Philadelphia Flyers 2026 NHL Mock Draft 3.0: Staying the Course – The Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

The NHL landscape has never been louder, with blockbusters going down seemingly every few hours. But in this mock draft, I have the Philadelphia Flyers—who could use some boldness to expand on this past season’s success—staying the course. Here’s a look at each of their four picks:

Round 1, Pick 21: Jack Hextall, C, Youngstown Phantoms (USHL)

If the Flyers end up taking a player with their 21^st-overall pick, Jack Hextall seems like he’d be on their radar. The 6-foot-0.5, 195-pound center recorded 21 goals and 39 assists in 63 total games for the Youngstown Phantoms of the United States Hockey League (USHL) this past season.

While Hextall’s 60 points only ranked fourth on the Phantoms, which isn’t outstanding for a first-round prospect from the USHL, there are reasons to believe he has upside. The 18-year-old is a bet on completeness—an archetype that Flyers fans are probably sick of hearing, but one that is very much worth taking if it comes to fruition.

Hextall isn’t necessarily a big player, but he is strong on the forecheck. He’s willing to go to those harder areas and, in the process, sets up scoring chances for his teammates. The skill level here won’t really wow you, but Hextall could be a solid player when all is said and done. If the Flyers want to win championships, they need more of those.

Round 2, Pick 53: Ben MacBeath, D, Calgary Hitmen (WHL)

In his final mock draft, The Athletic‘s Scott Wheeler has Ben MacBeath falling to pick 56 (from ‘2026 NHL Mock Draft 3.0: Wheeler’s final predictions for the first 2 rounds,’ The Athletic, June 23, 2026). If the 6-foot-2, 196-pound defender is there, I think the Flyers might have interest—and rightfully so.

MacBeath is a strong skater with two-way upside. He recorded seven goals and 44 assists in 67 games for the Calgary Hitmen this past season, helping facilitate offense from the blue line. The Western Hockey League (WHL) isn’t exactly the most challenging environment, but MacBeath flashed top-four NHL upside. It won’t be easy for him to get there—it usually isn’t for second-rounders—but he’s worth betting on.

In the sixth round, the Flyers take Swedish defensive prospect Axel Brøngel-Larsson of Frölunda HC’s top junior team. The 6-foot-1, 194-pound blueliner, as The Hockey Writers‘ Andrew Epps notes, is a “physical, competitive defender… who plays a brand of defense that multiple scouts describe as ‘mean,’ including reverse hits, board pinning, and net-front box-outs.”

The consensus, it seems, is that Brøngel-Larsson has good mobility and plays a solid shutdown game. The offense didn’t really show out, recording nine goals and 10 assists in 51 regular-season and playoff games for Frölunda HC’s U20 squad. Still, for a sixth-round choice, you’ll take those traits. He’s set to play for the USHL Phantoms next season.

Round 7, Pick 213: Justin Graf, LW, Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (USHL)

The Flyers have made a habit of selecting overagers from the USHL in recent years (Cole Knuble and Noah Powell), so I have them tripling down by taking Cedar Rapids RoughRiders winger Justin Graf. The 18-year-old—who turns 19 in July—recorded 23 goals and 32 assists in 52 games in 2025-26. He is, as you may have guessed, the brother of San Jose Sharks breakout forward Collin Graf.

Justin, committed to Harvard University, lacks speed, but he’s decent with the puck and stronger along the boards than his listed 174-pound frame would suggest. This bet is a long shot, but he has some boom potential.

With only four picks this summer, the Flyers aren’t set to be major players at the 2026 NHL Draft. But if Rasmus Ristolainen or even Owen Tippett get moved, that could certainly change. The Orange and Black will be interesting to monitor over the next few days.