Philadelphia Flyers 2021 draft recap 2021-09-09 Philadelphia Flyers 2021 draft review The Flyers entered the 2021 draft with 8 picks and had a number of specific goals going into the draft: Draft William Eklund and Luke Hughes with picks #4 and #5 Acquire Cossa or Wallstedt with #16 Trade down in the later rounds to acquire a few additional picks for over-age draftees. Results: (1) Got royally fucked over when Martins made a bold move ahead of the draft to send a quality package to Edmonton for the #2 pick. At this stage we had a fair idea that Eklund would be off the board so made the decisions to look at potential trades. Note: Follow up discussions with a number of GMs lead us to believe that even if Edmonton had held onto the pick one of those guys would have been off the board. A number of options popped up on the table but the main goal was to move down a few spaces with the expectation that we’d still be able to draft the next guy on our list. Calgary made a great offer to move up and get their guy. From a Flyers perspective, we were traded #5 and still acquired the guy highest on draft board whilst managing to add three extra prospects into the mix with this deal and a follow up deal with the Golden Knights. #7 Brandt Clarke (who was 4th in our draft list) #57 Jack Peart #83 Artem Grushnikov #188 Andrei Buyalski (2) I guess this was always going to be a long shot but the Flyers goalie pool is one of the worst in the league thus we really hoped that the EHE draft would follow the NHL … it may well have done had the new guy, Sully, not jumped in there to nab Cossa. In the end, we were happy to take Lysell who was ranked #12 on our board. (3) Acquired a total of 4 extra picks during the 2021 draft. Trades: Draft selections: *Scouting reports sourced from TheAthletic.com Luke Hughes (D) DRAFTED: 4th | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: 3rd Hughes is a 6-foot-2 elite-skating defenseman with offensive ability, which is a highly appealing toolkit for an NHL projection. Like his brothers Jack and Quinn, Luke’s edgework is fantastic, showing great ability to elude checks. His skating and skill combination allow him to generate a lot of controlled exits and entries. His playmaking isn’t at the same level as his brothers, but he has enough skill and vision to be on an NHL power play and be a driver at the top level. The size and skating combination should allow him to make stops as a pro, but currently his D-zone coverage isn’t completely refined, as he needs to work on his gaps. He can be a bit risky and turnover prone with the puck, and managing that is a main area of concern with scouts. In a sentence, Hughes projects as a top-pair defenseman who can be on a power play and be elite in transition, but will have issues matching up versus top players. Brandt Clarke (D) DRAFTED: 7th | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: 4th He is a dynamic player with the puck because of his puck skills and playmaking ability. He has the poise and vision to make tough plays from both ends of the rink. He can beat opponents with his skill consistently and looks unique with the puck on his stick, with true first power-play unit potential in the NHL. The concern on Clarke is his skating as he’s a somewhat knock-kneed skater without great quickness. He defends well in junior due to his sense and having decent reach, but the pace will be a concern in that regard as he advances levels. In a sentence, Clarke projects as a second or third defenseman who can be on a top NHL power-play unit but may not be able to face top opponents defensively. Fabian Lysell RW) DRAFTED: 16th | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: 12th Lysell is one of the more talented players in the draft, who beats defenders consistently with his puckhandling displays. That he’s a great skater, with both good speed and edgework and can make very skilled plays at full flight, makes him a handful to defend. On his best shift, Lysell is using his skill and speed to get around guys and take pucks to the net, or making tremendous plays with pace to his teammates. His physical effort comes and goes off the puck, but with the puck he plays with courage. In a sentence, Lysell projects as a second-line winger who has the talent to dominate an NHL shift but may frustrate observers too. Jack Peart (D) DRAFTED: 57th | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: 36th Peart had an impressive season, as the best player in Minnesota high school and a top defenseman for a good team. Peart’s hockey IQ is very high. He is the type of defenseman who can play big minutes due to how smart he is at both ends of the rink. His exits are very smooth and he creates a lot of chances off his first pass. On the power play and offensive blue line, he shows poise to find seams and create offense. His skating is good enough to escape pressure and create space to make plays with his edges but lacks straight-ahead quickness. He defends well