1st Round- 8th Overall
C- Sean Couturier-Drummondville, QMJHL
Getting Sean Couturier with the 8th overall pick is a steal. Couturier, who was named the number one draft eligible prospect by International Scouting Services in December, is a player who is often compared to Jordan Staal. While he had the most points per game of any player in this draft, 1.66, he might not be an elite scorer at the NHL level but he will chip in a good amount on the offensive end. He plays both ends of the ice, which is something the Flyers will desperately need in the future the departure of Jeff Carter and Mike Richards, two players who were very good in the defensive zone. Couturier needs to work on his skating and get stronger before making the jump to the NHL. He should be playing in the Q again this year unless he can impress at camp.
3rd Round- 68th Overall
C- Nick Cousins- Sault Ste. Marie, OHL
With the Penguins pick in the third round, acquired when Hamhuis wouldn't sign, the Flyers selected Nick Cousins from the Soo Greyhounds. Cousins scored 29 goals and added 39 assists in 68 games for the Greyhounds. One thing that improved his draft stock was the fact that he can play in multiple roles. He can set up plays and score goals but he also adds some grit to the lineup. Cousins showed a lot of scouts what he can do playing for Canada in the U18 tournament where he scored 8 points in 7 games.
4th Round- 116th Overall
D- Colin Suellentrop-Oshawa Generals, OHL
With the 116th pick the Flyers finally addressed their need of defensive prospects. Suellentop recorded 20 points in two season with the Oshawa Generals and also respresented the United States in the 2010 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. The Florida native is a shut down D-man who will drop the mits for the occasional scrap. The future for Suellentop looks promising as he finished the 2010-2011 season at + 21. He is a hard working d-man who throws the body around, something that the Flyers pipeline lacks right now.
4th Round- 118th OverallLW- Marcel Noebels- Seattle Thunderbirds, WHL
The Flyers selected the German, Marcel Noebels, with the 118th pick. Noebels had 28 goals and 26 assists for a bad Seattle team in the WHL last season. He also played extremely well for Germany in the World Juniors. Playing this well for teams that weren't very good leads a lot of people to believe that the Flyers got a steal in Noebels. Scouts say that he needs to work on his defensive play and his speed.
6th Round - 176th Overall
RW- Petr Placek- Hotchkiss, CTHS
Another pick by the Flyers that some say could end up as a steal, Petr Placek came over from the Czech Republic to play for Hotchkiss, a Prep School in Connecticut. Placek was ranked 54th out of North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting in their midterm rankings. But by the end of the season he dropped out of the rankings all together. This was probably because of injuries and the fact that its hard to evaluate a player playing in high school. Placek scored 8 goals and added 9 assists in 16 games last season for Hotchkiss. He will be attending Harvard in the fall, this will allow the Flyers to hold onto his rights for 4 years and see if develops into an NHLer.
7th Round 206th Overall
RW- Derek Mathers- Peterborough Petes, OHL
With their last pick the draft the Flyers took a fighter in Derek Mathers. Mathers recorded 1 goal and 4 assists in 55 games played for the Petes last season. But the Flyers didn't draft him to score goals. They were probably more concerned with his 171 penalty minutes. At 6 foot 3 and 230 pounds Mathers is an intimidating force out there and the Flyers hope he can be an NHL enforcer one day.
