William Horcoff is emerging as a popular back-end first-round option for the Flyers. (Photo: Michael Augello, The Hockey News)
With the NHL Scouting Combine now in the rearview mirror, the Philadelphia Flyers have just over two weeks to make final preparations for the 2025 NHL Draft.
Holding the sixth overall pick, the majority of management's focus will be dedicated to the draft's top prospects, debating on which center, if any, is the pivot of Philadelphia's future. Depending on how the board breaks, maybe a winger, like Porter Martone, is the best choice.
There have been rumblings that defensemen, such as Jackson Smith, could be in play at some point in the draft, just not necessarily at No. 6. Smith, of course, is a consensus top-15 prospect, so the Flyers would have to trade up to make that happen.
Needless to say, with the amount of draft capital the Flyers have, the possibilities are virtually endless.
Center is the team's greatest position of need, both organizationally and on the immediate NHL roster. But do the Flyers have to take one? What if one of the top centers is lower on their board than the others? Is trading up or down an option?
Keeping these questions in mind, I've curated my first of two big boards, with the final coming shortly before the draft kicks off on June 27. Let's discuss.
Best options for No. 6 pick
James Hagens, C, Boston College, 5-foot-11, 185 pounds
James Hagens was once seen as the can't-miss, top prospect of the 2025 draft class, only to fall down rankings to no fault of his own. The industry consensus on Hagens seems to have dropped slightly, with some recent mocks seeing the Boston College ace fall to the Flyers at No. 6.
If that happens, Danny Briere and Co. will likely surge the telephone lines calling in their pick. The 18-year-old has drawn comparisons to New Jersey Devils star Jack Hughes thanks in large part to his outstanding USNTDP career and elite production for the United States in the U18 and U20 World Junior Championships.
Hagens is the one player scouts have tended to overthink in the pre-draft process, but he's the best possible option for the Flyers, all things considered. If drafted by Philly, Hagens could take over as the team's de facto No. 1 center as early as 2026.
Anton Frondell, C, Djurgardens IF, 6-foot-1, 205 pounds
Where Anton Frondell lands in the 2025 draft depends on who you ask. Some think the Swede will go in the top three, and others think he'll reach the bottom of the top 10.
Regardless, Frondell is on the Flyers' draft board in some capacity, and it's easy to see why. The bulldozing center has no problem imposing his physique on others, especially in tight spaces, using his size and strength to find good ice and make plays for his teammates.
Frondell is said to have one of, if not the best shots in the class, but concerns remain with his consistency and perceived lack of playmaking ability. Skating is a question, too, but Frondell has the strength and the build to add strength and explosiveness down the road.
After scoring seven points in 16 games with Djurgardens IF and securing promotion from HockeyAllsvenskan, Frondell is set to get his first taste of action in the SHL, Sweden's top hockey league, next season.
Porter Martone, RW, Brampton Steelheads, 6-foot-3, 205 pounds
If the Flyers pass on a center with the No. 6 pick for any reason, it should be to secure Porter Martone.
Briere came away wildly impressed with the Canada U18 team that played in the 2024 U18 World Junior Championships, winning Gold with Martone as its captain. In seven games, Martone, also the captain of the Steelheads, scored five goals, 12 assists, and 17 points, finishing second only to Gavin McKenna (20 points) in scoring.
Notably, the Flyers drafted two players from that Canada team in 2024: Jett Luchanko and Spencer Gill.
Martone is the prototypical scoring winger every NHL team would kill to add to their ranks. He's physical, can rip a shot from anywhere, a natural leader, has uncanny passing skills, elite vision, and hockey IQ, and possesses silky mitts to boot.
Some would argue the Flyers should choose Martone regardless of who's on the board at No. 6, and that would be a more than fair assessment.
From a stylistic perspective, Martone has been compared to Matvei Michkov and Mikko Rantanen.
Caleb Desnoyers, C, Moncton Wildcats, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Caleb Desnoyers, like Martone, Luchanko, and Gill, was on last year's Canada U18 team and scored five points in five games.
Briere, Ian Laperriere, and the Flyers are also intimately familiar with Desnoyers, his family, and, of course, older brother Elliot Desnoyers, who plays in the AHL for their Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
The connections are all there, and Desnoyers has the talent to justify the No. 6 draft slot... if he even makes it there.
The 18-year-old center, recently named the captain of the QMJHL Moncton Wildcats, has been a steady draft riser and currently projects to be a top four pick, but anything can happen between now and June 27.
Desnoyers is a wildly intelligent and hyper-active player who is always on the puck at both ends of the ice. He can add layers to his game on the fly thanks to his hockey IQ, and he has the shooting, vision, and passing ability to make good use of it.
