After six rounds, it’s down to the last 32 picks. Some of these picks are ties for your information, but you’ll see them when they come along. The Flyers have only had one number one pick in their history: Mel Bridgman. Hopefully they have some more luck with obtaining the top pick in future lotteries. But for now let’s look at the top 32 selections in the Flyers all time NHL Draft.
#32: Bob “Hound Dog” Kelly (1970) was a key part of the Flyers two Stanley Cup championships. While routinely racking up lots of penalty minutes, Kelly had eight seasons of 10 or more goals for Philadelphia. After a decade with the team, Kelly moved on and played two seasons with Washington. His career high for points was his first season with the Capitals where he had 26 goals and 36 assists in 1980-81.
#31: Denis Metlyuk (1992) spent parts of two seasons with Hershey but never played for Philadelphia. Metyluk spent most of his career in Russia.
#30: Jeff Harding (1987) was a promising right winger from Michigan State University. But 15 games for the Flyers (and 47 penalty minutes) was all he could scrounge up in the NHL. Harding bounced around a few seasons between the IHL and AHL before ending his career in 1991-92.
#29: Steve Downie (2005) had some suspensions in his time with the Flyers, none more infamous than his 20-game suspension for hitting Dean McAmmond in the head against the boards. After just 38 games over two season with Philadelphia, Downie was traded to the Lightning in a package deal in 2008. The Flyers received Matt Carle from Tampa as part of the deal.
#28: Justin Williams (2000) was perhaps the one that got away from the Flyers. There have been others (Patrick Sharp and Sergei Bobrovsky), but Williams won three Stanley Cup over his career. He also had two seasons of 30-plus goals and five others scoring at least 20. The Flyers traded him one-for-one to Carolina for Danil Markov. Williams played over 1200 regular season games, scoring 320 goals and amassing 797 points.
#27: Scott Mellanby (1984) was, much like Williams, another gamer from start to finish. Mellanby played two games in 1985-86 before his full rookie season the following year. Mellanby had a lot of penalty minutes (2479 in 1431 regular season games) but also was able to score 364 goals in his career. He had five seasons with Philadelphia, then two with Edmonton, seven and a bit with Florida, four with the Blues and then two with Atlanta, the last in 2006-07. Mellanby got to the Cup finals a few times but never won. While he was known initially as the son of Hockey Night In Canada producer Ralph Mellanby, Scott definitely made a name for himself.
#26: Brett Leavins (1973) didn’t do anything with the Flyers or the NHL.
#25: Chris Simon (1990) never played a game for the Flyers but was part of the package the Flyers shipped to Quebec to get Eric Lindros. Simon was a rugged enforcer, suspended on eight different occasions. Yet he could put the puck in the net from time to time, scoring 29 goals for Washington in 1999-2000. After a season split between Minnesota and the Islanders, Simon played five more seasons in the KHL. Tragically, Simon died by suicide in 2024. He was 52 and suffered from CTE (Chronic Traumatic Encelphalopathy).
#24: Our first of three ties: Travis Konecny (2015) and Mike Richards (2003). Konecny has become one of the Flyers best players the last few years, with career highs in assists and points this past season. He should hit 200 career goals early next season (just two away) and should hit 300 career assists sometime in 2025-26. Konecny enters the first year of his eight-year, $70 million contract this season. He should provide a lot of production in the coming years, especially with emerging talent and Matvei Michkov still so young and promising.
Not to be outdone, Mike Richards signed a long-term contract to be a Flyer, but was sent to Los Angeles in 2011 for Wayne Simmonds and Brayden Schenn. Richards was a key part of playoff drives the Flyers had, including the magical 2010 run which saw him score a memorable short-handed goal against Montreal. Richards went on to win two Stanley Cups with the Kings. He played just 39 games for Washington in 2015-16 before calling it a career. Both he and Konecny have been two of the biggest crowd favorites in recent memory.
#23: Defenseman Tom Bladon (1972) had a string of strong years on the Flyers’ blueline during their championship years. He had 53 points, a career high, in 1976-77. Once Philadelphia let him go, Bladon had two seasons with the Penguins before a trying year during 1980-81 where he bounced from Edmonton to Winnipeg to Detroit (and to Adirondack in the AHL). Bladon set an NHL record with eight points in a game, scoring four times and adding four assists in a 1977 game as the Flyers trounced the Cleveland Barons 11-1.
