He wrote a touching article about some of the adversity his family has faced for The Players’ Tribune. Here’s what Elite Prospects said about LaBerge:
Pascal Laberge is a tough and spirited two-way forward with a high level of hockey sense. Hunts for turnovers and causes havoc whenever he is on the ice. Uses his size well to shield the puck, exert physical force, and win board battles. Has a good set of goal-scorer's hands, but tends to use them more to pass than anything. All-in-all, an efficient, yet exciting, two-way forward with potential to develop into a playmaking goal scorer.
With their second pick of the second round (48th overall), the Flyers selected the first goaltender of the draft in Carter Hart of the WHL’s Everett Silvertips. He was named CHL goaltender of the year after playing 63 games (quite a workload for a young netminder) and recording a 2.14 goals against average. The Flyers now have the 2015-16 CHL goaltender and defenseman of the year (Ivan Provorov):
Philadelphia, meet goaltender Carter Hart pic.twitter.com/fUJFJnWLZr
— Flyers Nation (@FlyersNation) June 25, 2016
“It’s not like the old days where you throw the chubby kid in net,” the 6’1” Hart said on the broadcast when asked about his plus athleticism.
The Flyers had one more pick in the second round, which they used to take big 6’2” wing Wade Allison, who is committed to play at Western Michigan University next season. In 2015-16, he helped lead the Tri-City Storm to the USHL championship.
As expected, the Flyers are loading up on forwards. In the third round, they selected 6'2" Carsen Twarynski of the Calgary Hitmen, a team they are very familiar with (Travis Sanheim, the team's 2014 first-round pick, has played there the last few years.) Here is what Ryan Pike of The Hockey Writers said about Twarynski:
You could make a pretty compelling argument that he has no specific holes in his game, but he also doesn’t have many attributes that are truly high-end except for his work ethic and competitiveness. That trait drew him frequent praise from coaches and scouts during the season, and it’s that trait that’s likely to help him improve as his career progresses. His competitiveness elevates every other trait he has.
A quick look at YouTube reveals that Twarysnki isn't afraid to throw down:
Make it five forwards in the Flyers' first six picks. With their first selection of the fourth round, the Flyers took 6'0" forward Connor Bunnaman from the OHL's Kitchener Rangers.
Philadelphia takes Connor Bunnaman. Great pick. Big kid who could definitely develop into a quality 3rd/4th line NHL player.
— OHL Prospects (@BrockOtten) June 25, 2016
Then at 120, Hextall decided to make a trade with the New York Islanders for a 2017 fourth-round pick.
The Flyers finally decided to take a defenseman, selecting 6'1" Swede Linus Hogberg:
With Vaxjo's J20 team, #Flyers latest draftee Linus Hogberg put up 25 points (7G-18A) in 39 games. Appeared in 2 SHL games as a 17-yr-old.
— Tony Androckitis (@TonyAndrock) June 25, 2016
Thanks to a trade that Hextall made with the Los Angeles Kings last year, the Flyers had a couple of picks in the sixth round. At 169, they went back into the USHL pool to select Illinois native Tanner Laczynski, a 6'0" forward who can sing (a very important skill for a hockey player):
Let's do this one a cappella...
— USHL (@USHL) January 27, 2016
Tanner Laczynski is ready for tomorrow's #WhosNext show on @NHLNetwork at 8:30pm ET pic.twitter.com/GX5d0755h4
Laczynski is headed to Ohio State next year:
The American 1997 center hails from Shorewood, Illinois, less than six hours from Columbus, and played his USHL hockey local as well for the Chicago Steel until being dealt to the Lincoln Stars in February 2016. Laczynski put up 46 points in 57 games in his first full season in the USHL for Chicago, and then broke out in 2015-16, scoring 24 goals and 63 points in 52 games combined for Chicago and Lincoln while also increasing his overall +/- from -7 to +10.
Then at 172, they drafted 5'11" center Anthony Salinitri of the OHL's Sarnia Sting. Salinitri, who had 30 points in 62 games this past season, played with Travis Konecny. Here's a scouting report from an OHL site:
Salinitri has good speed which is also apparent with the puck on his stick. He can be creative with the puck and can make plays. He gains zone entry with his speed and possession. He can get in on the forecheck but needs to add strength to be more effective. He will not shy away from the physical game. He’s good defensively and won’t get caught cheating. He’s also a good penalty killer. Besides adding strength, his biggest need is to find more consistency in his game.
With the final of their ten picks, the Flyers selected another Swedish player, defenseman David Bernhardt. His brother Daniel was drafted by the Rangers last season:
#Flyers last pick, No. 199, used to select David Bernhardt. Chris Pryor accidentally called him Daniel.
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) June 25, 2016
“My bad."
Claude Giroux famously had his name mispronounced as well on draft night, so maybe this is a good sign for Bernhardt.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
