With the 158th pick in the 2015 NHL Draft, the Flyers have selected right winger Cooper Marody from the Sioux Falls Stampede of the USHL.
Marody split time between two USHL teams — the Stampede and the Muskegon Lumberjacks — this past season. He put up a total of 58 points in 52 games across the two teams., finishing 11th in the USHL in total scoring.
He’s 6’0″, 173, and is committed to the University of Michigan beginning this fall. He’s an American forward, and is the first one of those the Flyers have drafted since taking Michael Parks in the 2010 draft.
He was ranked 53rd in Central Scouting’s North American skater rankings, and was an honorable mention for Corey Pronman’s top 100 skaters at ESPN.
Chris Dilks over at SBN College Hockey called the pick a “big steal“, and had a profile of Marody up last week:
Speed is the number one asset Marody brings to the table. Marody is a blazing skater that can stretch the ice and put pressure on the opposing defense. In the offensive zone, he’s a smart, patient player that isn’t afraid to hold the puck on his stick and wait for a play to develop.
The biggest concern with Marody is a lack of strength. He put on about 15 lbs. of muscle last summer, but that still only got him to about 177 lbs. If he can continue to add a little more mass without sacrificing his terrific speed, he would be more effective on the defensive end of the ice, and potentially a better shooter/goal-scorer rather than a pass-first playmaker.
