Our series on potential Flyers first-round picks continues as we take a look at another potential prospect.
Already, we've covered two forwards with a lot of potential in Mikko Rantanen and Lawson Crouse.
The Flyers have said they are interested in forwards, but could also take the best player available. So what if the best player available is a defenseman?
With that, here's our first defensive prospect to watch, 18-year-old Russian defenseman Ivan Provorov.
The Russian defenseman recently completed his first season of North American hockey with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL. Much like the Flyers first-round pick from a year ago in Travis Sanheim, Provorov is completing an excellent season, with 61 points to lead all rookies in the WHL, including 15 goals, in 60 games.
He also played 10 playoff games for Brandon, scoring two goals and adding six assists. Provorov was also a fixture of Russia's World Junior team, which fell to Canada in the Gold Medal game.
His size as a defenseman is not as big as many would like. He's 6'0" and 201 pounds, but plays bigger than his size.
Provorov is an incredibly gifted offensive player. For a defenseman, he has finesse that is hard to find and can certainly command a power play and even jump into rushes at both even strength and on the penalty kill.
His passing is a strong quality and he can often find the weak areas on opposing defenses and use that to his advantage. His 46 assists this season in the WHL indicate his involvement in the scoring as a passer.
Defensively, Provorov is an ideal player with experience in all situations. He's a strong skater, poised on the puck and with good anticipation on defensive plays.
There are scouts who believe that for his gifted ability offensively, he may be better in his team's defensive zone. It all starts with skating, which he obviously has, but he has an ability to read plays very well and attack the puck carrier.
If the Flyers are looking for that one final piece that may join the likes of Sanheim, Sam Morin, Shayne Gostisbehere and Robert Hagg, Provorov could be the guy, and he is very likely to also be on the board at pick seven.
Provorov is likely going to go in the Top-10, as it would be hard to see a two-way defenseman that could fill a need for so many teams slip as far as 15th in the first round.
In some cases, this could be the most talented and possibly even the first defenseman to be selected in the draft, even with some of higher profile on the board. The Flyers would certainly be a fit.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
