When you think of the Flyers needs on offense, you think of a winger with a powerful shot, powerful motion in his skating and forechecking and size.
The Flyers don't have an immediate need at center, but could a center peak their interest.
There's a good chance the Flyers will focus more on the wingers at the middle portion of the first round, but if a potential Top-10 pick became available as low as the 18th overall pick, the Flyers may be easily swayed.
That brings us to today's prospect profile, a look at center Logan Brown.
The top two centers in the draft are presumed first overall pick Auston Matthews and Pierre-Luc Dubois. After that, on the list of top centers in the draft, you will find Brown, a 6'6", 222-pound specimen that comes with size, strength and skill in a complete package.
Playing for the Windsor Spitfires in the OHL last season, Brown scored 21 goals and added 53 assists for 74 points in 59 games.
There's a very good chance the Flyers won't even have the chance to consider drafting Brown, beings he comes with a much shorter timetable for reaching the NHL and a high projection.
He developed leaps and bounds over the last season as a 17-year-old — he just turned 18 on March 5 — and at the U-18 Tournament, playing for Team USA, showed he could provide clutch scoring and be a leader even at his age.
Brown is one of the best in the draft when it comes to adding skill to such a large frame. His size and strength are almost unmatched and he pairs it with outstanding vision and strong hockey smarts. He is as good as any prospect in all three zones and combines quick hands and a strong shot to produce well.
The knock on Brown is that he needs to put the raw talent and skills to good use. He is more of a playmaker than a shooter, as indicated by his assist totals, and started to really show his full potential when he used his shot. Similarly, even though he comes in a 6'6" package, he's still working on using his size to his advantage.
He's close to NHL ready, but not quite there just yet. As an 18-year-old, another year, maybe two in juniors, and we'll likely be hearing about Logan Brown at the NHL level, where he projects to be a Top-6 center with the ability to play a 200-foot game while providing tremendous offensive skill.
"Still learning how to use his frame to his advantage," writes ISS Director of Scouting Dennis MacInnis in the 2016 ISS NHL Draft Guide. "Big time upside if he puts it all together. Still growing into his body. A raw offensive product that needs more seasoning."
"Makes good decisions on the ice most of the time," writes ISS scout Phil Myre. "He can make finesse plays and also run over opponents. Almost NHL ready. Like him a lot. Has leadership qualities."
"Rare you see a 6'6" framed center ice man," writes ISS scout Bryan Smolinski. "Not a gifted skater but has strength and quickness for his size. Logs a lot of minutes. Pass first player but can take control of the game."
You can watch highlights of Brown below.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
