The Flyers had one final pick in the 2011 Draft, taking Derek Mathers in the seventh round. Mathers was more known for his fighting ability than he was for offense.
He tallied 475 penalty minutes in 184 games for the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. His offense did increase each season as he posted 10 goals and 29 points in his final junior season.
Mathers was the first player to be suspended by the OHL for breaking the 10-fight limit rule. The rule was passed before Mathers’ final season to try and limit fighting in the OHL. He would miss four of the Petes’ final five games.
Mathers made his way to the Adirondack Phantoms where he posted two goals and 105 penalty minutes in 34 games. From then on, he bounced between the AHL and ECHL.
He wouldn’t score another goal for the Phantoms in 43 games. His final goal in the Flyers organization came in 2015-16 for the Reading Royals. It was the only goal he scored in 27 games.
He moved on to the Allen Americans of the ECHL in what turned out to be his final season of professional hockey. He collected seven goals and 12 assists, by far his best output. The 274 penalty minutes were also a career high.
Mathers would end up returning from professional hockey after that season. He was never projected more than a fourth line enforcer. Being drafted in the sixth round, there wasn’t much expectation of anything further.