The 2024 NHL Draft is now just one week away and your Philadelphia Flyers currently hold the No. 12 overall pick in the first round. This year’s draft class has over a dozen players who project to be in the top-six forward/top-four defenseman tier, so the Orange and Black should have a few promising options to choose from.
Danny Briere & Co. had Matvei Michkov fall into their laps with the seventh overall pick in last year’s draft. Who will they have the honor of selecting in this year’s first round?
We rounded up some of the most notable mock drafts from around the hockey world to try to narrow it down — spoiler alert: no one really knows.
Mock drafts are listed in reverse chronological order
Chris Peters – FloHockey – June 20
Carter Yakemchuk, D
I could see the Flyers hoping for one of the centers to slip here or maybe Iginla gets there, but Yakemchuk will allow Philly to add a significant piece to its blue line along with Oliver Bonk. Carter Yakemchuk is a 6-foot-3, skilled, high-scoring defenseman who also has some nastiness in his game. It’s hard to add players like him in this range.
Flyers pass on: Konsta Helenius (13) & Cole Eiserman (17)
Peters has the Flyers taking a swing on a big defenseman with the 12th overall pick while passing on a two-way center and goal-scoring winger. This may leave some Flyers fans wishing they added a forward, but Philadelphia also has the Florida Panthers’ pick at 31 or 32.
Adam Kimelman – NHL.com – June 19
Tij Iginla, LW
The Flyers need to find more skill, especially at center, after trading forward Cutter Gauthier, the No. 5 pick of the 2022 draft, to the Anaheim Ducks for defenseman Jamie Drysdale on Jan. 8. Iginla checks both boxes. He might not have the dynamic skill that pulls people out of their seats, but his playmaking ability, vision and hockey sense make him a special player.
Passed on: Beckett Sennecke (14) & Cole Eiserman (17)
Tij Iginla is ranked as highly as the third-best prospect in this draft and is undoubtedly a top-10 talent. Iginla falling to 12 would be a Flyers fan’s dream, even if he’s only a winger at the NHL level.
Mike G. Morreale – NHL.com – June 19
Carter Yakemchuk, D
He is positionally sound, knows where to go to make himself available, has an advantageous reach and is good in battles along the boards. He was fifth among WHL defensemen with 71 points (30 goals, 41 assists) in 66 regular-season games and a finalist for 2024 WHL defenseman of the year.
Passed on: Cole Eiserman (14) & Beckett Sennecke (16)
Another Yakemchuk mock selection in the post-combine updates. Could the Flyers be zeroing in on Yakemchuk as reported a few weeks ago?
Corey Pronman – The Athletic ($) – June 19
Konsta Helenius, C
Philadelphia would be in an enviable position if the draft plays out like this. They have a need to add quality young centers and they would line up to get either Catton or Helenius.
Passed on: Zayne Parekh (13)
As I said in the most recent episode of the Broad Street Hockey Podcast, Helenius has emerged as my preferred pick at No. 12. The Flyers have a dire need for centers in their prospect pipeline and Helenius would shore that up as a high-floor pivot. Passing on Zayne Parekh, one of the highest-upside defensemen in this class, would be tough, though.
Pronman noted that the Flyers would line up to get either Catton or Helenius, but he does have Catton going 11th to Buffalo.
McKeen’s Hockey – June 18
Cole Eiserman, LW
Often tagged as being the draft’s purest goal scorer, Eiserman had an up and down year with the NTDP. However, he still managed to break the program’s scoring record and that is impressive. Big wingers who can put the puck in the net do not grow on trees. While the Flyers could go defense here, having just dealt top prospect Cutter Gauthier for defender Jamie Drysdale, it seems unlikely that they will go that route.
Passed on: Carter Yakemchuk (13) & Berkly Catton (15)
Flyers fans have been screaming for a sniper for years – decades even? — and Eiserman would fit that role like a glove. But I don’t know how I feel about taking Eiserman over Yakemchuk and, more importantly, Catton.
Craig Button – TSN – June 17
Beckett Sennecke, RW
Passed on: Cole Eiserman (13) & Berkly Catton (15)
Button doesn’t provide a little blurb with his mock draft, so here’s a bit from the BSH Community Draft Board post on the right winger:
“Sennecke’s stats don’t jump off the page. He didn’t lead the Generals in points and he wasn’t among the draft-eligible scoring leaders, either — he finished eighth in points among all Under-18 players in the OHL. But beyond the numbers we see on the page, some scouts still believe that Sennecke has all the tools in the world to wiggle his way into being one of the best players to come from this draft class.”
Sennecke is a late riser with a wide range of rankings heading into the draft. He’s 15th on Elite Prospects’ Consolidated Ranking with EP themselves having the highest ranking at ninth overall.
Personally, I couldn’t see the Flyers passing on Catton for Sennecke, but we’ll see what happens.
