Grading The Flyers Draft Picks
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Ron Hextall drafted six players in his first draft as general manager of the Philadelphia Flyers, and for the second consecutive year, the Flyers went with a defenseman with their first pick. It was a solid draft all the way around for Hexy and the Flyers, as the draft was held in Philadelphia at the Wells Fargo Center for the first time ever.
Let's see how the Flyers fared, pick-by-pick.
Round 1, pick 17 - Travis Sanheim, D, Calgary Hitmen (WHL)
The 6'3", 180-pound 18-year-old defenseman was one of the fastest risers in the 2014 NHL draft, moving up well over 100 spots from the midterm scouting ranks until the finals. Sanheim is a bigger guy who can really move the puck, with tremendous upside. Some compare him to Ryan McDonagh
Grade: B-
Round 2, pick 48 - Nicolas Aube-Kubel, W, VAL-D'OR (QMJHL)
Aube-Kubel is a smaller winger, listed at 5'11", 185-pounds. Aube-Kubel is a speedy skater who plays predominately on the wing, but can play center as well. He projects out to be a fringe top-six player on a roster, but he is about two years or so away from contributing for the Flyers.
Grade: B-
Round 3, pick 86 - Mark Friedman, D, Waterloo, (USHL)
This was the pick the Flyers received from the Bruins as part of the Andrei Meszaros trade last season. Friedman was one of the top offensive defensemen in the (USHL) last year, netting 10 goals and 40 points. He is, however, a few years away from making an NHL impact as will play for Bowling Green University next season.
Grade: B+
Round 5, pick: 138 - Oskar Lindblom, W, BRYNAS JR (SWEDEN-JR.)
ISS Hockey (International Scouting Services) had Lindblom as the 51st ranked player in the draft, so to snag him at pick 138 is tremendous value. Lindblom doesn't have any outstanding aspects to his game, but is a well-rounded winger. Like most of the Flyers picks in this draft, he is a few years away from making a push to play for the team.
Grade: B
Round 6, pick 168 - Radel Fazleev, W, Calgary, (WHL)
Fazleev has only three years and 70 games under his belt at any of the junior levels. He seems very likely to return to Russia at some point or to continue his career in the WHL.
Grade: C+
Round 7, pick: 198 - Jesper Pettersson, D, Linkoping, (Sweden)
At just 5',9", Pettersson is the smallest player the Flyers drafted this year. Don't blink, because it's hard for the opposition to even see the speedy puck-moving defenseman!
Grade: C
Overall grade: B-
Eric "Turtle" Golden is the producer for the Mike & Ike Show on 94WIP. You can follow "Turtle" on Twitter @Turtle94WIP. He's always ready to talk Flyers hockey.
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