Flyers draft: Rating 13 potential first-round targets for the Orange and Black

Friday will kick-start a new era for the Flyers as, beginning with the No. 6 overall pick, they are scheduled to draft three players they hope will eventually help guide the franchise back to Stanley Cup contention.

Led by assistant general manager Brent Flahr, his team of amateur scouts has blanketed the prospects across North America and Europe. At the start of June, along with general manager Danny Brière and president Keith Jones, they spoke to around 60 players at the NHL scouting combine in Buffalo, with secondary interviews — including one with James Hagens last week, as The Inquirer previously reported — conducted in the interim.

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After they feel comfortable with all the information they receive, the Flyers compile their list and rank the players who could hear their name called.

Have priorities changed for the Flyers with the addition of Trevor Zegras on Monday? Possibly. One sure thing is that Matthew Schaefer is expected to go at No. 1 to the New York Islanders. After that, Michael Misa has long been linked with the San Jose Sharks at No. 2, and now reports say Anton Frondell will not last beyond the third overall pick and the Chicago Blackhawks.

So, who is left? The Inquirer rated several first-round prospects based on our Draft Meter scale from 1 to 10, with 10 being most likely that the Flyers will pick that player, and 1 being least likely.

The Flyers currently own picks No. 6, 22, and 31 in the first round of the draft. Here’s how things stand heading into Friday night:

By far, Desnoyers is the most well-rounded center in this class and the one everyone says will stick at that position in the NHL. He is a proven winner and just led Moncton to the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League championship — with two bad wrists. There’s a good chance he won’t be there at the sixth slot, hence the mid-range draft meter, but if he is there, the Flyers will surely snag the 6-foot-2 younger brother of current Lehigh Valley Phantom Elliot Desnoyers.

Draft meter: 5

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With the top three all but predetermined and, in all likelihood, Desnoyers off the board, O’Brien sounds like the next guy on the list for the Flyers. The Ontario Hockey League-based center is 6-2 and has immense skill in terms of his passing and vision on the ice. Is he a complete, 200-foot player like Desnoyers? No, but he is just 18 and has tremendous upside.

Draft meter: 9

The hardest decision for the Flyers at No. 6 could be between Martin and O’Brien. Unlike O’Brien, Martin brings the boom. He’s a strong center at 6 feet and 186 pounds who lives for the big body checks while being a team player. There’s a lot to like about Martin, who has high-end skill and one of the strongest work ethics in the draft class, thanks to his experience working on his family’s farm.

Draft meter: 8

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With the addition of Zegras down the middle, could the Flyers shift gears and aim for the top winger in the class? If so, Martone would be the guy. The hyper-focused winger brings size at 6-3, 204 pounds, high-end skill, and is a proven leader as he is not only the captain in Brampton but has worn the “C” for Hockey Canada. He needs to work on his skating, but he has elite playmaking skills, can score, and, like O’Brien and Martin, has major upside.

Draft meter: 6

Yes, as multiple sources have confirmed to The Inquirer, the Flyers did meet with the Boston College product last week in New Jersey. But these meetings happen all the time, so all bets are off on whether Hagens is the guy they take if available at No. 6. Here’s the thing, the 5-11, 186-pound Hagens is dynamic and one of the best skaters, playmakers, and scorers in the class, and while Brière and Flahr said they don’t have an issue with size, the consensus is that they may lean toward one of the bigger guys with their top pick.

Draft meter: 6

The likelihood of the Flyers taking a defenseman at No. 6 is slim, but if they were to do it, Mrtka would be a pretty solid choice. Widely considered the second-best defenseman in the class, the Western Hockey League standout is 6-6, 218 pounds, and a right-shot blueliner — the Flyers do need size and righties in the system — who can play a 200-foot game. Some other options among the defensive corps at No. 6 — or even a bit lower if they trade down or move up from 22 — are big-time hitter Kashawn Aitcheson and recent Penn State recruit Jackson Smith. That said, all eyes are on the centers.

Draft meter: 4

The only other option at No. 6 for the Flyers appears to be McQueen, who some draft experts say could have been the No. 1 pick — if not for his back injury. There is a major risk with taking McQueen, but a considerable reward if his injuries are behind him. The Flyers have done their due diligence and also conducted a medical interview with the 6-5 center for Brandon — yep, the junior team of Carson Bjarnason led by former Flyer Marty Murray — so they may think it is worth it in the end. But, of course, looming over this is how the last time the Flyers took a Brandon center with some injury question marks, it didn’t go well (Nolan Patrick).

Draft meter: 6

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The thought is that the Flyers have a good chance of going for a defenseman at No. 22 with several high-quality, big men in the second half of the draft. Fiddler has NHL pedigree — son of Vernon Fiddler — and, despite his size (6-4), is a strong skater. He had 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 64 regular-season games and an assist in seven playoff games for Edmonton of the WHL.

Draft meter: 8

A Jake Sanderson comparable, the 6-2 defenseman is a right-shot player blueliner who can play a solid two-way game. As a freshman at Wisconsin, he had 12 points in 32 games and helped the United States win its second straight gold at World Juniors. But he knows he has more to give and is ready to take the next step. Like fellow defensemen Sascha Boumedienne and Cameron Reid, he probably won’t be available at No. 22, but the Flyers like what he brings.

Draft meter: 6

A possible winger who could go at No. 22, Prokhorov is massive at 6-5 and is projected to be a middle-six forward at the NHL level. Plus, he is Russian, and the Flyers have certainly been dipping into that well the last few years with the likes of Matvei Michkov, Egor Zavragin, and Ilya Pautov. Whether the Flyers go with another forward is the big question, and whether they go wing over another center, like 6-4 Jack Nesbitt, is also up in the air.

Draft meter: 7

Could the Flyers go with a goalie at 31? There’s a good chance, and Ravensbergen is a behemoth in goal at 6-5. The Flyers love big goalies with Bjaranson, Zavragin, and the 6-8 Ivan Fedotov in the system, and Ravensbergen moves well for his size as well.

Draft meter: 7

Another option at No. 31 is a defenseman the Flyers probably know well — he’s the teammate of Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey. A two-way defenseman, he has teamed up with Bonk and was a partner of the CHL’s top blueliner, Sam Dickinson, this past season.

Draft meter: 6

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The Michigan forward’s stock rose considerably after the scouting combine when he demolished the horizontal leap. A big personality, he has NHL pedigree as the son of former Edmonton Oilers captain Shawn Horcoff, and at 6-4 and a centerman, he could be what the Flyers are looking for. Other names to watch here are forwards Shane Vansaghi and William Moore, and defenseman Hoaxi (Simon) Wang, who could be available at 36, too.

Draft meter: 8