Grading the Flyers Day 2 of the NHL Draft

The 2025 NHL Draft has come to a close, and the Philadelphia Flyers have ended with a haul of nine players. Seven of those selections were made on Saturday’s Day 2 of the draft.

It was a day that started very early with a long pause in between, but the Flyers ended the day with a plethora of promising prospects.

Day 1 was an exciting and impressive day for the Flyers, so let’s see how the second day stacked up.

Grading the Flyers Day 2 of the NHL Draft

Trade: PHI Traded Picks No. 36 (R2) & 68 (R3) for Picks No. 38 (R2) & 57 (R2) – A+

The Flyers essentially traded back two spots in round two of Saturday’s second round of the NHL Draft to move up 11 spots, jumping back into the second round from their third-round pick.

Briere was able to get the better value from his first-round draft-night trade, and he did the same in round two. I would not say the Flyers fleeced Pittsburgh, but it was a damn near fleece of Seattle.

Briere was able to sneak back into the second round to get yet another guy in Matthew Gard, who the team was very high on.

Another excellent move for the Flyers.

Pick No. 38: Carter Amico – B+

Like the Flyers organization, I was very high on Carter Amico coming into the draft. Brent Flahr said it himself; he was pretty sure that Amico would have been a first-rounder if it weren’t for the injury.

I love the pick, I love the player, and I genuinely believe that Amico can develop into an absolute monster. That said, I believe they could have landed him later in the round and used this pick on a higher-value player.

However, the team was clearly very high on him. They traded out of the Blake Fiddler pick, likely because Amico was their guy.

The only reason Amico is a B+ is that I think they could have landed him at one of the other seconds. Aside from that, I love the player.

Pick No. 40: Jack Murtagh – A+

Jack Murtagh is another guy I have been very high on, including at pick No. 31 (when the Flyers owned it). There were a handful of names I would have been thrilled about, but Murtagh was the best option, to me.

There is something about those versatile forwards with a high motor, great hockey sense, and a willingness to shoot the puck. I am convinced Murtagh has middle-six C potential in the NHL, with possible second-line upside.

Another pick that I absolutely love. To me, it was the right spot for the right player. The Flyers absolutely nailed this one.

Pick No. 48: Shane Vansaghi – A+

Another A+ for the Flyers. How Vansaghi fell to 48 is beyond me. He is such a physical beast with high offensive potential; he’s really hard not to like. I personally had him as a first-round player, and I know I was not the only one.

While I do think there were definitely more skilled players picked before and after him, his frame and physicality will almost guarantee him an NHL role at some point. Developing at Michigan State under Adam Nightengale is certainly a plus as well.

The fact that the Flyers did not even have to move up for the guy was shocking to me. It was a fantastic pick.

Pick No. 57: Matthew Gard – C

Trading back into the second round was an excellent move by the Flyers; I am not so sure about the execution of the pick.

Look, I am not against the player. I am sure he brings much more to the table in the eyes of the organization than in my eyes. To me, it looked like the Flyers were reaching based on his height, which seemed unnecessary with the Nesbitt selection.

Gard seems like he has plenty of potential, but the players on the board at that time, Ivankovic and Ryabkin specifically, make me wonder if it was the right selection.

Pick No. 132: Max Westgard – A

Any time you can get a point-per-game-plus player from the J20 in the fifth round, you’ve got an absolute steal.

At the moment, I wrote that I was trying to figure out what was wrong with him, as he was still available in round five. In fact, I am still looking for that reason.

He is not super small, he can clearly produce, he is super young, and looks to have an extremely high hockey IQ. I still can’t find the flaw that dropped him. For right now, the pick gets an A.

Pick No. 157: Luke Vlooswyk – B

The Flyers selected Luke Vlooswyk pretty much at his value in the draft. I won’t lie, he seems like a pretty solid pick. He projects as a shutdown defender; he is big in stature and uses his size to push opponents toward the wall, creating turnovers.

Would I have preferred a goalie, especially given this was about the last spot a worthwhile netminder would have been available? Absolutely. However, I cannot be mad about a 6’4″ shutdown defenseman.

Don’t exactly know the next step in his development, but I’d have to assume it is to remain in the WHL with Red Deer. It was a swing, but again, that’s what late-round picks are for.

Pick No. 164: Nathan Quinn – N/A

I am going to remain neutral on this one and not grade the pick. I still don’t know too much about Nathatn Quinn, but I will sooner or later.

What I can say, Nathan’s from the QJMHL turn out pretty ok.

As I mentioned after the pick, my very brief research led me to read that Quinn does the little things right, which is something coaches love. For a late-round pick in the NHL Draft, it is the perfect time to get a high-upside guy.

Overall Flyers NHL Draft Grade: A+

The 2025 NHL Draft was a job well done by the Philadelphia Flyers front office.

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Grading the Flyers Day 2 of the NHL Draft

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