When the Philadelphia Flyers emerge as strong contenders years from now, they could boast a lineup that would impress the infamous Broad Street Bullies of the 1970s. Among their NHL draft picks, five out of eight players stand at 6-foot-3 or taller, notably first-round selections Porter Martone and Jack Nesbitt. Opting for size, they chose the towering Martone at No. 6 and traded up for Nesbitt, a 6-5 center with the 12th pick. General manager Daniel Briere highlighted the advantage of having tall players who also bring physicality. The team didn’t specifically plan to draft bigger players but found themselves with a lineup of imposing prospects.
Philadelphia’s second-round picks included the 6-6 defenseman Carter Amico and a group of sizable forwards: Jack Murtagh, Shane Vansaghi, and Matthew Gard. Murtagh describes himself as a hard-working player, while Vansaghi, a teammate of Gard from the Red Deer Rebels, is also noted for his size. Adding bulk to their prospect pool is a strategic move for the Flyers, who have smaller talents like Matvei Michkov and recent acquisition Trevor Zegras.
The draft also featured players with notable family ties, such as William Horcoff, son of former NHL player Shawn Horcoff, picked by Pittsburgh in the first round. Day 2 saw picks like Blake Fiddler, son of Vernon Fiddler, and Eric Nilson, son of Marcus Nilson. Noteworthy selections in later rounds included Artyom Gonchar, nephew of Stanley Cup champion Sergei Gonchar, and Blake Vanek, son of Thomas Vanek.
Furthermore, the draft made history with Simon Wang becoming the highest-ranked China-born NHL pick, chosen by San Jose at No. 33. Matous Jan Kucharcik, a Czech national selected by Buffalo at 103rd, became the fourth player born in Italy to be picked in the draft.
