PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Ron Hextall was able to land a first round pick last year in the Braydon Schenn trade with the St. Louis Blues that helped the Flyers land the 14th overall selection in this years’ NHL Draft. In PHN’s Mock Draft we see the Flyers land defenseman Bode Wilde with the pick at #14. Now we take a look at what the Flyers might do with their own pick, 19th overall pick.
Hextall has always taken the best player available approach to the draft and as we see that scoring wingers are a huge issue throughout the Flyers organization. Last year the Flyers took some steps by addressing their left wing position by drafting Isaac Ratcliffe, Noah Cates, Olle Lycksell, and Matthew Strome. They also have Carsen Twarynski and Oskar Lindblom as well.
Over on right wing the Flyers have prospects Wade Allison, Maxim Sushko, David Kase, and Nicolas Aube-Kubel. Alison appears to have a higher upside scoring 15 goals in 22 games for Western Michigan. Sushko had a productive year as well scoring 31 goals in 60 games for Owen Sound in the OHL.
On the current Flyers roster Jakub Voracek had a career year and despite numerous injuries Wayne Simmonds was productive as well but he will become an unrestricted free agent. Travis Konecny is a center playing on right wing and he has grown tremendously scoring 24 goals for the Flyers.
Unless someone falls to them some of the better scoring left wingers could be gone by the time the Flyers pick is up at 19, but there is a chance Joel Farabee falls to them. There should be plenty of right wing prospects still on the board, but Serron Noel will definitely catch their eye if he is still available sat 19 which in out mock draft he is. If the Flyers look at some European prospects such as Vitali Kravtsov, Martin Kaut, and Dominik Bokk, the Flyers are going to have a tough call to me especially if Kravtsov is still on the board.
The bet here is that it will come down between a decision between Noel and Kravtsov. The Flyers aren’t known to go overseas despite takin German Rubtsov in the first round in 2016 but we get the feeling that Noel’s size and scoring ability might make him too tough to pass on. Kravtsov has the skill and speed the Flyers are dying to have but unless another trade is make the Flyers will only be able to pick one of them. At the end of the day we see the Flyers making the following call at the podium in Dallas.
“With the 19th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft the Philadelphia Flyers select, from the Oshawa Generals, Serron Noel.”
Brian Jennings covers the Philadelphia Flyers for prohockeynews.com and can be found on twitter at @Flyersfan22.
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