One word for each Flyers pick in 2023 NHL Draft

It has been a whirlwind in Philadelphia the last couple of days. And we’re not talking about the freakin’ winds carrying the smoke from the Canadian wildfires, folks!

From a couple of organization-turning trades, sending out Ivan Provorov and Kevin Hayes in the last little while, to having an all-important 2023 NHL Draft happening in Nashville; the Flyers have had a pretty damn interesting week. Suddenly under the tutelage of general manager Danny Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones, we feel a shift in confidence for this team that we so desperately love. Instead of worrying about every little transaction, there is a sense of bliss and safety that comes with thinking about how they are going to move forward.

Nothing will be absolutely perfect, but their week in Nashville has proved to be fruitful. Full of taking advantage of opportunities and demonstrating how different this might be.

They took big swings and some safe bets with the 10 picks that they made on the floor of Bridgestone Arena. Instead of diving deep into the draft class or giving the total organization a letter grade on the selections, we’re thinking it is best to just simplify each prospect to one word. It can be a word that describes the player himself, or the motivation or meaning behind the type of pick they made. Either way, one single word.

Matvei Michkov – Franchise

There is no denying what this single pick at seventh overall means for the Flyers. Michkov’s story has been told enough – a skilled player tied up in a KHL contract through the 2025-26 season and the geopolitical situation in Russia, but has all the potential in the world – as the primary reason why he was available for Philadelphia to take. And they happily did so.

The Flyers already met with the player twice before selecting him, Michkov expressed how much he wants to play in the NHL and specifically for the Flyers, so both parties are just over the moon about this. And while other teams might be a little disgruntled with the fact that he won’t be available to come over until three more seasons have been played, that is perfect for the Flyers. They won’t be able to utilize his services until then anyways, and meanwhile they can keep on developing the other prospects and drafting more talent to then just have a foundation ready for Michkov to come over into.

He is the definition of a franchise-changing player and could be the most talented player to ever play in Philadelphia.

Oliver Bonk – Suffocation

It was a first round of juxtaposition for the Flyers. Going with the super smart and cool and sexy pick in Michkov at seventh overall allowed them to just grab a guy they like that almost will certainly be on the team for a while.

Oliver Bonk isn’t as exciting as his name but what he does on the ice is completely stifle a whole lot of offense coming his way. One of the best defensive defensemen in the entire draft class – maybe suffocation was too violent of a word – Bonk kills a whole lot of plays with his above-average mobility and never-ending work ethic to disrupt puck movement and send possession up the ice.

Most scouts agree that Bonk will be in the NHL no matter what, but it just depends on how much his offensive game grows if he will get to make a significant impact on it. He isn’t too big where the change of his opponents’ size from junior hockey to the professional level will make a difference, but he just thinks and reads the game quicker than a whole lot of folks. He’s the Killer of Plays.

Carson Bjarnason – Safety

Selecting a goalie in the second round – especially when you traded one of your multiple second-round picks in next year’s drafts to get him – is a risky play, but the Flyers saw the goaltenders start to go off the board and needed to swoop in to get one of the best.

Bjarnason was ranked as the best North American goalie in this draft class and his play for the defensively weak Brandon Wheat Kings has solidified him in being exactly that.

Some goalie scouts say that all he needs to do is just get a little bit stronger and faster – don’t we all? – to really make it at the professional level. He is already 6-foot-3 and literally just turned 18 years old the day after he was drafted, so the size is not an issue and if he even grows more he could suddenly be a goalie that with a little bit of development could really turn into something.

His foundation of performance plus potential means that he was just a safe bet to draft and another interesting goalie prospect in the Flyers system. It’s not as exciting as a goal-scoring winger, but we’ll take it.

Egor Zavragin – Unknown

Truthfully, when I went to go write the quick hit on the Flyers selecting Egor Zavragin in the third round on Thursday, he felt like a ghost. There was no image of him on his Elite Prospects page and when you just simply google his name, the second result – after his Elite Prospects page – is someone that is definitely not him.

