2017 NHL Draft Prospect Profile: Nolan Patrick

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

In less than two weeks, the Flyers will be adding a huge piece to their future. The time has come for us to dive in completely and review the candidates to be selected with the second overall pick.

As the time draws closer, we’ll look at the obvious top two candidates, but also a few prospects that could be surprises at No. 2 or options if the Flyers do try to trade down a few picks.

We start with the player widely regarded to be the best in the draft class, Nolan Patrick.

Among the top two candidates, there was no question that Patrick won the battle in size and strength. At 6’2” and just short of 200 pounds, Patrick has the build to make an NHL roster and the tools to go along with it.

When scouts reviewed Patrick, even in a season where he didn’t play near as much as expected due to injury, it was his complete all-around game that had everyone wowed.

“There is no real weakness to his game,” ISS Director of Scouting Dennis MacInnis said in the ISS Draft Guide. “There are enough dimensions to his game that he could play a variety of roles in the NHL.”

What makes Patrick a potentially special player? It’s the combination of skill and size. This is a player with a power forward’s build in many ways, but he can skate, he’s a playmaker, he opens up the ice for teammates and he brings it on the back end as well with strong two-way ability.

Patrick also displayed great leadership skills in Brandon with the Wheat Kings, serving as captain this past season as an 18-year-old.

Combine all of the skills — the shot, the puck skills, the passing ability, the leadership, the size and strength combo, the hockey sense and more, and there’s almost not a weakness to his game.

His acceleration and skating took a slight hit in some of the grades, but that was mainly due to his offseason hernia surgery and subsequent injuries this season that slowed him down a bit. At full health, he’s a tremendous skater. As a center, his faceoff percentage also needs some work, but other than that, he’s the total package.

The Flyers don’t get a say in which of the top two players in the draft they have left on the board. The New Jersey Devils are the team that have to make that difficult decision. But in terms of who to hope falls to No. 2, it all depends on what you want the Flyers to get.

If the goal is for the Flyers to get a center who is more of a workhorse, brings a physical edge with scoring touch, then Patrick is the guy. But bear in mind, Patrick isn’t an overly flashy player like other top picks in recent years. He’ll put up the numbers — he had 41 goals and 102 points in72 games for Brandon in 2015-16 and 20 goals and 46 points in 33 games this past season — but he’ll do it with his work ethic, not flashy skills.

“Have no doubt, this kid is top of the class,” a scout wrote in Future Considerations Draft Guide. “After a year full of adversity, including a battle with injuries and a depleted supporting cast, Patrick flourished as a focal player who played in all situations and captained a team at 18. He doesn’t have the jaw-dropping flash of a lot of superstar players but make no mistake, his ability to manage a shift and outthink his opponents will make him a strong two-way center in the league for a long time.”

However, there are some others who think Patrick’s injuries have hurt his stock and don’t guarantee he’ll be the No. 1 pick.

“He needs to be given the benefit of the doubt at this time in regards to what he’s done in the past, but he shouldn’t be anointed as the number one,” a scout said for Recrutes Draft Guide. “It’s not so cut and dried now that he’s number one. If you talked to any of the western scouts early in the year they were saying ‘I don’t need to see Hischier. Patrick is the best.’ But that turned a little bit. Patrick is still a really good player. He’s one or two, but now it’s not so certain.”

Despite everything, Patrick remains a fixture at the top of the board and the Flyers are certainly doing their homework, having brought Patrick into SkateZone in Voorhees for a visit with team doctors to make sure his health is in order.

He remains projected to be a top-line two-way all-purpose center in the NHL and he’s been compared to Ryan Getzlaf.

So why should the Flyers take Nolan Patrick? Patrick has been regarded as the safe pick at No. 1, but with another player knocking on the door, there is no guarantee. If Patrick doesn’t go first overall, which has been projected since last year’s draft, the Flyers almost have to take him because it’s took good to pass up at No. 2.

There are two key things about Patrick’s game that the Flyers need. The Flyers do need a quality two-way center who can play top-line minutes, the guy who can create space for linemates at even strength, run a power play and kill penalties and score and help keep the puck out of the net. They especially need one who is up and coming. Claude Giroux isn’t getting any younger and Sean Couturier’s offensive game won’t meet the potential that Patrick has in that department.

Another intriguing thing about selecting Patrick is his familiarity with Ivan Provorov. Provorov’s last season in juniors was the 2015-16 season, the same year Patrick posted 102 points and scored 41 goals. With a chemistry already formed there, you would have to think having both on the ice at the same time could be greatly beneficial for the Flyers.

You can watch highlights of Nolan Patrick below.