It takes at least five years to get a full picture on how a team's crop of picks from a given NHL Draft class will fare. However, it is fair and accurate to say that the Flyers selections from the 2023 NHL Entry Draft have collectively shown encouraging levels of progress in their Draft-plus-one season in 2023-24.
Pick by pick, here are thumbnail updates on how the Flyers' Class of 2023 has fared this season. Keep in that the real test is still a few years away in most cases, as players attempt to find their footing in the North American professional ranks.
Matvei Michkov -- RW, HC Sochi (KHL)
Off the ice, the seventh overall selection of the 2023-24 had a roller coaster year. Unable to get ice time for his parent club, SKA St. Petersburg, Michkov only dressed in one early regular season game for SKA, seeing minimal ice time. He was subsequently loaned to HC Sochi, one of the league's weaker teams, for the duration of the season.
Additionally, Michkov's 2023-24 season was interrupted -- and affected for a while even after his return -- by a bout with pneumonia. It was not until the latter part of the campaign that he regained something close to his normal energy level.
Despite all of this, Michkov fell just one point short of tying the record for points by a teenage player in a KHL season. Over the course of his loan to Sochi, Michkov produced 41 points (19g, 22a) in 47 games played.
Michkov's assist totals likely would have been even higher with more talent around him. Sochi finished in the lower half of the league offensively and at the very bottom in terms of keeping the puck out of their own net.
When Michkov eventually comes over to North America -- his KHL contract runs through the 205-26 season -- he will face some adjustments, primarily in terms of his off-puck play. He will also work during offseasons in adding weight and explosiveness. He's already deceptively strong and difficult to take off the puck between his low center of gravity and shiftiness. He's a fairly average skater on the straight line but, on his edges, Michkov has few peers.
As far as ice vision, finishing touch from varying angles, passing ability, creativity and aforementioned displays of edgework on his skates, Michkov is already a prodigy. At age 19, he's just scratching the surface of his offensive upside.
Mickhov already scores a lot of "NHL style" goals and is not afraid to initiate or take contact. Considering his lack of hesitancy to take risks through the neutral zone or high the attack zone, he does not turn over nearly as many pucks as one might think a young player who plays in Michkov's style might. That doesn't mean there won't be some adjustments at the NHL pace against NHL checking, but the sky's the limit in terms of his potential to produce at any level of the sport.
Oliver Bonk -- D (London Knights, OHL)
We discussed Bonk's development in depth in the February 1 edition of the Farm Report.
Bonk was not drafted by the Flyers with the 22nd overall pick of the 2023 with the thought that he'd be an offensive defenseman employed as a bumper forward on power plays. He was chosen for his potential to be a solid all-around defenseman, and that is still the long-term prognosis for the now 19-year-old blueliner.
That said, Bonk's emergence this season as both a power play scoring threat and a greatly improved puck mover as a draft-plus-one defenseman in the Ontario Hockey League (24g, 40a, 64 points, plus-26 in 55 games played) has been a very pleasant surprise. He played for Team Canada at the 2023-24 World Junior championships and is a lock to do so again next season barring injuries.
On August 21, 2023, Bonk signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers. The contract slid to the OHL for the 2023-24 season and is slide eligible again in 2024-25. Under the CHL-AHL age rule, Bonk is not eligible to play in the American Hockey League until 2025-26.
Carson Bjarnason -- G (Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)
The Flyers traded up in the 2023 Draft to obtain a second-round pick (51st overall). Philly used the pick to select the Brandon Wheat Kings goaltender, who was widely regarded as one of the top two or three netminding prospects available in the 2023 NHL Draft.
A traditional powerhouse club in the Western Hockey League, the Wheaties have dropped a few notches over the last five years. The team missed the playoffs last year and is slightly above "hockey .500" this year at 30-27-7 through 64 games.
Make no mistake: goalie stats are inevitably affected by the caliber of the team around him. Bjarnason's draft-plus-one stats (22-16-5, 3.01 GAA, .908 save percentage, two shutouts) may not leap off the page, but the tall and athletic (6-foot-3, 202 pounds) goalie has progressed at a solid rate despite having a strictly average club in front of him.
