Most experts looking at the Flyers' draft class gave them high marks for what they achieved. They got a true top-line talent in Porter Martone. They added extreme value in the second round, getting players that could have been taken higher. And they added a few nice pieces in the later rounds.
One of the Flyers' draft strategies was clear from the get-go. Looking at the players chosen, even in the first round alone, most hover above 6ft and have the strength to go with it. And whether or not the organization wanted to admit that, it's hard to deny.
"It's a nice bonus that they're both tall and will bring us size as well," Flyers GM Danny Briere said about Martone and Jack Nesbitt. "It just kind of worked out that way. It wasn't a plan that we had in mind going into the draft that we wanted to get bigger. It just happened that way. Last year, if you look at the draft after Luchanko, we got some big guys. We had Berglund, Ruohonen, Gill, so we do have size coming up. This was just a nice bonus on top of it."
Flyers AGM Brent Flahr was asked the same question as the NHL Draft came to a close. He was just as bullish as Briere, calling it more of a coincidence than something the Flyers were actively looking for. Seven of the nine players chosen were 6'1" and above. The other two? Only 5'11". So even if the organization says it wasn't a factor, the numbers say otherwise.
"We were conscious of it, but to be honest with you, those picks, they were all back to back to back, we weren’t just going for size. They were players that we targeted, and it was more of a coincidence that they all happened to be that size. But certainly something that we're not against when we're drafting." Flahr said.
But there was something else evident about the type of players the Flyers were looking for. Open up scouting reports about almost every single player the team drafted, and you'll find one thing in common. And that is a high-compete level and a willingness to do what it takes to make a play happen.
Take a player like Shane Vansaghi, for example. He is the type of player who plays one way and one way alone. And don't expect him to change his physical style. If he can make a hit and separate a player from the puck in the process, he's going to do so. Whatever it may take to open up space for himself and his teammates.
"I fully embrace the type of player that I am, a big power forward. Bring some nastiness, bring some grit to the lineup every night." Vansaghi said after his selection.
That style is a factor that comes in handy all year, but especially when the games get tougher down the line. Once the playoffs begin, any advantage a team has that can take them to the next level is important.
"You watch the playoffs. It's a grind. To be able to get to the NHL, you have to have a tremendous work
ethic. And then to be able to have success in it, you got to have that side of it," Flahr said. "So the guys we drafted, and it's part of what Tocc wants, it's part of what Jonesy and Danny want. We want competitive people, and I think we did a pretty good job of that today."
While most of these players are at least a year or two away from the NHL, the Flyers have made their identity clear. They are going to be in your face and not give up an inch on the ice. But they're also going to have the skill to back it up.
The Flyers are coming back with a vengance.