By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
We started our look at draft prospects for this year with the often-projected No. 1 pick in Nolan Patrick.
Our next prospect is the possible No. 2 pick, the other player the Flyers could have left waiting for them pending whom the Devils take with the first pick, Nico Hischier.
If Nolan Patrick is the safe pick based on the resume, then Nico Hischier is the hot-shot, highly-skilled kid hot on his heels.
Hischier didn’t really enter the discussion as the potential top pick in the draft until around December, when suddenly he blossomed at the World Junior Championships with Switzerland. He scored four goals and added three assists for seven points in five games in the tournament, but really turned heads with his dynamic offensive ability.
His first season in the QMJHL wasn’t too shabby either. How about 38 goals and 48 assists for 86 points in 57 games.
But beyond the numbers, Hischier is the player that has the complete offensive package. His skating is tremendous. He has all the same intangibles as Patrick. And his puck skills and stickhandling are easily at the top of this class.
In comparison to Patrick, the ISS Hockey Draft Guide has Hischier rated as a better skater, stickhandler, scorer, leader, 3-on-3 player and puck protector. And that’s not where his game stops.
Hischier has been compared to Pavel Datsyuk with his puck skills and dynamic moves, but there are scouts who believe he is a more complete player than Patrick already. Defensively, he doesn’t get caught out of position too often, lets the play come to him and anticipates it well, and uses his speed to generate quick breakouts.
So why isn’t Hischier the unanimous No. 1?
It comes down to how ready he may be for the NHL. The one thing Patrick has that Hischier does not is the size and strength. Hischier is listed at 6’0” and 176 pounds, a good 20 pounds short of Patrick. Their height difference is debateable — at the Combine, Hischier measured about an inch shorter than Patrick — but the size and weight class is certainly far apart.
But if Hischier could add some strength and muscle to his game, he’d essentially be a lock for an NHL roster. The rest of the skills are that good.
“Best player on the ice every night for Halifax,” ISS Hockey scout Chris Mooring said in the ISS Draft Guide. “Wants it more than anyone else on the ice. High-end offensive player with a high IQ and a great motor, not far away from playing in the NHL, just needs to get stronger.”
“Hischier is a highly creative and impactful center who ran the top-line and power play unit in Halifax,” one scout said for Future Considerations Draft Guide. “Has the high level of awareness and IQ that allows him to find space despite drawing tough assignments and being constantly shadowed. Strong puck handling skills, very good skater and agile. Can dominate when he wants. Vision and playmaking are also elite. He projects as a top prospect and potential to become and NHL offensive superstar.”
So what makes Hischier the player the Flyers should take?
It’s hard to pass on dynamic offensive ability. At one time, Claude Giroux looked like the player that could take over a game at any moment. If the Flyers drafted Hischier, the kid would become an instant hit in Philly if he played as advertised.
Some things about the Flyers offense over the last few years has lacked excitement and energy. It took a defenseman to really give it a jolt in 2015-16. Travis Konecny showed potential last season, but his rookie year served as more of a learning curve. With the possibility of adding Oskar Lindblom and Hischier, the Flyers could have two future stars worth watching.
But it’s the complete package that really is intriguing. Look at this description from a QMJHL-based scout for Recrutes Draft Guide.
“You were always intrigued because he was so good at playing both ends of the ice. You saw the creativity, you figured it was just a matter of time. He’s just so well-rounded. He’s got some dynamics to him, but it’s not like he goes out there and sets the pace every shift.
“He really knows whenever things are well on a particular shift to not just chase pucks. He goes ‘Okay, things aren’t going great this shift, I better make sure I don’t get scored on,’ so he doesn’t play that selfish offensive style. I like that about him, he’s a good linemate in that he makes everybody better.”
So this is a team player with skills in all three zones who reads the play and tone of the game and shift. He can use his dynamic skills when called upon, but also knows when to tone down, hold back and focus on the defensive end of things.
As Hockey Prospect scout Jerome Berube said in the Hockey Prospect Black Book, “No real weakness in his game. He makes everyone around him better, and any coach will love him, as he can play in any situation.”
An NHL scout that saw Hischier in January also noted, “People talk about his offense all the time, but his defensive game is elite too.”
The skills of a player like Pavel Datsyuk, the defensive responsibility of a player like Jonathan Toews. Some have stretched a bit to call him the Swiss Conner McDavid. That may be a bit lofty. His head coach in Halifax, Andre Tourigny, said in an interview after in of Halifax’s games this season that he’s not dynamic like a McDavid, but compared him to a cross between Datsyuk and Henrik Zetterberg.
And the coach didn’t stop there.
“If you pick top five that means you have to build your team around that player, and I would be so happy to build my team around him for the next 20 years,” Tourigny said. “A person like Hischier, a player like Hischier. Nico is such a good man, good heart.”
The expectations are high. Nolan Patrick proved the skill over three seasons in Brandon. Hischier had one outstanding year. But for a player this motivated, it may never be too big a stage. And for the Flyers, that could be a good thing with so many high-ranking prospects starting to come through.
You can watch highlights of Nico Hischier below.
