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June 25, 2026

NHL Draft: A cheat sheet of all the Flyers' options at No. 21

The 21st overall pick in the NHL Draft on Friday will be the next key decision to the Flyers' future. They have a lot of prospects to consider.

Flyers NHL Draft
Porter-Martone-Flyers-Draft-2025.JPG Kirby Lee/IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Flyers won't be picking in the top 10 this time, but should still have key decisions to make at this year's NHL Draft.

The NHL Draft starts Friday, and the Flyers won't be picking in the top half of the first round this time.

They're progressing. Their breakthrough into the playoffs, which left them with the 21st overall selection, is tangible proof. But even so, general manager Danny Brière has maintained that the organization's focus is still very much on the future, and about eventually building a sustainable contender for years, not just for a 1-2 year window.

The 21st pick on Friday night will be the next key decision in getting to that future, but since it's further back in the order, there are a lot of scenarios for how the board can play out ahead of them, along with a lot of options that could be there for them to take.

Through the past few weeks, we've been scouting waves of 2026 prospects who project to be available somewhere within the late 10s-mid 20s on the draft board, i.e., the Flyers' range.

You can see those write-ups in their original forms at the following links: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4

And you can see the Flyers' stockpile of picks this weekend, and up through 2030, HERE.

But as a means to have an immediate, all-in-one guide on hand for draft night, all the covered prospects and their accompanying summaries have been rounded up and listed below, going by position.

Centers

Maddox Dagenais, Quebec (QMJHL)

Dagenais is big (6'4" and 196 pounds), can drive to the net, and can step into a shot.

The 18-year-old was a 30-goal and 62-point scorer for the Quebec Remparts this past junior season, and did it through his physicality and willingness to shoot.

The Flyers have been looking for the former out of their prospects dating back to last summer's draft. But they really need the latter, too, when it comes to the power play and overall offensive production in general.

Dagenais is one of the more greener prospects in the class, but with patience and steady development, he would be a nice fit for the Flyers down the middle, in what is still one of their major areas of need.

Oliver Suvanto, Tappara (Liiga)

The Flyers prioritized big, tough skaters in the 2025 draft, and if they want to stay with that mold, Suvanto would definitely fit it as a center.

The 17-year-old (turning 18 in September) already comes in at 6'3" and 209 pounds, and should only be putting on more muscle as he goes over the next several years.

He comes with all of the wanted traits out of a big center: strong in the corners, tough in the faceoff circle, protective of the puck, and while he may not get high marks on his skating, he always seems to have himself in the right place at the right time – keeping in mind, too, that skate is something that can continually be developed and something that the Flyers have been very willing to work on long-term with their prospects.

Suvanto spent most of the season as a pro in Finland's Liiga, and while he had two goals and 11 points through 48 games, he was a kid playing against men, and still carried a plus-3 rating through the year.

Below is a clip that shows Suvanto's game pretty well during international junior play against Canada. He stays on the puck to eventually jar it loose behind the Canadian net and change possession, then stays with the play, wheeling out to the front of the net to punch home a rebound that falls right to him:

Suvanto's stock has been rising as the draft draws closer, though, so he very well could end up going somewhere in the 10-20 range before the Flyers get a chance at him at 21. It's just not a guarantee yet.

C Jack Hextall, Michigan State (NCAA)

The 18-year-old Hextall is a smart, responsible center and can be a pretty sly playmaker.

He posted 20 goals, 58 points, and a plus-8 rating through 59 USHL games for the Youngstown Phantoms this past season, and is set to go to Michigan State next year, where he'll join another current Flyers prospect in winger Shane Vansaghi.

Hextall, right now, projects as a safer pick, where he has a pretty solid shot at being a steady NHL player in a few years' time, but maybe not a high-end or star-level one. It still never hurts to have a player like that in the pipeline, though, even if he isn't a total game-changer.

NOTE: Yes, Jack is related to Ron, but he's a distant relative. They've never met, as The Philadelphia Inquirer's Jackie Spiegel learned at the scouting combine in Buffalo earlier this month.

