The 2025 NHL draft is a huge one for the Flyers’ rebuild.
Not only does Danny Briere have a lot of high-round picks at his disposal, but he also could be creative in how he uses them.
“There are all kinds of possibilities here,” the Flyers’ general manager said in April. “I think it’s really exciting going into it. It’s powerful to have so many picks like that. I think a lot of teams will be wanting to have discussions with us to make some things happen — teams that don’t have picks or teams that want to tweak things.”
So it’s a busy time for the Flyers leading up to the draft, which will be held June 27-28. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at noon ET.
“There are really good players in this draft,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said last Tuesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Maybe people say it’s not a good draft; I’m not buying it. I think this draft has got lots of good players.”
The Flyers are slotted to make 11 picks, including three first-rounders and four second-rounders. Their first-round selections will come at No. 6 (own pick), No. 22 (Sean Walker trade) and either No. 31 or 32 (Oilers trade).
Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.
Next up:
Jake O’Brien
Position: Center
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight: 172
Shoots: Right
Team: Brantford
Scouting report
O’Brien, who doesn’t turn 18 years old until the third week of June, is an intelligent center and a surgeon in the offensive zone. He makes precise reads and executes with high-end skill.
On the 2024-25 Bulldogs that went 44-19-5, O’Brien put up 98 points (32 goals, 66 assists) in 66 regular-season games. He had five games of four or more points and his 41 power play assists led all of Canadian major junior hockey. He added 11 points (three goals, eight assists) over 11 playoff games.
“He’s a really, really, really good, solid player, somebody I see as a second-line center,” Button, a former NHL GM and scout, said. “He might be David Krejci-like. I think people look at Jake, me included, and go, ‘Could he be like Patrice Bergeron because he’s so smart?’ He thinks that way, he thinks that way in the game. But he might be more David Krejci than Patrice Bergeron. Just a really, really solid — in my view — two-way center in the NHL.”
Krejci had a highly successful career with the Bruins. He won a Stanley Cup and finished with 786 points (231 goals, 555 assists) and a plus-166 rating in 1,032 games.
O’Brien will have to round out his overall game, but most prospects do at his age. He can improve his physicality and be stronger in the faceoff circle. However, he has great size and it’s evident that he’s still growing into his body, which makes his ceiling awfully intriguing. He’s the 11th-ranked player in the draft on Button’s list.
“I think one of the biggest advancements in Jake’s game this year, he was always a thinker; I think he really balanced out the thinking with the doing,” Button said. “You can be a smart player and always be in the right spots on the ice, and certainly Jake does that, but you also have to do. You have to balance the physical with the mental. I think that’s where Jake took some real big strides this year. ‘OK, I’ve got to trust myself, I’ve got to make sure that not only am I thinking it, but I’m doing it.'”
EliteProspects.com has O’Brien as the 10th-best player in the draft, while NHL Central Scouting has him as the fourth-rated North American skater.
“I think his game is predicated on really understanding where he needs to be, how he needs to be there,” Button said. “He put up points this year. He has always been a smart player.”
(Brandon Taylor/OHL Images)
Fit with Flyers
O’Brien could fall right into the Flyers’ range at No. 6 and he certainly has some qualities to address organizational weaknesses.
The Flyers have needed more centers in their system, particularly ones with size and playmaking abilities to eventually complement Matvei Michkov. O’Brien’s prowess on the power play should also be appealing to the Flyers. The club has sported an NHL-worst 13.7 power play percentage over the last four seasons combined.
There might be a few more safer picks than O’Brien at No. 6, but the Flyers have shown they’re willing to take swings on talent. O’Brien’s room for growth is there and his upside would be a nice addition to the team’s prospect pool.
More targets
• Hagens is ‘Matt Duchene type of player’ who could be on Flyers’ radar at No. 6
• Flyers would probably love if Barkov-like prospect is available at No. 6
• ‘Fascinating,’ 6-foot-5 center has tons of intrigue for Flyers at No. 6
• Younger brother of Flyers prospect is ‘complete’ center and option at No. 6
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