PHILADELPHIA, Pa – The Philadelphia Flyers for years virtually ignored the blueline when it came to the NHL Entry Draft, especially in the first round, instead they went after veteran defensemen through free agency and trades. It finally took the 2013 draft to select a defenseman in the first round by taking Samuel Morin 11th overall. Before then the last time the Flyers took a blueliner in the first round was Luca Sbisa 19th overall. 
Eventually Sbisa would be traded in the Chris Pronger deal. Oddly enough it would be Pronger to have been the one to scout Morin and encouraged the Flyers to take him in the first round. Since then the Flyers have taken a defenseman in the first round twice.
Today we look at some of the Flyers top defensive prospects and take a look ahead to see when and where they should be in the near future.
Ivan Provorov – Provorov is the latest to be taken in the first round in 2015, 7th overall. Very rarely do the Flyers fast track anyone to the NHL level at such a young age. He will be 20 years old in January and should become a staple of the Flyers blueline for years to come.
Samuel Morin – As mentioned before, Morin has been waiting his turn and has come close to making the big club in recent years. That should come to an end next season. The Flyers have several players that will become unrestricted free agents in the summer and won’t be brought back such as Mark Streit, Michael Del Zotto, and Nick Schultz.
Streit might be brought back but for if he does it will only be for one year. That is one less job opening if he stays. Shayne Gostisbehere, a former third round pick in 2012, is an RFA but he will be resigned. Brandon Manning has one more year left to go before he becomes an UFA.
Morin is one of the few defensive defenseman the Flyers have in their entire system. He was drafted to taking the place of Pronger in the future and patterns his game after Pronger, which has been missing on the big club ever since he retired.
Look for Morin to be patrolling the Flyers next season when training camp ends in October.
Travis Sandheim – The ”other” first rounder taken in 2014 has been paired with Morin in the AHL. He is more of an offensive threat than Morin but is every bit as capable as any of the other Flyers blueliners in terms of putting the puck in the net when need be.
His stats in juniors bare were very similar to Provorov’s. Pairing him with Morin should be a telltale sign of what they think of Sandheim and Morin and their future together on the Flyers blueline.
Sandheim should also make the Flyers blueline next season but it is possible he will stay in the AHL for one more season but given the current state of the Flyers blueline he might stay in the AHL at the start of the season but he won’t be staying there for very long.
Our prediction is that Sandheim and Morin will make the big club next season.
Robert Hagg – Hagg was taken in the same draft as Morin, but despite being taken in the second round he was projected to go in the first round. Hagg had some trouble adjusting to the North American style of play in the AHL, but has improved his defensive game greatly. He is a steady defenseman and could also become a mainstay on the Flyers blueline if given the chance.
The Flyers might need to see one more year in the AHL before being called up to the big boy club. If he impresses he could stay there. He could also find himself on another franchise because of the Flyers depth chart. Ever since he was drafted other prospects have passed him but that doesn’t mean the Flyers think any less of him.
If Sandheim doesn’t make that Flyers next season, Hagg is the next logical choice to do so. If he does he must make the most of his opportunity.
Philippe Myers – Talk about your pleasant surprises. Myers was not even drafted and was signed as a UFA. He is currently playing in juniors and is also currently playing in the World Junior Championships for Team Canada.
The bad news is he has also had two concussions this year and that’s never a good sign. That said, expect the Flyers to be very patient with him. When Pierre McGuire says he would have become a first round pick had Myers gone back into the draft, people take notice, especially the Flyers.
Look for Myers to be in the AHL next season.
Honorable Mentions: David Bernhardt and Mark Friedman – The Swedish native is 1 of 9 Flyers prospects playing in the WJC. Bernhardt is tied for fourth on the team in plus/minus (+7) and is logging a lot of ice time. Not bad for a 7th round pick in 2016. Don’t think that will turn off the Flyers from giving him a long look. In years past that would have been a problem but no under the Ron Hextall regime.
Look for him to be in Sweden another year before coming overseas and heading into the AHL. At worst he will start in the ECHL level but don’t expect him to stay there long if he does.
Friedman is a third-round pick in 2014, and has turned heads playing in the USHL and at the college level for Bowling Green. He has never been a negative player in the plus/minus department. He doesn’t have great size at 5’ 10” so that might be a bit of an issue climbing the ladder will all the Flyers top defensive prospects averaging over six feet. On any other franchise, he would get a longer look, but he will get a fair shot once he goes pro.
You must be logged in to post a comment.