Daniel Briere and the Philadelphia Flyers have a great chance to create a future for this franchise and, hopefully, turn this team around. They have eight selections in the first 68 picks. On average, that means the Flyers get to pick every eight selections.
With that in mind, who could they select? I completed a mock draft consisting of only the first three rounds of the NHL Draft. After that, it gets a little hazy, and you just start grabbing people from American, Canadian, and European junior leagues to finish up. Hopefully, the Flyers' scouts are a bit more precise there.
Likewise, this mock draft doesn't take into consideration any trades by the Flyers to move up or down. We are going to assume that Briere is happy and that the Flyers will stand pat where they are at for this draft.
We'll start with the Flyers ' first overall pick.
#6: Victor Eklund (LW)
So in this particular scenario, a lot of the top-tier players, especially centers, were gone. Another position the Flyers could use is a sniper on the left wing. While strong on the right side, the Flyers are a little weaker on true left-wingers, probably going back to when Scott Hartnell and Simon Gagne were in town.
Not that we should see Eklund as a consolation prize. Eklund, in his first full season with Djurgardens IF of the Swedish League, scored 19 goals with 12 assists in 42 games. He is also seen as the second-best prospect out of Sweden behind his teammate, Anton Frondell.
#23: Carter Bear (C)
So why is Bear ranked in the 20s rather than higher? His season ended early due to a laceration on his Achilles tendon. It was a partial, but not a full-on tear. He will have a lot of time to recover from that. That injury might have some worried about spending a top 12 pick on him. However, if he does fall into the 20s, he should be someone the Flyers grab. He should be someone the Flyers should seriously consider packaging some of their picks to move up to get.
You want a center Flyers fans, you got one. Bear is a goal-scoring phenom, torching the WHL for 40 goals this year for the Everett Silvertips, a year after scoring 25. He is 18, 6 feet tall, and weighs 180 lbs. While solid offensively, he can easily transition over to being a good defensive forward.
#31: Jack Nesbitt (C)
As insurance in case Bear gets hurt, the Flyers draft another center at 31st overall. In this case, it is Canadian center Jack Nesbitt. Nesbitt stands at a tall 6'4", but a little light on his frame (just 185 lbs). He'll have to add some weight if he wants to battle it out in the NHL.
Scoring is not a problem for him. In his second full season with the Windsor Spitfires, he lit the lamp 25 times with 39 assists. By drafting Bear and Nesbitt, the Flyers can hopefully strike gold with at least one of these two center prospects.
Second Round
#36: Cameron Schmidt (LW)
First, he is just 5'7". Ok, size doesn't always matter. Cole Caulfield of the Canadiens is just an inch taller and has been a scoring machine. Logan Stankoven also seems to be capable of showing off his skills. The other issue with Schmidt is that he is really streaky. He can go on offensive tears and then disappear from the stat sheet for weeks. Still, that is something maturity and experience can cure.
Dipping back into the WHL, the Flyers select Cameron Schmidt, another sniper to add to the left side. In two seasons with the Vancouver Giants, Schmidt has tallied 71 goals with 65 assists. So why isn't he ranked higher?
#40: Aron Dahlqvist (D)
Dahlqvist is the first really big wild card here. He's got a lot of potential, but has played just two years of hockey in the Swedish Junior League and was only called up for 16 games in the professional league.
Dahlqvist is raw and learning to use his size (6'3" and 205 lbs.) to punish incoming attackers. He is well-disciplined and may not be the guy you want to get the offense going. However, if you are looking for the big bruising type of guy who can defend the zone, this could be your guy.
#45: Julius Saari (D)
Sticking with defense, we move on to Finland's Julius Saari. Saari is an interesting prospect. He played in just five games in the Finnish pro Mestis league. Five. But at that time, he had caught the eye of scouts everywhere.
He is swift and can move the puck. He can be a shutdown defender and use his speed to stick to the sides of any fleet-footed winger. He is raw and untested, but could develop quickly into a top prospect.
#48: Charlie Cerrato (C)
Hailing from Fallston, MD, a town about halfway between Baltimore and the Delaware border, is Charlie Cerrato, a center attending Penn State. He's played with the U.S. National Development Team as well as the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL before making the jump to the collegiate level.
While at Penn State, he scored 15 goals with 27 assists. He possesses good puck-handling skills and can take advantage of mistakes by his opponents. He is not as refined as the three other centers previously selected by the Flyers and would need some more time to develop, but could become a solid third-line center.
Third Round
#68: Alexei Medvedev (G)
Despite his Russian name and heritage, he lives in Ontario. Getting him to play here in the USA wouldn't be much of an issue. Playing for the London Knights (home to Flyers prospects Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey), he posted a record of 22-8-2, with a .912 save percentage, a GAA of 2.79, and three shutouts. That's not bad for a 17-year-old in the Ontario Hockey League.
Medvedev won't turn 18 until September. Still, that is young enough for the Flyers to take a chance on him and see if he develops. It could take a few years until he is ready. At that time, he could become a starting goal or be moved as needed. It's not bad to restock the cupboards a bit. After all, the history of Flyers' goalies has been less than ideal, to say the least. Adding Medvedev in the third round would be an absolute steal.