Part 2 2014 Flyers' Draft Talk [times and TV info in first post]

[daynus]

tuch

this guy sounds like he was born to be a flyer. big boy,strong,heavy shot. gonna be a very tough to play against power forward. tuch and morin on the same pp unit, i feel bad for the other teams goalie.

can anyone tell me whom this guy resembles as far as past and current players. and what is his skating like, and how much can he improve it. cuz seriously we need to improve our team speed. even a little bit will be huge for us.

so if hextall has to choose tuch at 17,milano at 17, gonna be interesting to see what direction he goes.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

can anyone tell me whom this guy resembles as far as past and current players. and what is his skating like, and how much can he improve it. cuz seriously we need to improve our team speed. even a little bit will be huge for us.

I've seen people compare him to Brandon Saad. He's already a good skater with good speed so I don't know how much he can improve it since he's already at an NHL ready size.

 

[Haanz]

Problem is the Flyers have no young skilled wingers. Its fine if your team has few two way guys but our pipeline had zero skilled forwards.

I'm a firm believer of always choosing BPA (unless, of course, you have several players ranked about evenly and can draft from a position of need). I'm personally not a fan of many of the prospects that are being most talked about in this thread. I like Bleackley's pro potential the most out of the players likely to be available at 17. He may even be more suited to play wing in the NHL.

 

[sa cyred]

I'm a firm believer of always choosing BPA (unless, of course, you have several players ranked about evenly and can draft from a position of need). I'm personally not a fan of many of the prospects that are being most talked about in this thread. I like Bleackley's pro potential the most out of the players likely to be available at 17. He may even be more suited to play wing in the NHL.

I agree with BPA, but I doubt Bleackley is that. Just because they are safer doesnt make it the right choice in my mind. Honestly with the 17th pick I dont think it's even the best choice to take safer. An example is when the Flyers took Giroux, he was far from the safe pick but in the end worked out greatly over the safer guys.

Obviously it doesnt always work that way but honestly I would go skill over 2 way play at this point. Plus you have the process of drafting another 2 way center. The team is filled with them and converting centers to wing doesnt always work. Might be even safer to take a winger who is used to playing that position.

One of Milano, Fiala, or Tuch at 17 and I'll be happy (not including guys who might drop but I doubt they do)

 

[Striiker]

I'm a firm believer of always choosing BPA (unless, of course, you have several players ranked about evenly and can draft from a position of need). I'm personally not a fan of many of the prospects that are being most talked about in this thread. I like Bleackley's pro potential the most out of the players likely to be available at 17. He may even be more suited to play wing in the NHL.

Bleackley won't be the BPA when they pick.

 

[Broad Street Elite]

Which is why there is little point in trading up.

I don't necessarily agree with this sentiment. The Flyers board is the Flyers board and if they like someone a lot, then trading up may be a route to get the player they want.

Most lists are a consensus ranking and will look vastly different from an individual team's board. If the Flyers, for example (and this is purely hypothetical) view Fleury as the 5th best player in the draft and he's there at 11, then trading up to get him may make sense.

 

[Haanz]

I agree with BPA, but I doubt Bleackley is that. Just because they are safer doesnt make it the right choice in my mind. Honestly with the 17th pick I dont think it's even the best choice to take safer. An example is when the Flyers took Giroux, he was far from the safe pick but in the end worked out greatly over the safer guys.

Obviously it doesnt always work that way but honestly I would go skill over 2 way play at this point. Plus you have the process of drafting another 2 way center. The team is filled with them and converting centers to wing doesnt always work. Might be even safer to take a winger who is used to playing that position.

One of Milano, Fiala, or Tuch at 17 and I'll be happy (not including guys who might drop but I doubt they do)

The fact that Bleackley is one of the safer picks in the draft isn't the sole reason I'd take him. I think his offensive potential is underrated simply BECAUSE of the fact he's seen as a two way player. He may be ranked a bit lower by many of the professional scouting agencies out there but in my mind he would probably be BPA in that range. Of course, everyone is entitled to their own opinion of who the BPA would be (I agree with you on Fiala, by the way).