C Alexander Command, Örebro HK U20 (SWE Jr.)

Command will have just turned 18 by the time the draft rolls around (his birthday is June 16), but already, he plays the center position very maturely.

He has an ability to slow the game down and take a read of his options with the puck on his stick, and away from it, he seems great at pivoting into open ice to give his teammates a lane for either a scoring chance or to at least keep the puck cycling around in the offensive zone.

Command often has himself in the right place, and just a step ahead of where the puck is heading to be able to make a play on it. At a listed 6'1" and 187 pounds, he has the strength to be able to win battles for possession, along with the frame to shield the puck and step into a good shot when it's there. He can also handle the puck with his head up and zip an accurate pass right on the tape.

Command scored 17 goals and 44 points with a plus-10 rating through 30 games for Örebro in Swedish juniors this past season, and got a six-game sample in the pro-level SHL at still just 17 years old.

He's a center who's committed to all the little details, and would slot in nicely behind current center prospect Jack Berglund, who's much further along now, to keep the Flyers' pipeline at the position moving along over the next several years.

C Egor Shilov, Victoriaville (QMJHL)

Shilov was a constant on the highlight reel for Victoriaville this past junior season, using his quick thinking and playmaking to rack up 32 goals and 82 points through 63 games.

The Russian-born center plays fast, and when he's controlling the puck, the game moves at his pace, which often opens up a chance either for himself or a teammate.

He's a downhill player, but likely a longer-term project, as Shilov is slated to return to Victoriaville for next season, then go to college at Penn State for the 2027-28 season, per Elite Prospects.

But he's a gamble on future offensive upside, which the Flyers do still need and can often be tougher to find the later into the first round it gets.

C Ilia Morozov, Miami OH (NCAA)

A big center who can bulldoze his way to the net and dig deep into the corners to break away with the puck, Morozov was a bruising force of a forward for Miami, Ohio, yet with enough skill, too, to dish the puck where he needed or unleash a booming shot when he had an open look.

As a 17-year-old freshman, Morozov scored eight goals and 20 points through 36 games, and at 6'3, 201 pounds, skated with a level of physicality that let the other team know he was out there every time he hit the ice.

If the Flyers want to continue to aim for size and aggression, like they did with last year's draft haul, then the Russian-born Morozov would be a sound pick, albeit maybe with a more limited ceiling compared to others given his play style.

C Brooks Rogowski, Oshawa (OHL)

Rogowski's 6'7" frame allows him to handle the puck out of reach of defenders, and at a billed 236 pounds, he can outmuscle them in the corners, too.

There's no missing No. 10 on Oshawa when Rogowski hops over the boards. He often uses his size advantage to easily shift his body between the puck and an oncoming checker, which gives him the space to look up and put a pass or a shot where he needs.

He also skates with a solid read of the ice and sense of anticipation, scanning the play well before he recovers the puck to identify the teammate it's going to, or the shooting lane he's putting it through.

Rogowski scored 15 goals and 42 points through 46 games this past season, but was a rough minus-24 for a Generals team that finished at the bottom of the OHL's Eastern Conference standings.

The 17-year-old (who will turn 18 ahead of the draft next week) is another raw prospect with high upside because of his unique size and budding skill at the center position. 

He's a pick for the very long term, but with the Flyers still having a priority at center, yet maybe with the patience to fully wait and see on him since the current picture and future outlook for them down the middle isn't anywhere near as bad as it was just a couple of years ago.

Rogowski will need to round out his game and his skating, though, as he proceeds, because that automatic advantage he gets with size and strength down in juniors is fleeting. 

He's expected to play next season in juniors, but then go to Michigan State in the NCAA the following year, and the better the competition gets, the less he'll be able to just push everyone around.

As a center, he will have to be more.

C Markus Ruck, Medicine Hat (WHL)

Markus Ruck, Liam's twin (see further below), wouldn't be a bad prospect to pick up either, especially at center, which is still an ongoing area of need for the Flyers.

