With the Stanley Cup Final starting on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Flyers – and the other 29 non-playing teams – are preparing for the NHL Entry Draft, which is set to kick off in Buffalo on the 26th of June.
After qualifying for the playoffs and then advancing to the second round, the Flyers will be in uncharted waters with the 21st overall selection in the draft. Since their last playoff appearance, the Flyers’ latest first round pick was 22nd overall, when they selected Oliver Bonk in 2023 with the second of two picks in the round.
It’s widely accepted that the Flyers desperately need to address their centre depth this year. With the free agent pool being very shallow and trade options to be determined, their next best bet is to find one during the draft.
What will help them out is that the top-end of the draft is populated by wingers and defensemen. Barring a trade up into the mushy middle, the Flyers should be able to find a solid centre prospect in the early 20s from Alexander Command, Maddox Dagenais, or Ilya Morozov.
Alexander Command
Command hails from Sweden and stands in at 6’1” and 185 pounds. The left-handed shooting centre spent his draft season for the Örebro HK U20 team where he tallied 17 goals and 44 points in 30 games, before adding an additional 13 points in 14 playoff games.
The 17-year-old is a solid two-way centre, which is something the Flyers always seem to covet, and he plays with a physical edge. He can skate well, has a good shot and release, and he’s not afraid to get into the dirty areas.
Overall there’s a lot to like about his game, there doesn’t seem to be too many weaknesses, and it should be viewed as a safe pick, akin to Bonk when he was drafted in 2023. His ceiling might not have been the highest but the Flyers believed he would turn into a solid player at his position, which is something Command can relate to.
Dauton Reimer – The Hockey Writers – March 25th: “In a similar vein to Suvanto is Alexander Command, who has thrived this season while playing a physical, two-way game mainly in the U20 Nationell league in Sweden. He is excellent at winning battles and getting the puck to his teammates, and he uses his strength and vision to drive to the inside, pushing past opponents to create space and scoring opportunities.”
Jason Bukala – Sportsnet – March 17th: “Command is flat out a “hockey player”. He doesn’t have any holes in his game, but he’s also not exceptionally elite in any one category. I value his consistency and the fact he can be deployed in all situations and on any line. Coaches love these kinds of trustworthy prospects.”
Command is someone that can jump up the rankings should a team specifically target a centre. He is ranked 9th by Sportsnet’s Jason Bukala, 13th by TSN’s Craig Button, but also 21st by Dobber Prospects and 26th by Consolidated Rankings.
He did have a very good showing at this year’s World Junior Championship, where he scored 3 goals and 7 points in 7 games en route to a gold medal – playing alongside Flyers’ prospect and Team Sweden captain Jack Berglund.
After a solid season with Örebro in the U20 Nationell, Command could climb his way up to the SHL sometime during the 2026-27 season.
Maddox Dagenais
Dagenais stands in at 6’4” and 196 pounds, hailing from Montreal and plays for the Québec Remparts of the QMJHL.
The 18-year-old improved from his 12 goals and 26 points in 43 games last year to the tune of 30 goals and 62 points in as many games. The left-handed centre also added 3 goals and 6 points in 11 playoff games.
The QMJHL has lost a bit of notoriety in recent years after having been one of the better junior developmental leagues in the past. It’s a league that features a lot of offense that hasn’t necessarily translated well to the professional ranks but Dagenais could be an outlier to the rule.
Similar to Command, Dagenais is known to be a 2-way player who is responsible on and off the puck. He plays into his large stature, doesn’t shy away from the physicality, and gets into the dirty areas of the ice, which is something that head coach Rick Tocchet would certainly appreciate.
His ceiling is ultra high, he’s not overly flashy, but Dagenais fits the bill of what you’re looking for in a middle-six centre. He has the size and physicality that you want from your centre on the second or third line, he can score goals, but he’s also safe in that he won’t make too many mistakes.
Scott Wheeler – The Athletic – March 17th: “Dagenais is a strong center who, at his best, stays around and on the puck and shows confidence holding and shooting it. When he’s engaged, going to the net, winning board battles and stacking positive shifts, he looks like a future middle-sixer NHLer who’s going to score 20 goals. He has good skill.”
