NHL Draft 2023 Flyers Picks at #135 / #172 / and #199

[pilldoc]

No. 135: Carter Sotheran (RHD)
The Flyers weren’t done taking RHD prospects after all, nabbing Sotheran out of Portland of the WHL.

Sotheran definitely has his believers. In fact, EliteProspects ranked him 55th in the draft — one spot ahead of Bonk. But he’s significantly more raw than Bonk, and has a much longer runway in terms of development; that’s why he was still available in Round 5.

 

“He’s a big body, and another guy that got better and better (as the season progressed),” Flahr said. “He’s big and long and rangy and can defend. He started to add some (other) dimensions to his game in the second half.”

 

Sotheran certainly does bring size to the table — he’s a strong 6-foot-3 and 203 pounds. EP also was very complimentary of his passing ability, viewing him as a modern-day shutdown defenseman who isn’t necessarily going to put up points but is still adept at engineering a breakout. There’s the potential here for him to ultimately develop into a strong stylistic complement for LHDs like York or Emil Andrae, and another good value pick.

 

No. 172: Ryan MacPherson (C)

There’s very little in the public sphere about MacPherson, who spent the entirety of his 2022-23 playing in the lower tier GOJHL (Greater Ontario Junior Hockey League). In other words, he’s the classic late-round pick where one guy banged the table for him. In this case, it was scout Rick Pracey.

 

“Rick Pracey lives right there. Dennis Patterson spent time,” Flahr said. “He’s obviously got a little bit longer path going to Penticton next year and then to college. Real good motor — Pracey compares him a little bit to Noah Cates as far as the compete, and the way he plays, a two-way game.”

 

MacPherson isn’t going to be looking to turn pro anytime soon — he’ll head to the BCHL for 2023-24, and then the University of New Hampshire in 2024-25. The Flyers will be holding his rights for quite a while. Think of him as a long-term project pick who they can stash and hope he develops into something special. Another Noah Cates certainly would be welcome on any NHL team.

 

No. 199: Matteo Mann (RHD)
Guess what! It’s another right-handed defenseman. Late-round picks from one of the three main Canadian junior leagues usually don’t work out, simply because NHL scouts have seen so much of them and still let them slip to the end of the draft. But sometimes, a team unearths a quality prospect anyway, like the Flyers did with Elliot Desnoyers in the fifth round in 2020 out of the QMJHL.

 

Mann is another QMJHL product, a big, physical RHD (6-foot-5, 230 pounds). The problem? He barely scored at all for Chicoutimi, putting up just five points in 45 games.

 

The physical tools are intriguing, particularly his size and nastiness. In addition, he played far down the lineup for his club, and perhaps he’ll take a big step forward in a larger role. Mann contended after the draft that while his scoring wasn’t there in his draft year, he believes it’ll come around given increased on-ice confidence. If he’s right, maybe the Flyers dug up another quality late-round defenseman project like Philippe Myers and Egor Zamula.

 

From the Athletic

[jammer2]

Ryan (and his twin brother, who also got invited to Development Camp as an invitee) are both from Windsor! Live about 10 minutes from me. Rick Pracey (Flyers Scout) must also be a Windsor native?

[BobbyClarkeFan16]

If given the time and proper development, Carter Sotheran could be a real good one, a steal. Watching some of the video of him, he can really move. And he's another guy who is never in a bad defensive position. He also makes the right play every time. Yeah, he's probably going to take around 4 years to make it to the show, but if Portland and Lehigh Valley ever decide that it's worth developing his offensive game, he could really be something special. These are the picks that I love - guys with intangibles and areas that haven't been developed. At the very least, it would be awesome if he became a Brett Pesce type of defenseman.