A Team Starting to Take Shape in Philadelphia

Philadelphia, PA - In the years following the success of the Broad Street Bullies, the Philadelphia Flyers made a habit of building from the center out.  From Dave Poulin to Eric Lindros to Peter Forsberg to Jeremy Roenick to Keith Primeau to Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, the team always focused on strength at the pivot.

In the first three picks of the EHE Inaugural Draft, new GM Brian Shapella followed the same philosophy, while keeping a close eye on age and speed.  With their first round pick in the draft, the Flyers selected C Anze Kopitar.  Kopitar, a leader for the cup champion LA Kings in the NHL, is slated to center the first line along side second round pick Gabriel Landeskog.  Although both have gotten off to slow starts in the NHL, they are expected to provide good scoring for the team. 

"I walked in to this draft with the idea of building a team from the center out.  I was stunned to be able to pick Kopitar late in the first round.  We assume that the reason for this is the focus on youth drafting earlier on.  Anze is a leader and we expect him to perform for us," Shapella said.

In the 3rd round, the Flyers picked up David Krejci, another strong player in his prime, who would find he was going to play alongside winger Mikkel Boedker when Boedker was picked in round 7.

On defense, the Flyers have selected Jack Johnson and Alex Goligoski, both players who are solid in the defensive end and have some offensive upside.  In goal, the Flyers will start Brian Elliott, selected in round 5.

When asked his strategy, Shapella suggested that he was not interested in a full-on youth movement.  "We're looking forward to the season and we intend to compete in our first season here.  Although we will try to do so with youth in mind, we are not building a team for five years from now, we're building for this year and the next few."