With slim odds, the Flyers didn't strike gold in the Connor Bedard sweepstakes.
But they will have a chance to bring in some needed high-end talent near the top of the 2023 NHL draft.
"We're fortunate it's a good year," Flyers general manager Danny Briere said of the draft crop in April. "We have quite a few picks and we have a high one.
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"You have to go through a lot of bad times to get there unfortunately, but it's exciting when you're at the draft table and you get to pick such a high pick. It's going to be a critical pick for the organization moving forward, there's no doubt about it."
After selecting Cutter Gauthier fifth overall last summer, the Flyers are slotted at No. 7 for this year's draft, which will be held June 28-29 at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. With the Ivan Provorov trade, the Flyers acquired the 22nd overall pick, giving them two first-rounders and 10 total selections in the draft. The first round kicks off at 7 p.m. ET Wednesday, while Rounds 2-7 follow Thursday starting at 11 a.m. ET.
More: Trade talk? More picks? 5 Flyers takeaways ahead of NHL draft
Leading up to the draft, we've been breaking down targets for the Flyers at No. 7.
NHL
To finish our series:
Otto Stenberg
Position: Center
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 185
Shoots: Left
Team: Frolunda
Scouting report
A real wild card in the draft, Stenberg has a nose for the puck and can shoot it.
The Swedish forward is a big-time competitor who will impact the game even when he’s not scoring. He also exudes a moxie in tight moments, aggressively trying to facilitate or finish.
“He plays the strong, character game,” Dan Marr, the director of NHL Central Scouting, said June 1 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “This is your warrior, this is the guy you go into battle with, this is the guy that teammates will follow into battle when you need to win.”
At the junior level in his home country, Stenberg produced at just an OK clip this season. He put up 26 points (11 goals, 15 assists) and a plus-9 rating over 29 games for Frolunda’s under-20 team. Against men in the SHL, Sweden’s top pro league, he had a goal, two assists and a minus-1 mark through 23 games and limited minutes with Frolunda.
Stenberg just turned 18 years old a month ago.
“He’s not a perfect prospect, nobody is, and there are going to be improvements along the way,” Marr said. “So there will be an improvement in his skating, he’ll get a little stronger, there will be other parts of the game that will develop along the way.
“But just the intangibles that he brings, the way he plays the game and he’s really smart in that he understands the game. So you can put him on the ice in any situation, he knows what role he should play, he knows how to go out there and get the job done.”
At the 2023 IIHF U-18 World Junior Championship during late April, Stenberg captained Sweden to a silver-medal finish, scoring the fourth-most points in the tournament with 16 (seven goals, nine assists) over seven games.
“This is one of those players that a coach will lean on and will turn to quite often when games are on the line and when you want to try to change the complexion of a game,” Marr said. “And he can go out there and handle himself with the physical play and he can go out there and do well when it comes just to relying on his skill and smarts game.”
There is plenty of variance on Stenberg’s draft stock. He’s the sixth-ranked European skater by NHL Central Scouting and the 18th-rated player overall by TSN's Bob McKenzie.
But The Athletic's Scott Wheeler has him at No. 28 and EliteProspects.com No. 36.
Fit with Flyers
What should intrigue the Flyers is the possibility of grabbing Stenberg at No. 22.
The draft is deep with forwards and Stenberg could slip. He definitely has upside, which the Flyers strongly have to consider in the first round, and they won’t have to worry about his drive.
The Flyers evaluate Sweden heavily, led by director of European scouting Joakim Grundberg, so they should have a good read on Stenberg.
His positional versatility doesn’t hurt, either.
More targets
• Could high-scoring center with 'no holes' be there for Flyers at No. 7?
• Tage Thompson type of prospect? Big winger should intrigue Flyers at No. 7
• Reinbacher, with 'all the skills and tools,' may be draft's top D-man for Flyers
• Moore would offer Flyers elite speed, skating down the middle
• Another talented center with big shot Flyers will have to consider at No. 7
• Will the Flyers want a 132-point 'magician' at No. 7?
• 'Dynamic,' puck-moving defenseman may give Flyers trade-back option
• A Brayden Point type of impact for Flyers at No. 7?
• 'Power forward' with skill can help Flyers' future, but will he be available at No. 7?
• Flyers could eye winger with 'blast of a one-timer' in 1st round
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