June 24, 2017
After drafting Nolan Patrick second overall and trading back into the first round to grab another center, Morgan Frost, on the first night of the NHL Draft, the Flyers added seven more players, one of whom they traded up to grab) on Day 2.
Here's a look at the guys drafted by Ron Hextall and the Flyers on Saturday:
POSITION: LW | TEAM: Guelph Storm (OHL)
BORN: Feb. 15, 1999 | HOMETOWN: London, Ontario
HEIGHT: 6’6” | WEIGHT: 200 pounds
NOTE: The Flyers traded a second-round pick (44th overall), a third-round pick (75th) and a fourth-round pick to Arizona to move up nine spots to 35th overall.
• Ranked #13 by Hockeyprospect.com
• Ranked #22 by ISS Hockey
• Ranked #23 by Future Considerations
• Ranked #18 by McKeen's Hockey
• Ranked #15 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
• Ranked #27 by TSN/McKenzie
BIG, STRONG POWER FORWARD WHO DEMONSTRATES GOOD HOCKEY INTELLIGENCE AND A SOFT TOUCH AROUND THE NET – POSSESSES A MULTI-DIMENSIONAL SKILL SET WHERE HE CAN MAKE PLAYS ON THE RUSH AND ALSO USE HIS SIZE, STRENGTH AND REACH TO BE A THREAT ON THE CYCLE – GOOD PUCK PROTECTION GAME AND STRONG NET-FRONT PRESENCE – WILLING TO COMPETE FOR TIME AND SPACE AND CAPABLE OF FINISHING IN A VARIETY OF DIFFERENT WAYS. [nhl.com]
Ryan Kennedy, The Hockey News
At 6-foot-6 and nearly 200 pounds already, there’s an obviousness to Ratcliffe’s potential. The fact he marries his great frame with good hockey sense and deft hands makes it all the more clear why the left winger will be one to watch in the first round of the draft this summer. Not that it’s easy to grow that frame...
Ratcliffe likes to use his size and smarts to his advantage, whether it’s along the wall or down low by the net. He showed a nice touch at the CHL Top Prospects Game and leads the Storm with 44 points through 55 games. That’s not exactly a huge total, but Guelph is in the midst of a serious rebuild that saw the team bottom out last season. With Ratcliffe, Smith and top OHL pick Ryan Merkley growing together, there’s hope for the future. And even though the Storm will likely finish last in the Western Conference, at least there has been more wins than in last year’s rough campaign. [thehockeynews.com]
POSITION: G | TEAM: MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg (MHL)
BORN: Jan. 29, 1999 | HOMETOWN: Gomel, Belarus
HEIGHT: 6'3" | WEIGHT: 179 pounds
NOTE: This pick was acquired from Boston in the Zac Rinaldo deal (2015).
• Ranked #5 by NHL Central Scouting (EU Goalies)
The left-catching Belarusian-born goaltender has played junior hockey in St. Petersburg, Russia since age 14. ... Scouts consider him to be typical of many modern-day goaltending prospects -- naturally athletic with a big frame. ... Ranked 5th among European goaltenders by Central Scouting, he posted a 1.74 GAA and .938 save percentage in the MHL (the top Russian junior league) for MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg, and made five playoff appearances as well. ... He impressed in a pair of outings for Team Russia at the 2017 Under-18 World Championships.[nhl.com]
POSITION: LW | TEAM: Hamilton Bulldogs (OHL)
BORN: Jan. 6, 1999 | HOMETOWN: Mississauga, Ontario
HEIGHT: 6'3" | WEIGHT: 207 pounds
• Ranked #76 by Hockeyprospect.com
• Ranked #58 by ISS Hockey
• Ranked #29 by Future Considerations
• Ranked #56 by McKeen's Hockey
• Ranked #33 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
• Ranked #59 by TSN/McKenzie
NHL Central Scouting
STRONG POWER OFFENSIVE GAME WITH A NATURAL SCORER’S TOUCH AND FINISHING ABILITY – GREAT HANDS AND SHOT WHICH HE GETS AWAY QUICKLY AND WITH AUTHORITY – OUTSCORED BOTH OLDER BROTHERS (RYAN AND DYLAN) IN RESPECTIVE OHL ROOKIE SEASONS – STRONG GAME DOWN LOW IN PUCK BATTLES AND IN ONE-ON-ONE PLAY – ONE OF THE BEST IN THIS DRAFT CLASS IN PUCK PROTECTION – SIZE AND SKILL MAKE IT TOUGH FOR OPPONENTS TO CHECK HIM – SMART OFFENSIVE INSTINCTS TO ALWAYS BE IN THE RIGHT SPOT AT THE RIGHT TIME AND IS A CONSTANT SCORING THREAT. [nhl.com]
Curtis Joe, EliteProspects.com
