
Winner: Denver Barkey
Denver Barkey won’t be playing for the Flyers in the NHL this year, but he will soon. It’s still a complete mystery how he managed to fall to Philly at the bottom of the third round of the 2023 NHL Draft.
Barkey was drafted 95th overall back in July, and has already made his mark on the Flyers organization during rookie camp. The 18-year-old was flying around in the rookie games, and his performances called for some praise by the man who drafted him: Danny Briere. Like Briere, Barkey is a small, talented forward with some edge to his game. With the proper development, there could be some similar star power too.
At just 5-foot-9 and 174 pounds, Barkey has some growing to do, but his game is already at an advanced level. The young center is a highly competitive, sneaky skilled, and intelligent agitator that has a similar build, playing style, and junior production to Boston Bruins star and fellow third-round pick Brad Marchand. After scoring one point through his first 20 NHL games, Marchand went on to have four seasons with 80 or more points, including a 100-point 2018-19 season.
If Barkey can even become half of what Marchand has been offensively, the Flyers will have gotten a major steal. The London Knights star will spend more time in the OHL first, but keep an eye out for him in the meantime.