Is there a dark horse on defense for the Flyers at No. 5? originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Brent Flahr quipped that he hopes the Flyers won’t be picking this high again in a long time.
Nonetheless, though, Flahr and his amateur scouting staff are confident about landing a really good player around the top five of the 2022 NHL draft.
“Yeah, I think we’ve gone over the players that we feel are the best five and we’ve gone over different scenarios of what we think the teams in front of us will take. There are still some unknowns, though,” Flahr said June 10 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “But I think we’re happy with the number of different players at the position, probably even a couple of more further. Depending on how it falls, maybe you trade back a couple of spots even or look to trade up. We’ll see how it goes.”
Following a 25-46-11 season, the Flyers are slotted at No. 5 overall in this year’s draft, which will be held July 7-8 at Bell Centre in Montreal. The Flyers have six total selections. The first round kicks off at 7 p.m. ET Thursday, while Rounds 2-7 follow Friday starting at 11 a.m. ET.
“I think it’s been well-documented, there’s no Connor McDavids in the draft or whatnot. But there is some depth early in the draft,” Flahr said. “There’s different positions — there’s a few centermen, there’s a couple of right-shot defensemen with skill and size, there’s a couple of scoring right wingers, there’s a power winger.
“There are some interesting players early. I think it’s going to be a really interesting first round. … It’s going to be surprising I think to a lot of people, I think there could be a lot of surprises in the early going of this draft.”
Leading up to July 7-8, we’re breaking down draft targets for the Flyers at No. 5.
Next up:
Kevin Korchinski
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 185
Shoots: Left
Team: Seattle Thunderbirds
Scouting report
According to many draft experts, Korchinski starts the tier of defensemen below the headliners David Jiricek and Simon Nemec.
Among North American skaters, Korchinski made an impressive climb from his midterm rank of 20th by NHL Central Scouting to a final mark of No. 7. TSN’s Craig Button pegged him as the 10th-best player in the entire class, while TSN’s Bob McKenzie slotted him at No. 11.
However, The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler rated Korchinski at No. 17 and EliteProspects.com put him 19th.
But should he have a seat at the table with Jiricek and Nemec?
“He’s a lot closer to Jiricek/Nemec than most people are giving him credit for,” an anonymous scout told The Athletic’s Corey Pronman.
Korchinski, who just turned 18 years old two weeks ago, is a lanky left-hander that exits the defensive zone with impressive skill and vision. In 2021-22, his first full major junior hockey season, Korchinski was fourth among all WHL defensemen with 65 points (four goals, 61 assists) over 67 games for the Thunderbirds. He finished the regular season with a plus-36 rating before putting up 19 points (six goals, 13 assists) through 25 games in Seattle’s run to a WHL championship appearance.
There are concerns about Korchinski’s lack of physicality and ability to eventually defend at the NHL level.
“Once he fills out, I think his defending will become more effective and he can hold his own better along the walls and in the tough areas of the ice,” DailyFaceoff.com’s Chris Peters wrote last month. “Either way, a 6-foot-2 defenseman with fluid mobility and skills is an especially enticing option in the top half of the first round. I think he’s got a great shot to be a top-four guy down the line.”
Fit with Flyers
If the Flyers were to surprise and take Korchinski, he’d have a chance to help the club in an area of need for the future: cleaner and quicker breakouts to set up shop in the offensive zone.
He’s a proficient puck-moving blueliner with potential to quarterback a power play. His offensive game is already exciting.
But given the Flyers should have a real shot at either the No. 1 or 2 defenseman in the draft, it seems pretty unlikely Korchinski would be their pick at No. 5. The Flyers will be taking the best player available, regardless of position. Righty-shot blueliners are also harder to find. Both Jiricek and Nemec are righties, which only adds to their top-five stock.
And for what it’s worth, the Flyers do have two young, lefty-shot defensemen in Cam York (21) and Egor Zamula (22). Zamula’s frame and strengths are very similar to Korchinski. The undrafted product could be knocking on the Flyers’ door soon.
Steve Dunsmoor/WHL Images
More targets
• Will Flyers land best defenseman in draft at No. 5?
• Savoie, a dynamic skater and scorer, can boost Flyers’ talent level
• Could Flyers draft another Finnish winger with exciting tools?
• A big center on the rise should have Flyers’ attention at No. 5
• One of draft’s more thrilling players may give Flyers trade-back option
• If there at No. 5, D-man with eye-opening game will give Flyers a lot to ponder
• Is versatile forward with advanced game worth No. 5 pick by Flyers?
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