A big, skilled winger that plays a complete and consistent game. Battles hard for puck possession and is relentless on both the power play and penalty kill. Plays a hard-nosed game and uses his size to establish his presence around the net. Has good hands, an accurate shot, and zero compromise hockey sense. His skating and overall balance off the rush and in-transition is a work in progress that is continuing to get better by the day. That being said, his vision is excellent and his offensive talent is apparent; he is able to play at a fast pace. Being able to keep up is a big part of that, and, moving forward, he has the potential to develop into a strong two-way winger that is hard to play against and can be relied on in all situations. [eliteprospects.com]
POSITION: RW | TEAM: Owen Sound Attack (OHL)
BORN: Feb. 10, 1999 | HOMETOWN: Brest, Belarus
HEIGHT: 6'0" | WEIGHT: 180 pounds
• Ranked #171 by Hockeyprospect.com
• Ranked #154 by ISS Hockey
• Ranked #224 by Future Considerations
• Ranked #111 by McKeen's Hockey
• Ranked #72 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
Dominic Tiano, OHLWriters.me
Putting up points has come somewhat easily for Sushko to date. During the 2014-2015 season, he scored 37 goals and 29 assists in 17 games for DYUSSH Shakhter Under-18. In this his Ontario Hockey League rookie season, he appeared in 54 games and put up a very respectable 17 goals and 15 assists. As is usually the case with Sushko, as the games begin to matter more, he rises to the occasion and has 3 goals and 8 assists in 16 playoff games for the Attack. (at the time of this article, Owen Sound is set to face the Erie Otters in game 6 of the Western Conference Championship which Erie leads 3-2)....
His pursuit of the puck is almost non-stop. He possesses good speed, gets on top of defenders quickly and rarely gives up until he gains possession. He has good size but won’t overpower defenders physically. His work ethic and will make him successful on the forecheck...
Sushko has a deceptively quick release on his shot and he gets a lot on it with an ability to beat goaltenders cleanly. As good a goal scorer as he is, he’s just as good a playmaker. He sees the ice extremely well, makes the right decisions, thinks the game at a high level and quickly and can deliver a crisp, clean pass. He has shown a strong ability to run the powerplay from the half-wall, whether getting into position for a shot, or more likely, set up teammates for opportunities. [ohlwriters.me]
POSITION: LW | TEAM: Stillwater H.S., Omaha Lancers (USHL)
BORN: Feb. 5, 1999 | HOMETOWN: Stillwater, Minnesota
HEIGHT: 6'1" | WEIGHT: 170 pounds
Here's video of him winning the Minnesota State Championship as a sophomore with a ridiculous OT winner:
• Ranked #68 by Hockeyprospect.com
• Ranked #170 by ISS Hockey
• Ranked #149 by Future Considerations
• Ranked #121 by NHL Central Scouting (NA Skaters)
POSITION: C | TEAM: Linköpings HC J18 and J20 (Swedish Juniors)
BORN: August 24, 1999 | HOMETOWN: Oskarshamn, Sweden
HEIGHT: 5'10" | Weight: 163 pounds
Lycksell split the 2016-17 season between Linköping's J18 and J20 teams. He dominated the younger group and gained experience against older juniors. ... European scouts consider Lycksell to be a skilled and competitive forward who, despite lacking size, gets involved in the play. He may need additional Swedish junior seasoning (and possibly time on loan to a team in the Allsvenskan minor league) before he is ready to challenge for a spot in the Swedish Hockey League. [nhl.com]
POSITION: D | TEAM: Bloomingtom Thunder (USHL)
BORN: April 14, 1997 | HOMETOWN: Virden, Manitoba
HEIGHT: 6'1" | WEIGHT: 174 pounds
Wyatt Kalynuk goes coast-to-coast #WhosNext pic.twitter.com/q3wVTBy0HI
— USHL (@USHL) March 12, 2017
Wyatt Kalynuk (@BLMThunder) brings the 🔥🔥🔥 #WhosNext pic.twitter.com/pEH8CmV6w1
— USHL (@USHL) October 2, 2016
Solid mobility for a defenseman, Kalynuk has good skating ability and can move the puck well. He's a good passer and can set up teammates. Another work in progress, to be expected with a seventh-round pick. [sportstalkphilly.com]
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