 

[Striiker]

I agree with BPA, but I doubt Bleackley is that. Just because they are safer doesnt make it the right choice in my mind. Honestly with the 17th pick I dont think it's even the best choice to take safer. An example is when the Flyers took Giroux, he was far from the safe pick but in the end worked out greatly over the safer guys.

Obviously it doesnt always work that way but honestly I would go skill over 2 way play at this point. Plus you have the process of drafting another 2 way center. The team is filled with them and converting centers to wing doesnt always work. Might be even safer to take a winger who is used to playing that position.

One of Milano, Fiala, or Tuch at 17 and I'll be happy (not including guys who might drop but I doubt they do)

Those three I'd prefer too, obviously add a few people to that list if someone drops like Perlini or Virtanen.

 

[SolidSnakeUS]

I still think we will land on Milano. Or we should at least.

 

[FLYguy3911]

I don't necessarily agree with this sentiment. The Flyers board is the Flyers board and if they like someone a lot, then trading up may be a route to get the player they want.

Most lists are a consensus ranking and will look vastly different from an individual team's board. If the Flyers, for example (and this is purely hypothetical) view Fleury as the 5th best player in the draft and he's there at 11, then trading up to get him may make sense.

They don't really have the assets to move up. No third rounder this year. No second next year. Don't think a second is enough to move far enough (don't think it's worth it anyway). So then you are talking about next year's first? Yeah how's that going to look when this team falls on its face next year? I don't see them trading a roster player straight up for a draft pick.

I've said since January the value after 8 or so isn't much different through the early 20s. Just be patient, trust your board, and take the best player. No one you draft this year is helping the team this season. Save your chips for next year. It will be worth it.

 

[OrangeAndBlackMetal]

I still think we will land on Milano. Or we should at least.

IMO there's no telling how this draft might shake out. It's possible that some guys we don't think will be there will end up falling. I wouldn't hate it if we picked Milano, but it's not inconceivable that someone rated higher than him may fall to us at 17. If any of Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers or Perlini happen to drop, I'd take any one of them over Milano. This draft is one of the hardest to pinpoint as a lot of the players are very very close in terms of upside. There's not many guys with crazy high ceilings, but there's a whole bunch of guys who could end up being decent players.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

I honestly can't say confidently who goes #1 (although I think the top 4 is set with Ekblad, Reinhart, Bennett, & Dal Colle in no particular order) let alone who will go to us at #17. This draft is the ultimate crapshoot this year.

Hell Florida might not even be picking at #1 this year according to Darren Dreger they have a strong offer already on the table by another team for the pick.

 

[Broad Street Elite]

They don't really have the assets to move up. No third rounder this year. No second next year. Don't think a second is enough to move far enough (don't think it's worth it anyway). So then you are talking about next year's first? Yeah how's that going to look when this team falls on its face next year? I don't see them trading a roster player straight up for a draft pick.

I've said since January the value after 8 or so isn't much different through the early 20s. Just be patient, trust your board, and take the best player. No one you draft this year is helping the team this season. Save your chips for next year. It will be worth it.

I think you're taking my example too literally. What if they LOVE Milano, but know have a sense that Detroit loves him too. They could probably move from 17 -> 14 for a 2nd rounder.

My example isn't intended to be literal, but rather illustrative that without knowing the Flyers draft board and scouting preference, it's hard to know whether they might trade up. Heck, they may love a guy off the board and trade down.

My larger point is that the variance in mock drafts and various rankings should not be construed as the rationale for trading up or not. The only board that matters is the Flyers. If they love a player and want him badly enough, they'll trade up to get him if they have a strong sense he might not make it to them.

