Flyers draft recap

The Philadelphia Flyers held the eighth overall pick and selected six prospects at the 2011 National Hockey League Entry Draft on Friday, June 24 and Saturday, June 25 at the Xcel Energy Center in Minnesota.

“I’m happy about our draft,” said Flyers general manager Paul Holmgren. “Obviously we have a big center in the first round that we all really like and with the guys we drafted from the third round to the seventh round we got bigger. We’ve added skill and competitiveness as well.”

In the first round on Friday, June 24, the Flyers selected highly-touted forward Sean Couturier with the eighth overall selection.

The Flyers had a total of five selections on Saturday, June 25 in rounds two through seven. All prospect information is listed below:

Round 1 (EIGHTH overall)
Sean Couturier, C, Drummondville - QMJHL

Round 3 (68th overall)
Nick Cousins, C, Sault Ste. Marie - OHL

Round 4 (116th overall)
Colin Suellentrop, D, Oshawa - OHL

Round 4 (118th overall)
Marcel Noebels, LW, Seattle - WHL

Round 6 (176th overall)
Petr Placek, RW, Hotchkiss HS - Connecticut

Round 7 (206th overall)
Derek Mathers, RW, Peterborough - OHL

FIRST Round – EIGHTH overall

Sean Couturier: Center (Drummondville – Quebec Major Junior Hockey League)

Born on December 7, 1992 in Phoenix, Arizona … 6’4’’, 197-pounds … Shoots left.

Couturier recorded 36 goals and 60 assists for 96 points in 58 regular season games with the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League this past season. He led the team in assists (60), tied for the team lead in points (96 – 4th in QMJHL) and finished second on the team in goals (36). He also led the club in plus/minus rating (+55 – 2nd in QMJHL), points-per-game (1.66), and tied for the team lead in short-handed goals (4).

Couturier led his team in the QMJHL playoffs with 11 points (6G-5A) in 10 games and was later named the QMJHL’s Most Valuable Player, the Top 2011 Draft Prospect and selected a First-Team All-Star.

In 2009-10, Couturier led the QMJHL in scoring with 96 points (41G-55A), becoming the first 17 year-old to lead the league in scoring since Sidney Crosby (Rimouski) in 2004-05. He also led the team with a plus/minus rating of +62.

Over the course of three seasons, all with Drummondville, Couturier has recorded 86 goals and 137 assists for 223 points in 184 regular season games, finishing with a career plus/minus mark of +141. He also recorded 37 points (17G-20A) in 43 career QMJHL playoff games.


THIRD Round – 68th overall

Nick Cousins: Center (Sault Ste. Marie – Ontario Hockey League)

Born on July 20, 1993 in Belleville, Ontario … 5’10’’, 166-pounds … Shoots left.

Cousins recently completed his second season of junior hockey. He recorded 29 goals and 39 assists for 68 points in 68 regular season games, more than doubling his totals from his rookie season. Cousins led his team in goals (29) and power-play goals (12), and ranked second in both assists (39) and overall points (68).

“He’s an energy player. Good skills, speed and just a highly competitive kid,” said Holmgren. “He’s one of those guys that gets underneath the other team’s skin a little bit too.”

In two full seasons with the Greyhounds, Cousins has recorded 100 points (40G-60A) in 135 games.


FOURTH Round – 116th overall

Colin Suellentrop: Defenseman (Oshawa – Ontario Hockey League)

Born on June 10, 1993 in Plantation, Florida … 6’1’’, 193-pounds … Shoots right.

Suellentrop completed his second season in the OHL with the Generals where he recorded 14 points, all assists, 70 penalty minutes and a plus/minus rating of +21 in 59 regular season games. In his two seasons of play, he has compiled 20 points (1G-19A) and 144 penalty minutes in 113 regular season games.

FOURTH Round – 118th overall

Marcel Noebels: Left Wing (Seattle – Western Hockey League)

Born on March 14, 1994 in Toenisvorst, Germany … 6’2’’, 195-pounds … Shoots left.

In his first season of play in North America, Noebels recorded 28 goals and 26 assists for 54 points in 66 games for the Thunderbirds. He finished second on the team in goals (28) and third in points (54).

“Marcel is obviously a great, big kid with good hands,” said Holmgren. “He’s a hard-working kid who wants to play in the NHL. I know he’s been telling a lot of people he wants to be a Flyer.”

Noebels also represented Germany at the 2011 World Junior Championships, recording three points (1G-2A) in seven games, and at the 2009 World Under-18 Championships.

SIXTH Round – 176th overall

Petr Placek: Right Wing (Hotchkiss High School – Connecticut)

Born on December 28, 1992 in Slany, Czech Republic … 6’4’’, 210-pounds … Shoots right.

Placek played just seven games for Hotchkiss High School in Connecticut, recording seven goals and six assists for 13 points in that span. He is also committed to play for Harvard University in the Fall of 2011.

“He’s a projection right now,” said Holmgren. “Another big kid with good skill and is a decent skater right now. When you draft a guy and you know he’s going to college, you get all of those years to watch him.”


SEVENTH Round – 206th overall

Derek Mathers: Right Wing (Peterborough – Ontario Hockey League)

Born on August 4, 1993 in Strathroy, Ontario … 6’3’’, 226-pounds … Shoots right.

In his first season of play in the OHL, Mathers recorded five points (1G-4A) and 171 penalty minutes in 55 games for the Peterborough Petes.