Flyers mock draft 2.0: Could James Hagens be the game-breaker the Flyers have long coveted?

It’s been three weeks since our last mock draft, and now that the NHL scouting combine has come and gone, it’s not a bad time to do another … because things have changed.

The Flyers still have 11 picks in the NHL draft, which is June 27-28, including seven in the top 48. They have Nos. 6, 22, and 31 or 32, depending on whether the Edmonton Oilers win the Stanley Cup. The second two first-round picks close out the Sean Walker trade from 2024’s trade deadline and a draft-day deal from last June, respectively.

» READ MORE: Flyers draft: Here’s what potential targets James Hagens, Jake O’Brien, and Anton Frondell said at the combine

But the fact that the Flyers also hold 36, 40, 45, and 48 makes things interesting. Do they hold onto their late first-round picks, or do they package them to move up? Do they swap any of their top seven selections for an NHL player?

Of course, everything depends on what the teams in front of them do. Time will tell, but a lot of moving and shaking was done last week in Buffalo. With that comes changes to The Inquirer’s mock draft.

In our first mock, this spot belonged to Caleb Desnoyers, but the chatter around Buffalo was about how much his stock rose after he led Moncton of the Quebec Maritime Junior Hockey League to the Memorial Cup final — despite playing most of the season with two bad wrists; he wasn’t sure at the combine if he needed surgery.

If Desnoyers, the brother of Flyers prospect Elliot Desnoyers, does go in the top five, there’s a good chance Hagens is available at No. 6, which would be pretty darn good news for the Flyers. Could both be available, with speculation that Utah, which picks at No. 4, really likes Brady Martin?

Hagens, who possesses elite skating and playmaking ability, is so dynamic on the ice — he had 37 points in 37 games as a freshman with Boston College — that he and Michkov together would be electrifying. Last summer, after Michkov’s signing was announced, Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said, “He’s going to pull all of you guys [the media] right out of your seats.” If it’s Michkov and Hagens? Don’t even bother sitting down.

» READ MORE: Who’ll join the Flyers with the No. 6 pick? Here are 8 options for Danny Brière and Co. in June’s draft.

There was a lot of internal spinning on this pick, but let’s stick with Fiddler, since Flyers could always use another right-shot defenseman in the system. They currently have Jamie Drysdale and Rasmus Ristolainen on the NHL roster, although Ristolainen will be out for a few months following surgery on his right triceps and has been the subject of trade speculation over the past two seasons. In the system, Spencer Gill, Oliver Bonk, Ethan Samson, and Helge Grans are rising through the ranks. Fiddler is huge (6-foot-4, 209 pounds) — we’ve seen in the Stanley Cup playoffs how much size matters — and can skate and has an edge; it’s why he told Montreal at the combine that he’d compare himself to a lion on the ice.

“I’m a big, long, rangy, two-way D-man, smooth skater, good skater, especially for my size,” the son of former NHL forward Vernon Fiddler told The Inquirer. “I’m a guy that can do a little bit of everything, and I defend hard, use my legs to defend, and can also chip in offensively and produce offense with my skating and skill.”

This past season, playing on the penalty kill and power play, the Texan had 33 points (10 goals, 23 assists) in 64 regular-season games and an assist in seven playoff games for Edmonton of the Western Hockey League. He also was impressive at the Under-18 World Championships, with two goals and three points in seven games for the bronze medal-winning United States.

Who the Flyers should take in this spot is up for debate. In the first mock draft, it was Cullen Potter. He’s a top-tier skater and would be dynamic on the ice, but after The Inquirer spoke with more than 20 prospects at the draft, no single player oozes Flyers hockey more than Vansaghi.

The Flyers like what he brings to the table, and they have had plenty of viewings of the soon-to-be Michigan State sophomore after signing teammate Karsen Dorwart at the end of this past season. The St. Louis native says he likes to play a physical and hard-nosed game and compares his style to Canadiens forward Josh Anderson. After leaving the U.S. National Development Program, he tallied six goals and 16 points in 37 games while playing a bottom-six role on a stacked Spartans team. Vansaghi may not go at 32, but the Flyers could have a chance to land the 6-2, 212-pound winger at 36 as well.

“I consider my strengths to be my ability to use my size and my strength to my advantage, to be able to protect pucks, drive hard to the net, drive to the inside,” he said.

» READ MORE: NHL draft combine: Top prospects wrap up testing, here’s how the final day went

But there’s also being gritty.

“I feel like that’s kind of one of my strengths is having that gritty skill, having the hard skill, and having that skill that comes out when you’re under pressure and you don’t have a whole lot of time space,” said Vansaghi, who added that he often was asked at the combine if he was willing to drop the gloves.

“So, yeah, I love to get in people’s faces. I love to make it hard and love to get involved with the game inside the game, you know, the extracurricular activities maybe after the whistle.”