Now that the NHL Draft has come and gone, it’s time for a look at the weekend that was for the Flyers:
The Flyers select Cutter Gauthier with the 5th overall pick
With some of the top names already off the board, the Flyers opted for Gauthier with the 5th overall pick. The 18 year-old recorded 65 points in 54 games for the USNTDP in his first full season with the team. He ranked second on the team with 34 goals. Gauthier also helped Team USA to a silver medal at this year’s U-18 World Championships recording nine points in six games.
“His testing was off the charts. On the ice, he is physical. He scores goals. He has good hands. It’s really hard to find a player that can be a potential power forward in the National Hockey League. He has a lot of those attributes. We’ll see how he develops and he’s going to a good program at Boston College. He has lots of energy and certainly lots of juice to him, both on and off the ice.”
Flyers General Manager Chuck Fletcher
The Gauthier pick would begin a trend for Chuck Fletcher and co, as the team looked to clearly prioritize size and skill. Here’s how the rest of the draft shook out for Philadelphia:
Third Round (69th Overall) – Devin Kaplan, U.S. National Team Development Program (NTDP)
Right Wing – 6-3, 191 lbs.
Fifth Round (133rd Overall) – Alex Bump, Omaha Lancer (USHL)
Left Wing – 6-0, 194 lbs.
Sixth Round (165th Overall) – Hunter McDonald, Chicago Steel (USHL)
Defense – 6-3, 207 lbs.
Seventh Round (197th Overall) – Santeri Sulku, Jokerit U20 (U20 SM-Sarja)
Center/Wing – 6-4, 194 lbs.
Seventh Round (220th Overall) – Alexis Gendron, Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
Center/Right Wing – 5-10, 174 lbs.
For more on Gauthier, check out this video.
The Flyers trade three draft picks for the mercurial Tony DeAngelo
In a somewhat surprising move, the Flyers traded for defensemen and Sewell, New Jersey native Tony DeAngelo on day 2 of the draft. DeAngelo has played six seasons in the NHL where he has recorded 34 goals and 123 assists for 157 points in 270 career regular season games with the Arizona Coyotes (2016-17), New York Rangers (2017-20) and Carolina Hurricanes (2021-22). His outstanding offensive zone presence and deft passing skills should be an asset on the powerplay as well. For a team in need of a boost on the man advantage, the club could do worse than DeAngelo.
However, it’s never been a matter of talent for the 26 year-old. DeAngelo’s off-ice issues have been fairly and openly criticized by fans and media alike. He’s been suspended for abuse of officials and violation of bans on racist, homophobic, and sexist language in the Ontario Hockey League in the past. He’s sparred with his New York Ranger teammates during his time there, which ended with an incident with goaltender Alexandar Georgiev. DeAngelo was subsequently assigned to the taxi squad after clearing waivers for his role in the altercation.
DeAngelo was on his best behavior this past season in Carolina. Perhaps he knows that he’s all out of chances. Or, he could have learned from his poor decision making in the past. One thing is for certain, however: there will be no shortage of dialogue regarding this very polarizing player.
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