Reschny's performance vs. 2024 top prospect should have Flyers' eye in first round originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The 2025 NHL draft is a huge one for the Flyers’ rebuild.
Not only does Danny Briere have a lot of high-round picks at his disposal, but he also could be creative in how he uses them.
“There are all kinds of possibilities here,” the Flyers’ general manager said in April. “I think it’s really exciting going into it. It’s powerful to have so many picks like that. I think a lot of teams will be wanting to have discussions with us to make some things happen — teams that don’t have picks or teams that want to tweak things.”
So it’s a busy time for the Flyers leading up to the draft, which will be held June 27-28. The first round is Friday at 7 p.m. ET, while Rounds 2-7 are Saturday starting at noon ET.
“There are really good players in this draft,” TSN director of scouting Craig Button said May 27 in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “Maybe people say it’s not a good draft; I’m not buying it. I think this draft has got lots of good players.”
The Flyers are slotted to make 11 picks, including three first-rounders and four second-rounders. Their first-round selections will come at No. 6 (own pick), No. 22 (Sean Walker trade) and either No. 31 or 32 (Oilers trade).
Before the draft arrives, we’re breaking down first-round targets for the Flyers.
Next up:
Cole Reschny
Position: Center
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 180
Shoots: Left
Team: Victoria
Scouting report
Despite being a smaller forward, Reschny is adept at going to the hard areas or attacking open ice to make plays.
As a pass-first guy, he racked up 92 points (26 goals, 66 assists) over 62 regular-season games for a Royals team that went 40-17-11 in 2024-25. He also had a plus-42 rating and won 56.4 percent of his faceoffs.
“I think he’s a two-way all day long, I think he would be an excellent second-line center,” Button, a former NHL GM and scout, said. “He can put up points, he can play defense, he can be on the penalty kill.”
Reschny is slotted as the 13th-best player in the draft on Button’s list. What surely caught the eye of NHL clubs was his prolific run in the WHL playoffs. And who it came against.
The 18-year-old center delivered 25 points (nine goals, 16 assists) in just 11 games and went toe to toe with Berkly Catton during the second round. Catton, a big-time scorer down the middle, was the eighth overall pick by the Kraken last summer. Reschny gave him a battle.
“When you get to the point of evaluating them in the playoffs and you see what he did, it’s not the NHL, but there’s a semblance,” Button said. “You get to watch him play and how he handles playing against a top player that’s going to be an NHL player. Well, now you get an opportunity to evaluate closer to what it could look like in the NHL for Cole Reschny.”
Catton had 14 points (three goals, 11 assists) as his Spokane club came back from a 2-1 series deficit to beat Victoria in six games. Reschny finished the series with 13 points (five goals, eight assists).
“This playoffs, showing what he can do against a really top player in Berkly Catton,” Button said, “I think it gives NHL teams more confidence that, boy, this guy’s a good player.”
Reschny will have to fend off the undersized concerns and eventually prove he can score consistently against pros. But his quickness and instincts in tight spaces are promising.
He’s ranked at No. 25 overall on EliteProspects.com and is the 25th-rated North American skater by NHL Central Scouting.
“I think that his brainpower is big, his competitive level is big,” Button said. “When you have a player that can do so many different things in the game and do it well, they’re not easy to find.”
Fit with Flyers
If Reschny is available within the range of No. 22, he’d be a real solid pick for the Flyers.
He can scale a lineup, which is appealing, and he’d have the chance to help fill an organizational void at center. Reschny and Jett Luchanko would give the Flyers back-to-back playmaking pivots in the first round. While both are not big and have second-line upside, the more options a team has, the better.
“Everybody thinks it’s easy to find a second-line center,” Button said. “No, it isn’t.”
More targets
• Hagens is ‘Matt Duchene type of player’ who could be on Flyers’ radar at No. 6
• Flyers would probably love if Barkov-like prospect is available at No. 6
• ‘Fascinating,’ 6-foot-5 center has tons of intrigue for Flyers at No. 6
• Younger brother of Flyers prospect is ‘complete’ center and option at No. 6
• ‘David Krejci-like’ center with plenty of upside would give Flyers good decision
• Could a 6-foot-6, ‘just blossoming’ defenseman be a fit for Flyers at No. 6?
• Will Flyers grab prospect with ‘really, really unique’ combination at No. 6?