When Oliver Bonk was selected with the 22nd overall pick in last year’s NHL Draft, the pick wasn’t exactly met with the same overwhelming fanfare of a certain Russian winger that happened to be the Flyers’ first selection.
This isn’t to say that Bonk wasn’t highly touted before the selection, but at the time he was mostly viewed as a solid, level-headed defender who is responsible in his own end, and capable of making a strong first pass. While that is needed and a valuable commodity, it’s also not the sexiest first round selection to make.
Therefore, heading into this season, the focus on Bonk’s development circulated around watching his ability to continue to round out his overall defensive play. There weren’t really any expectations that Bonk would improve drastically on his offensive output of 40 points in 67 games.
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