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Grading the Philadelphia Flyers 2023 First-Round Picks

By Jonathan Bailey

NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 28: Matvei Michkov is selected by the Philadelphia Flyers with seventh overall pick during round one of the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena on June 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images)
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - JUNE 28: Matvei Michkov is selected by the Philadelphia Flyers with seventh overall pick during round one of the 2023 Upper Deck NHL Draft at Bridgestone Arena on June 28, 2023 in Nashville, Tennessee. (Photo by Bruce Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Oliver Bonk in a scrum after being drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images)
Oliver Bonk in a scrum after being drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2023 NHL Draft. (Photo by Jason Kempin/Getty Images) /

In contrast to Matvei Michkov, defenseman Oliver Bonk‘s name was more of a surprise when he came off of the board at 22nd overall. Bonk, son of former NHLer Radek Bonk, was a bit of a reach, but still addressed an organizational need on the right side of the defense. This selection was an example of drafting for need, not value. Forwards like Gabriel Perreault and Quentin Musty were still on the board, but Daniel Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers went with a safer choice.

Prior to the 2023 NHL Draft, Oliver Bonk’s draft rankings saw a solid amount of volatility. Bonk was ranked as low as 86th by Smaht Scouting, and as high as 20th by Sportsnet. Clearly, Daniel Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers agreed with the latter. Bonk projects as a near-certainty to make the NHL, but his offensive game is still lacking. At 6’2″ 176 pounds, Bonk has the range to develop into a shutdown defenseman – perhaps one that can become a foil to Cam York. Still, Bonk has proven to be at least adequate at getting pucks to the net and keeping plays alive. In the 2022-23 season with the London Knights in the OHL, Bonk posted 10 goals and 30 assists in 67 games. In 21 playoff games, Bonk went goalless but supplied 11 assists with a +8 plus-minus rating. Like future teammate Matvei Michkov, Bonk also won a Hlinka Gretzky Cup gold medal, which he won with Canada this year.

Did the Philadelphia Flyers get the absolute best player available on the board with Oliver Bonk? Probably not, but it makes sense Daniel Briere reached a bit for a player he needed, considering the Flyers do not have a second-round pick as of this writing. According to Frank Seravalli of Daily Faceoff, this was the first draft in 16 years (2007) that no trades were completed in the first round of the draft. Basically, Briere’s strategy was to use the 22nd pick as a second-round pick to get whoever he wanted. That player is Oliver Bonk.

Grade: B

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