The Philadelphia Flyers are officially in offseason mode, as they were eliminated by the Carolina Hurricanes in the second round of the playoffs. Despite getting swept, the vibes are positive among fans, considering the team is young and can contend for the foreseeable future.
To make the playoffs, the Flyers called up the likes of Porter Martone and Alex Bump as reinforcements to provide a spark. Matvei Michkov, despite having an unideal season, was on fire during the final stretch of the regular season. The team also boasts young forwards like Denver Barkey and Jett Luchanko. They can continue to add to their young forward corps through the NHL Draft beginning on June 26. But who could they draft in the first round?
The Athletic's Scott Wheeler and Corey Pronman unveiled their latest mock draft. With the 21st overall pick, Wheeler has the Flyers selecting Peterborough winger Adam Novotny.
"Novotny has NHL strength, speed and work ethic to go with an NHL shot, and fits the Flyers’ profile. He projects as a middle-six winger who can play up and down your lineup," writes Wheeler.
The Athletic projects Flyers draft Adam Novotny in first round of latest mock
It doesn't hurt for the Flyers to add to their surplus of forwards. Not all of them are expected to be in the top two lines, but that could change depending on how they develop over time, especially when it comes to whichever forward they draft in the first round, if that's the route they go in.
Novotny is 6-foot-1 and 205-pounds, and Wheeler ranks him as the 18th overall prospect in this year's class. In his scouting report on Novotny, Wheeler says that he could have ranked him higher on his rankings. Here is what Wheeler wrote about Novotny's potential:
"Novotny is a 6-1, pro-built winger with a short but very powerful skating stride and legit speed. He’s also decently skilled offensively and plays the game with confidence as a shooter. He’s already strong, sturdy and stocky, with a thick lower half built to absorb bumps and play through contact. He has a feel for the game and enough smarts on and off the puck, with a good sense of where to be and go, though those attributes are more average. He can drive the net and make plays to the interior for himself, but also functions well off his linemates as a catch-and-release, push-and-pop type. He has a pro curl-and-drag wrister and good hands in tight to his body. He can make plays off his backhand. He breaks up plays and works. He’s committed to playing the right way and supporting the play in the right spots. He's just a good player, and he plays a competitive game for a young player. There’s a lot to like about his combination of tools, and he's going to have a long pro career. He's a player, and his shot generation has been really strong across levels. Some wonder if he has enough playmaking/IQ to be more than just a 20-goal, 40-point middle-six winger, but I think he can become a valuable version of that player and belongs in the teens of this class. I do wonder if he's a little maxxed out. I did think about having him a little higher here, though, and do like the player, as most do."
As for Pronman, he had Novotny as the 27th overall player in the draft class, praising his shot as "high-end" while giving him a pro comparison to Jack Roslovic, who played this past season with the Edmonton Oilers.
"Novotny is a great skater, with the quick burst in his first few steps to pressure even the faster NHL defenders," writes Pronman. "He has good stick skills. He's not a natural playmaker, but Novotny has a great shot and can score from the dots and in tight effectively. He works hard enough. Novotny isn't very physical, but he can be reliable off the puck, and coaches could trust him in a lot of situations. He projects as a top-six winger."
After spending most of his amateur career playing in Czechia, he made his debut in the OHL with the Peterborough Petes this season. In 58 games, Novotny scored 34 goals and recorded 31 assists. But in the playoffs, Novotny recorded one assist in six games.
Even though Novotny doesn't rank at the top of the class alongside the likes of Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, and Caleb Malhotra, both Wheeler and Pronman still view him as one of the best forward prospects in the class. If he were to fall to the Flyers, fans should be excited about his potential. This is a team that is young and has playoff experience, so they are expected to be in contention for the foreseeable future. Stocking up their forward lines for the future would be a wise investment.
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