If there at No. 5, D-man with eye-opening game will give Flyers a lot to ponder 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:
Simon Nemec
Position: Defenseman
Height: 6-foot
Weight: 199
Shoots: Right
Team: Nitra
Scouting report
Is the 18-year-old Slovakia native the top defenseman in the draft? He’s considered right there with David Jiricek.
The Athletic’s Scott Wheeler has Nemec pegged as the second-best player in the entire class and TSN’s Bob McKenzie has him at No. 4. On NHL Central Scouting, Nemec is the third-ranked European skater.
He’s a proficient puck-moving blueliner with an advanced hockey IQ. He’s not regarded as an overly physical defenseman, but that element can be developed with time as he gains more strength.
For Nitra in Tipos Extraliga, Slovakia’s top pro league, Nemec put up eye-opening numbers with a goal and 25 assists over 39 games. In the playoffs, he was nearly a point-per-game player with five goals and 12 assists through 19 games. He won a bronze medal at the 2022 Beijing Olympics with the Slovakia national team and had a strong 2022 IIHF World Championship, putting up six points (one goal, five assists) in eight games.
“I expect him to become the best defenseman out of Slovakia since Zdeno Chara and a true No. 2 (and maybe even No. 1) guy who plays an effective, efficient, play-driving modern game,” Wheeler wrote earlier this month. “The game just comes easy to him.”
Fit with Flyers
If the draft falls the way some see it will, the Flyers could have a crack at taking who they feel is the best defenseman in this year’s crop.
Similar to Jiricek, there’s a ton to like with Nemec. He’s a righty shot and comes with top-pair potential. His ability to push the puck up ice and get his team situated is what general manager Chuck Fletcher wants as a strength of his team.
Cam York and Ivan Provorov are lefty shots. Drafting Nemec would present the Flyers a nice opportunity to eventually slot him alongside either of the two. York, the Flyers’ 2019 first-round pick, is a 21-year-old with a puck-moving prowess. Adding another young blueliner who can transport the puck with his feet and smarts should intrigue the Flyers.
The Flyers haven’t had a real top-heavy, formidable defensive group for a decade-plus. If they draft Nemec at No. 5, their outlook at building on the back end would improve.
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
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