enough due to his hockey IQ, but the physical tools don’t jump off the page as a 5-foot-11 good, but not great, skater. So it remains to be seen how his game translates to higher levels. In a sentence, Peart projects to play NHL games due to his great hockey IQ, but may have issues sticking in the league due to his size/skating combo. Alexander Kisakov (LW) DRAFTED: 72nd | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: 42nd He is great on the power play and can create chances at even strength with his stickhandling and vision. He’s not that big or quick, but he projects to play at higher levels because of how hard he works. Kisakov attacks the net frequently, getting a lot of goals around the crease area. He pressures puck carriers well and kills penalties. He will endear himself to coaches with his effort to go with his skill. In a sentence, Kisakov projects as a bottom-six NHL winger. Artem Grushnikov (D) DRAFTED: 83rd | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: 45th He’s not a flashy player by any means from a skill perspective. He’s intriguing, though, as a 6-foot-2 defenseman who can skate. He’s excellent defensively due to how well he closes his gaps with his skating and doesn’t mind playing the body as well, landing some crushing hits. Offensively I can see him being a good “first-pass defenseman” at the higher levels and I’ve seen him on power plays at various levels, but that is the aspect of his game that is in question. In a sentence, Grushnikov projects as a physical third-pair NHL defenseman who has the potential to play higher in a lineup. Liam Kirk (LW) DRAFTED: 47th | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: N/A - overager – 3rd/4th round pick target Kirk has some intrigue due to his skill and goal-scoring ability. He led the world championships in goals. His lack of footspeed will be his main issue for NHL purposes. Jack Thompson (D) DRAFTED: 48th | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: N/A - overager – 3rd/4th round pick target Thompson is a defenseman with good vision and a better shot, but his mobility and defending are question marks. Jackson Blake (RW) DRAFTED: 179th | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: 81st Blake is a highly creative offensive player. He shows great puck skills consistently in how he attacks defenses and beats his checks. He is a very good passer, who can find seams, and makes plays from a standstill and on the move. Blake is undersized, but works hard to win pucks, plays in the tough areas of the ice and can take a hit. He’s not a great skater for a player his size, which might challenge him at higher levels. Blake projects to play NHL games due to his skill and work ethic but might have issues sticking due to his size and skating combination. Aidan McDonough (LW) DRAFTED: 185th | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: N/A - overager – 4th round pick targer Drafted as an overage player in the seventh round in 2019, McDonough has developed into one of the most prolific power-play trigger men in college hockey, and last season proved that he could sustain his offensive production. If McDonough’s skating stride can continue to evolve on its improving trajectory, the Canucks will have a really intriguing power forward prospect on their hands. Found money, really, considering his draft slot. Andrei Buyalsky (C) DRAFTED: 188h | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: 83rd Buyalski is a tremendous skater for someone who is 6-foot-3, and he has legit puck skills. But he lacks hockey IQ and doesn’t work that hard off the puck. Beck Warm (G) DRAFTED: 190th | DRAFT BOARD RANKING: N/A - overager – 6th round pick targer Warm was impressive in the AHL last season. He’s got some quick-twitch in his lower half to help him make tough stops. He squares up a lot of pucks, showing great intelligence and play-reading skills. His only real drawback for the NHL is his size. 2021 1st round draft board: Gilbert DuboisHad Hugues and Brandt at 2nd and 3rd ! So pretty nice to get them with 4th and 7thPhiladelphia Flyers 2021 draft recapLuke Hughes and Brandt Clarke lead the way• 1 teams Like this 3 years Brandyn ErricksonHigh quality piece. Great read. Philadelphia Flyers 2021 draft recapLuke Hughes and Brandt Clarke lead the way• 1 teams Like this 3 yearsTommy Barr Thanks Brandyn3 years 0 teams Like this Travis ChorostkowskiGreat Recap!!Philadelphia Flyers 2021 draft recapLuke Hughes and Brandt Clarke lead the way• 1 teams Like this 3 years Adam Doogan-SmithThis is a fanfreakingtastic article Tommy. Hell of a job on the draft and the recap!Philadelphia Flyers 2021 draft recapLuke Hughes and Brandt Clarke lead the way• 1 teams Like this 3 yearsTommy Barr Thanks3 years 0 teams Like this Cisco ValleLove the format of this draft recap and diggin the Lysell pickPhiladelphia Flyers 2021 draft recapLuke Hughes and Brandt Clarke lead the way• 1 teams Like this 3 yearsTommy Barr Cheers3 years 0 teams Like this