#22: Another tie (it could have been three way but we’re sorry Brian Boucher (1995)), this one between Claude Giroux (2006) and Simon Gagne (1998). Giroux got to a Cup final in his rookie season but never got a whiff again. Giroux should’ve been nominated for the Hart Trophy during his sensational 102-point season in 2017-18. The Flyer forward played 1000 games for Philadelphia before he was traded to Florida in a deal that sent Owen Tippett back in return.
Simon Gagne was clutch often, particularly in the playoffs. And forever remembered for his game-winning goal against Boston that capped a 3-0 comeback in game 7 against Boston and a 3-0 deficit in games to win the series. Gagne had 535 points in 691 regular season games with Philadelphia. And he had two seasons where he scored over 40 goals, a plateau that Giroux never got to thus far in his career.
#21: Mike Stothers (1980) played 12 games for Philadelphia, essentially four cups of coffee spread out over four seasons. He played 30 NHL games overall but is currently an assistant coach in Anaheim.
#20: Scott Laughton (2012) looked like a keeper when he was with the Oshawa Generals in the OHL. He turned into a dependable jack-of-all-trades, playing the wing or center, penalty kill or (occasionally) power play when needed. Laughton, who wore a letter for a good chunk of his career with the Flyers, was sent to Toronto this past trade deadline in exchange for a first-round pick in 2027 and forward Nikita Grebenkin.
#19: Luca Sbisa (2008) spent 39 games with Philadelphia in 2008-09. He looked to be part of the future. But you can always part with the future if you have a chance to land a stud like Chris Pronger. As a result, Sbisa, Joffrey Lupul and picks were sent to Anaheim in exchange for Pronger. After a few seasons in Anaheim, Sbisa ended up in Vancouver before his last four years were spent with a year in Vegas, with the Islanders, with Winnipeg and finally in Nashville.
#18: Bill Clement (1970) played a rather clean game for Philadelphia in the ’70s. With two Cup rings (as well as being a Flyers color commentator for several seasons in the ’80s and ’90s), Clement also spent time with the Capitals and Flames (both Atlanta and Calgary). Clement score 148 regular season goals, 53 of them as a Flyer.
#17: Bobby Clarke (1969) was the Philadelphia Flyers for a few decades, whether the face of the team winning Stanley Cups or running the team as a general manager. Clarke played his entire career with Philadelphia, scoring over 100 points on three occasions. He was just over a point a game average, with 1210 points in 1144 regular season games. He was also no slouch in the playoffs, with 119 points in 136 games. Clarke remains a senior advisor to the Flyers, and his #16 was retired by the Flyers in 1984. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1987.
#16: Steve Smith (1981) played just 14 games with Philadelphia, recording one assist in that time. Smith (not to be confused with the Oilers defenseman of the same name), spent several seasons in the AHL and spent some time in Europe.
#15: Dainius Zubrus (1996) had a long career, mainly as a bottom-six forward but capable of putting up 35 to 40 points a season. He was with Philadelphia three years, then sent to Montreal with a pick in exchange for Mark Recchi. Zubrus played several seasons for both Washington and New Jersey. He had a deep playoff run with the Devils in 2011-12.
#14: Brian Propp (1979) was a prolific sniper for the Flyers in the ’80s, scoring 40 or more goals on four occasions and four 90-point seasons also. Propp had 1003 points in 1016 games, but was just as stellar when it counted. In 160 playoff games he had 148 points (including 28 points in 26 games in 1986-87). The winger was a fan favorite but was traded in March 1990 to Boston for a draft pick. The Boston stint lasted 14 games. He would retire following 1993-94 with Hartford.
#13: Jett Luchanko (2024) hopefully lives up to the hope and hypes and becomes worthy of conversation of other players the Flyers have taken this high in the draft.
#11: Jeff Carter (2003) was, along with Mike Richards, supposed to be one of the cornerstones of the Flyers for a while. A long-term contract only drove home that idea. His first six seasons of his lengthy NHL career were in Philadelphia. In 461 regular season games with the Flyers, he had 181 goals and 162 assists. But in 2011 that seemingly lifetime contract was moved to Columbus in exchange for Jakob Voracek and two picks which eventually became Sean Couturier and Nick Cousins. Carter finished his career with 442 regular season goals and two Stanley Cups with Los Angeles.
#9: Pierre Plante (1971) played 26 games for the Flyers, but was part of a package deal that saw Philadelphia land Andre “Moose” Dupont from St. Louis in December 1972. Plante ended up playing with the Blues, Blackhawks, Rangers, and Nordiques before retiring after the 1979-80 season. In 599 games, Plante ended up with 599 penalty minutes.
