Matthew Gard, 18, was the 57th overall selection in the second round of the 2025 NHL Entry Draft by the Philadelphia Flyers.
On the back end of a deal made with the Seattle Kraken, Daniel Brière sent the 36th and 68th overall picks for 38th and 57th, choosing another C. Brière chose Gard a spot ahead of Jack Ivankovic.
Gard is 6’5″ and 194lbs. He continued the run on power forwards by Brière and the Flyers at the 2025 NHL Entry Draft. As his size would suggest, Gard is a physical, forechecking forward who uses his frame to set himself up for scoring chances in the offensive zone. Overall, Philadelphia chose Gard at value according to scout evaluations.
Last season, in 66GP with the Red Deer Rebels in the WHL, Gard tallied 36P (19G, 17A). He added 4P (1G, 3A) in the U18 World Juniors, securing a gold medal with Canada. His work en route to a gold medal performance at the U18 World Juniors pulled him from a mid-early third-round pick to a late second-round option.
A defensive center, his usage in the defensive zone is a forward who keeps scoring chances to the outside, working to force low-percentage shots on goal. Good teams require solid depth. Solid defensive depth with a high motor always has a place in the Flyers’ system. That defines Gard. He had to defend often on a shoddy Rebels team.
Labeled for a bottom-six role in the NHL, Gard likely won’t develop the offense to elevate his ceiling once he gets his opportunity with Philadelphia. If Gard can break into the lineup, he’ll fit on the penalty kill.
There’s nothing flashy about Gard. He’s a reliable forward who wins at the faceoff dot and averaged a few takeaways per game last season with Red Deer. If he finds his offense, an NHL comparison could be Anthony Cirelli.
A new addition to the Flyers’ system, Gard joins Owen McLaughlin, Cole Knuble, Ryan MacPherson, Jack Berglund, Heikki Ruohonen, Nathan Quinn, Jack Murtagh, and Jack Nesbitt as the Cs on the reserve non-roster.
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