Only six franchises in the NHL are older than the Philadelphia Flyers, giving them a storied history, to say the least—this applies to the draft, too. They’ve had their lows regarding the draft, but they certainly have had some highs as well.
Which five draft classes are the best in team history? Below are some of the notable picks in each class that make it so special.
1969 NHL Draft
Bobby Clarke, C
Objectively, Bobby Clarke is the best player in the history of the Flyers franchise. He spent all of his 1,144 career games with them, scoring 358 goals and 852 assists for 1,210 points. From his 1972-73 campaign through 1975-76, he won the Hart Trophy three times and the Stanley Cup in both 1974 and 1975 as Philadelphia’s captain.
Clarke has decades of experience with the Flyers in a front-office role, making him one of the most impactful figures in franchise history both on and off the ice. Since he retired, nobody has matched his on-ice success.
Dave Schultz, LW
Even with just 535 games of NHL experience, Dave Schultz has a case for being one of the greatest enforcers in history. For the Broad Street Bullies in the 1970s, he led the league in penalty minutes in three straight campaigns from 1972-1975, setting the record for single-season penalty minutes with 472 in 1974-75. He put fear into his competition and scored 200 points along with it.
Don Saleski, RW
Don Saleski took on a feisty role with the Flyers and put up some points while doing it. He spent almost all of his 543-game career in Philadelphia, scoring 128 goals and 125 assists for 253 points and 629 penalty minutes.
1972 NHL Draft
Bill Barber, LW
Other than Clarke, Bill Barber is the only player to spend his entire career with the Flyers and be in the Hockey Hall of Fame. He was a prominent member of the Flyers’ Stanley Cup championships and scored a franchise-leading 420 goals along with 463 assists for 883 points in 903 contests. He peaked in 1975-76 with 50 goals and 62 assists for 112 points in 80 games.
Tom Bladon, RD
Tom Bladon was another important member of the Flyers when they won back-to-back Stanley Cups. He didn’t have a role comparable to Clarke or Barber, but he had a two-way role on the defense. In his career in which he mostly spent with the Flyers, he had 73 goals and 197 assists for 270 points in 610 games.
Jimmy Watson, LD
Jimmy Watson, arguably the best defenseman the Flyers have ever drafted, didn’t necessarily have the numbers to back up this claim but was valuable for the Flyers’ championships. The talented defender had 38 goals and 148 assists for 186 points in 613 games all with Philadelphia and was a five-time All-Star.
Al MacAdam, RW
While he was a Flyer draft pick, Al MacAdam only played five games with the franchise. However, he did have an impressive career. At his peak, he scored 42 goals and 51 assists for 93 points in 80 games in 1979-80 and won the Bill Masterton Trophy with the Minnesota North Stars that same season. In 864 career games, he had 240 goals and 351 assists for 591 points.
1979 NHL Draft
Brian Propp, LW
Brian Propp was a standout star for the Flyers throughout the 1980s. In his 790-game career with the Orange and Black, he scored 369 goals and 480 assists for 849 points, making him the fourth-highest point-scorer in the history of the franchise. A member of the exclusive 1,000 points club for his career, Propp was a steal even with the 14th overall selection for Philadelphia.
Pelle Lindbergh, G
Even though he was only in the NHL for five seasons, Pelle Lindbergh had a remarkable career. Playing in the league from ages 22 to 26, he had a .887 save percentage (SV%), 3.31 goals-against average, 55.1 goals saved above average (GSAA), and an 87-49-15 record in 157 games.
Related: Pelle Lindbergh Remembered
Goaltending in the 1980s wasn’t something that came easy, but Lindbergh was among the best in the NHL. In 1984-85, he won the Vezina Trophy with a league-leading 40 wins and the 18th-highest GSAA total recorded in history at 47.4. With a .899 SV% and a 3.01 GAA as well, he was on track to becoming one of the great NHL netminders before he passed away in 1985.
1983 NHL Draft
Peter Zezel, C
Peter Zezel started what ended up being a terrific career with the Flyers. Drafted in the second round, he scored 60 points in his age-19 season despite playing just 65 games. That set the tone for the rest of his tenure with the Orange and Black, consistently providing numbers in that range. He only played in Philadelphia for four seasons, but with 219 goals and 388 assists for 607 points in 873 career games, he did quite alright elsewhere.
Derrick Smith, LW
If the Flyers weren’t so talented in the mid-80s, Derrick Smith would probably get a bit more love. He never put up incredible numbers but spent nearly 500 games in Philadelphia and 537 in the NHL in total. He scored 82 goals and 92 assists for 174 points overall, serving as a solid contributor on the 1985 and 1987 Flyers teams that went to the Stanley Cup Final.
Rick Tocchet, RW
During his playing days, Rick Tocchet was one of the best in the business. He played a bit over half of his 1,144 NHL games with the Flyers over two stints, peaking in 1989-90 with 96 points in 75 games and 196 penalty minutes. He won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 and was a four-time All-Star. Overall, he finished with 440 goals and 512 assists for 952 points and 2,970 penalty minutes.
Pelle Eklund, C
Pelle Eklund spent all but five games in a career that spanned 594 contests with the Orange and Black. He was a valuable scorer for them and a talented two-way player, notching 120 goals and 335 assists for 455 points during his time in the NHL. There was never quite a dominant season for him scoring-wise, but he was consistently solid.
2003 NHL Draft
Jeff Carter, C
Jeff Carter was the last player to retire on this list with a 19-year career spanning through 2023-24. He played his best years with the Flyers, peaking with 46 goals and 38 assists for 84 points in 82 games in 2008-09 when scoring wasn’t all that easy to come by. Traded from Philadelphia after his age-26 season, he went on to win two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings and accumulated 442 goals and 409 assists for 851 points in 1,321 games.
Mike Richards, C
Mike Richards was the second first-round pick that the Flyers had in 2003, and he was a great one. He only played in the NHL for 749 games, but his prime was among the best in franchise history. His 2008-09 campaign with the Flyers was his best, scoring 80 points in 78 games and finishing second in Selke Trophy voting. Overall, he scored 181 goals and 306 assists for 487 points in his career.
The Flyers have certainly had other legendary draft picks, but they have rarely put it all together. In these five instances, they did a very good job in that.