The 2024 NHL Draft concluded on Saturday with Rounds 2 through 7. The Flyers entered the day with seven picks on the day, many of them coming in the latter portion of the draft.
The Flyers stayed put with the 51st overall pick, then moved back into the second round eight picks later at 59th overall, trading the 77th overall pick and the 2025 third-round pick acquired from Minnesota on Friday to the Nashville Predators.
After making the selection at 59th overall, the Flyers were not scheduled to be on the clock again until the fifth round with two picks in short order at 148th and 150th overall. They traded back into the fourth round at 107th, moving the 150th overall pick in the fifth round and the 177th pick in the sixth round. They kept the 148th selection in the fifth and 173rd selection in the sixth, before rounding out the day with the 205th overall pick in the seventh.
Here’s a look at the six picks made by the Flyers on Day 2.
C Jack Berglund – 2nd Round, 51st Overall
A center with a power-forward build, the 6’2″, 207-pound Jack Berglund has already started to climb through the Swedish league ranks.
Berglund offers skills as a passer and puck-handler and brings solid two-way ability. His skating needs improvement, making him a long-term project with projections to be a bottom-six center.
He finished his draft year with eight games in the SHL with Färjestad BK, scoring one goal. With Färjestad BK’s J20 Nationell team, he scored 15 goals and 34 points in 41 games. He also had two goals and three assists in seven games at the U-18 World Junior Championship.
D Spencer Gill – 2nd Round, 59th Overall
The Flyers put the focus on the center position with their first two picks of the draft. When they traded up in the second round, they targeted a defenseman with size and upside.
Gill is 6’4″ and 185 pounds and offers a nice balance of physicality and offensive tools. His exits and passing are strong, indicative by his 34 assists last season with Rimouski in the QMJHL, and he added 12 goals for 46 points in 65 games.
He’s a project on the blueline, and with several other young defensemen much closer to the NHL in the system, taking the upside play on defense makes plenty of sense for the Flyers.
C Heikki Ruohonen – 4th Round, 107th Overall
The Flyers moved up one again to take another big forward. Ruohonen is 6’1″, 196 pounds and offers a balanced game.
He saw a massive jump in improvement, playing in 37 games with U20 SM-sarja last season and scoring 20 goals and 47 points. He also stood out at the U-18 World Junior Championship with three goals and five points in five games.
Ruohonen has strong tools in many areas. He’s an effective skater, pushes pace and drives play, can even play the power forward role at times. He’s a perfect prospect to take a flyer on in the fourth round to see if it amounts to anything over the next several years.
RW Noah Powell – 5th Round, 148th Overall
Powell went undrafted in the 2023 NHL Draft and was a re-entry in 2024. His breakout season in the USHL with the Dubuque Fighting Saints saw him score 43 goals and 74 points in 61 games, a solid showing.
He has all the makings of a power forward. He’s 6’1″ and 210 pounds, he gets to the dirty areas, has a strong shot and deception to make him a playmaker.
His biggest weakness is his skating ability, but if that can improve, this is another upside play that could pay dividends offensively.
RW Ilya Pautov – 6th Round, 173rd Overall
A Russian winger that brings deception and craft in his game, Pautov is on the smaller side at 5’10” and 165 pounds. This is certainly a late-round flier type of pick with a long road ahead in development.
Pautov had 15 goals and 45 points in 46 games with Krasnaya Armiya Moskva in the MHL.
D Austin Moline – 7th Round, 205th Overall
Another tall and physical defenseman, Moline is 6’4″, 194 pounds and was a towering presence at Shattuck St. Mary’s in the USHS-Prep. In 57 games, he scored eight goals and had 35 points.
Moline has room to grow, both physically and in his skills. He has a solid foundation skating, but needs to have his other skills rounded out and molded to become a possibility for the NHL.
