QUICK HITS: JUNE 6, 2018
1) It is always fun to look back at old NHL Draft previews and see how the projections panned out: which players exceeded or failed to meet expectations, whose projected roles as pros changed significantly from their pre-Draft expectations, and which player profiles proved prophetic or way off base as time went on. It's a reminder to always take such things with a grain of salt, regardless of the source. Things can -- and often will -- change dramatically.
The Hockey News' 2018 Draft Preview issue contains a "Rewind" feature looking back at the 1993 Draft, including blurbs from the writeups of the players eventually chosen in the first round of the Draft that year. While some of the descriptions matched the player perfectly, such as Chris Pronger's writeup, there were others such as this that would seem unrecognizable today: "I can see signs of greatness in him. He wants to be the best. His temper is a positive. He's so competitive."
The identity of this intense competitor? Alexandre Daigle, the unanimous top overall prospect for the 2003 Draft. What is so interesting in his case isn't so much how far short his NHL scoring totals fell from expectations but how different his personality was from what was described.
Daigle, of course, had speed to burn and great natural ability. However, he proved to be one of the least motivated and way-too-laid-back players in modern-day NHL history. He loved the trappings of stardom, loved the rare nights where an opponent would simply let him skate untouched, and otherwise had little interest in working on his game. Only in his second go-round in the NHL after being out of the game for a couple years, did he start to push himself to any degree. Even then, it didn't last. After a resurgent season in 2003-04 as a member of the Minnesota Wild, he spent a half-season with the Wild following the NHL lockout and then finished his career in Switzerland.
The other day, I pulled out my copy of the International Scouting Services 2013 Draft Preview. In a prime example of how a player's eventual NHL role may not match up with his pre-Draft prognosis, Robert Hägg was ranked third in the "offense from the blueline" category. It made sense at the time, however, because Hägg was being groomed by Modo as a future power play quarterback.
Meanwhile, ISS did one-year, and two-year look-aheads to the 2014 and 2015 Drafts; always a thankless task because, the further out the projection, the harder it is to be accurate in predicting players' eventual draft range let alone post-Draft development. There were were, of course, players who made significant upward or downward movement in their Draft year.
For example, ISS in 2013 ranked Oskar Lindblom seventh in their top 50 for the 2014 Draft. He would up being selected by the Flyers in the 5th round (138th overall). Meanwhile, David Pastrnak was ranked 49th a year ahead of the 2014 Draft and wound up going 25th overall to Boston in the first round. Flyers 2014 first-round pick Travis Sanheim, a second-half riser during the 2013-14 season, was not in the projected 2014 top 50 for ISS or any other publication.
In the two-year look-ahead, Connor McDavid was already the no-brainer projected top overall 2015 prospect for ISS and every other outlet. What is more interesting in hindsight was that ISS in 2013 had Mathew Barzal and Noah Hanifin ranked second and third in their two-year Draft prognosis, ahead of eventual second overall pick Jack Eichel. From a Flyers' standpoint, it is notable that ISS ranked Travis Konecny 16th and Ivan Provorov 17th.
2) The Guelph Storm have named Flyers 2017 second-round pick Isaac Ratcliffe as their new captain for the 2018-19 season. Although his draft-plus-one progress may not have been as dramatic as that of OHL MVP runner-up Morgan Frost, Ratcliffe in his own right took some big strides forward this past season.
Ratcliffe came along at a slow-but-steady pace over the first half of the season, then his offensive game took off like a rocket down the stretch and he carried it over into the playoffs. You could see his confidence hit a new level. He's started to develop a shoot-first mentality and also figuring out what his huge frame can do. There are still areas of his game that need refinement, especially without the puck, but he's really come a long way from his draft year season to where he was by the time Guelph got knocked out of the playoffs.
Statistically, Ratcliffe produced 41 goals and 68 points in 67 games for the Storm during the regular season with much of the production weighted toward the second half of the season. He then had a strong first-round playoff series in a losing cause, compiling five goals and nine points in six games.
Following the Storm's playoff elimination, Ratcliffe joined the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the final two games of the American Hockey League regular season -- scoring a tip-in goal in his pro hockey debut. He was with the team for a portion of the Calder Cup playoffs.
3) Today in Flyers History: Over the course of his colorful NHL, WHA and minor league career, the late Reggie "the Ruffian" Fleming took on all comers as one of the most willing fighters of his era. A frequent foe during his time with the New York Rangers, Fleming became a Flyer on June 6, 1969 when the Flyers acquired him from Rangers in exchange for Leon Rochefort and Don Blackburn. Fleming dressed in 65 games for the Flyers in 1969-70, posting 134 penalty minutes and 27 points (nine goals, 18 assists). A fan favorite during his short time in Philadelphia, the Flyers lost him in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft after he was claimed by the Buffalo Sabres.
4) Trek Bicycles has signed on as the official bike sponsor of the 2018 Toyota Flyers Charity Classic. The captain of the Ides of Marsh team, Brad Marsh, will be giving away a free brand new Trek FX2 bike to a member of the team via a random drawing. All Ides of Marsh team members are automatically eligible to win. In total, there will be five prizes given away, including Flyers tickets, jerseys and memorabilia.
Here is how it works: Everyone who is currently registered for the Ides of Marsh will be entered into the draw. Likewise, everyone who registers prior to July 6 will also be registered in the draw, and anyone who refers new registrants will receive an additional per-person entry for the prizes with no limit.
Deadline for entries is July 6 at midnight. Another incentive: When registering as an Ides of Marsh member, use promo code IDESOFMARSH and you will receive a $10 discount off of your registration fee. To register,
click here.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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