Where Liam is the scorer, Markus is the playmaker, driving the puck down the middle of the ice and controlling it in the offensive zone with passing that always puts the puck where it needs to be.

Markus can definitely put the puck in the back of the net himself, too. He scored 21 goals this past junior season, but with 87 assists for 108 points total through 68 games, that kind of line makes it clear that he excels far more at moving the puck around – with the benefit of a lifelong chemistry developed alongside his brother.

Daniel and Henrik Sedin are who immediately come to mind when thinking of the Ruck twins, albeit not to that level of stardom that the Sedins were when they were drafted back-to-back by Vancouver in 1999 and then throughout their careers.

But if getting one Ruck warrants drafting the other, a deal could be made to potentially swing both in the 20s. Or a team like the Flyers can roll the dice on a still pretty sound gamble that either prospect will still manage to be good on his own.

Wingers

LW J.P. Hurlbert, Michigan (NCAA)

Hurlbert flies down the ice looking to score.

The Allen, Texas, native and former U.S. National Development product made a jump to Kamloops in the junior Western Hockey League for this past season, and relentlessly got after the puck with a shot he could place anywhere for a 42-goal and 97-point campaign.

The 18-year-old is a right-handed shot, but plays as a left winger, which keeps his forehand in toward the net and thus consistently leaves him as a scoring threat when paired with his ability to look up and read the ice.

Hurlbert is committed to play college hockey at Michigan next season, where he'll join current Flyers center prospect Jack Nesbitt.

The NCAA should do wonders for his game, refining it against stronger competition, while affording him the opportunity to get much stronger in the gym from his 6'0", 183-pound stature.

The college schedule played a big role in star rookie Porter Martone getting himself ready to jump right into the NHL when it came time back in March. The Flyers are hoping it will do the same for Nesbitt, and while he won't be in a similar rush, that should be the goal for Hurlbert, too.

LW Nikita Klepov, Saginaw (OHL)

Nikita Klepov is always hustling after the puck, unafraid to crash in on the net, while having a solid awareness for slipping into the open ice when his team is cycling the puck.

His 6'0" and 181-pound frame allows him to play physical, and to get some solid power behind a shot when he winds up and drops to a knee on the follow through.

Still 17 years old (he'll turn 18 on Day 2 of the draft June 27), Klepov turned in a 37-goal, 97-point season for Saginaw in juniors, and is set to play in the NCAA next season with Michigan State.

College, again, should strengthen Klepov's game, and if available, would offer the Flyers another barreling presence down the wall coming out of East Lansing.

RW Liam Ruck, Medicine Hat (WHL)

Liam Ruck is a pure goal-scoring winger who has a good sense for slipping into open ice and then firing away with a quick and accurate shot the second the puck reaches his stick.

The 18-year-old scored 45 goals and 104 points for Medicine Hat this past season, and did it by constantly hovering around the net with a readiness to shoot from anywhere, sometimes without even making a handle to settle the puck.

But he had the shot to get away with that, which often caught goalies on their heels.

Ruck doesn't just sit and wait for the puck to come to him at the net front, though. 

He cycles around and keeps his feet chopping, he reads the play, and he tries to get into an open spot with a lane to pass it through. 

Ruck can get down the wall on an offensive rush, too, and will battle in the corners after a puck, even if he isn't always going to win the strength battle – at a listed 6'0" and 174 pounds.

He's an involved player – he makes it impossible to ignore the No. 12 in Medicine Hat orange moving everywhere in front of the net – and he's a player looking to score and finish plays.

But there is a bit of a slight catch: Liam's twin brother Markus, who will also be in the 2026 draft, is his regular center, and the thought is out there that if a team drafts one, they might have to draft the other.

LW Marcus Nordmark, Djurgårdens (SWE Jr.)

Nordmark is a projected late first-rounder, but his tape points to him maybe having much higher of a ceiling than most realized until late in the draft process.

The 18-year-old winger scored 14 goals and 38 points through 25 games this past season for Djurgårdens in Swedish juniors, then went on a 6-goal and 23-point tear through an 11-game playoff run. 

Nordmark uses his 6'2" frame to his advantage in shielding the puck from oncoming checkers, yet has the handling to keep the puck in close to his body, with the heads-up vision to thread a silky pass to an open man across the ice.

He can step into a shot when he has one, too, but his ability to move and control the puck are his biggest selling points approaching this Friday.

Looking at the Flyers' roster and pipeline construction now, the organization has developed a preference toward stronger two-way forwards who can maybe surprise you with their offensive prowess, mostly in the mold of Tyson Foerster.

Nordmark fits into that mold at the ground floor, and much like Foerster, he could end up a skater who starts putting up some more appealing offensive stats, so long as he keeps handling and passing the puck like he's been.

RW Elton Hermansson, MoDo (SWE-2)

Hermansson turned 18 in February, but by then, he was already playing in Sweden's second-tier of pro hockey (Allsvenskan) and on the way to an 11-goal, 21-point rookie campaign through 38 games.

Hermansson brings decent size for a winger at 6'1" and 183 pounds, but he's a riskier play for a scoring find late in the first round, where his means of producing often come from sitting at sharper angles parallel to the goal line and further out from the actual play.

LW Adam Novotny, Peterborough (OHL)

A Czech prospect who jumped over to Canadian juniors with Peterborough for this past season, Novotny is a strong two-way wing at 6'1" and 205 pounds, with a pretty impressive shot firing away from the left side.

The 18-year-old scored 34 goals and 65 points through 58 OHL games, and when he takes the puck in with space, he's going to pick his spot and zip the puck straight past the goalie.

RW Mathis Preston, Vancouver (WHL)

A speedster and one of the younger prospects in the draft class (he won't turn 18 until July 21), Preston can fly down the ice with the hands and the vision to match to make plays happen.

Preston is a bit of an undersized winger at 5'11" and 176 pounds, but he makes up for it with his quick skating and even quicker moves to create an opening, which makes it look like he's always a step or two ahead of his opponent, or at the least, can blaze right by them.

Between Spokane and then Vancouver, where he was traded to back in January, Preston racked up 18 goals and 44 points through 46 junior games at a minus-9 rating.

The numbers themselves don't particularly impress, but the toolkit, headlined by Preston's excellent skating, is the big sell on him, which could stand to really flourish into more outright production in his plus-one year.

The Flyers really prioritized size with last year's draft, but maybe they can afford to take a bet on some speed, especially since the whole league just saw Carolina win the Stanley Cup with it.

Defensemen

RHD Adam Goljer, HK Dukla Trenčín (Extraliga)

Goljer is a right-handed defensive prospect, which is always in demand across hockey, with some smooth lateral skating and heads-up passing that could yield some nice puck-moving upside.

Goljer is still 17 (his birthday is on Sunday), and while his numbers don't jump right off the page – four goals, 11 points, and a minus-17 rating through 43 games played this past season – he stuck to his defensive responsibilities well and then flashed some ability to jump in on offense while playing at the Slovak pro level.

At a listed 6'2" and 194 pounds, Goljer should also be able to hold up as the game gets more physical, especially as he presumably fills out his frame.

RHD Tommy Bleyl, Moncton (QMJHL)

Bleyl is a lanky right-handed shot who can fly down the ice and make a play.

The 18-year-old defenseman produced a 13-goal, 81-point season for Moncton in the junior QMJHL, finishing the year with an absurd plus-58 rating – a finicky stat, sure, but usually a pretty good sign when it's that high.

Bleyl's skating is his strength. He can use it to create separation quick, fluidly walk along the offensive blue line, and when he's going downhill at top speed, his hands and vision are both fast enough to make a crisp pass or get a good shot away.

He can move a little too fast sometimes, rushing the puck into danger when there was no reason to, and at 6'0" and 170 pounds, he will need to pack on weight over the next few years to handle greater physicality.

However, those are very fixable problems, and his commitment to Michigan State for the 2027-28 season, given the increasing strength required to last in the NCAA, should force him to work on those.

RHD Juho Piiparinen, Tappara (Liiga)

Another right-shot defenseman, and another 17-year-old approaching the draft (he'll turn 18 on Aug. 10), Piiparinen is a big skater who can place a pass anywhere he wants to.

At a listed 6'3" and 203 pounds, Piiparinen already makes himself tough to knock away from the puck and can use his reach to cut down space and sweep the puck away from oncoming attackers.

He can move pretty decently, but Piiparinen's best trait right now is his pinpoint breakout passing into the neutral zone, or when he has the puck and is surveying up top from the point.

Piiparinen produced 13 points through 15 games in Finnish juniors this past season, and held his own in the pro Liiga with three assists and a plus-6 rating through 29 games.

LHD Xavier Villeneuve, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)

If he's still there and the Flyers want to take a bet on high-end skating and playmaking, Xavier Villeneuve is their guy.

A left-shot defenseman in the Q, Villeneuve can fly up and down the ice with the puck, skating with the ability to make the quick and fluid moves to open up space, while having the awareness and creativity to dish crisp passes to his teammates or to just take it in himself to shoot.

Villeneuve produced 38 points (six goals and 32 assists) through 37 games for the Armada this past season, then went on to score six goals and 14 points through 17 games in the playoffs.

The 18-year-old from Laval will move the puck effortlessly and bring a team a ton of offense, in a way that compares to the Montreal Canadiens' Lane Hutson, but his knock right now is that he's undersized at a listed 5'11" and 163 pounds, and is lacking in the physicality expected of his position because of it – also a lot like Hutson.

Villeneuve is committed to playing college hockey for Boston University next season, though, which will afford him a great opportunity to get stronger.

Then, in one more point to the Hutson parallels, if you can pair him with the right partner, whatever defensive inefficiencies he ends up carrying can be just as easily balanced out.

RHD Ryan Lin, Vancouver (WHL)

Ryan Lin is another undersized defenseman in the draft class who should be worth a look at No. 21.

His overall game is a bit more measured as a two-way defenseman, but he's a smart one who can handle the puck well and has a good read for deciding when it's his time to jump in on a rush or to crash in down low.

The 18-year-old put up 14 goals and 57 points through 53 games for the Vancouver Giants in his draft year, and as expected of another 5'11" defenseman (at 176 pounds), his strength is his detractor.

However, Lin is also college hockey-bound, being set to play for the University of Denver next season, which again, is a chance to have a major year in the gym as well as on the ice.

The other thing about Lin: his skating, awareness, and general positioning when the puck isn't his are components that can work together to make him effective in the NHL, and can compensate for any drawbacks in size.

As head coach Rick Tocchet has talked about throughout this past season when it comes to current Flyers defensemen Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, and Emil Andrae, none of whom are above 6'0", they have to win defensive battles with their skating and positioning, because pure size and power won't consistently be an option for any of them.

The same goes for Lin – even Villeneuve above, too.

LHD Maksim Sokolovskii, London (OHL)

Maksim Sokolovskii would be a big play on upside for the blue line, because the 17-year-old is approaching the draft as a 6'8", 238-pound skater who can move.

A Kazakhstan native who made the jump to North America two years ago, Sokolovskii scored 34 goals and 84 points in 16-under triple-A, then moved up to London in the OHL this past season.

Sokolovskii only produced two goals and eight points for the Knights through 44 games, but skated with a plus-10 rating, using his size as a clear advantage to shield the puck and win battles after it, while catching opponents off guard with his nimble skating and eye for sneaking a shot through traffic.

A left-shot defenseman and one of the greener prospects in the draft class, there's a good chance that the Flyers will be on the clock at No. 21 with more well-rounded and right-shot defensive prospects available to take – like Goljer, Bleyl, or Piiparinen – but Sokolovskii could be a very worthwhile gamble if the Flyers have the patience and trust in both his trajectory and their own development staff to bring him along.

A big second season in London after his name gets called at the draft would be an immediate sign, too, that he's on his way.


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