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Wednesday, November 8, 2000
Philadelphia Flyers
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First Round Picks: No. 28
1999-2000 Record: 45-25-12 (3), 105 points (3rd overall)
What they need
An offensive defenseman could be a need here (though Andy Delmore has shown flashes) as well
as some depth to a forward corps that includes a number of players over 30 and the oft-injured and perhaps out of Philly
(via trade or retirement) Eric Lindros.
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HOMEGROWN FLYERS
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Flyers draftees who played over 20 games with Philadelphia in 1999-00: (All stats with Flyers) |
| Name (drafted) |
GP |
G-A-Pts |
Chris Therien
(47th in '90) |
80 |
4-9-13 |
Simon Gagne
(22nd in '98) |
80 |
20-28-48 |
Mikael Renberg
(40th in '90) Traded to PHO |
62 |
8-21-29 |
Brian Boucher
(22nd in '95) |
35 |
20-10-3, 1.91 |
In their system
A potential sleeper at the right wing position is Vaclav Pletka (208th overall in '99). He comes off
a season with Czech League club Trinec in which he had 28 goals and 49 points (as well as 72 PIM's) in 51 games. At
center, Tomas Divisek (195th overall in '98) had a solid year for the AHL's Philadelphia Phantoms, scoring 18 goals and
49 points in 59 games. However, the Phantoms' top four point men all fall under the "veteran minor leaguer" category --
Mike Maneluk, Mark Greig, Steve Washburn, and Peter White (though, White and Greig saw significant ice time with the Flyers late in the season and in the playoffs).
Another European forward of note is left wing David Nystrom (224th
overall in '99), who had 12 goals and 22 points in 32 games for Troja in the Swedish League. On the blueline, Jason
Beckett (42nd overall in '98) was a rugged presence for Seattle (WHL), racking up 183 PIM's, as well as 18 points, in
70 games for the Thunderbirds.
Also of note among Flyer defense prospects is Mikhail Chernov (103rd overall in '97).
With the Phantoms in 1999-2000, he had 16 points (10 G, 6 A) and 54 PIM's in 67 games, as well as a solid +14 rating.
Recent draft history
The Flyers have used five of the last eight first round selections they've made on forwards (the exceptions were goaltenders Brian Boucher in '95 and Maxime Ouellet in '99). However, of those six forwards, only Simon Gagne is still Flyer property. Of the other four, two were members of '99 playoff teams -- Mike Ricci ('90) with San
Jose and Peter Forsberg ('91) with Colorado.
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FIRST-ROUND SELECTIONS (LAST FIVE YEARS)
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| YEAR |
PICK |
PLAYER |
POS. |
'99 TEAM |
'99 G-A-Pts |
| 1999 |
22 |
Maxime Ouellet |
G |
Quebec (QMJHL) |
31-16-4, 2.67 |
| 1998 |
22 |
Simon Gagne |
C |
Philadelphia (NHL) |
20-28-48 |
| 1996 |
15 |
Dainius Zubrus |
RW |
Montreal (NHL) |
14-28-42 |
| 1995 |
22 |
Brian Boucher |
G |
Philadelphia (NHL) |
20-10-3, 1.91 |
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ALSO SEE
Flyers' first-round history
Team needs: New Jersey Devils
Team Needs: New York Islanders
Team needs: New York Rangers
Team needs: Pittsburgh Penguins
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