Flyers Draft Max Westergard with the 132nd Pick and Luke Vlooswyk with the 157th Pick
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
During the fifth round of the NHL draft, the Flyers had two picks to spend, and made two solid choices to strengthen their young cores..
They selected a left wing in Max Westergard and a defenseman in Luke Vlooswyk.
Flyers Select LW Max Westergard
To start the fifth round for the Flyers, Daniel Briere and the front office selected forward Westergrad out of Sweden. The 17-year-old played two seasons of high-level hockey in the Swedish Junior association as well as four games in the Swedish Hockey League.
Westergard started his career in the 2023-2024 season with Vastra Frolunda Jr. Hockey Club for six games that season, recording a goal and three assists for four points. He would stay with the club for 41 games next season.
During that time, Westergard scored 19 goals, 31 assists, and 87 penalty minutes for 50 points. He also recorded a rating of +28 that season. While 19 goals may not be superstar talent, 31 assists in 41 games is a very good stat line to have in the juniors.
With the Flyers looking to return to their “Broad Street Bully” style of hockey, 87 penalty minutes is exactly the statistic the Flyers would look for. Though Westergard only weighs in at 158 pounds, the Flyers and their affiliates can easily put the young kid to work this offseason.
It was only a matter of time before Westergard would be brought up to the Swedish Hockey League for Frolunda Hockey Club, where he would finish their season going into the postseason. In 11 playoff games, Westergard had a goal and two assists for three points.
The left wing is a needy position in the Flyers organization, which is what they are trying to fill with this pick in Max Westergard. No matter what level he starts at, or how often he plays, the Flyers see a young winger they feel they can develop.
Flyers Select Defenseman Luke Vlooswyk
The Flyers use their last pick of the fifth round to support their defensive core by selecting Vlooswyk from the WHL. Vlooswyk spent all three years in the WHL with the Red Deer Rebels from Alberta, Canada.
In his first two years in the program, Vlooswyk played only eight games, recording a goal and an assist each. It wouldn’t be until this past year that he would see 68 games with Red Deer. In that time, Vlooswyk scored three goals and 14 assists for 17 points. Vlooswyk had 45 penalty minutes with a rating of +8.
On a less skilled hockey club, Vlooswyk scored to the best he could, it seems, as he was third on Red Deer for points regarding defense, showing that he has the talent to compete.
It is possible that Vlooswyk does not see the Flyers roster for a while, but he may get his start with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL.
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Luke Raidy
Luke has covering the the Flyers and Phillies for Philly Sports Reports since 2025. He is a junior at North Penn and being a huge Philly sports fan has brought so many experiences, such as going to the NLDS, NLCS, and even the World Series in 2022. He has also met former superstars in the city of Philadelphia, such as Wayne Simmonds from the Flyers. Though being a student-athlete, Luke enjoys his time where he is writing and reporting on Philadelphia sports.
