The 2025 NHL Draft Combine has come and gone. Over the last several days, representatives of all 32 NHL teams flew into Buffalo to watch 90 or so eligible players for the upcoming 2025 NHL Entry Draft, exhaust themselves on stationary bikes, jump long distances, and lift some weights. But not only did they get a sense of the strength and physical fitness of these potential selections, but teams also got to interview the players.
With seven draft picks in the first 48 selections and 11 draft picks in total later this month, the Philadelphia Flyers were one of the most active teams at this event.
Trying to get a real sense of the player off the ice is arguably more valuable than how far they can jump, especially considering that two of the Flyers’ highest and most significant selections had the interview eventually affect the outcome. Cutter Gauthier, infamously, was the Flyers’ fifth-overall selection in 2022 and then he changed his mind about playing in Philadelphia; hopefully something the Flyers try to scope out this time around. And star youngster Matvei Michkov might not have been available for them at seventh overall in 2023, if he didn’t reportedly tell off some teams in the interview process, with his heart set on being a Flyer.
With all of this in mind, of course the Flyers were active this past week. But, which specific prospects did they talk to?
According to Russ Cohen at sportology.com and the Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel, we have a possibly full list of what specific players the Flyers interviewed at the combine.
First, let’s go over the forwards.
Forwards: Michael Misa, James Hagens, Caleb Desnoyers, Anton Frondell, Porter Martone, Victor Eklund, Jake O’Brien, Brady Martin, Roger McQueen, Carter Bear, Justin Carbonneau, Cole Reschny, Cullen Potter, Vaclav Nestrasil, Will Horcoff, Matthew Gard, Ryker Lee, Cole McKinney, Ben Kindel, Shane Vansaghi, Will Moore, Jack Murtagh, and possibly Malcolm Spence
This is a very forward-heavy draft class at the top, so of course the Flyers interviewed a heck of a lot of players. It is expected to speak with all the top guys, so that is no surprise that Misa had a conversation with the Flyers despite the likelihood of him ending up in Philadelphia being extremely low.
And while you can’t tell a whole lot about interest and possibility of being drafted by the Flyers with this list — after all, the Flyers didn’t even interview Jett Luchanko last year — there are a couple of interesting players they spoke with. Cole Reschny, Cullen Potter, Ryker Lee, and Ben Kindel are all smaller forwards who project to either be true top-six scorers in the NHL, but won’t have their game necessarily translate to more of a depth role. Those are the swings that general manager Danny Briere might be talking about.
Shane Vansaghi, Malcolm Spence, Jack Murtagh, Carter Bear, and Brady Martin would be very Flyers-esque selections with strong work ethic and a little bit of a physical edge to their game; so those would also not be surprises no matter where the Flyers potentially pick.
But, what about some blueliners?
Defensemen: Jackson Smith, Carter Amico, Blake Fiddler, Cameron Reid, Radim Mrtka, Kashawn Aitcheson, Sascha Boumedienne, Hunter Brzustewicz, Haoxi (Simon) Wang, and Elijah Neuenschwander
That kind of rounds out all top defensemen available except the projected first-overall selection Matthew Schaefer. Smith, Fiddler, Reid, Mrtka, and Aitcheson are most likely going to be taken in the first round; while Boumedienne, Wang, and Brzustewicz are most likely gone by the third round. It would not surprise us at all if one or two of these players are taken by the Flyers, if they keep all seven picks in that top two rounds of the draft.
Now, moving on to the netminders.
Goaltenders: Joshua Ravensbergen, Elijah Neuenschwander, and possibly others
Ravensbergen is the only goaltender in the entire draft class that has the potential to be a first-round selection. And of course, knowing that the Flyers could have that 31st or 32nd overall pick as their third of that round, throwing it at a 6-foot-4 goaltender wouldn’t be the worst possibility.
More interesting though, the Flyers spoke with Swiss netminder Elijah Neuenschwander, who is also 6-foot-4. Instead of having just above-average statistics in the WHL like Ravensbergen, Neuenschwander played 15 games representing Switzerland at the Under-19 and Under-20 levels this season, backstopped for 17 games for HC Fribourg Gotteron in the Swiss junior league, but also managed to be loaned up to EHC Chur of the top division in Switzerland for nine games. In those nine appearances facing grown men shooting at him, Neuenschwander earned a .909 save percentage and 2.67 goals against average, with a 6-2-1 record. Not bad at all.
But the Flyers didn’t just have the 20-minute interviews with a bunch of players. No, Danny Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones brought out some of the big guns and took a few prospects out to dinner during the week in Buffalo.
Who the Flyers took out to dinner
According to multiple reports, we know that the Flyers went out of their way to go out to dinner and host a few of the top prospects that could be selected with their sixth-overall pick.
The players that the Flyers reportedly took out to dinner are Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds center Brady Martin, Brantford Bulldogs center Jake O’Brien, and Brampton Steelheads winger Porter Martone.
The reasons why the Flyers would want more than just a 20-minute conversation with these players is somewhat obvious. For Martin and O’Brien, these are two centers who are most likely going to be available to them at sixth overall — unless some reports of the Utah Mammoths really liking Martin are reflected in their draft decisions — and the Flyers need to know if they should reach for a center if the picks go a certain way.
And even when it comes to Martone, knowing more about the player off the ice could make them comfortable not dealing with their desperate desire to address the center position with this top pick.
It is a real and true possibility that the Flyers need to pick between these three players. Taking into consideration all projections, mock drafts, and rankings, the first five picks can be Schaefer, Misa, Frondell, Desnoyers, and Hagens; and then suddenly it’s these three players that could be available and the likely options.
Could the Flyers just be getting as much possible intel they can in case this situation plays out? Because, if we want to read more of the tea leaves, if one of those centers (Misa, Hagens, Frondell, and Desnoyers) was available to them at sixth, Philadelphia would select them over one of Martone, O’Brien, and Martin.
Or, the Flyers could just be trying to throw smokescreens and fool the general managers and scouts of other teams. Anything is possible.
It’s silly season.