The Athletic Staff Mock ($) – June 12
Berkly Catton, C
One of the Flyers’ bigger challenges will be finding a center they can eventually play with high-end prospect right wing Matvei Michkov, who is expected to arrive in Philadelphia in the 2026 offseason at the latest. Catton falling this far would probably be a welcome and perhaps unexpected development. The only worry might be that the Flyers already have many small-ish type players in their system and Catton, listed at 5-foot-10, wouldn’t exactly be giving them any more bulk. — Kevin Kurz
Passed on: Cole Eiserman (13) & Konsta Helenius (15)
The Flyers passing on Eiserman is becoming a theme in these mock drafts, but I can’t blame them if Catton is available. He’s one of the most skilled centers in the draft and would fill a big hole for Philadelphia.
Sam Cosentino – Sportsnet – June 10th
Zayne Parekh, D
The Flyers have been teased with the likes of Shayne Gostisbehere, Cam York and Ivan Provorov. They haven’t had a dynamic defenceman like this one in recent memory. And they won’t believe he’s available at this spot.
Passed on: Carter Yakemchuk (13) & Konsta Helenius (14)
Cosentino’s mock is the only one of these 13 to have the Flyers selecting Parekh, and only Pronman has the Flyers passing on him. He’s ranked in the top 10 by most outlets and Flyers fans should be happy if he falls to 12.
BSH Community Draft Board – May 24
Cole Eiserman, RW
We’ve talked a bit about this range of the first round as being pretty wide open, and there not being much consensus about where many of these players should be taken, and this is especially true of Eiserman. He began the season largely towards the very top of these draft rankings based on the strength of his scoring game, but has fallen as some of the late-season galaxy braining has begun to run wild.
Passed on: Carter Yakemchuk (13) & Beckett Sennecke (16)
The BSH Community Draft Board isn’t exactly a mock draft but I’d be remiss if I didn’t include the community’s rankings in this compilation. Most mock drafts have the Flyers passing on Eiserman but I could see him in Orange and Black if the draft follows the Community Draft Board’s order.
Pronman & Wheeler – The Athletic ($) – May 22
Berkly Catton, C
The Flyers take a swing on the dynamic playmaking center in Catton. Ideally they’d add a bit more size after picking Matvei Michkov last year but like with Michkov, Catton’s talent is too much to pass up at 12.
Passed on: Cole Eiserman (13) & Konsta Helenius (15)
Pronman has Catton being selected right before the Flyers’ pick in his most recent mock draft but had him falling to 12 last month. Either center would be fine in my book.
Elite Prospects – May 10
Konsta Helenius, C
Helenius, known for his attention to detail and smart play, is selected for his potential as a highly useful two-way center.
Passed on: Beckett Sennecke (14) & Carter Yakemchuk (16)
Elite Prospects’ mock draft immediately following the lottery has the Flyers taking Helenius while passing on a winger and defenseman. I wouldn’t be shocked if the Flyers have a similar pool of players to choose from come draft night.
Rachel Doerrie – ESPN ($) – May 10
Carter Yakemchuk, D
After a season where the Flyers overperformed expectations and nearly made the playoffs, they can add a quality prospect to their pool. Yakemchuk makes a lot of sense for the Flyers in this spot, adding to the prospect pool of Oliver Bonk and Emil Andrae on the back end. If Catton is available, I could see them taking him up front, with Konsta Helenius being another option given that they moved on from Cutter Gauthier.
In Yakemchuk, the Flyers are adding a quality right-handed defenseman who blends size, skating and a bomb of a shot. He understands how to use his strength, and when you think about the typical Philadelphia Flyer, he fits the bill. He’s big, mean and unafraid to get in the middle of things, as evidenced by his 120 penalty minutes in the WHL this season.
The Flyers have skill in Cam York, Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale, players who can move the puck but aren’t particularly menacing. Yakemchuk balances out the finesse with some size, and for his part, can also be the finisher of one-timer opportunities. He’s more likely to take penalty-killing minutes than those three, and he fits the bill of a player who can fill a second-pairing role.
His transition defense needs work, but his defensive zone posture, puck battles and physicality are qualities that NHL scouts really like. The Flyers would do well to develop his transition game to allow him to take advantage of his physical gifts and excellent shot.
Passed on: Konsta Helenius (13) & Beckett Sennecke (15)
I truly don’t know how I’d feel if the Flyers selected Yakemchuk over Helenius, but Doerrie lays out her argument.
Scott Wheeler – The Athletic ($) – May 9
Berkly Catton, C
A year after Matvei Michkov fell to them and they pounced, the Flyers do the same with Catton and add Matvei’s potential future linemate. Catton’s skating and skill could really function off of Michkov’s smart, tactical attacking. This feels like a no-brainer if Catton’s available, especially after losing Gauthier. They need to draft and develop a top-six center of the future and if Catton or Helenius are still there, and I think there’s a good chance one is, they should be all over it.
Passed on: Cole Eiserman (13) & Beckett Sennecke (16)
Not much more to add here. A potential first-line pairing of Catton and Michkov is something to get excited about.
Overall, there really isn’t too much of a consensus in who the Flyers will pick.
Flyers 12th pick NHL Mock Draft Summary:
| Player | Flyers Select | Flyers Pass |
| Carter Yakemchuk | 3 | 4 |
| Berkly Catton | 3 | 2 |
| Cole Eiserman | 2 | 8 |
| Konsta Helenius | 2 | 5 |
| Beckett Sennecke | 1 | 6 |
| Zayne Parekh | 1 | 1 |
| Tij Iginla | 1 | 0 |
