Flyers 'very happy' with Draft
PITTSBURGH -- After a surprising pick in the latter stages of the first round on Friday night, the Flyers got back at it for the fast-moving second day of the Entry Draft with Rounds 2-7. "Some of the guys that we liked, we knew they were going to go higher and we didn't think we'd have a shot to get those guys," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said, wrapping up the weekend. "But we had some guys targeted in certain rounds and it fell the right way the (scouts) wanted to go. I'm happy with the way it went, we are happy with our draft. We stocked our cupboard a little bit." According to the Flyers' brass, nearly every player they seemed to target in certain rounds was still available by the time they picked. For some teams, that would be a scary proposition, perhaps a sign that you may value players differently than the rest. The Flyers remained confident in their selections, believing they left the Steel City with a healthy selection of new prospects to build around.
Flyers 'very happy' with Draft
PITTSBURGH -- After a surprising pick in the latter stages of the first round on Friday night, the Flyers got back at it for the fast-moving second day of the Entry Draft with Rounds 2-7.
"Some of the guys that we liked, we knew they were going to go higher and we didn't think we'd have a shot to get those guys," Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren said, wrapping up the weekend. "But we had some guys targeted in certain rounds and it fell the right way the (scouts) wanted to go. I'm happy with the way it went, we are happy with our draft. We stocked our cupboard a little bit."
According to the Flyers' brass, nearly every player they seemed to target in certain rounds was still available by the time they picked. For some teams, that would be a scary proposition, perhaps a sign that you may value players differently than the rest. The Flyers remained confident in their selections, believing they left the Steel City with a healthy selection of new prospects to build around.
“I thought, going into the draft, we had a lot of guys identified in certain areas that we had an opportunity to get,” Flyers director of hockey operations Chris Pryor said. “If we had to look from the first pick to the last pick, we had guys in each area that we got that we’re extremely happy with.”
Here’s a glimpse into their picks:
ROUND 2
Anthony Stolarz
Pick: 45th overall
Position: Goaltender
Age: 18 (1/20/1994)
Height: 6-foot-5
Weight: 200 lbs.
Birthplace: Edison, NJ
Residence: Jackson, NJ
Former team: Corpus Christi (NAHL)
Next team: Nebraska-Omaha (NCAA)
High School: St. John Vianney
Skinny: The Flyers love their big goaltenders, after acquiring 6-foot-7 goalie Niko Hovinen last year from Finland. Stolarz, though, has local ties. And he had the best wingspan of any player at the Scouting Combine (81 inches) while fin. The Flyers have seen Stolarz plenty of times, starting in 2010 when he participated in the Liberty Bell Games for local prospects at the team’s practice facility in Voorhees. Stolarz then moved on to the New Jersey Hitmen (EJHL) and eventually Corpus Christi (Tex.), where he posted a .920 save percentage on a bad Rays team that allowed an average of 32 shots per game. Stolarz finished the Central Scouting rankings in the 4th spot among North American-trained goaltenders, up from 20th in the mid-term rankings.
The quote: “The Flyers interviewed me at the Combine. I knew one of their scouts, John Riley, from growing up in the Atlantic District program. I think the Combine really helped me. I just tried my hardest and did my best in the interviews. I’m not in any rush, I want to develop in college and we’ll see. I’m just happy to be excited to be drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers.”
ROUND 3
Shayne Gostisbehere
Pick: 78th overall
Position: Defense
Age: 19 (3/20/1993)
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 160
Birthplace: Margate, FL
College: Union College
Skinny: Gostisbehere’s nickname is “Ghost.” As a freshman at Union College this past season, Gostisbehere posted the second-most points of any freshman defenseman at the NCAA level while helping the Flying Dutchmen make the Frozen Four for the first time in school history. Gostisbehere was ranked as the 148th-best North American-trained skater. He hails from Margate, Fla., just outside of the Sunrise town that is home to the Florida Panthers. Gostisbehere had season tickets to the Panthers as a kid. Gostisbehere collected an impressive 22 points in 41 games as a freshman. He played on the same defensive unit as Greg Coburn, the younger brother of Flyers defenseman Braydon Coburn. He is Union's first draft pick since 2004 and will be the only player in school history to return to school as a draft pick.
The quote: "I literally jumped off my couch. I was surprised when I saw my name. I jumped off the couch because it's a team that has such great history and so much going for it. They're always a good team. I couldn't be more proud, I can't even describe it. I talked to them a little bit before the draft, I felt confident with them. I definitely more of an offensive defenseman, but I'm not slouch on defense, too. I can play defense. I could have asked for a better freshman season. It was an amazing season, I couldn't have asked for a better season and everyone who helped me gain experience in my first year of college hockey and learning the game more."
