Philadelphia Flyers Select Alexis Gendron 220th Overall
By Collin Coyne
With their final pick in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft, the Philadelphia Flyers have selected center/right wing Alexis Gendron from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada. Gendron is the most interesting draft pick the Flyers have made in their entire 2022 class. Seemingly nothing special, Gendron has had a massive flux in his draft rankings that is rarely seen.
Despite being taken in the late seventh, Gendron has had third round grades from a number of different publications. It’s clear that more than anything Gendron is a massive wildcard that the Flyers are hoping breaks right for them.
Playing in the inferior Canadian Junior league of the QMJHL, Gendron put up a team second best 46 points in 66 games, which while good for the team, was only good for 70th in the league as a whole. So needless to say his numbers do not exactly leap off of the page, which certainly explains his still being available so late in the draft.
Despite that, Gendron has every indication of a player that has all the tools to be great and just has yet to see the results pay off on the scoresheet. He’s a quick thinker and an incredible passer, able to read the ice and thread the puck into the highest danger chance available. His passing is his bread and butter, but that doesn’t mean that his shot lacks quality. A quick and accurate shooter, Gendron can pick apart goalies from a distance and up close, but even then isn’t always keen to use it, instead trying to slide into open ice by reading the defenders to catch the opponents completely unawares.
Flipping the ice, Gendron is a touch less impressive. While his skill shines with his stick work both on offense and defense, his 5’10” 175 pound frame prevents him from engaging physically with opponents. When the puck is jarred loose he has no problem sniffing it out in the corners, and he has shown he can engage with players closer to his size. He will need to bulk up a good deal and gain a willingness to play the body on bigger players.
Gendron’s skillset is wide and varied, and he can absolutely develop into a very solid NHL player. He dropped so far since the points have yet to come, but if that switch ever flips he could easily be a major piece for the Flyers, and is well worth the seventh round flyer they took out on him.