ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – Sometimes bigger is better.
When Flyers general manager Daniel Briere was asked during a press briefing back on June 17 if he might change his draft strategy and go for more size and strength now with Rick Tocchet taking over as coach, the GM shook his head.
In so many words, he said he was going to have Tocchet simply work with the players drafted, regardless of any particular physical assets.
Well, if the first two rounds of the NHL Draft were any indication of what the Flyers might be looking for in a player profile, a lot of those prospects should bring a smile to Tocchet’s face.
On the second day of the current player selection process, the Flyers used their four second-round picks on some pretty big guys.
After making a trade with Seattle, the Flyers dropped from No. 36 to 38 and took 6-foot-5, 225-pound defenseman Carter Amico. They also acquired the No. 57 pick in that deal
Next, with their own No. 40 pick, they tabbed 6-foot-1, 200-pound left wing Jack Murtagh.
Then came the No. 48 selection and the Flyers continued the trend by taking Shane Vansaghi, a 6-foot-2, 210-pound right wing.
And to complete the quartet, Philadelphia chose 6-foot-4, 193-pound center Matthew Gard with the No. 57 pick they acquired from the Kraken.
Brent Flahr, the Flyers scouting director, said the team didn’t go out of its way to add size and strength to its organizational depth but it seemed to work out that way.
“We were conscious of it (size),” Flahr said after the draft concluded around 4 p.m. Saturday at the Flyers’ headquarters at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
“But those picks, we weren’t just going for size with the players we targeted. That was more coincidence that they all happened to be that size. It (lack of size) is certainly something we’re not against when we’re drafting.”
It’s been said before, but the big Florida team which just won its second Stanley Cup is a model that’s hard to ignore. The Panthers had a lot of players with “high motors” and the size to back that up.
“It’s more of a stylistic thing that they (the Panthers) have done,” Flahr contended. “But I think size has always been a factor. The way they (the Panthers) have played, they’ve kind of perfected it. The playoffs are a grind and size certainly helps.”
No doubt these fit into the new coach’s plan to play his physical style.
“You watch the playoffs (as mentioned), it is a grind,” Flahr said. “To be able to get to the NHL, you have to have a tremendous work ethic. To have success, you have to have that side of it.
“The guys we drafted, it’s part of what ‘Toc’ (Tocchet) wants. Part of what (GM) Danny (Briere) and (president Keith) Jones want. We want competitive people and I think we did a pretty good of that today.”
Murtagh is one of the prospects who said he was looking forward to playing for Tocchet, who accumulated nearly 3,000 penalty minutes during his NHL career. In other words, this version of the Flyers might be starting to look a bit like the Broad Street Bullies of the 1970s.
In fact, one of Murtagh’s favorite players is power winger Owen Tippett, who checks in at about 6-foot-1, 210 pounds.
“I’m grateful to be drafted by them today,” Murtagh said in a Zoom call from Los Angeles. “I like Tippett a lot, I like his game. I’m super excited.”
Bold as it sounded, Murtagh compared his game to that of Florida’s Matthew Tkachuk, who just helped the Panthers win their second consecutive Stanley Cup.
Vansaghi wants to improve his game as quickly as possible. Ranked No. 30 by The Hockey News and 33rd by Central Scouting, he could be a bit of a dark horse coming out of Michigan State.
“I think my biggest strength is my ability to use my body, my size and strength, the St. Louis native said. “My biggest area that has to improve is my skating. My first three steps have to get a little bit quicker.”
Down the road, Amico might be just what the Flyers need on a slightly undersized defense (Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Emil Andrae).
Toughness might be Amico’s greatest attribute.
“Definitely my physicality,” said Amico. “I’m 6-5, so I try to use that to my advantage.”
Amico was limited to just 13 games last season due to injury with the U.S. NTDP team. He hopes to get back on track this year.
“Yeah, it was a super frustrating year,” he said. “But I can only control what I can control. But I’ve been doing PT (physical therapy) four days a week and I get back on the ice next week.”
The Flyers ended up with no picks in the third or fourth rounds. They wnt after Max Westergard, a left wing with the first of two fifth-round picks and defenseman Luke Vlooswyk with the other. With their final pick in the sixth round, they chose center Nathan Quinn.
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