A Brayden Point type of impact for Flyers at No. 7? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia]]>
With slim odds, the Flyers didn’t strike gold in the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.
But they will have a chance to bring in some needed high-end talent near the top of the 2023 NHL draft.
“We’re fortunate it’s a good year,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said of the draft crop in April. “We have quite a few picks and we have a high one.
“You have to go through a lot of bad times to get there unfortunately, but it’s exciting when you’re at the draft table and you get to pick such a high pick. It’s going to be a critical pick for the organization moving forward, there’s no doubt about it.”
After selecting Cutter Gauthier fifth overall last summer, the Flyers are slotted at No. 7 for this year’s draft, which will be held June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. With the Ivan Provorov trade, the Flyers acquired the 22nd overall pick, giving them two first-rounders and 10 total selections in the draft. The first round kicks off at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, while Rounds 2-7 follow Thursday starting at 11 a.m. ET.
Leading up to the draft, we’re breaking down targets for the Flyers at No. 7.
Next up:
Zach Benson
Position: Winger
Height: 5-foot-10
Weight: 170
Shoots: Left
Team: Winnipeg ICE
Scouting report
Benson is a gamer and play driver who constantly opened eyes this season on one of the best teams in Canadian major junior hockey.
He’s a bona-fide threat with the puck on his stick, he knows where to be when a teammate has it and he’s as versatile as they get for a winger his size.
Playing for a loaded ICE team that went 57-10-1, Benson was third in the WHL with 98 points, finishing behind only Bedard (143) and four-year forward Chase Wheatcroft (107). In 60 games, Benson had 36 goals — six at shorthanded, four on the power play — and 62 assists, while his plus-68 rating was second best in the league.
He just turned 18 years old in May.
“He’s a skilled player,” Dan Marr, the director of NHL Central Scouting, said June 1 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “I would classify him as one of the most dangerous players in the offensive zone. He’s clever and skillful to create scoring chances. But, what the intriguing part is with him, in his DNA, he certainly doesn’t think he’s small. He plays bigger than his size and he’s fearless. There’s nothing that intimidates him.”
With the Canadian winger being on the smaller side and not possessing elite speed, there’s some debate about how his game will translate to the pro level.
Benson is the sixth-ranked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting. In its updated rankings, EliteProspects.com has him as the fifth-best player in the draft, while The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has him at No. 6
However, Benson is the 14th-rated overall player by TSN’s Craig Button and 17th by The Athletic’s Corey Pronman.
But there’s something to be said about Benson starring on a winning junior team at such a young age.
“He’s got the type of attitude going into the draft that he’s going to be one of the best players in the draft class. And he plays that way,” Marr said. “He doesn’t like to lose. He’s got the skills, but he’s got those intangibles that make him a player that can go out and … he’s a guy that can contribute and contribute in a timely way.
“From the junior level advancing into the pros, he’s the type that can have the impact like a Brayden Point has, where he’s one of those guys that you can depend on to come in and deliver a scoring chance or create one when you need it most. He doesn’t have a low gear. He just plays a high-gear game, a high-energy game.”
Fit with Flyers
The Flyers should definitely have interest in a prospect like Benson. They have stressed their need for more high-end players. Benson is talented and has a motor to match.
His upside is one of those go-go wingers who can be a top-six, all-situation scoring threat.
Over the past three seasons combined, the Flyers have ranked last among the NHL in both power play percentage (15.4) and penalty kill percentage (74.7). Benson has the potential to help significantly on each of the units.
Tyson Foerster, the club’s 2020 first-round pick, is a right-handed, shot-seeking winger the Flyers are high on for the future. Benson, a lefty shot, could be a nice playmaking complement.
Size is not everything in today’s game. Take Cam Atkinson for example. He’s 5-foot-8 and was drafted in the sixth round, but he has been one of the NHL’s best shorthanded goal-scoring threats over the last decade because he plays with smarts and effort.
The Flyers will have to do their best in sizing up the risk with Benson. At No. 7 overall, it is possible they view a center or defenseman as the top player available. The projection with Benson across the league could vary considerably.
More targets
• Could high-scoring center with ‘no holes’ be there for Flyers at No. 7?
• Tage Thompson type of prospect? Big winger should intrigue Flyers at No. 7
• Reinbacher, with ‘all the skills and tools,’ may be draft’s top D-man for Flyers
• Moore would offer Flyers elite speed, skating down the middle
• Another talented center with big shot Flyers will have to consider at No. 7
• Will the Flyers want a 132-point ‘magician’ at No. 7?
• ‘Dynamic,’ puck-moving defenseman may give Flyers trade-back option
