The 2024 NHL draft is just a few days away, meaning we’ve reached the peak time of year when all the wannabe NHL draft experts, Youtube highlight reel watchers and Corey Pronman plagiarizers come out of the woodwork to give their opinion on who their favorite team should be drafting. Going off of stats and projections is quite boring and very repetitive, so instead of some scientific approach, here is a full seven-round mock draft for the Flyers based solely off how cool players names are!
First round: Pick 12- Carter Yakemchuk
There’s a stunning lack of fun names in the early first round, so we picked the name that’s the most fun to say. The 6’3 Calgary Hitmen standout right-shot defenseman is among the dozen or so grab bag players expected to be taken somewhere between second overall and 15th or so. He’s a tall, physical, offensive-minded defenseman, which would be greatly appreciated by the Flyers’ faithful if he ends up being panning out in Philadelphia.
First round: Pick 32- Dominik Badinka
Badinka is one of those names that without looking the pronunciation up, we’re unsure if it’s Bad-inka or Ba-dinka, but either way it’s fantastic. He’s a right-handed defenseman who has all the makings of a successful modern two-way blue liner with his speed, skating and IQ. Taking two RHD in the first round may be a stretch, but it’s still very much a long-term position of need for the team.
Second Round : Pick 36- Alfons Freij
Another defenseman? Sure, why not. The Swedish lefty is known for his speed and ability to join the offensive rush. And more importantly, his name is Alfons Freij. How can he be anything less than an elite player on the ice with such a top notch name?
Second round: Pick 51- John Mustard
John Mustard is one of the greatest hockey names of all time. period. He’s a forward that’s committed to Providence College and was the USHL’s top scoring rookie last season.
Third round: Pick 77- Kamil Bednarik
The name Bednarik holds some prestige within the city of Philadelphia, as Eagles legend Chuck had a reputation as one of the hardest hitters of all time. The Boston University commit may not quite have the same reputation, but he’s described as a two-way, strong, gritty center that sounds right up the alley of a prototypical Flyers center.
Fifth round: Pick 148- Lauri Sinivuori
Give me a Finnish player whose name rolls off the tongue every day and twice on Sundays. The 6’1, 180lb center seems to be a combination of physical checking ability alongside flashes of playmaking potential. It’s the kind of résumé that could make him a solid middle-six forward in the not-too-distant future.
Fifth round: Pick 150- Kevin He
Kevin He is slated to be the second China-born player to be drafted in the NHL. He is a left winger who had a breakout season with the Niagara Ice Dogs who has developed quite the reputation as a ferocious forechecker, which may be all the Flyers need to know to draft him. The He is Him memes write themselves, and a unit of Brink, He, Mustard, Bonk and Freij is all kinds of perfect.
Sixth round: Pick 173- Ryerson Leenders
The Flyers need a new goaltender in the system and who better than Ryerson Leenders to answer the call? He’s the 10th ranked North American goalie, a slide from the 3rd ranking he held at midterms, but with the way the Flyers organization burns through goalies lately, it may just be a matter of time before he gets his call to the show.
Sixth Round: Pick 177- Miroslav Satan jr
The son of former NHLer Miroslav Satan, Miroslav Satan Jr, is eligible for the 2024 NHL draft. He’s listed at 6’7 and 190lbs, which is the dictionary definition of lanky. He’s been ranked as high as 51 and as low as 229 depending on who ya ask, and it pretty much comes down to who wants to take the risk of the player growing into his body considering he just turned 18 years old. His name may not be pronounced Satan as in Lucifer, but who, at some point over the last decade, hasn’t thought of the Flyers as the devil?
Seventh round: Pick 205- Charlie Major
Charlie Major sounds like someone who should be flying bomber planes for a living, but he could be the next star of the Philadelphia Flyers instead. He posted 70 points in 59 USHL games in 2023-24 and is committed to Cornell University. His 5’10, 175lb frame could be a reason for his low profile in the draft, but with a name like Charlie Major, he can’t possibly be bad.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: nhl.com / nyhockeyjournal.com / chl.ca
brotherlypuck.com 