 

[Mark Edwards]

Some under the radar day 2 dmen that I've been reading up on from the Black Book. I'd be interested in them.

Daniel Walcott, LD, Armada (QMJHL) 5'11 168 lbs. Ranked 91 overall.

Excellent skating dman who loves to rush the puck up the ice. Plays PK and PP. Sounds a little like Gostisbehere

Blake Siebenaler, RD, Niagra (OHL) 6'01 190 lbs Ranked 85 overall.

Excellent skater with offensive upside. Big shot from the point. Needs to be more consistent in the dzone

Michael Prapavessis, LD, OJHL, 6'01 180 lbs Ranked 82 overall.

Very offensively skilled dman. Best attribute is high hockey IQ. Very adept passer with good vision. Comfortable with puck on stick when facing forecheckers.

I only saw Walcott live a couple of times but our Montreal based scout, Jerome Berube saw him a ton and loves him. He was great in my viewings.

Prapavessis was coached by my buddy ( and a guy I used to coach with) he called Prap the smartest player he's ever coached and I agree with Prap being a very smart player. He will need to work on his shot to play PP in the NHL but he is going the NCAA route (unless and NHL team pushes him towards London) so he will have plenty of time to develop. Needs to add some physicality to his game but he is amazing with his stick defensively.

Looking forward to coming to your city in a few weeks. Enjoy the draft.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

If they love a player and want him badly enough, they'll trade up to get him if they have a strong sense he might not make it to them.

I don't know if things will change with Hextall now at the helm but it seems like they've pretty much always took the wait & see approach with Homer at the helm. It didn't work with Tom Wilson in 2012 but did work with Sam Morin last year when Montreal was trying to move up for him a couple of times.

Off the top my head I think Kevin Marshall was one of the few players we traded up for in Homer's tenure at least as far as notable picks go.

 

[Random Forest]

I only saw Walcott live a couple of times but our Montreal based scout, Jerome Berube saw him a ton and loves him. He was great in my viewings.

Prapavessis was coached by my buddy ( and a guy I used to coach with) he called Prap the smartest player he's ever coached and I agree with Prap being a very smart player. He will need to work on his shot to play PP in the NHL but he is going the NCAA route (unless and NHL team pushes him towards London) so he will have plenty of time to develop. Needs to add some physicality to his game but he is amazing with his stick defensively.

Looking forward to coming to your city in a few weeks. Enjoy the draft.

Just bought your black book...man, I'm overwhelmed. This is awesome. Never bought a draft guide before and carefully considered my options before purchasing this one. I'm pretty damn sure I made the right choice. Thanks for the work you guys put into this.

 

[Random Forest]

If any of Virtanen, Ritchie, Ehlers or Perlini happen to drop, I'd take any one of them over Milano.

I'm not so sure Perlini or Virtanen being there would be much of a drop. Ehlers and Ritchie are pretty clearly in the upper tier of the draft, but I consider the former two to be in the secondary tier which includes Milano, Tuch, Fiala, Fabbri, etc.

Perlini fell off to end the year, and a lot of his success had to do with his chemistry with Verhaeghe. I'd be a little scared to pick him. I wouldn't be upset if he's our guy, but I almost hope he's off the board so we don't have to make that decision.

As for Virtanen, I'm a fan (I'd take him in a heartbeat), but I'm not sure why he gets so much credit. He didn't distance himself from the pack like the other CHL guys at the top of the draft did. I don't understand why so many people see him as a lock to go top 12. I could easily see him falling, too.

Reinhart
Ekblad
Draisatl
Bennett
Dal Colle
Nylander
Ehlers
Ritchie

Those are the only guys I think who have created enough separation to be assuredly off the board by 17. Anyone else being available at 17 would not surprise me.

 

[OrangeAndBlackMetal]

I'm not so sure Perlini or Virtanen being there would be much of a drop. Ehlers and Ritchie are pretty clearly in the upper tier of the draft, but I consider the former two to be in the secondary tier which includes Milano, Tuch, Fiala, Fabbri, etc.

