All of the hype is around the 12th overall pick that the Philadelphia Flyers hold in the 2024 NHL Draft, but it’s time we draw our attention to the latter of their first-round selections. Acquired from the Florida Panthers who are a win away from the Stanley Cup Final, it could be the very last pick in the first round if they go all the way. Regardless, the Flyers should be able to land a solid player.
Who are some potential targets for the Orange and Black at the latter stage of the first round if they choose to keep said selection? Here are five potential options they may explore.
Nikita Artamonov, LW
If the Flyers want to land a potential high-end talent late in the draft, 5-foot-11 forward Nikita Artamonov seems to be a candidate for such. Not only was he one of the best young producers in the Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) in 2023-24, but he actually had one of the best age-18 seasons in the history of the league.
With seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points in 54 games, he holds the sixth-highest point total in KHL history for players his age. With 0.43 points per game (P/G), he had the 10th-best rate ever recorded among age-18 players who had at least 20 games under their belt. Within 0.1 P/G of players like Kirill Kaprizov, Pavel Buchnevich, and Artemi Panarin, Artamonov seems to be a player that is being overlooked just a tad. Scoring at a high rate in a professional league, he could be a draft-day steal.
Artamonov, ranked just 19th among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting, has both talent and the numbers to suggest that he is even better than his ranking. He has a very promising all-around offensive game with a pretty high IQ to go along with it.
Seeing as Artamonov is a left-handed shooter who could potentially be a top-six player in the future, he’s a player that the Flyers might want to add to their prospect core. While they have plenty of right-handed wingers, the depth on the left side isn’t so promising. The youngster could arguably be both the best player available with that late first-round pick and also aid a position of need at the same time.
Terik Parascak, RW
Tarik Parascak lit up the Western Hockey League (WHL) in scoring with 43 goals and 62 assists for 105 points in 68 contests. Ranking second in points among draft-year players in the league and nearly 20 ahead of anyone else in the draft class, the scoring is pretty remarkable here.
Parascak’s offensive upside is definitely there. While he probably benefitted from being on an offensively gifted team with names like Riley Heidt and Zac Funk, Parascak put himself in a situation to succeed.
There is some upside to Parascak’s game. He contributed a lot in a net-front role and on the rush, but he has some translatable skills that make him worthy of a first-round pick. His shot and top-end IQ make up for his rather average talents the rest of the way.
Really, Parascak’s biggest downside is that he’s a right-handed winger, which is something the Flyers already have plenty of. If he can reach his offensive ceiling, however, his position will be irrelevant — the Orange and Black will make it work. Ranked 14th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting but generally seen as a late first-round player, there’s a chance he’s on the board.
Cole Hutson, LHD
5-foot-10, 165-pound defenseman Cole Hutson is in a similar boat as Artamonov and Parascak in that he could slip despite putting up some pretty impressive numbers. Points-wise, he was terrific. Scoring the highest single-season point total in the history of the U.S. National Team Development Program (USNTDP) for a defenseman with 68 in 2022-23, he was one of the best 16-year-old players in the game.
Hutson saw some point reduction in 2023-24 with 51 in 51 contests, but he didn’t lose any of his talent. He is a remarkable skater and possesses a lot of offensive IQ and playmaking skills. These abilities, more than size, are essential to have on a successful NHL team. Once he bulks up a bit and can work to better his two-way play, Hutson might be a fantastic choice with a late first-round pick.
Hutson, ranked 55th among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting, seems like he could fall down the board just like his brother Lane Hutson did back in 2022. The Flyers need all of the talent they can get on their future roster, so adding that to the defense, undersized or not, should be helpful for them. He has a top-four potential.
Linus Eriksson, C
Linus Eriksson, a 6-foot-0 center who mainly played in HockeyAllsvenskan in 2023-24, is yet another high-end producer who might have some teams pass on him despite showing signs of potential. Among age-17 players in what is regarded as Sweden’s second-toughest hockey league, he had the 10th-best historical P/G rate of 0.38.
With three goals and eight assists for 11 points in 29 games, Eriksson was within 0.1 P/G of future NHL stars such as Oliver Ekman-Larsson and Filip Forsberg, while being ahead of Elias Pettersson and Jesper Bratt who have also become stars. For a recent reference, the 10th overall pick from the 2023 NHL Draft, Dalibor Dvorsky, sat right behind Eriksson at 0.37 P/G. While points don’t always tell the full picture, the youngster shouldn’t be overlooked offensively.
NHL Central Scouting has Eriksson ranked 10th among European skaters, but it seems to be a consensus that he will almost surely be available for Philadelphia wherever the Florida pick ends up being. He did some damage at the U18 World Junior Championship, tied for 14th in total points with seven.
Related: 2024 NHL Mock Draft: Horn’s Mock Draft 3.0
Getting into his actual play, Eriksson is intelligent with both defensive upside and offensive skill. He has some things to work on, otherwise he wouldn’t be going in this range, but he projects to be a middle-six player in the NHL with room for more. He could be a high-end third-line centerman for the Orange and Black.
Yegor Surin, C/RW
Yegor Surin, a 17-year-old who is one of the youngest players in the 2024 class, is the third European and second Russian forward on this list. Playing in the Junior Hockey League (MHL), he had 23 goals and 30 assists for 53 points in just 43 contests. Even if he was matching up against other athletes his age, he had the sixth-best historical MHL P/G rate among players with at least 20 games played in their age-17 campaigns.
The Flyers’ very own Matvei Michkov had an out-of-this-universe 1.82 P/G rate at this age, but Surin’s 1.23 finish is within a reasonable range of top-end 2024 prospect Ivan Demidov‘s 1.46 P/G and NHL superstar Nikita Kucherov’s 1.42 P/G. Just like all of the others, the offense here is inspiring.
At 6-foot-1, 192 pounds, Surin is a hard worker at both ends of the ice. His offensive talents and willingness to play in all areas could make him a sneaky good NHLer someday even with being ranked 22nd among European skaters by NHL Central Scouting. Just like Eriksson, he could be a very solid middle-six player when all is said and done with the potential to be better.
The Flyers did well with their post-Michkov picks in the 2023 NHL Draft, so there should be confidence that they can do this again. Beyond just the five listed, there are some good routes for them to take.