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Quick Hits: Worlds, Phantoms, Memorial Cup, Hayton & Sandin

May 18, 2018, 11:11 AM ET [175 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
QUICK HITS: MAY 18, 2018

1) IIHF World Championships: Radko Gudas and Team Czech Republic are done at the 2018 World Championships following a 3-2 loss to Team USA in the medal round quarterfinals on Thursday. Gudas assisted on an early second-period goal by Michal Repik as the Czechs cut a 2-0 deficit in half and eventually knotted the score midway through the game. Patrick Kane put Team USA ahead to stay in the third period. Gudas, who played a strong all-around tourney to end his spring on an individual good note after a roller coaster season with the Flyers, was plus-six at the Worlds with two assists and two minor penalties in eight games.

2) Memorial Cup: Matthew Strome and the Ontario Hockey League champion Hamilton Bulldogs are in Memorial Cup action on Friday in Regina, Saskatchewan against the tournament host Regina Pats of the Western Hockey League. On Saturday, German Rubtsov and the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Acadie-Bathurst Titan take on the WHL champion Swift Current Broncos, and then turn around on Sunday to play Regina.

3) On the Flyers official website, there is an article looking at Philippe Myers' rookie season and Calder Cup playoff run to date. Later today, there will be a feature story on Phantoms center Mike Vecchione.

4) In the weeks leading up to the NHL Entry Draft, I will profile a group of prospects who are potential candidates for the Flyers to select with the 14th and 19th picks of the first round, as well as their 2nd round pick (50th overall). The Flyers do not currently have a 3rd round pick, because the pick went to the Detroit Red Wings after Petr Mrazek won five-plus (six, to be precise) regular season games for the Flyers and Philly made the playoffs. Here's a look at all current Flyers selections:

1st round: 14th overall (from St. Louis), 19th overall.
2nd round: 50th overall
3rd round: None
4th round: 112th overall
5th round: 127th overall (from Arizona), 143rd overall
6th round: 174th overall
7th round: 190th overall (from Montreal), 203rd overall (from New Jersey), 205th overall.

5) Having watched more games (roughly 65 in their entirely, segments another 12 or so) involving the OHL's Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds this past season than any other WHL team, I will start the profile series with thumbnail sketches of Greyhounds center Barrett Hayton and defenseman Rasmus Sandin.

There is at least a 50-50 chance that Hayton will be off the board before the Flyers' first pick comes up at 14th overall. While it is accurate to categorize Hayton as a relatively safe pick with a high floor (top 9 NHL forward) but unlikely to have a superstar ceiling, he does have significant upside to become a top-six caliber forward as he gets a little stronger and his skating improves a bit.

The hands are there. Hayton has a good shot with a lot of movement and a quick release. He is a smart two-way player as well as a good distributor (albeit not as good of a pure playmaker as teammate Morgan Frost). Hayton has a good head on shoulders, off-the-ice (OHL Scholastic Player of the Year) as well as on the ice.

If it works out that Hayton is the 14th overall pick, there would likely be some Flyers fans who gripe about the team going "too conservative" with his selection and preferring a goal-scoring winger (or offensively skilled defenseman) instead. However, Hayton has the potential to become the type of NHL player who puts up decent albeit not staggering offensive totals relative to his role and can also contribute on nights where he does not post a point.

Sandin, who was on loan this season to the Greyhounds from Swedish club Rögle BK, is smallish (5-foot-11) but reasonably thick of frame at 190 pounds at age 18. He is a good skater, although not a speed demon. His best asset is that he is very smart with the puck; an efficient passer, skilled at keeps at the point, good on the pinch and has an accurate shot that produces a lot of deflection and rebound chances in addition to finding the net a dozen times this season. He's decent without the puck and was effective all-around for the Hounds, especially in the regular season.

On his current development path, Sandin is not likely to become a top-pair caliber defenseman in the NHL, unless it's as a complementary partner to a superstar type. On the other hand, it is not hard to envision him as a middle-pair, PP2 type who has a longer career in the pros than some of the more hyped names who go before him in the Draft. He could be selected anywhere from the middle of the first round to the early portion of the second round.
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