Each player making it to the National Hockey League has their own road to get there. Most of the time it’s the junior ranks or NCAA, but others sometimes take a bit longer to develop. As a result, when they are of draft age, they might not be selected, and have the chance to re-enter the draft the following year. It might be complicated to explain, but essentially it boils down to this: if your are born anywhere from Jan. 1 to Sept. 15 of the calendar year, you have a three-year window to be drafted. If you are born after Sept. 15, then that window is only two years. If you were born in Europe and play in the European leagues then you also have a three-year window. And if you were born in 2006, then this is your last year of draft eligibility.
Here then are five overagers that the Flyers might take a look at in this upcoming NHL Draft.
Egor Barabanov, LW/C
Barabanov is a work in progress, and will need a lot of time to develop. His skating isn’t nearly up to snuff compared to others his age, but he brings a very nifty box of skill to the table. The New Jersey native didn’t do a lot in his previous years playing in the United States Hockey League with Sioux Falls and Madison, but put it all together in Saginaw of the Ontario Hockey League in 2025-26. In 68 games, he scored 28 goals and had 91 points to go with 79 penalty minutes. Although he’s slated to play at the University of Massachusetts next season, Barbanov brings a lot of greasiness to his game that the Flyers could certainly find enticing. And considering how the scouting staff in Philadelphia doesn’t put innate speed at the top of their criteria regarding picks, the skating issue is something they could probably work with him on down the road. He looks to be a late bloomer, but it might be well worth the wait.
Niko Tournas, RW
Another guy who is finding his game later than others, Niko Tournas looked lost in the weeds as recently as two seasons ago. After a five-point season in 41 games with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United States Hockey League, Tournas caught lightning in a bottle in 2024-25 with Danbury of the North American Hockey League, scoring 39 goals and earning 74 points in 59 games. Last year, with his third different team (Moncton) and third different league (QMJHL) in as many seasons, the winger matched his Danbury point total in 64 games, including scoring 43 goals. A deep playoff run for the Wildcats saw him score six goals with 12 assists for 18 points in 21 games.
Tournas would be the first to admit his game needs some work, and seems willing to put that work into improving. His size a (6’2″, 199 pounds) is a plus and he also has some high-end playmaking ability, particularly on the power play. He also possesses a quality shot that packs some punch, and isn’t limited to scoring just one particular way. Tournas has already committed to playing in the NCAA with New Hampshire next season. He might be rough around the edges in a myriad of ways, but he might also be a diamond in the rough a few seasons from now if the Flyers are interested.
Liam Lefebvre, C
Lefebvre made some heads turn during this year’s Memorial Cup, making the most of the opportunity for Chicoutimi. The 6’3″, 205-pound center scored five times to go with a dozen helpers in 20 playoff games. And in the last 25 games after being moved to the Sagueneens from Rimouski, he didn’t disappoint, registering 30 points over that span. The center, who had some solid playmaking skills, brings some size and talent down the middle, but still needs a bit of seasoning to get to the big leagues. The forward will now be joining his third QMJHL club in a year when he suits up for the Cape Breton Eagles this coming year. Skating and training seem to be minor hurdles that can easily be addressed or solved. In all, Lefebvre is looking to be the type of player Philadelphia could certainly take a chance on should he be available at the appropriate time.
Ethan MacKenzie, LD
After missing his first two chances to be selected, defender Ethan MacKenzie did as much as any blueliner could do to make sure he gives himself a chance to be picked in Buffalo. MacKenzie, a native of Kelowna, BC, was great for the Western Hockey League’s Edmonton Oil Kings last year, scoring 22 goals and earning 58 points in just 59 games. As well, MacKenzie caught the attention of Team Canada’s brass at the World Juniors, earning a spot on the team and getting five points in seven games. Throughout his previous seasons at different levels, MacKenzie rarely if ever appeared to be offensively-minded. His numbers looked more like that of Hal Gill or Nick Seeler than anyone else. However, he has made great strides the last 12 months.
The biggest asset outside of his two-way style of play is his skating ability. He can move, and thus break up plays a bit easier than others. As well, he has decent size, and has a good shot that seems to create havoc for the opposition. The only snag might be that MacKenzie is seen as a prospect who is probably going to find a home somewhere either late in the second round or early third round depending on who you listen to. He would be a solid choice it appears with the Flyers second-round pick if he’s available. With a work ethic that has been mentioned often and an aggressive style of defending, it appears that MacKenzie might be another good addition Philadelphia could develop over a few seasons. For now, he will be heading to the collegiate level, playing for North Dakota this coming year.
Michal Orsulak, G
It might be a case of going to the well once too often, but Michal Orsulak has a few things that might resemble a current Flyers goaltender that looks to be here for some time. The Czechia native is long (6’4″) and has solid range between the pipes, as well as impressive power coming off them to make sprawling pad saves. Orsulak also takes up a lot of the net with his size both in terms of height and width (225 pounds), and made a huge leap this season, moving from a junior level in his homeland to play for Prince Albert in the WHL. In 36 games, Orsulak had a .907 save percentage and a rather strong 2.22 goals-against average. His 28-4-4 record also doesn’t look too shabby.
Like any young goaltender, he isn’t a robot, and can let some leaky goals in at times. The confidence and mental battle is always present with any keeper, and Orsulak will need to wipe the slate clean mentally to start the next game focused and refreshed. He hasn’t been over analyzed given that the sample size is small in North America, but early reports see him going somewhere in the fifties of this year’s draft. So, again, Philadelphia with the 53rd pick might be willing to draft him. He’s ranked second overall in terms of available goalies playing in North America by the NHL’s Central Scouting department.
Honorable mention: Yaroslav Bryzgalov, LW
Picture it, the Flyers, in a span of hours on June 26, trade away Porter Martone and Matvei Michkov for a boatload of picks and young prospects. They then select Yaroslav Bryzgalov with their first-round pick, and Briere signs him to a nine-year extension without his entry-level deal even being inked yet. Sorry, old flashback. As the Flyers are still paying the other Bryzgalov for one more season (although it’s not on the books), what better way to keep the surname linked to Philadelphia than this Belarus native. As for this winger (not related to Ilya), he doesn’t come with a lot of shooting prowess as he’s not taking a bountiful amount of shots. But the winger is big (6’4″, 225 pounds, and just 19), and has some offensive upside. On a rather deep Medicine Hat Tiger team in 2025-26, Bryzgalov scored 55 points in 64 games, the majority of those points helpers. Meanwhile he fared far better in the playoffs, registering 14 points in 15 games.
Bryzgalov is no wilting flower, but not in terms of fisticuffs. Instead, he can get to the dirty or greasy areas for offensive chances, allowing his size to simply move opponents either off him or the puck. Skating is another area that he needs to work on, but is very difficult to move off the puck once he gets hold of it. Projections are all over the map for Bryzgalov regarding where he will be drafted (ranging from the high fifties by one entity to just under the two-hundredth selection). A work in progress that might be worth keeping on Philadelphia’s radar should he still be there late in round two. Or fall drastically into the latter stages of day two in Buffalo. For 2026-27, Bryzgalov will be heading to Merrimack College in the NCAA.
Stats courtesy of HockeyDB.com and EliteProspects.com.
