Flyers Most Frequently Linked To David Jiricek In NHL Mock Drafts

The countdown is on to the 2022 NHL Draft, which will run this Thursday and Friday in Montreal.

The Philadelphia Flyers hold the fifth pick. Let’s take a spin through some of the mock drafts that have been published, to see who the experts think could be chosen.

Craig Button – TSN – David Jiricek (D)

Despite talk of potential volatility at the top of the draft, the Director of Scouting for Canada’s sports network TSN plays it pretty safe in his mock draft. Released on Monday, July 4. Craig Button’s top five picks, in order, are Shane Wright to Montreal, Juraj Slafkovsky to New Jersey, Logan Cooley to Arizona, Simon Nemec to Seattle — and David Jiricek to Philadelphia.

The 6’3″ right-shot defenseman has a tantalizing tool kit and would fill a need for the Flyers, who do not have much organizational depth at that position. Jiricek missed about half of last season after suffering a knee injury at the brief World Junior Championship but recovered in time to play for his native Czechia at the men’s worlds in Finland in May.

Jiricik appears to be the most popular pick for the Flyers among some of the prominent mock drafts that have been published. NHL Draft and prospects analyst Chris Peters of Daily Faceoff also has him going to Philadelphia at No. 5. So do both Mike Morreale and Adam Kimelman of NHL.com.

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Sam Cosentino – Sportsnet – Simon Nemec (D)

Over at Canada’s other sports network, prospect expert, Sam Cosentino of Sportsnet flipped the order of the top defensemen in his mock draft, which was published back on May 10. He pegs Jiricek as going to Seattle at No. 4, with the Flyers then taking Slovak blueliner Simon Nemec with the fifth pick.

Also a righty, Nemec is a little smaller at 6’0″ and 199 pounds. He doesn’t have the same big point shot that you’ll see from Jiricek. But he is regarded as a smart defenseman who’s a strong playmaker.

Prospects analyst Corey Pronman of The Athletic concurs. He has boldly put Slafkovsky at No. 1 and Shane Wright at No. 2. After that, it’s Cooley, then Jiricek going to Seattle at No. 4, and Nemec to the Flyers at five.

Kyle Woodlief – USA Today/Red Line Report – Joakim Kemell (RW)

Broadly speaking, there’s quite a bit of consensus among the top draft experts. It seems quite likely that one of those right-shot defensemen will to land in Philadelphia.

Here’s a dissenter. The publisher and chief scout of independent scouting newsletter Red Line Report, Kyle Woodlief went off the board in the mock draft he prepared for USA Today. Published Tuesday, Woodlief has the Flyers selecting Finnish sniper Joakim Kemell at No. 5.

A shoulder injury derailed Kemell’s season a bit. He still finished with 15 goals and 23 points in 39 games in his first year at the men’s pro-level, playing with JyP in Finland’s Liiga. Kemell’s calling cards are his speed and his scoring ability. At 5’10” and 185 pounds, he is on the small side. But he comes into the draft ranked second among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting, behind only the talented Slafkovsky.

In 2021, the Flyers used their first pick in the draft to select an offensive-minded Finn at No. 46. Samu Tuomaala had a bit of a bumpy draft-plus-one season. starting in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, then eventually returning to his homeland. Every draft is different, of course. And a No. 5 pick is a very different caliber from a mid-second-rounder.

At his media availability last week, Fletcher acknowledged that the Flyers’ organizational needs span all positions. Could Kemell become a star scoring winger in a few years’ time?

Lyle Richardson – Bleacher Report – Matthew Savoie (C)

Here’s another dissenting opinion. Bleacher Report writer Lyle Richardson ranks the top four like many of his colleagues: Wright, Slafkovsky, Cooley, Nemec. But he goes down a different path at No. 5. Richardson sees the Flyers selecting center Matthew Savoie from the Winnipeg Ice of the Western Hockey League.

Richardson believes the Flyers need to address their depth at center. The top three slots are currently occupied by Sean Couturier (28), Kevin Hayes (29) and Scott Laughton (27) — and all three are locked up for at least the next four seasons. Behind them, it’s still unclear whether 2017 first-rounder Morgan Frost, now 23, can carve out a full-time role in the middle.

Savoie sits fourth among North American skaters on the NHL Central Scouting final ranking. He put up an impressive 35 goals and 90 points in 65 games with Winnipeg this year. He’s a strong skater with a high compete level and a terrific nose for the net. But at 5’9″ and 175 pounds, he’s on the small side. That could make it tough for him to carve out a role as a top-line pivot at the NHL level.