This week, the NHL is holding the Draft Combine as a showcase of the draft class’ skills and physical traits. Typically, this is a week where we start to get an idea of what players are on each team’s boards, as the players that the teams speak with are often made public. The Flyers are no different, as we’re starting to get an idea of the players the Flyers may like at No. 21.
According to the Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel, here are a list of the players the Flyers met with at the Combine – Alexander Command, Maddox Dagenais, Casey Mutryn, Xavier Villeneuve, Wyatt Cullen, Ryder Cali, Jack Hextall, Ryan Lin, Maksim Sokolovskii, Jaxon Cover, and Blake Zielinski.
Morning from the last day of NHL Scouting Combine, where players are doing fitness testing.#Flyers spoke w/approx. 50 players this week, including — Command, Dagenais, Mutryn, Villeneuve, Cullen, Cali, Hextall, Lin, Sokolovskii, Cover, and Zielinski.
— Jackie Spiegel (@jackiespiegel93) June 6, 2026
Will find out more today. pic.twitter.com/qvuGRnfIAf
Spiegel added another tweet with a list of further players that the Flyers met with, including Rudolfs Berzkalns, Niklas Aaram-Olsen, Elton Hermansson, Malte Gustafsson, William Håkansson, Chase Harrington, Simas Ignatavicius, Kayden Lemire, Vladimir Dravecky, Beckett Hamilton, Ilia Morozov, and Victor Plante.
There are definitely more players that will be added to this list in the days to come, but this group of prospects is an indication of where the Flyers are thinking heading into the Draft. So, let’s dive into a few of the more eyebrow-raising names on this list.
Who the Flyers met with at the NHL Draft Combine
Alexander Command
Command is one of the more interesting, higher rated center prospects on this list, coming from Orebro HK of the SHL and J20 Nationell. Command produced at a pretty elite level in the J20 Nationell, putting up 44 points in 30 games, and also was a standout performer on the Swedish national team throughout the year (at U18 level). In his first taste of SHL games with Orebro, Command was held pointless in six games, but that’s largely to be expected for a player of his age. It’s a toss up whether Command would be available for the Flyers at No. 21, but he’s certainly a possibility for the Flyers in a few weeks. Considering the Flyers need for center depth in the pipeline, definitely a name to keep an eye on.
Xavier Villeneuve
The next four players are really interesting, because they feel like they could be trade-up candidates. Starting with Villeneuve, he’s projected to go all over the first round (No. 15 on the BSH board). He’s a guy that could sneak into the low teens, or fall back into the late twenties. By our estimation, though, he’s a talent that you take a swing on in the middle of the first round, and we wouldn’t be surprised if you have to jump into the mid-teens to have the chance to take him. Villeneuve is one of the best skaters in the draft class on the blueline, particularly on his edges, and has some of the best offensive instincts among draft-eligible defensemen. He’s a bit undersized, but if those offensive skills translate, there’s a key spot for Villeneuve on NHL rosters.
Wyatt Cullen
A dynamic 6-foot-1 winger coming out of the US National Development Team Program, Cullen feels like a player that is slightly out of the Flyers range at No. 21. He’s really grown into his frame in the last couple years, and that’s likely going to continue as he gets into an NHL development situation. Among the trade-up candidates on this list, Cullen feels like the least likely of the guys. Due to positional need, we’re probably more likely to see the Flyers jump up to grab a center or a defenseman than another winger, but you never know if the Flyers just fall in love with a player like Cullen.
Ryan Lin and Malte Gustafsson
Lin and Gustafsson, similar to Villeneuve, are in the same tier of middle first round where essentially no one knows where they will fall. All three players have legitimate strengths and upside that can be projected to the NHL level, and a few reasons why they may fall into the latter half of the first round.
For Lin (No. 11 on our board), he’s one of the more well-rounded defenders in this class, and you can feel reasonably certain that there’s an NHL player here. He’s a bit small, which might hurt him on some teams’ boards, but Lin more than makes up for it with his skating and how strong his defensive positioning is. He’s mostly been projected to go in the low-teens, so unless he takes a pretty steep fall, Lin is definitely a trade up candidate.
Gustafsson (No. 12 on our board), is a defenseman from HV71 of the SHL that is a good bet on top-4 upside. He played quality minutes in the SHL as a 17-year-old defenseman, facing a level of competition that so many players on this list didn’t face in their draft years. He is one of the most consistent “play-killers” in the class, consistently using his positional smarts to kill plays in transition and in the defensive zone. His defensive consistency and awareness is one of the most advanced in the draft, and although there are concerns about Gustafsson’s offensive upside, there’s the makings of a shutdown second-pair defenseman here.
Jack Hextall
Alas, we have to at least mention the Hextall connection here. Jack Hextall, the grandson of Ron Hextall, is of course on the Flyers board. Hextall, beyond just the alumni connection, would be such a Flyers pick. A center whose play has been described frequently as “pro-style”, Hextall put up just under a point-per-game with the USHL’s Youngstown Phantoms. In one of the more defensively-stout junior leagues, Hextall played a solid two-way game that really was strong on the small details. This feels like the classic Flyers pick in the sense of Hextall being extremely strong in all three zones, leaving much to be desired in terms of offensive skills and output, but not really hurting you in most other facets. Probably a player that will be there at No. 21, too.
Ilia Morozov
Morozov is this year’s Russian that everyone has pretty strong opinions on. Unlike many of his fellow Russian prospects, Morozov interestingly came to North America to play his junior and collegiate career. First with the Tri-City Storm, Morozov struggled in his first full season in America, putting up 22 points in 59 games. Moving to the collegiate level at the University of Miami (Ohio) in his draft year, Morozov settled in, with 20 points in 36 games as a freshman. He was one of the youngest players in college hockey all year, and certainly one of the more projectable players of the class. He’s 6-foot-3, probably has room to grow, is a decent skater for a player of his size, and has plenty of defensive instincts and smarts in the transition game. Definitely an NHL profile here, even if it might not be the highest-end player.
Viggo Bjorck
Finally, while not on Jackie Spiegel’s reported list, Viggo Bjorck said in an interview that he “thinks” he met with the Flyers.
Viggo Bjorck “Thinks” he met with the #Flyers. It’s a whirlwind #nhlcombine pic.twitter.com/fd7UFDO1sf
— sportsology (@sportsology) June 6, 2026
If Bjorck really did meet with the Flyers, this definitely raises some questions. Bjorck is widely projected to go in the top-10, and the Flyers meeting with him might mean one of two things. Either they think he might drop (probably due to his size at 5-foot-9), or they would be prepared to potentially trade up for him. That makes some level of sense, as Bjorck is one of the more impressive center prospects of this class. Bjorck dropping would probably be purely due to his size, so perhaps there would be an opportunity for the Flyers to jump on Bjorck.
In terms of his pedigree, Bjorck eventually took down first-line center roles on Djurgarden’s SHL team this season, which is pretty much unheard of for draft-eligibles. His scoring numbers aren’t gaudy (15 points in 42 SHL games), but Bjorck being elevated to first-line duties is an indication of his shift-to-shift impact. He was regularly one of the best playmakers of the class, plays at an obscene pace, and is so unafraid to engage in battles and go to the net for a 5-foot-9 guy. There’s so much to like here, and if the stars aligned for the Flyers on draft day, making a move for Bjorck would be an excellent choice.
