Philadelphia Flyers Three Round 2019 NHL Mock Draft 2.0

The 2019 NHL Draft is just around the corner, and the Philadelphia Flyers will have plenty of decisions to make leading up to the late-June start date.

June has finally arrived, meaning that the 2019 NHL Entry Draft is getting closer and closer. The Philadelphia Flyers will have a total of eight picks in the seven-round draft, with four of them coming in the first three rounds. That number could change as it was reported that General Manager Chuck Fletcher is listening to offers on the 11th overall selection if he can “get a good player at the right stage of his career and with some term left on his contract” but will keep the pick if he can’t find what he wants. He already traded one of them, moving Philadelphia’s 2019 fifth round selection for the rights to UFA forward Kevin Hayes.

The Flyers don’t really have any pressing needs in their farm system at the moment, which is why they should go with the best player available (BPA) when picking at 11. Sure, a defenseman wouldn’t hurt with guys like Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers playing or set to play in the NHL full-time, but that shouldn’t make Fletcher reach for a d-man or pass up on a more talented forward with the defensive system needing a little strengthening at the top. If the BPA ends up being a defenseman, then no harm, no foul. That’d probably be the best case scenario for the Flyers unless one of the higher ranked prospects falls for some reason, to be honest.

This is my second Flyers-only three-round mock draft I’m creating having done one in the middle of April, which you can read here, and will be accompanied by a seven-round mock later in the month. These mocks will lead up to June 21st, with the seven rounder getting released a day before things get underway. Putting all of that aside, let’s get right to the picks. Here is another Flyers-only three round 2019 NHL Mock Draft.

The Flyers need a bit more pure speed added to their forward group in the system, and that’s where Jamieson Rees comes into the fray. The 5’10, 172-pound centerman has lethal first step acceleration that allows him to explode past defenders like a cannonball. He can generate dangerous chances based on his speed alone and can almost spring himself for breakaways at will.

Rees had a rough start to his draft campaign, as he dealt with a lacerated kidney that kept him out of action for over two months. Once he returned, it was all uphill from there. Rees scored 32 points (10 Goals, 22 Assists) in 37 games with the Sarnia Sting in the Ontario Hockey League, which tied for ninth on the team during regular season play. He went scoreless during the playoffs, though, as Sarnia was swept in the first round by the Saginaw Spirit who was later defeated by Flyers prospect Isaac Ratcliffe and the Guelph Storm in the semifinals. Rees did have a quality showing at the U-18 WJC for Team Canada, potting eight points in seven contests.

The Hamilton, Ontario native is more of a playmaker than a goal-scorer, as he looks to set teammates up with his excellent vision and ability to fit passes into tight windows, but has a sneaky accurate and swift wrist-shot. The only thing he needs to work on as far as his shot goes is the strength of it. Rees doesn’t have an overly strong upper-body, which attributes to the lack of power behind his shooting motion, and has to beef up in the weight room in order to put velocity on it.

My favorite part of his game is how much effort and physicality he performs with. Rees isn’t a big player as noted above but certainly doesn’t play like it. He’s never afraid to lay the body on the opposition, no matter how large the guy he’s hitting is. This can come back to bite Rees at times, though, as he can put his team in jeopardy with some of the penalties he takes. While I love his physical nature, Rees has to learn where to draw the line and work on becoming a little more disciplined.

Rees is a Flyers-type player through and through. He plays with tenacious demeanor, is physical, never gives up on a play, and is a willing defender on the back-check. Add that with his speed and offensive prowess, and this should be a slam dunk of a pick for Fletcher in the second round if he’s on the board.

I’ve said this in previous mocks, and I’ll repeat it again, Philadelphia needs to add at least one goaltender when this draft is said and done. Carter Hart is already the Flyers starter, and Felix Sandstrom and Kirill Ustimenko are set for AHL and ECHL action, as well. There isn’t a lot of depth behind Samuel Ersson and Ivan Fedotov, and with Matej Tomek struggling in the NCAA, grabbing another net-minder would be huge for the Flyers system.

In comes Colten Ellis. The 6’1, 183-pound goalie is coming off another satisfactory season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, posting 2.47 Goals-Against Average (GAA) with a .910 save percentage (SVS%) in 46 games with Rimouski Océanic this past year. While this was a slight drop from his rookie campaign with the club, he did make significant strides in the postseason with a 2.39 GAA and .935 SVS% in 12 playoff games, helping Rimouski reach the semifinals where they were unfortunately swept by the 2019 Memorial Cup winning Rouyn-Noranda Huskies. This was a vast improvement over the 3.12 GAA, and .885 save percentage he had in his first QMJHL playoff run, showing the development he can make when given the time.

Ellis is good at tracking the play that’s in front of him and hardly catches himself out of position for that reason. He possesses adequate side-to-side movement, so when a team does find a way to force him to make a tough save, he’ll be there more often than not with his quickness. The Canadian goaltender also boasts a high amount of aggressiveness while between the pipes, which can sometimes be to a fault as he’ll get too caught up in a play.

The Nova Scotia native is still raw as you could see in the series against Rouyn-Noranda and has aspects of his game he could improve upon like rebound control, but the Flyers have the time to let him develop, making Ellis an almost perfect later-round goaltending option for them in this draft.

It wouldn’t hurt for the Flyers to add another power-forward to their farm system with Matthew Strome and Ratcliffe in the AHL and Wade Allison’s future with the organization looking somewhat uncertain without an Entry-Level Contract and Ethan Keppen can fill that role and then some. Keppen is 6’2, 214-pounds and utilizes his big frame to wreak havoc on opponents with a physical style of play.

The 18-year-old left-wing prospect netted 59 points (30 Goals, 29 Assists) in 68 games for the Flint Firebirds in the OHL this past year, which tied for second on the team in total scoring. This was a 41 point increase on his rookie campaign with the Firebirds in just five more games played, showing he could handle a more prominent role with the struggling squad. His physical nature does get the best of him sometimes, though, as he led Flint in penalty minutes with 67.

If something is moving on the ice and isn’t one of his teammates or a referee, Keppen will hit it. The guy almost thrives on punishing the opposition and would be a favorite amongst the Flyers fan base if he makes it to the NHL. As I said before, he’ll need to tone it down a bit so he doesn’t put the team at a disadvantage, but I still like to see players who use their body to break a play up or to anger the opposition.

Hitting isn’t the only thing Keppen does, as he applies his strength to power through defenders. He’s an excellent net-front presence for that reason and is tough to move once he establishes a position in front of the goalie. Keppen is also a willing and relentless fore-checker who makes it hard on rival players to keep the puck with a strong-willed work ethic. His shot is hard and accurate, as well, but could work on releasing it at a quicker rate. I wouldn’t call him a slow skater by any means, although he could be a more effective player if he focuses on improving his top-end speed.

Fletcher and Assitant GM Brent Flahr should key-in on prospects with speed over physicality, but as you can see above, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if they came away with a power forward or two when the draft concludes. Whatever happens, the Flyers prospect pipeline will have new faces when the final name is called on June 22nd.