After weeks of preparation, tonight is the night that the newest Flyer will join the organization. The NHL Draft begins tonight with the first round and the Flyers have the 18th overall pick.
With the Flyers set to select their newest member, we’ve spent the last several weeks looking at potential prospects and have created the short list, five players the Flyers should target with the 18th overall pick.
Here they are below, with reference to their profiles featured on the site in the previous weeks and my reasoning.
Max Jones – The total package: size, skill, strength, compete level, determination. The Flyers need a player with a scorer’s touch who can also attack the puck. Max Jones has all the characteristics of that player.
My Take: The Flyers are starved for a power forward and a goal-scorer. For me, this is the guy. He brings so much to any team, particularly on the offensive side, that you can handle some areas of his game that need improvement like play in the defensive zone, consistency and discipline. The Flyers are a team that has worked very hard and done well developing players. Jones may not be quite NHL ready yet, but after another year or two, he could be ready to make the leap and would be an instant fit with the Flyers.
Julien Gauthier – A big scoring winger with great size, an excellent shot, good skating and puck-moving skills and a physical edge. Julien Gauthier has so much offensive upside, this may be the sniper the Flyers are looking for.
My Take: Is it possible to be enamored with two prospects? For as much as I like Jones, who has generally been ranked higher than Gauthier, you can’t help but look at the 41 goals from a season ago and see the natural raw talent he has. It is very close how much I like these two players, almost to the point where it wouldn’t matter which one was taken. The Flyers would be better off with either and Gauthier is certainly on the radar.
Kieffer Bellows – A high-scoring power winger with the upside to be a first-line type player. There’s great upside and very good talent across the board with Kieffer Bellows.
My Take: So here’s where I’m at with Bellows. He was a 50-goal scorer for the US U-18 team, so the scoring talent is there. I personally thank that there’s a better chance that Jones and Gauthier are both there at 18 and Bellows is off the board, so it’s a little difficult to get on board with Bellows when the belief is that he will be gone. That said, there’s always room for crazy things to happen. Realistically, put Bellows in the group with Jones and Gauthier. The Flyers may be drafting the best player available, but it honestly could come down to which of the three the Flyers view as the best. Regardless, Flyers fans should be happy with adding any of these wingers.
German Rubtsov – A power forward with a strong two-way game up the middle, German Rubtsov displays strong ability in all aspects of the game and has the potential to be one of the best well-rounded players from this draft class.
My Take: Like Bellows, I don’t think Rubtsov gets to enter the conversation, but if we’re going the best player available route, I’m keeping an eye open to see if he slips. The Flyers really need a winger more than a center, but Rubtsov’s versatility could make him work for the Flyers sooner than later and would certainly be a great pick at 18, especially if the board clears the three above by then.
Jake Bean – With comparables to Shayne Gostisbehere, Bean is a strong puck-moving defender with mobility and a great shot. A teammate of Travis Sanheim, Bean is looking to follow in his footsteps as a top defensive prospect for whatever team selects him.
My Take: I have Bean off the board first among the five players here. Defense is going to be valuable, and I’m fairly certain that there will be a team out there that ranks a couple of these defensemen higher than forwards with a slight nod toward need. Regardless, if the Flyers were in a position to take Bean at 18, it would likely be a steal. There’s almost no doubt that if Bean is somehow on the board when the Flyers are on the clock, they’d pick him as the best player available.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