ROUND 4
Fredric Larsson
Pick: 111th overall
Position: Defense
Age: 17 (7/4/1994)
Height: 6-foot-3
Weight: 172
Birthplace: Karlstad, Sweden
Team: Brynas Junior
Skinny: Not surprisingly, there are many players from Sweden with a name similar to “Fredric Larsson,” but little about this new Flyers prospect shows up in internet searches. Larsson is still young, yet to celebrate his 18th birthday. He collected 4 points in 14 games in the “Super Elite” series of Under-20 prospects in Sweden this year. He has decent size at 6-foot-3, so it will be interesting to see what the Flyers know about this player who did not finish among the final 120 best European-trained skaters in the Central Scouting rankings.
Taylor Leier
Pick: 117th overall
Position: Left Wing
Age: 18 (2/15/1994)
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 178
Birthplace: Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
Team: Portland (WHL)
On Twitter: @Leier22
Skinny: Leier put together a strong rookie season in the Western Hockey League, collecting 37 points (13 goals and 24 assists) in 72 games with the Winterhawks. Leier finished 10th in team scoring for Portland, but third among the team’s 17-year-olds. He finished ranked 131st among North American skaters. Leier had two scraps with Portland, according to HockeyFights.com. Leier did not make the Draft in Pittsburgh because he was competing in the World Ball Hockey Championships with Team Canada.
ROUND 5
Reece Willcox
Pick: 141st overall
Position: Defense
Age: 18 (3/20/1994)
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185
Birthplace: Surrey, British Columbia, Canada
Team: Merritt (BCHL)
Committed: Cornell University
Skinny: Willcox dropped a bit in the Draft, falling to 141st overall after being ranked 114th in the Central Scouting final rankings. He is known as a finesse defenseman. Finished ranked 46th among college hockey draft prospects. He’ll enroll in Cornell in the fall as a freshman.
ROUND 7
Valeri Vasiliev
Pick: 201st overall
Position: Defense
Age: 18 (5/31/1994)
Height: 6-foot-1
Weight: 203
Birthplace: Moskva, Russia
Team: Spartak Moscow
Skinny: Vasiliev is a gamble for the Flyers, who decided to take the 17th ranked European skater who fell drastically in the draft after a serious shoulder injury limited him to just 17 games last season. Vasiliev does not appear to have any relation to 1972 Summit Series star Valeri Vasiliev, though the names are spelled the same. The elder Vasiliev, who died in 2009 at the age of 62, won an Olympic gold medal as a rugged defenseman and watched one slip away to the United States in 1980 in Lake Placid. The younger Vasiliev, coincidence or not, apparently models his game in the same way. This defenseman, though he lacks speed, loves to throw big hits. HockeysFuture.com rated him as the 8th best Russian-trained player available in the draft. Vasiliev could turn out to be a great value pick in the 7th round.
For the latest updates, follow Frank Seravalli on Twitter: @DNFlyers
Flyers have drafted very well. Richards, Carter and Giroux all late picks. Fantastic drafting.— wendy27- comments are hilarious. if the Flyers go big, they are reaching for the broad street bullies again...and if they go small, they aren't keeping up with the current NHL. how many of us have even seen ONE of these kids hit the ice? patience, patience— birdfannnj
- How can you trust scouts that have been totally incapable of drafting even a "decent" goaltender since the Hextall years? And their record on discovering bonafide NHL defensmen is almost as bad. It seems to me far too many folks in Flyer management and scouting are just there because they once played for the team.— schnitzelboy
- I'm left scratching my head.— Pete60
- I think, after the first round, the pics get messy. Buuut seeing as how it takes 2-3 years to develop talent (Couturier being an exception), look ahead at Briere, whose skills will regress as he hits the later part of his 30s. Rather than waiting for a hole in the roster to emerge, nice to have a guy who can grow into the position (maybe). It beats overpaying for talent elsewhere. Of course, I am trying to rationalize the decision. But it's been discussed that it takes longer to develop D-Men, so no 1st-round defensive talent they drafted would really be able to contribute until 2013-14 (and that was an urgent issue which needs to be addressed this year--via the Schenn trade and free agency).— pillsbury
- Of course the Flyers are happy with their draft. What team would come out and say, "We didn't get anyone we wanted, bad draft".— cupajoe
- Very true! I would love to see an Onion article entitled Team is disappointed with their lousy draft. — Repubrebirth
- ...and better yet James Van Remeisdyk is gone to the leafs for Luke Schenn.— LGbalsac
- The Flyers just got Luke Schenn.— simplefreedom
- To say that Scott Laughton is a typical Flyers selection is not a compliment. The Flyers have been drafting this kind of player forever, and it's been forever since the Flyers won anything. There's a reason why elite NHL organizations passed on Scott Laughton. He's a center who doesn't score and who racks up as lot of penalty minutes. Unfortunately, in the eyes of the Flyers, this is a good thing.— Gnip Gnop
- Bunch of negative nellies on this board.....If that draft pick becomes a great 3rd line center that plays 2 ways, worth the pick. As for the other picks, they are all kids and will put on muscle the next few years. Even Courtieir sp??? for as good as he was got pushed around a little bit on the boards and needs to muscle up. I do trust the Flyers brain powers...maybe except the Bryz signing but that was done specifically at Ed Snyders request.— briman
- Its a crazy year when the Eagles outdrafted the Flyers but in my opinion they did. Times yours!— sammydelphia
- Bad first round pick. Wont ever make the roster. They blew it this year— bob brotzman
- hey maybe that maata dman reminded flyer management of joni pitkanen too much— FLYER NORTH
- Looking at a 17 or 18 year olds current weight is ridiculous. These guys are 3 or 4 years away. By the time they are 21 5"11 160 becomes 5"11 195. 6'3"170 becomes 215.— UncleStosh
- Absolutely. I weighed around 160 when I was 18, and now just 40 years later I'm more like 215.