We know he played in the MHL this season and appeared briefly in the VHL and when his birthday is. The Flyers certainly are going into their deep scouting pockets for this pick. They have had luck drafting unknown European goaltenders – Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov as two recent examples – so this very young Russian netminder might just be another hidden gem that they had to grab.

Denver Barkey – Endless

Denver Barkey might be my favorite selection that the Flyers made this week (outside of Michkov, of course). He is just such a typical player that we love to love and fans of other teams love to hate. The London Knight has an endless motor that will drive opponents insane with an unrelenting forecheck and ability to drive the cycle. He was already described by some people as a lite version of Travis Konecny, if you want a clearer picture on the player.

We just simply love our pests and Barkey combines the annoying attitude with some soft puck skills that could also lead to some impressive production. He led the Knights in scoring among teenaged players and will certainly only have an increase in his role this year as that team goes through a quasi transition.

Cole Knuble – Bloomer

Knuble is the only over-ager that the Flyers took this year – he was eligible for the draft last year – but he seems to be a player that should see a little bit of a breakout through his college years.

Committed to the University of Notre Dame for next season, Knuble ended up being more of a leader for the USHL’s Fargo Force last year. He led them in points by 11 (while also playing fewer games than most of his teammates) and finished ninth in the entire league in scoring. His work ethic has increased from two years ago, according to some scouts, where he is much more proactive on the ice.

According to some he just needs to work on his skating, but that of course can be improved through development and especially in college hockey. He just needed a second chance, I guess.

Alex Ciernik – Different

Selecting Alex Ciernik in the fourth round is a massive change from what we have seen in the Flyers. We have grown accustomed to the Flyers not taking the massive swings, but maybe just some swings for contact and hoping for something to bloop down for a single. Ciernik was one of the most boom-or-bust player the Flyers could have taken at this point of the draft and they did exactly that.

He is a tremendous skater, has a great shot, can pass the puck well, but sometimes putting it all together in smart plays is a little bit difficult for him. He was seen as sometimes too good for the junior level over in Sweden – he was born in Germany, is Slovakian despite never living there and moved to Sweden at a young age to play hockey – but not good enough to get into the professional level. Hopefully next season he takes that jump and can develop his hockey smarts, but nevertheless it is something we haven’t really seen from this team in a while.

Carter Sotheran – Smart

Sotheran is a big defender – listed at 6-foot-3 – and is someone that isn’t a particularly great skater, doesn’t pass the puck exceptionally well, and doesn’t stickhandle through his opponents. But what he is great at, is reading plays and is one of the more intelligent blueliners in the later rounds of the draft.

The towering Portland Winterhawks blueliner shares some attributes to another familiar Manitoban, as some scouts have given him the comparison of Travis Sanheim. And that kind of makes sense. Sotheran has transitioned the puck well, rarely makes stupid plays, but isn’t really exceptional at the things that get a player noticed by fans. He can eventually improve his skating to increase his production and bring everything together, but he at least has the brain to make it all work.

Ryan MacPherson – Long haul

Part of the fun of thinking about players in the late rounds of the NHL Draft is seeing names that are not familiar for even the biggest prospect nerd. Ryan MacPherson sort of is one of those.

MacPherson played his draft year in the Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League (GOJHL) and will be heading out west to play in the more well-regarded British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL) where you see Canadian players who want to take the collegiate route, playing. He is already committed to the University of North Hampshire and will have his freshman year at the age of 20 for the 2024-25 season. There is a long path for MacPherson and he could maybe turn into something, but he will be someone to just check on monthly, for even the biggest Philadelphian prospect fans.

Matteo Mann – Large

There had to be one Big Boy and it was Matteo Mann this year. The defenseman was selected by the Flyers in the seventh round and at just 18 years old is already 6-foot-6 and 229 lbs. Mann is a man.

The production isn’t there – just five points in 45 games for the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Saguenéens – but he was once hoped to be someone selected in the first two rounds by some scouts before the season started. He got off on the wrong foot and was injured for the first few weeks of the season and just appeared to not catch up with his point total.

But, like all defenders his size and age, mobility is an issue but Mann has used his long reach and violent hits as a way to disrupt opposing possession in his junior career. At 199th overall, getting a very big dude that could turn into a depth player ain’t so bad.