The Flyers entered the draft without a second round pick. In their pre draft availability, Danny Briere mentioned their want to find a way to get in. Nothing went down during the first round so it was going to be a scramble for Philadelphia to find a way to get in. But they were able to get things done, swapping picks with the Chicago Blackhawks.
For the 51st pick in the draft, the Flyers sent Chicago one of their sixth rounders (167th overall) and the 2024 second round pick they were given in the Ivan Provorov trade. The Flyers will receive a 2024 compensatory pick as a result of not signing Jay O’Brien, so they essentially break even there.
With the move into the second round, the Flyers selected goaltender Carson Bjarnason from the Brandon Wheat Kings. He came into the draft as the top North American goaltender. His highest projection saw him as a late first round pick with others saw him going somewhere between the second and third.
Bjarnason fell victim to a Wheat Kings team that finished 10th in the Eastern Conference in the WHL. His GAA (3.08) suffered a bit due to similar reasons but his .900 SV% is a step up from the .882 he posted the season prior. He also won a bronze medal with Canada at the 2023 U18 World Championship. He posted a 3.51 GAA and .859 GAA.
Carson Bjarnason with some big saves to keep the score 0-0! #U18MensWorlds pic.twitter.com/JJk8AbdLsA
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) April 27, 2023
"“In the net, Bjarnason tracks the puck at an elite level, and he understands how to put himself in the right position to cover as much of it as possible while always giving him a chance to make the stop,” The Hockey Writers Eugene Helfrick said back in March. “His body control is also fantastic, as he has a strong catching hand that he flashes with confidence and a blocker that is developing quickly.”"
The Flyers, who have a strong goaltending pool already, have added another option. Bjarnason is a perfect example of a good goaltender on a bad team. The Wheat Kings only won five games when he was not in the net. For reference, he played 47 games and Brandon finished with a record of 26-33-9. Do the math and that shows just how important Bjarnason was to his team.
That's 2023 #NHLDraft prospect Carson Bjarnason, to you!@bdnwheatkings pic.twitter.com/ITUv8bP6oc
— The WHL (@TheWHL) February 4, 2023
No one is perfect, but there aren’t many known weakness to his game.
"“One of Carson Bjarnason’s very few weaknesses is his near post coverage. He has had a minor tendency to overplay his hand, leaving space for a patient and smart player to expose. Both on the near post or with a pass to the far side, where the overlapping of the post can leave Bjarnason’s movement going side to side vulnerable,” Last Word on Sports’ Frederik Frandsen noted. “Another weakness of Bjarnason’s game is his coverage of the top shelf when he is crouched or in the butterfly. He sometimes will lean backward, which allows for the top of the net to be open. It’s not a ton of net that’s exposed, but it’s enough for an NHL-caliber shot to take advantage of.“"
Bjarnason will turn 18-years-old tomorrow as his early birthday present is becoming an NHL draft pick.