On Sept. 26, 2023, the Flyers signed Bjarnson to an entry-level contract. The contract slid to the Western Hockey League for the 2023-24 season and will slide again in 2024-25. A realistic goal for next season is for Bjarnason to continue refining various aspects of his game, including rebound control, to AHL-ready level for 2025-26. Hopefully, the Manitoba native will represent Canada at next year's WJC. Bjarnason will turn 19 on June 30, 2024.
Yegor Zavragin -- G, Mamonty Yugra (MHL) and Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk (VHL)
After selecting Bjarnason in the second round of the 2023, the Flyers did not set out to take another goalie with their very next selection. However, Russian goaltender Zavragin was very highly regarded by Flyers Russian based scout Ken Hoodikoff and their goalie scouts who had watched video of Zavragin. Considering the goalie to be a high-level prospect in his own right, Philly pounced when Zavragin was still on the board at the 87th overall pick.
This season, Zavragin has shown why the organization was willing to select another goalie right after picking Bjarnason. He started the season at the MHL (Russian junior league) level but performed so dominantly that he earned a promotion to Yugra's parent club at the VHL (Russia's top professional minor league, one step down from the KHL).
Almost shockingly, Zavragin showed no dropoff whatsoever in his performance against adult pros in the VHL compared to fellow teenagers in the MHL. In nine MHL games, Zavragin posted a 6-1-2 record, 1.63 GAA, .945 save percentage and two shutouts. In the VHL, he went 13-1-0 in 14 starts with a 1.60 goals against average, .943 save percentage and three shutouts.
In the first round of the VHL playoffs, Yugra tabbed 34-year-old veteran Vladimir Sokhatsky to be the starting goalie in the first two games against Tambov. Down two games to zero, the club turned to Zavragin. The teenager delivered back-to-back wins before sustaining a 3-1 loss. Zabragon posted a 2-1 record, 1.67 GAA, and .938 save percentage. Yugra came back to win the series in seven games.
Zavragin has also played one game in the MHL playoffs. In his first outing, he delivered a shutout victory.
Zavragin was one one the younger players in the 2023 Draft crop, born on Aug. 23, 2005. He will turn 19 late this summer. Russia is banned from IIHF international competitions, so Zavragin will likely not have the opportunity to play in the 2024-25 World Junior Championships.
This summer, it is likely that a KHL team will obtain Zavragin's rights and sign him to a contract in Russia's top league. It could be several years until Zavragin is able to come to North America. However, given the typically protracted nature of goalie development, this could ultimately work to the Flyers' benefit.
In the meantime, the Flyers organization is expecting the arrival of 22-year-old Belarusian goalie Alexei Kolosov (selected in the third round, 78th overall, in the 2021 Entry Draft) by next season. Kolosov is under entry-level contract to the Flyers and, by mutual agreement with KHL club Dinamo Minsk, was loaned back to his KHL team for the 2023-24 season. This season, Kolosov beat out former NHL goaltender Dylan Ferguson for Dinamo's starting job. Dinamo is currently in the KHL playoffs.
Denver Barkey -- RW, London Knights, OHL
A high-energy forward who took a big jump in the second half of last season and during the 2023 Ontario Hockey League playoffs, Barkey's stock has continued to rise sharply ever since the Flyers selected him with the 95th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft.
Barkey, originally a center/winger, has almost exclusively played wing this season. He's emerged as an all-situations threat for Dale Hunter's team, especially as one of the most dangerous shorthanded scoring threats across the entire Canadian Junior League (OHL, WHL, QMJHL) spectrum.
Through 59 games, Barkey has produced 93 points (32 goals, 61 assists, plus-40) and formed a deadly duo with Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan (88 points in 50 games played). Barkey, who will turn 19 on April 27, made a strong showing at Hockey Canada's selection camp in December for the 2023-24 World Junior Championships but was one of the final cuts. He's an odds-on favorite for a WJC spot in 2024-25.
At 5-foot-9 and just 154 pounds at the start of last season, adding muscular weight is one of Barkey's main long-term goals. He's something of a gym rat, anyway, and is the right path in terms of his devotion to physical development.