— 1980 - I'll never understand why articles are printed, telling us the Flyers ( or Eagles, or insert any team here ) are happy with thier draft. Everyone is ALWAYS happy with their draft. No one ever says " Dang it, everyone we wanted was gone, and our draft sucked"
Now, with that out of the way, hockey drafts take years to produce most players drafted, so no one will really know if this years draft is a huge success, utter failure, or somewhere in between, for quite a while.— C-Note - I just hope that in a few years down the line Flyers fans will be glad that Gostisbehere rather than Gostisbethere.— scribbles
- Frank, 2 quick questions: first, the headline seems to quote someone as saying that the Flyers are "very happy" with their draft. However, the words "very" and "happy" actually don't appear together anywhere in the story. And second, how is 20 out of 30 the "latter stages" of the first round?— 1980
- Judge Reinhold, the only rookies the Flyers drafted were Rinaldo, Wellwood and Bourdon.— craigmack
- Yea, well the rest of the undrafted free agents were scouted by, none other than, the scouts. — itsneversunnyonbroadstreet
- Now we wait for the bomshell trade to happen.— Romus
I suppose all of you are scouting experts and know so much more than the Flyers scouts. The last time I checked they did a good enough job drafting to have one of the most productive yet youngest lineups in the NHL lineup last season. Give them a break, they need defense that will help this year. Only a fool would draft mining for starting players for this years team if you have cup aspirations. Let's hope Homer can pull off a big trade and restock the defensive cupboards once Pronger is placed on the long term DL July 1st and we get his cap space. This isn't like trading hockey cards with your 8 year old friends you simpletons.- So much of this.
Too many people equate the NHL Entry Draft to the NFL Draft when they're nowhere near the same thing. These kids still have a lot time to develop further, very few ever really start right away. 
When on of the best D men in the draft, Olli Maatta, was still there after 19 selections I was hoping... Nope, Maatta went to Pitt @ 22. The Pens really cleaned up last night. Homer et al ? So So- We'll see if he's one of the best defensive players in the draft in 5 years. In the meantime reality check, there were a lot of other teams that passed on him before the Flyers did. Maybe that should tell you something.
- perhaps the plan is for the 6' 7" & 6' 5" goalies to become D-Men
they should be getting bigger not smaller— pa2cp - they have too many 5" 11" 170-180 pounders...la won with 6' 3" &
6' 4" 230 pounders...you think a 5" 11" 180 pounder is going to move dwight king from the crease---nah
they should get bigger & faster rather than smaller & lighter— pa2cp - With their last pick, are they going to throw it away like last year and draft another Flyer Executive's kid?— cooperhawk
- ISS had Laughton ranked 23rd. Not a total reach. His upside is 2nd/3rd line center. However, their other picks way off the value board. Agree with RKinsella, what do they think they are the Eagles. I would have taken Thrower where they took the goalie. I believe he would have been there in the 3rd.— craigmack
- Frank - what's up with all these off the board picks? I worry when a team thinks they're smarter than the rankings (see Eagles...)— RKinsella
- If you watched the first round last night, you would have heard the commentators say after the Flyers selection at #20 that the Flyers have the best scouts in the NHL, and they all agreed with that. And don't ever compare the Flyers to the Eagles... — BobbyD
- And if YOU watched the first round, you heard those same commentators gushing non-stop over the incredible brilliance of every move and every pick by every team. You might also have heard them warn the Atlantic Division to watch out for the Pens over the next 10 several years. — 1980
- I don't know who was seated at the viewer's far right of the analysts' table on TSN, but he gushed over each and every pick as though the team selecting drafted Bobby Orr and Phil Esposito.
The Pens did almost exactly what the Flyers did last year with Richards and Carter: move them for younger, cheaper talent. Good move, but just like the Flyers missed those two somewhat, the Pens will miss Staal somewhat. Financial flexibility played a large role in all those moves.— sklandog - the draft doesnt seem too promising so far— psualum
- astro....maybe they're hoping he grows up??????— Mark1npt
- Another undersized defenseman?
— astroqueen0 - Wow a goalie from Jackson NJ. Right in the heart of Devil land Jackson NJ is the town that has Six Flags Great adventure. Lets hope he develops for the future— NJflyerfan
- Doubt it, "local" players do not hold up in this town because of the media hounding them.....see JVR. — kozykoz26
