The 2026 National Hockey League Draft is one week away. The Flyers have four selections in the 2026 NHL Draft. In addition to their first-round pick at 21st overall, Philly owns one pick apiece in the second (53rd overall), sixth (181st overall), and seventh (213th overall) rounds.
On Tuesday of this week, Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere noted that it's especially important for Philly to choose wisely with their first two picks and develop the prospect properly.
The 2026 Draft, at least by consensus, is a bit defenseman-heavy after the likes of Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg, Caleb Malhotra and Viggo Björck come off the board early in the first round. Flyers Assistant General Manager and Hockey Ops Vice President Brent Flahr said he expects a run of defensemen to be selected after the top forwards are gone. Thereafter, he predicts the third run to shift back toward forwards.
Assuming the Flyers keep the 21st overall pick -- and even if they trade down or up a few spots -- there is a significant chance that at least one highly-regarded defenseman will be at or near the top of Philly's final internal rankings of available players.
It's rather unlikely that any of Chase Reid, Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoef or Alberts Smits will be available to Philadelphia unless they trade up significantly in the first round. Likewise, Daxon Rudolph and Malte Gustafsson have a strong probability of coming off the board in the run of defenseman picks that Flahr anticipates once the most frequently mentioned forwards get picked.
With that in mind, this exercise focuses on defensemen who potentially could be available in the range of the 16th to 21st overall picks assuming Philly stands pat in their current spot.
Ryan Lin (Vancouver Giants, WHL): Smallish to average-size defensemen are currently out-of-vogue near the top of NHL amateur scouting draft consensus buzz. However, Lin (listed at 5-foot-11, 176 pounds) could be one of the exceptions. He's smart, mobile, good with the puck and has the upside to become a good puck-moving defenseman or perhaps even a direct offensive threat (14 goals, 57 points). At age 17, he was named an alternate captain of his team, demonstrating future leadership upside. He's a right-handed shot. Atypically, the current Flyers system is thinner on the left-side defense prospects than the right. However, they have reiterated their best available player mantra regardless of handnesses or ideal position on a line or defense pairing. Lin is headed for the University of Denver starting next season.
Juho Piiparinen (Tappara, Liiga): The captain of Finland's Under-18 World Championship roster and member of the Under-20 World Juniors squad, Piiparinen has the size (6-foot-3, 203 pounds), smarts and two-way upside to have already logged 29 games of professional hockey experience in Finland's top domestic league. A puck-mover first and foremost, he is also a savvy defender who fits the classic NHL top-four blueliner model given his expected developmental path. He's never been a big point producer but does enough things well to project as an all-around contributor as he gains experience. Piiparinen will turn 18 in August.
Tommy Bleyl (Moncton Wildcats, QMJHL): One of the most mobile and creative defensemen with the puck among the members of his Draft class, Bleyl plans to spend one more year in the Q and then head to Michigan State. The American blueliner -- a right-handed shooter -- has strictly average size (generously listed at 6-foot-0, 170 pounds) and will need to get stronger. In terms of pure skill and assertiveness in making plays, he has above-average upside. Consensus rankings have him in the middle to second half of the first round.
Xavier Villeneuve (Blaiville-Boisbriand Armada, QMJHL): Bound next season for Boston University, Villeneuve was a standout for Team Canada at least year's Under-18 Worlds (including four goals in eight games). The left-shot blueliner is another player in the batch of smallish to average-size blueliners (listed at 5-foot-11, 163 pounds) with impressive puck skills in this year's Draft class. Villeneuve carried over last year's impressive U18s performance into a strong campaign in the Q this season. He's the nephew of former NHL player and longtime AHL captain Steve Maltais.
Maksim Sokolovskii (London Knights, OHL): To balance out the list of smaller defensemen potentially up for consideration, let's look at someone at the opposite extreme. Sokolovskii is a somewhat divisive prospect but those who like him as a potential latter first-round candidate are intrigued. He's both huge (6-foot-8, 238 pounds) and naturally athletic. The combination of his size, skating ranginess and physicality are the key to his appeal. Thus far, the Kazakh defenseman has been strictly a defensive defenseman. Some view him as a future true shutdown defenseman in the NHL. Others peg him as a role-player and rank him in the second-round range. The Flyers, especially president of Hockey Operations Keith Jones, have a rock solid relationship with Dale Hunter and the Knights. As such, the Flyers have access to strong intel on London players.
