With the 2026 NHL Draft a week away, I felt that perhaps I should do a mock draft of the Flyers. Because of the trade for Joseph Woll, the Flyers are down to four picks. While that sounds like a scant few, because it is, it is actually okay because the last two years Daniel Briere has made a lot of selections. It allows the players drafted over the years some time to breathe while giving some of the top prospects a chance to crack the roster.
Mocking an NBA draft is easy because there are two rounds. An NFL draft isn't too hard because you have seven rounds, much like the NHL. However, in the NFL, you are just looking at the college ranks and are looking at about 250-350 prospects, and after the first four rounds, you are then just grabbing the best available.
While the NHL draft is seven rounds, the problem is the scope of hockey. You are looking at and selecting the best young players from the US, Canada, and just about every country in Europe, with a few coming from Asian countries as well. You are looking at high schools, junior leagues, and colleges from all over the world. That's a lot of scouting.
After the first three rounds, it pretty much becomes a crap shoot and a lucky guess of who is going to be a star. After all, Alex Bump is a fifth-round pick who has seen more time and scored more points in the NHL than Samu Tuomaala, a second-rounder.
For this mock draft, I used the drafting tools at Upside Hockey. For one thing, it is free. For another, they only go three rounds. Since the Flyers traded away their third-round pick, that's not a big deal. Also, to be fair, I ran the simulation three times. That way, I saw what could happen. So, who do I have the Flyers taking?
Alex Command is the Pick at #21
In the first simulation, center Alex Command was available. It was between him and defender Xavier Villeneuve. Since center seems to be the one piece that everyone seems to think the Flyers need the most, I rolled the dice with Command.
Again, the best part of Command is that he is still raw and improving. He is not a pick to be made with 2027 in mind. He is someone who, if you give him a few years to develop, will take over when someone like Sean Couturier and Noah Cates are no longer part of Philadelphia's plans. That might help him become a stronger center. Patience is part of what the Flyers need right now, and being patient with him will pay off.
In the second simulation, Villenueve was still available. However, I still went with a center. This time, it was Ilia Morozov. The big Russian center looks to be an exciting player in this draft, and many scouts are wondering how good he can be. At 21, that pick could be early, but he could end up becoming one of the steals of the draft.
The third simulation was interesting as Command, Morozov, and Villenueve were all right there. Still, I followed my gut and picked Command first. Either one of these three players would be a solid selection at 21st overall, though
The Second Round
Now we are getting into the tall weeds here. Three different simulations yielded two different picks; although I could have selected my first pick again in all three rounds. I selected him the first two times, but went a different direction the third time around.
My first second-round pick was Jakub Vanacek. Vanacek is a 6'2", 200 lbs defender from Czechia. With the Tri-City Americans of the WHL this year, he scored 14 goals with 21 assists. He also had five goals and six assists for the Czechs in the Under-18 World Junior Tournament, where he helped his team earn the bronze medal. Now, he could creep up into the first round and may not be around when the Flyers pick at #53. If he slips that far, he should be snatched up pretty quickly.
While I picked Vanacek both times, I still question whether or not he will get out of the 30s. So, in my third attempt, I selected Matias Vanhanen, a left winger from Finland. The 18-year-old has played one year in junior hockey for the Everett Silvertips of the WHL. The Silvertips went on to win the WHL Championship this year in large part to Vanhanen's play: 21 goals and 66 assists to lead the team with 87 points. That's ten more points than his teammate, Carter Bear, who was Detroit's #13 overall pick last year. Vanahanen is a sniper on the left side and would be a great compliment to someone like Porter Martone, Matvei Michkov, or Owen Tippett.
As always, Briere is keeping his cards close, not revealing his true plans. Maybe there is another trade to be worked on. Maybe they will move, or perhaps he'll slide down to get some more picks. Either way, we know that if he keeps drafting the way he has, the Flyers will be looking good soon.
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