Peter Baracchini – The Hockey Writers – March 10th: “He has a lethal shot with great power and accuracy doing a lot of damage from far out. He’s physical and can push his way to the middle effectively while also getting the inside track along the boards to win puck battles. His energy and presence will make him an effective middle-six player.”
As is the case with every draft, there are a lot of prospects who jump up the rankings as we approach the first round, and Dagenais is someone who has garnered some extra attention. A lot of NHL front offices are looking for centres and the Montreal native fits the bill. Add in a sneaky good shot and Dagenais could be a steal in the latter half of the first round.
He hasn’t entirely lived up to the hype that allowed him to be drafted first overall in the QMJHL draft in 2024, but he has shown flashes, and it’ll be interesting to see if he can put it all together in 2026-27 when he rejoins the Remparts.
Dagenais also plays alongside Flyers prospect Nathan Quinn, who finished first in scoring for the Remparts in 2025-26 with 34 goals and 73 points. Dagenais was right behind him with 62 points and no one player eclipsed 50.
Ilya Morozov
In contrast to Command and Dagenais, Morozov isn’t exclusively a centre but is listed as one heading into the draft. His Elite Prospects page lists him as simply a forward but there’s a lot to like from the Moscow native.
Born and raised in Russia, Morozov moved to Chicago when he was 14 years and old and has been a mainstay in North America ever since. The 17-year-old played for the Tri-City Storm of the USHL in 2024-25, where he scored 22 points in 59 games, before committing to Miami (Ohio) University in 2025.
With Miami, Morozov scored 8 goals and 20 points in 36 games. He stands in at 6’3” and 200 pounds and could be a key piece down the middle for the Flyers for years to come, especially with fellow Russian Matvei Michkov in the picture.
If there’s one slight in Russian hockey, it’s that they haven’t produced too many top flight centres in decades. Equipped with amazing wingers in Kirill Kaprizov, Nikita Kucherov, Alexander Ovechkin, and Artemi Panarin, they don’t have much to show for it down the middle outside of Evegni Kuznetsov and Evgeni Malkin.
Growing up, Morozov took to hockey after the 2014 Winter Olympics that took place in his native country. He acknowledged that watching the Sochi Olympics got him really into the sport and he has taken off ever since.
Steven Ellis – Daily Faceoff – April 14th: “At 6-foot-3 and over 200 pounds, he’s a big center who commands respect. He put up solid numbers on a team that didn’t have a ton of big-time firepower to work with. I also like his confidence and the way he’s always looking to make a pass, even through traffic.”
Dauton Reimer – The Hockey Writers – March 25th: “Few can match Ilia Morozov’s work ethic. His game isn’t perfect, but his willingness to engage with every opportunity he’s given has helped make him a more well-rounded player this season. He’s now frequently making a positive impact every time he steps on the ice and is consistently showing strong problem-solving skills.”
Scott Wheeler – The Athletic – March 17th: “He’s a natural catch-and-release shooter off the rush as well and plays in and out of space well. Morozov’s stride is a little upright, but he moves well enough for his size, is a willing forechecker and sees the ice well both offensively and to anticipate defensively.”
The youngster is one of the younger prospects heading into the draft, which only means that he’ll be growing into his stature over the next coming years. He brings with him an interesting combination of size, physicality, and skill and the added bonus of his nationality could be exactly what the Flyers are looking for.
Morozov is a fan of Aleksander Barkov and Leon Draisaitl, which is a good indication of who he’s trying to mimic. Sportsnet’s Sam Consentino has him as high as 18th, Bukala has him ranked 24th, and Button has him 25th, which should put him on the Flyers’ radar.
Barring an off-the-board selection or a trade, the Flyers are going to select a really good prospect this year. The can look to kill two birds with one stone is drafting a centre that should fall into their lap with 21st overall pick.
There’s going to be a lot of competition for Command Dagenais, and Morozov, but it’s a loaded draft and there’s a lot of good prospects to go around. There aren’t too many centres outside of Caleb Malhotra, Tynan Lawrence, and Oliver Suvanto, so it will be interesting to see if some teams prioritize team needs over best player available to select any of the three prospects.
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