On the ice, Barkey is already an above-average skater in terms of natural quickness but will need more explosiveness and power in his first stride as he matures physically. He'll never become a power forward, but does not need to. Additionally, there is no rush. Barkey will fill out over several off-seasons and has already added to his listed weight. From a comparative physical development perspective, longtime Flyers captain Claude Giroux carried a mere 150 pounds on his frame at the start of the 2005-06 season. He plays at roughly 185 to 188 pounds in the NHL.
Barkey signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers last week. He is likely to become a pro in 2025-26, perhaps with a few AHL games late next season.
Cole Knuble -- C, University of Notre Dame, NCAA
We focused in-depth on Knuble in our Farm Report of Feb. 20, 2024. Starting out the season on the Fighting Irish's fourth line, Knuble methodically worked his way up to the top of the lineup. Moving forward, continued work on his skating is a top priority for the 19-year-old son of two-stint Flyers alum Mike Knuble. The Flyers selected the younger Knuble with the 103rd overall pick of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. He will turn 20 on July 1, 2024.
Alex Ciernik -- LW, Västerviks IK, Allsvenskan
Selected by the Flyers with the 120th overall pick of the 2023 NHL Draft, Ciernik is the son of former NHL forward Ivan Ciernik. Born in Slovakia and primarily raised in Germany and Sweden, Ciernik speaks four languages (including English) fluently.
On the ice, Ciernik (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) is a dynamic puckhandler. He has played most of the last two seasons at the minor league (Allsvenskan) level in Sweden. During the Flyers' Rookie Camp this past September, parent team Västervik granted Ciernik permission to attend Philly's camp and participate in the two-game Rookie Series against the New York Rangers prospects at the PPL Center in Allentown. Ciernik scored a goal in the first game.
Ciernik missed a significant chunk of the 2023-24 Allsvenskan season with a concussion, which unfortunately recurred during the World Junior Championships while he was playing for Team Slovakia. After finally getting healthy, Ciernik eventually regained his form. Overall, he posted 14 points (4g, 10a) in 26 games this season, still an encouraging total for a skilled teenager in Sweden's second-highest pro league.
Ciernik will turn 20 on October 8, 2024.
Carter Sotheran -- D, Portland WInterhawks (WHL)
Sotheran has largely flown below the public radar screen in his draft-plus-one season in the Western Hockey League. However, the Flyers organization is very happy with the rate of progress the 135th overall pick of the 2023 Draft has shown this year.
A season ago, the Manitoba native was essentially a bundle of intriguing raw materials: size (6-foot-4, 199 pounds), nascent puck skills, and upside to be a mobile blueliner who is always willing to engage physically.
It's still a work in progress, but Sotheran has taken major steps forward in his development over the past season. From a statistical standpoint, he's improved to 33 points (9g, 24a, a plus-40 rating and 68 penalty minutes in 59 games played). More importantly, he's shown across-the-board improvement in his all-around game.
Sotheran, a right-handed shooter, will turn 19 on June 26, 2024. There is no rush in his development path, but the expectation is that he can take a similar jump in draft-plus-two year if he stays healthy.
Ryan MacPherson -- C, Penticton Vees, BCHL
Unranked by mainstream scouting sources such as NHL Central Scouting, the Flyers selected the center from the Leamington Flyers (GOJHL) with the 172nd pick of the 2023 Draft. Along with his twin brother Connor, Ryan played Canadian Junior A hockey season in the BCHL for the Penticton Vees (16g, 22a, 38 points in 48 games).
Next season, Ryan will play NCAA Division 1 hockey for the University of New Hampshire. He is considered to have above-average two-way instincts and checking ability for a teenaged player. The MacPherson twins celebrated their 19th birthdays on March 2 of this year. Ryan stands 6-foot-1 and weighs approximately 180 pounds.
Matteo Mann -- D, Saint John Sea Dogs, QMJHL
A huge-framed (6-foot-6, 230 pounds) defensive defenseman with an aggressive physical style and willingness to block shots, Mann is the son of former Ottawa Senators assistant general manager Trent Mann. The Flyers selected the younger Mann with the 199th overall pick of the 2023 Draft.
Transferring this season from Chicoutimi to Saint John, Mann posted 11 points (5g, 6a) and 60 penalty minutes in 36 games while dealing with injury issues. He has work to do both with his skating and puck management. There is no question about his willingness to use his size and compete.
