Flyers Make 7 Selections on Day 2 of NHL Draft

It was set to be an active start to Day 2 of the NHL Draft for the Flyers. They started the day with three second-round picks and seven total picks. It didn’t take long for the Flyers to make a move.

The Flyers made a trade with their first pick of Day 2, moving back from 36th overall and including the 68th overall pick for the 38th overall pick and 57th overall pick from Seattle.

That got the Flyers back into the second round for a fourth time. They made all four picks, then added two selections in the fifth round and one more in the sixth round to cap off their day.

Here’s a closer look at the seven picks:

A big blue-line presence to open up the second round. There’s no issues with Carter Amico‘s size at 6’6″. For his size, he’s a solid skater and can bring some skill, but his defensive prowess is more of his calling card.

He has to work on handling situations under pressure and is overcoming a knee injury that shortened his draft year and likely knocked him out of the first round. If he can overcome that to reach his full potential, he could amount to a solid middle-pair defenseman.

Jack Murtagh was one of the top prospects out of the US National Development Team Program this season. He brings a consistent game, good skater, good motor, offensive touch, defensively responsible, good in puck battles.

Murtagh was widely considered a late first-round prospect, so the Flyers got really good value here at 40th. A typical grinder and spark plug of a lineup, he’s got middle-six potential.

Shane Vansaghi was limited in minutes as a freshman at Michigan State, but made enough of an impact to draw a lot of attention in his draft year. Another big-bodied forward with skill, smarts, speed, and physicality, potentially the total package for middle-six forwards.

If getting Murtagh at 40 was great value, this is tremendous value for a player that could easily have been gone on Friday night.

Matthew Gard brings all the tools needed to stick as a center. Smart, good skater, great size. He only had 36 points in his draft year, but Red Deer was a low-scoring offense, to the point where Gard led the team in points. With more support and improvement of his skills, Gard could be a solid bottom-six center.

Finally, the Flyers selected a smaller player. Still at 5’10”, Max Westergard brings great instincts and a well-balanced game. A decent skater, some offensive chops, and room to continue growing. He managed to break into the SHL with four games late in the season, showing his potential to move into the next level of play. Solid value for the fifth round.

Luke Vlooswyk is another big, hulking defenseman that can bring physicality. He’s a right-handed shot and has good mobility. A typical fifth-round flyer that needs work, but can amount to a bottom-pairing defenseman.

Nathan Quinn possesses good defensive ability and hockey smarts. He can tap into some offensive flashes, especially when space opens up for him. A work-in-progress pick that could amount to a bottom-six center.