Philadelphia Flyers Three Round 2019 NHL Mock Draft 2.0

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.