Flyers made their picks — Matvei Michkov, Oliver Bonk selected in first round

Wednesday night was the first round of the 2023 NHL Draft. The Flyers had two picks and made good use of them.

Here is a recap of the sections:

Matvei Michkov: a potential superstar

The 18 years old from SKA St. Petersburg in the KHL is coming to Philadelphia by getting drafted at 7. This is a bit surprising but very exciting news for the Flyers fans. The fact that other teams didn’t take the risk by taking Michkov is a perfect scenario for the Flyers that may have found a potential superstar for the future. The fact that Michkov still has a contract until 2026 isn’t a problem for the Flyers organization because they aren’t planning to be competitive in the next 2 years at least.

Philly, we got a game-breaker. #NHLDraft pic.twitter.com/rNK0vGBYEV
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 29, 2023

Michkov is an 18-year-old prospect that already plays with big guys in the KHL. Playing in the second-best league in the world will help him improve but also be ready for the NHL when he comes. He made 109 points, 70 goals in 26 games with the Lokomotiv-2004 Yaroslavl U16 in 2019-2020. Also, he is actually 0.67 points per game in 30 games in the KHL.

Measure of how good @NHLFlyers Michkov has been?

Best ALL-TIME ('92 onwards) P/GP for draft eligible player in @khl /RSL:

1. Michkov (22-23): 0.67
2. Cherepanov (06-07): 0.63
3. Tarasenko (09-10): 0.57
4. Batsayev (96-97): 0.57
5. Morozov (94-95): 0.56 #KHL #NHL #Flyers
— Alexander Appleyard (@avappleyard) June 29, 2023

There is a lot to be happy about as an organization and a fan base especially since he seems happy to be a Flyer.

Matvei Michkov via translator and Flyers scout Ken Hoodikoff: "He's extremely excited and extremely happy to be with the Philadelphia Flyers. It was his dream. This was the team he wanted to be drafted by."
— Olivia Reiner (@ReinerOlivia) June 29, 2023

Oliver Bonk: a surprising pick

The Flyers took, with a bit of surprise considering the players that could have been drafted, Oliver Book as the 22nd overall selection.

Oliver Bonk is a Canadian from Ottawa that is 18 years old that played for the London Knight for the past season. He scored 10 goals and made 40 points in 67 games in the 2022-2023 season in the OHL.

The 411 on Oliver Bonk:

He plays a physical game, as he shuts down his opponents by taking the body, and board battling.

Bonk is an "Ok" skater, and like most prospects he can improve in this area, but he does has top 4 pairing upside.

He could crack the NHL in a few years
— Jamey Baskow (@JameyBaskow) June 29, 2023

He is a right-handed defenseman, 6’2″ and 176 lbs that could have an impact on the Flyers in the future. Only time will tell but the organization should be confident with the success that head coach Joh Torterella can have with young players like we saw last season.

The rebuild is starting

With the rebuild starting for the Flyers, it’s encouraging to see that the Flyers organization is taking the right step with a new front office that brings confidence. It may be difficult in the next few seasons to see this team barely be competitive but as president of hockey operations Keith Jones said, “It won’t take as much time as everyone can think.”

Here is the full 2023 Flyers draft class: