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Philadelphia Flyers Three Round 2019 NHL Mock Draft 2.0

By Benjamin Gabrych

PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 23: Sean Couturier #14 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates by the Flyers bench to celebrate after his goal during the first period of the 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field on February 23, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - FEBRUARY 23: Sean Couturier #14 of the Philadelphia Flyers skates by the Flyers bench to celebrate after his goal during the first period of the 2019 Coors Light NHL Stadium Series game between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Philadelphia Flyers at Lincoln Financial Field on February 23, 2019 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Andre Ringuette/NHLI via Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia Flyers
VICTORIA , BC – DECEMBER 27: Philip Broberg #25 of Sweden versus Slovakia at the IIHF World Junior Championships at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on December 27, 2018 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Light/Getty Images)”n”n”n”n /

Philip Broberg. 11. player. Pick Analysis. Defenseman. Allsvenskan. 68. Scouting Report

I mentioned in the opening slide that the Flyers shouldn’t reach for a blue-liner and take the best player that’s available, but in this scenario, a defenseman is the best on the board. Philip Broberg is a big, mobile d-man who is arguably the top skating defender the 2019 class has to offer.

Broberg spent most of his time last season playing in the Allsvenskan league in Sweden, posting nine points (2 Goals, 7 Assists) in 41 games with AIK. While that point total isn’t all that high and ranked seventh on the team amongst defensemen, Broberg didn’t receive a whole lot of ice-time due to his youth.  He does play well against players of his own age, though, as he netted six points (2 Goals, 4 Assists) in seven games with Sweden at the 2019 Under-18 World Junior Championships (U-18 WJC), which led all defensemen on the team. Broberg earned a spot on Sweden’s Under-20 club, as well, nabbing one assist in four games.

The 6’3, 201-pound Swede’s skating is easily his best attribute. His top-end speed is impeccable and uses it to blow by fore and back-checkers when moving through all three zones of the ice. Broberg can seamlessly transition from forward-to-back skating, which helps him when an offensive attack gets broken up. He’ll almost immediately close-out on opposing attackers when they enter the defensive zone and shutdown potential scoring chances with his stick or by simply out-muscling an opponent. Broberg is also hard to knock and check off of the puck when moving on the sheet given his tremendously strong skating strides.

Skating isn’t the only attribute to his game, either. Broberg sees the ice very well and can put the right amount of touch on the puck to make accurate passes. He also possesses a heavy shot, with a quick-release wrister that he gets off in tight spaces. The left-handed shooter does need to work on his decision-making as he can overcomplicate things on offense, but he should learn from those mistakes as he gets older and more experience under his belt.

Fletcher should one-hundred percent consider Broberg at 11 if he’s there because he still has room to grow as an all-around player to put on top of an impressive size and skating combination.

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