And we’re off! With their first pick of Day 2 of the draft, the 53rd overall pick, the Flyers have selected right-shooting defender Brek Liske out of Everett of the WHL.
🔶 WELCOME TO PHILLY! 🔶
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) June 27, 2026
With the 53rd overall pick in the 2026 #NHLDraft, we are proud to select Brek Liske. pic.twitter.com/3VTsGqun8p
Liske brings a nicely rounded game — he’s not terribly flashy in any one area, but he does a lot of things quite well. He’s steady in his own end, but mobile enough to be an effective force in transition, and brings a marked level of effectiveness on retrievals. He’s slippery, and has shown some good flashes of skill with the puck, and was able to chip in a respectable burst of offense through this last season with Everett — to the tune of seven goals and 24 points over 52 games played.
For a deeper dive into his game, here’s what they have to say over in the ever-impeccable Elite Prospects Draft Guide:
“Brek Liske impressed all season long, bringing a rare amount of versatility. For the most part, he held down a standard second-pair role, but when Tarin Smith went down early in the playoffs, he stepped up. His minutes went up, and he took full advantage of the opportunity and even doubled his scoring rate in the Silvertips’ championship run.
Name a skill, Liske probably has it. He’s aware and controlled on retrievals, even absorbing contact to make plays. Defensively, he’s steady and persistent, pushing rushing outside as he skates across the stop. He sticks with opponents and always gives himself a chance to get a stop – there’s hardly any idling in his game.
With possession, Liske plays a streamlined, team-centric game. His pressured breakout touches are usually simple passes followed by quick relocation to become a return pass option. He joins rushes regularly. Inside the offensive zone, he compresses the zone with his aggressive positioning, catches pucks straight into his hip pocket for walk-in chances, and extends the zone with his pinching and willingness to work the walls.
While Liske does a bit of everything, his skating has been a limiter. He’s smart and aware, but lacks the explosiveness to consistently separate and create. Defensively, he’s a battler, but he lacks a bit of defensive range, and his heavier skating exposes the middle to attackers.
At higher levels, Liske’s versatility will remain valuable. He’s proven capable of slotting into a variety of roles. Improved skating will bolster his game across the board. Though he has some second-pair potential, we project him more as a safer, all-around third-pair defenceman.”
It’s an interesting projection here, but above all, it’s becoming apparent that the Flyers are seeing their need to bolster their defense group deeper in the prospect pipeline and running with it.
And, what’s more, Liske came up as a Flyers fan, and we can’t hate on the overall just Nice Moment this amounts to.
Brek Liske just a few years ago 😉 pic.twitter.com/VmydDEiRhB
— Bill Meltzer (@billmeltzer) June 27, 2026
