Flyers get their men in first round: Provorov, Konecny

SUNRISE, Fla. - The Flyers got what they wanted - a two-way defenseman who may be NHL-ready and a speedy right winger - in the first round of the NHL draft Friday at the BB&T Center.

They selected 6-foot-1, 201-pound Ivan Provorov, a player who may one day be the cornerstone of a terrific defense, with the No. 7 overall pick. They later traded picks No. 29 (first round) and 61 (second round) to Toronto and took right winger Travis Konecny with the 24th selection in the first round.

"We like the players we got. We added what we feel is a top prospect on defense . . . a 200-foot player," general manager Ron Hextall said, referring to Provorov. "With Konecny, [we added] speed, skill, competitiveness. Captain of his team at 17. We're happy with the guys we got; it's a good day for the Philadelphia Flyers."

Konecny, 18, a 5-foot-10, 175-pounder who plays with an edge, had 68 points, including 29 goals, in 60 games with Ottawa of the Ontario Hockey League this season.

New Flyers coach Dave Hakstol, the former North Dakota coach who has seen Provorov play in person on numerous occasions, called the defenseman a "character guy. He plays in all situations. Competes extremely hard, so he's a really exciting addition.

"He's a guy who wants to impact the game" in all three zones, Hakstol said, "and he does impact the game."

"Ivan was a guy we coveted," Hextall said. "He was a guy we targeted."

In selecting Provorov, the Flyers picked a defenseman in the first round for the third straight year. They selected Travis Sanheim last year and Sam Morin in 2013.

Those two, plus Shayne Gostisbehere, Robert Hagg and Provorov, give the Flyers an exciting young defense to build around.

Craig Button, the former Calgary general manager who is now a TSN draft expert, rated Provorov as the fifth-best player and the top defenseman in the draft, saying he had the perfect blend of speed, physicality and smarts.

Provorov, 18, a Russian who has been in North America for four years and speaks English, exuded confidence when he talked about joining the Flyers, saying he will work hard this summer and that he believes he can play in the NHL right away.

"That'll be answered as we get into training camp," Hakstol said. ". . . I love the fact that his mentality is that he's going to come in and do everything he can to stay, but you have to make good decisions, and we'll all be a part of that."

Provorov, who calls his hockey sense and the way he reads plays his biggest attributes, was interviewed three times by the Flyers before the draft. He said he had a feeling the Flyers would draft him.

"I was just hoping they would pick me. It's just a great organization and lots of history," he said.

Hakstol was ecstatic about getting Provorov, who had 15 goals and 61 points in 60 games for Brandon in the WHL last season.

"I know all these guys a little bit," Hakstol said. "I watched him at Cedar Rapids [of the USHL] a couple years ago, and he was a guy who stood out on the ice just because he competes extremely hard in all situations, and as a young guy, he was a dominant player in that league. His maturity level on the ice is really impressive."

Earlier in his career, Provorov played youth hockey for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Knights, and he said he visited Philadelphia a couple of times and attended two Eagles games. He said he learned English by taking classes and by watching movies on TV.

Hextall is still trying to deal some defensemen and has had exploratory talks with several teams. After the Flyers sign restricted free agent Michael Del Zotto, they will have nine defensemen on one-way deals.

The defense will be even more crowded if Provorov makes the team out of training camp.

@BroadStBull