Desnoyers is only an average skater, but his lack of foot speed can and should improve over time, potentially allowing him to bring even more to the ice every night.
Jake O'Brien, C, Brantford Bulldogs, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Jake O'Brien, similarly to Desnoyers, makes his money with his vision and hockey IQ. The difference is that O'Brien is generally considered to be the best playmaker in the class while not being much of a shooter.
With the Bulldogs, O'Brien plays for Jay McKee, one of Briere's old NHL teammates and a candidate to take over as Phantoms head coach. The 17-year-old is one of the younger players in the 2025 draft class and is expected to only become bigger, stronger, and faster.
The question is if O'Brien can develop into more of a two-way threat rather than a pure passer over time. At the high-end of his projection, I can see a Robert Thomas-like NHL career for O'Brien. The Flyers would take that any day of the week.
Options for Picks 22 and 32
We don't know if the Edmonton Oilers will win the Stanley Cup or not, but we'll assume they do. It really won't matter much for the sake of this exercise.
The Flyers still have two first-round picks to get through, and while it's possible those get traded for a player or packaged to move up for, say, Jackson Smith, we'll first assume the Flyers keep both picks.
Ivan Ryabkin, C, Muskegon Lumberjacks, 5-foot-11, 200 pounds
Ivan Rybakin had a bizarre year, falling from a potential top five pick to a borderline first-round pick while moving from Russia to the USHL Muskegon Lumberjacks.
The 18-year-old forward is a hyper-aggressive agitator who can shoot, throw hits, and make the occasional dazzling play on his own. Ryabkin will need to adjust to the North American style of play and pace, but getting that process started early this past season might boost his draft stock with certain NHL teams, including the Flyers.
Ryabkin, combined with Matvei Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin, could potentially help the Flyers form the most demonic, irritating group of forwards assembled in Philadelphia in quite a few years. The Russian forward should be in play for the Flyers as early as 22nd.
Joshua Ravensbergen, G, Prince George Cougars, 6-foot-5, 190 pounds
Joshua Ravensbergen is the consensus No. 1 goalie in the 2025 draft class, which should make him a VIP draft target for the Flyers.
Neither Sam Ersson nor Ivan Fedotov look like they have NHL futures with the Flyers, while the jury is still out - time is ticking - on Aleksei Kolosov. Aside from them, Philly's hopes rest on the shoulders of Carson Bjarnason and Egor Zavragin, with the latter contracted in the KHL until at least 2027.
Adding a blue-chipper in Ravensbergen gives the Flyers three high-end goalie prospects, boosting the likelihood that at least one pans out and turns into a capable NHL starter. If nothing else, the Flyers would have the best goalie prospect pool in the league the moment Ravensbergen is selected.
William Horcoff, C, Michigan, 6-foot-4, 190 pounds
William Horcoff, the son of longtime NHLer Shawn Horcoff, is a rapidly rising center prospect who has now snuck into the back end of first-round discussions, and for good reason.
The 18-year-old plays the game with strong details, and his size, which will only fill out further with time, gives him an advantage over many of his peers. The key is that Horcoff knows how to use it to position himself at a young age.
Horcoff profiles as a strong defensive forward with good, not great offensive upside. He'll need to get faster and play faster, but that's what development is for, right?
Sascha Boumedienne, LHD, Boston, 6-foot-2, 180 pounds
Sascha Boumedienne, like Ryabkin, came into the season with higher hopes, but who's to say he hasn't delivered at the end of the day?
The Swede is a jack-of-all-trades, master of none left-shot defender who comes with a healthy NHL projection and actually improved throughout the year. Boumedienne has a great defensive stick and excels at defending the rush, and he has no issues making plays with the puck on his stick.
Those are three important qualities in modern NHL defensemen, and Boumedienne has all of them. The Flyers are in desperate need of left-shot defensemen, especially if Cam York is traded, making Boumedienne an ideal target at 22.
Kurban Limatov, LHD, Dynamo Moskva, 6-foot-3, 200 pounds
Rounding out the first Flyers big board, Kurban Limatov is a massive, left-shot defenseman who can skate and out-muscle people all the same.
But, for his startling skating ability, Limatov needs to refine his details further, which should come with more experience in the MHL and KHL. Limatov is not much of a shooter or passer, but he can get the job done most of the time if he chooses the right play.
The hulking Russian projects as a bottom-four insulator, but if he can harness his gifts and play with more concentration and detail, specifically with his puck distribution, Limatov's ceiling could be much greater.
-1749195231-q80.webp "Michael Clarke isn’t just one of Australia’s best batters, he’s one of cricket’s greatest of all time")
