QUICK HITS: JUNE 1, 2018
1) With the calendar flipping to June, we are now 22 days away from the first round of the 2018 NHL Draft and exactly one month from the start of the NHL's free agency season. In the weeks to come, we will look at a number of potential candidates -- both oft-mentioned names and some potential sleeper candidates -- for the 14th and 19th overall picks of the first round of the Draft. After Draft weekend, during which time there are often trades made in addition to the entry draft itself, the attention will shift over to the free agent pool.
2) One of the big late-risers on the 2018 Draft pool is Russian right winger Vitali Kravtsov. The 6-foot-2, 183-pound forward for the KHL's Traktor Chelyabinsk divided the 2017-18 regular season between the junior, minor league and KHL (35 GP, 4G, 7 PTS) levels but established himself as a regular at Russia's top level as the season progressed and, with sharply increasing ice time, went on to have one of the best playoff runs offensively (six goals, 11 points in 16 GP) of any young player in league history.
Scouting report-wise, Kravtsov's upside if he develops as expected is to become a top-six caliber forward in the NHL. He has a plus skater with an above-average first stride and good hands. He is not a defensively liability even at this point but has potential to improve in that area as he gains experience.
A late-year birthday player, Kravtsov will turn 19 on Dec. 23. Having already aged out of eligibility for the Russian Under-18 national team, he played a handful of games for the national U20 team and is a candidate for the World Junior Championships next year.
It was during the KHL playoffs this spring when Kravtsov's name started to rocket up the charts to mid first-round projections. Even in some final rankings, he is still rated outside first-round range. ISS did not have Kravtsov in its top 31. Bob McKenzie had him ranked 15th. NHL Central Scouting rated him the No. 3 European skater and top forward (ranked in the top spot below Swedish defensemen Rasmus Dahlin and Adam Boqvist).
There was wide enough exposure of Kravtsov both within Russia and internationally for NHL teams to feel comfortable in the number of viewings, although Czech winger Martin Kaut (also ranked in similar range in many projections) played a lot more high-profile U20 international games this past season.
While his big playoff no doubt bolstered his NHL Draft candidacy, the organization that selects Kravtsov will be one that is intrigued not only by his physical tools but also pleased with his overall body of work so far and not just a scoring surge over a limited sampling. There are some lower-risk picks in the Draft pool in 10-20 range and several with comparable or even superior offensive upside in a best-case development scenario but who also have much smaller frames than Kravtsov.
3) The first offseason edition of the FlyerBuzz podcast on Flyers Radio 24/7 should be available for
online listening within the next day or so. Topics covered in this edition include a wrapup to the Phantoms season, wrapping up the CHL playoffs from a Flyers prospect standpoint, NHL expansion, and much more.
Shortly before the Draft, Brian and I will have a Draft Preview podcast for Flyers Radio 24/7. We are also planning coverage during Draft weekend itself after the Flyers make their selections. We will, of course, also touch upon any NHL-level transactions the Flyers make over Draft weekend.
Side note: Walking into Brian's office yesterday, it was hard not to notice propped up near the wall a large metal gate with a Spectrum logo. Brian confirmed that what I was looking at was, indeed, the infamous Holmgren-Cashman gate that was installed in 1977 to separate the Flyers and the visiting team after an on-ice altercation between Paul Holmgren and Boston's Wayne Cashman turned into a hallway brawl after the combatants left the ice.
The gate had originally been preserved at Xfinity Live at the Spectrum Grille but after the changeover to 1100 Social, the gate was relegated to a pile of stuff designated for recycling or disposal. Brian rescued it and is in temporary custody of it until the Flyers figure out a new, more permanent destination for it.
Nowaadays at the Wells Fargo Center, there is no gate to forcibly separate the clubs, nor a need for one. There's just a doorway down the hall. Most of the time, after games, players on the two teams mingle and chat amiably.
4) Biking enthusiasts who are Flyers fans: Join Brad Marsh on for a ride on Sunday June 3rd, starting at 9 a.m. EDT. He will be at the Trek Store in West Chester PA to ride in their weekly shop ride and, hopefully, recruit some new members for the
Ides of Marsh team at the 2018 Toyota Flyers Charity Classic. Brad will announce a special sign-up incentive exclusive to Ides of Marsh registrants.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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