Philadelphia Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr met with Flyers beat reporters in Las Vegas after the end of Saturday’s NHL Draft and shared his thoughts on a handful of the Flyer newly selected prospects. But clearly Flahr intimated that the 2025 NHL Draft is going to be a game-changer for the organization in terms of taking the next step towards being competitive, which is apparent given the fact the Flyers now have three picks in each of the first two rounds next year.
“Well what it means is you’re not going to see me a whole lot next year,” Flahr said. “It’s exciting. Next year we project it to be a very strong draft just from what we’ve seen so far and obviously we’re going to see more and more kids this summer. But to have those picks not only first and second it allows you to do a lot of things next year at the draft. We know it’s a strong draft but also with our situation next summer we can be players and get in the game and take a big step hopefully.”
Of course Flahr echoed a lot of the same sentiments general manager Danny Briere did Friday evening after the Flyers selected Jett Luchanko with their first round pick. “Jett was a guy that really rocketed up our charts this year, an extremely high character kid, very driven,” he said. “Speed, skill set, his details to his game are high end and just rave reviews from coaches and staff both in Guelph and Hockey Canada. He’s a guy we’re really excited about.”
Flahr briefly discussed most of the Flyers selections over the weekend and elaborated on a few, including Heikki Rouhonen, the Finnish center the Flyers took in the fourth round (107th overall). “He’s another guy, he’s a big strong center, he can really shoot the puck,” Flahr said. “He’s on a different path. He’s a bright kid, he’s coming over to play in Dubuque of the USHL and then off to Harvard (in 2025) so not your typical path for a Finnish center. But he’s another guy that kind of moved up the charts for us and we’re happy to get him where we did.”
When asked if Rouhonen’s selection was due to possibly having a higher upside in terms of talent, Flahr said it was conceivable. “Possibly, he can really shoot the puck. But he’s a bull, he’s really strong and you’ll see this week. He’s coming over on short notice which is nice. He’s another player that has a two-way game and I think the path that he’s on from where he’s come from is healthy. It’ll be good for him he’ll need some time.”
As for the Flyers second pick of the draft in Swedish center Jack Berglund, Flarh sees him developing into at least a third-line center and “eventually more” into a top-six situation. “He’s got hockey sense, he’s very smart,” Flahr said. “Obviously his footspeed is what’s going to have to come but he’s a big power center. Really strong on the puck down low, can kill penalties, win faceoffs. He showed offence in the tournaments and he’s a guy that from where he was a year ago to now has taken huge strides. He’s got some pedigree, his dad (Christian Berglund) has played in the New Jersey program.”
Flahr also spoke about Noah Powell who the Flyers took in round five (148th overall) and how he progressed last season. “He’s obviously dedicated himself,” Flahr said. “His game took a huge step, his skating is one area that improved but I think conditioning wise and everything his game just went to another level. He brings an element of toughness, he can really shoot the puck, obviously score goals. But he has a presence physically in every game he played. I went there not to watch him initially but he’s just one of those players that forces you to watch. He has a real presence in games.
When asked about Powell’s skating — something which hindered him from possibly moving higher in the draft — Flahr said it was something both the team and the player acknowlege. “He’s already improved it significantly now and it’s obviously something he knows he has to work on,” he said. “I think just his conditioning and working at the little things have helped him to this point. Now he’s going to have to keep working but with the package that he brings it’s hard to find and where we got him we thought it was good value.”
Flahr also discussed Spencer Gill, the Flyers’ second selection in the second round (59th overall), a slot the Flyers acquired after sending their third round pick (77th overall) and a third-round pick in 2025 to Nashville. “He’s got a little ways to go physically but he’s another player that moved up our charts quickly,” Flahr said. “Really moves the puck, retrieves pucks well, can skate, defends. He showed some offence to his game. He’s going to have a huge role and a really good environment there in Rimouski for the next couple of years.”
Another prospect that seems to be a work in progress and is going to need more time is Ilya Pautov, a Russian forward who Flahr described as having “dynamic skill” and is “obviously a smart player” but needs to “put on weight and get stronger.” He also said it was highly unlikely Pautov would be able to make next week’s development camp but hoped he’d be present for the 2025 development camp.
Finally, Flahr briefly touched on Austin Moline, a seventh-round selection (205th overall) defenseman who they see as a work in progress. “He’s a raw kid, he’s actually from here [Las Vegas] locally. Played at Shattuck [a US High School Prep School] but he’s really good with the puck. He’s a very raw kid but he’s got good hockey sense, he’s got an edge. And his whole game took a step. He’s a kid obviously it’s a flyer late but it’s a guy that Bob Murray spent time on. Shattuck was a highly-seen team because of the number of players they had. He was a guy that you always kind of kept alive and he’s a guy you’d like to chance on late and let him develop.”