Perlini fell off to end the year, and a lot of his success had to do with his chemistry with Verhaeghe. I'd be a little scared to pick him. I wouldn't be upset if he's our guy, but I almost hope he's off the board so we don't have to make that decision.

As for Virtanen, I'm a fan, but I'm not sure why he gets so much credit. He didn't distance himself from the pack like the other CHL guys at the top of the draft did. I don't understand why so many people see him as a lock to go top 12. I could easily see him falling, too.

Reinhart
Ekblad
Draisatl
Bennett
Dal Colle
Nylander
Ehlers
Ritchie

Those are the only guys I think who have created enough separation to be assuredly off the board by 17. Anyone else being available at 17 would not surprise me.

I'd very easily take Perlini over any of Milano, Fabbri or Fiala. Especially the latter two. You don't build championship teams by drafting Tyrion Lannisters. And I'd easily take Virtanen over all of them. This team needs skill, yes, but we also need that skill to have size.

If Virtanen is still there at 17, and I think there's at least a small chance he is, I'd be all over that if I'm the flyers

 

[Random Forest]

I'd very easily take Perlini over any of Milano, Fabbri or Fiala. Especially the latter two. You don't build championship teams by drafting Tyrion Lannisters. And I'd easily take Virtanen over all of them. This team needs skill, yes, but we also need that skill to have size.

If Virtanen is still there at 17, and I think there's at least a small chance he is, I'd be all over that if I'm the flyers

Maybe it's just a difference of philosophy, but I would never draft one player over another for size. Maybe all else being equal, you pick the bigger guy, but rarely is that the case. That's what gets you a Hugh Jessiman. Or a Hodor to continue in the spirit.

I'm definitely not saying you should ignore size, but you can't let it be the dominating factor when comparing players at the draft when so little is known for sure.

EDIT: Especially when we're talking about guys who certainly have passable size. Milano is 5'11.5", is that really an inhibitor?

 

[FLYguy3911]

I think you're taking my example too literally. What if they LOVE Milano, but know have a sense that Detroit loves him too. They could probably move from 17 -> 14 for a 2nd rounder.

My example isn't intended to be literal, but rather illustrative that without knowing the Flyers draft board and scouting preference, it's hard to know whether they might trade up. Heck, they may love a guy off the board and trade down.

My larger point is that the variance in mock drafts and various rankings should not be construed as the rationale for trading up or not. The only board that matters is the Flyers. If they love a player and want him badly enough, they'll trade up to get him if they have a strong sense he might not make it to them.

Yeah I get that, but I think you are overreacting to my original post. I said there is little reason to trade up in this draft. There are exceptions, but if a team traded up every time a guy highly rated on their board was available, they would run out of picks. Sometimes you just have to sit back and wait and let the chips fall. The teams that usually wheel and deal are the ones with multiple picks at their disposal. Like every year, the Flyers are not one of those teams. Whether they trade up, or have a guy "high on their board", it doesn't mean its a smart move.

I don't know if things will change with Hextall now at the helm but it seems like they've pretty much always took the wait & see approach with Homer at the helm. It didn't work with Tom Wilson in 2012 but did work with Sam Morin last year when Montreal was trying to move up for him a couple of times.

Off the top my head I think Kevin Marshall was one of the few players we traded up for in Homer's tenure at least as far as notable picks go.

Exactly. This isn't the NFL draft. Their aren't many trades. I remember listening to Pierre on the radio before the draft last year and him saying he thought their would be a record number of trades. I believe their was only one (plus the Corey Schneider trade). I also can't recall the Flyers moving up on draft day. As I stated, they are usually hamstrung in that they have no picks. Does Hextall really want to kick his first draft off only taking 3/4 players? Trading back seems like a more realistic scenario.