#8: Sean Couturier (2011) was one of the bigger parts of the Jeff Carter trade. As mentioned, the Flyers used their newly acquired first-round pick on the center who went into the season predicted to be the top pick at the 2011 draft. He had a less than stellar season which dropped his position. Lucky for the Flyers, they took him and he’s been a reliable two-way center ever since. Couturier found his footing in 2017-18, playing up in the lineup and getting 76 points in consecutive seasons. In 2020 he earned the Selke Trophy. His play improved last season and, if Matvei Michkov remains a linemate, Couturier could see a return to his production highs (and the playoffs) in the coming years. If he remains healthy he should reach 1000 games as a Flyer sometime in the 2026-27 season.
#7: With all due respect to Matvei Michkov (2023), Bill Barber (1972) tops the list in this slot. Barber played his entire career with the Flyers (like Bobby Clarke) and won two Stanley Cups. He also scored 50 goals once and was over the 40-goal mark four other occasions. Barber finished with 420 goals in 903 games, and had another 53 in 129 playoff games. He also coached Philadelphia for a couple of seasons, winning the Jack Adams award in 2001. He remains a senior advisor with the club.
#6: Peter Forsberg (1991) was a blue chip forward when the Flyers drafted him. But then they saw Eric Lindros wanted out of Quebec, and with that Forsberg headed to Quebec in a package that saw plenty of picks, plenty of money, and plenty of players (including Ron Hextall, Mike Ricci, and Forsberg among others). The Nordiques relocated to Colorado, and Forsberg became a dominant forward, winning two Cups with the Avs. By the time Forsberg signed with the Flyers, he was a shell of his former self due to foot injuries. He managed to score 115 points in 100 regular season games with Philadelphia over two years. He ended with 885 regular season points and 171 playoff points.
#5: Serge Bernier (1967) was the first pick the Flyers ever made in franchise history. He was also the only player in the first round that year to become an NHL player. Bernier spent a full season with Philadelphia in 1970-71, getting 51 points in his rookie season. He was traded to Los Angeles the following year as part of an eight-play deal with Los Angeles. The Kings sent Philadelphia Bill Flett and Ross Lonsberry as part of the trade. After several seasons in the World Hockey Association, Bernier finished his career, playing with the Nordiques (when they were in the NHL) for two years.
#4: Another tie here between Mike Ricci (1990) and Ron Sutter (1982). Both players didn’t light the lamp up much in their careers, with Ricci’s days as a Flyer curtailed due to the Eric Lindros trade he was a part of heading to Quebec. The forward had 41 points in his rookie season with Philadelphia, following that up with 56 points in 1991-92. In 1995-96 he became a Cup champion as part of the Avalanche’s run. Ricci also scored 20 or more goals six times, concluding his career with eight seasons in San Jose. A season and change with Phoenix was the end of his playing days. He finished with 1099 games and 605 points.
Meanwhile Sutter played 1093 games, 555 of them as a Flyer. He scored 20 goals or more twice, with his career high of 60 points in 1985-86 (the same year he was a runner-up for the Selke Trophy). Not afraid of getting scrums and generally being a forechecking pest, Sutter also played for San Jose, St. Louis, Quebec, the Islanders, Calgary and Boston. Sutter had 535 points in his lengthy 19-year career.
#2: James van Riemsdyk (2007) was a solid, reliable 20-goal to 25-goal scorer with Philadelphia. But when the team and fanbase believed they were landing Patrick Kane with the top pick, the result left a bit of a sour taste in many mouths. Sixteen seasons in, JVR has played just under half of his career with the Flyers, scoring 146 goals and amassing 297 points. In his six seasons with Toronto (remember the trade for Luke Schenn?) he had 154 goals and 294 points. Although spending 2024-25 in Columbus, van Riemsdyk remains one of those forwards a contending team could see as a dependable depth piece.
#1: Mel Bridgman (1975) is the only top pick the Flyers ever had. Bridgman averaged between 50 to 60 points in his time with Philadelphia. In 1981, Bridgman was traded to Calgary with the Flames sending back defenseman Brad Marsh. The trade benefited both players and teams, as Bridgman had a career high 75 points his first season in Calgary. A few more productive seasons in New Jersey followed but 1986-87, Bridgman began to lose a step and gather far fewer points. He retired after the 1988-89 season after the Canucks bowed out in seven games to Calgary, losing to the eventual Stanley Cup champions in overtime on a goal by Joel Otto (who had a stint in Phialdephia himself). In just under 1000 regular season games, Bridgman had just over 700 points.