 

[Broad Street Elite]

I'd very easily take Perlini over any of Milano, Fabbri or Fiala. Especially the latter two. You don't build championship teams by drafting Tyrion Lannisters. And I'd easily take Virtanen over all of them. This team needs skill, yes, but we also need that skill to have size.

If Virtanen is still there at 17, and I think there's at least a small chance he is, I'd be all over that if I'm the flyers

I cannot tell you how much I disagree with that sentiment on this team and in this NHL. If all things are equal, of course you take the bigger player, but if you are sacrificing skating or skill for size, I wholeheartedly disagree with the notion that bigger is better.

You need a mix of skill, size and speed on any successful team. Being honest, we aren't lacking in the size department (Hartnell, Couturier, Simmonds, Voracek, LeCavalier) early as much as we lack for top end, raw skill and our skating/speed on average is poor, at best. If there ever was a year to focus on skill, speed and overall offensive ability (with size being lesser a quaternary factor), this is the year given the plethora of players that could end up being the BPA when the Flyers draft.

I would absolutely take the forward equivalent of Gostisbehere this draft if the opportunity presents itself. I also find it ironic that on a team whose clearcut best player is diminutive, but feisty, there is the perpetuated myth that bigger is always better.

I actually am not all that find of Virtanen. I mean, he's a fine player, but I'm not sure I see him as considerably better than Fiala or Milano as an offensive talent.

 

[Broad Street Elite]

By the way, these debates are pretty reflective of the fact that this draft just needs to get here already.

 

[LegionOfDoom91]

By the way, these debates are pretty reflective of the fact that this draft just needs to get here already.

Hell I'll even settle for the SCF to end so the rumor mill starts churning.

 

[Random Forest]

I cannot tell you how much I disagree with that sentiment on this team and in this NHL. If all things are equal, of course you take the bigger player, but if you are sacrificing skating or skill for size, I wholeheartedly disagree with the notion that bigger is better.

You need a mix of skill, size and speed on any successful team. Being honest, we aren't lacking in the size department (Hartnell, Couturier, Simmonds, Voracek, LeCavalier) early as much as we lack for top end, raw skill and our skating/speed on average is poor, at best. If there ever was a year to focus on skill, speed and overall offensive ability (with size being lesser a quaternary factor), this is the year given the plethora of players that could end up being the BPA when the Flyers draft.

I would absolutely take the forward equivalent of Gostisbehere this draft if the opportunity presents itself. I also find it ironic that on a team whose clearcut best player is diminutive, but feisty, there is the perpetuated myth that bigger is always better.

I actually am not all that find of Virtanen. I mean, he's a fine player, but I'm not sure I see him as considerably better than Fiala or Milano as an offensive talent.

Well said. I whole heartedly agree. Even Fabbri is starting to grow on me. He could be a winger moving forward, and he is highly skilled. Hell, he put up the same amount of goals as Virtanen in 13 less games, and he had one hell of a playoff run.

The last thing I want is to be picking Chris Stewart over Claude Giroux in 2006 because of size. We're not talking about players below 5'9" here. They're all 5'10 or bigger; the door is open for them to succeed.

 

[Roo Mad Bro]

I only saw Walcott live a couple of times but our Montreal based scout, Jerome Berube saw him a ton and loves him. He was great in my viewings.

Prapavessis was coached by my buddy ( and a guy I used to coach with) he called Prap the smartest player he's ever coached and I agree with Prap being a very smart player. He will need to work on his shot to play PP in the NHL but he is going the NCAA route (unless and NHL team pushes him towards London) so he will have plenty of time to develop. Needs to add some physicality to his game but he is amazing with his stick defensively.

Looking forward to coming to your city in a few weeks. Enjoy the draft.

Thanks for the additional info Mark. Much appreciated.

If anyone is interested in a top notch draft guide check out Hockey Prospects Black Book. I have bought it two straight years and I can't speak high enough about it. There's a discount for hfboards.com members too