Starting this Monday, we’re launching Mock Draft Monday, where we will go through a variety of mock drafts leading up to the 2026 NHL Draft.
For the first Mock Draft Monday, we are starting something simple: who should the Flyers draft at 21st?
While drafting in higher positions, selecting the best player available tends to outrank need, unless the talent is nearly even. This year, the Flyers will be selecting in the middle of the draft, where the best player available is not always the plan.
If the Flyers were to select based on need, it would pretty much be anyone but a winger. More specifically, they would draft a center, a physical defenseman, or a power-play quarterback, both ideally left-shots.
Unless Ethan Belchetz (LW, Windsor), who is my most slept on player in this draft class, magically falls to 21, I would avoid all wingers like the plague for the Flyers in the draft, unless they see a path to that player being a center, which is unlikely. So, expect centers and defensemen to be the main focus.
As for the centers, I would expect Tynan Lawrence, Oliver Suvanto, Viggo Bjork, and Alex Command, who was a riser from U18’s, all to be well off the board by the time the Flyers pick rolls around. I’d even expect JP Hurlbert to be selected before the Flyers have the chance to make a pick.
That would put guys like Yegor Shilov, Jack Hextall, Ilya Morozov, Maddox Dagenais, Ryan Roobroeck, and Brooks Rogowski in range for the Flyers.
For defensemen, the future 1D possible players will all be gone in the top-10: Chase Reid, Keaton Verhoff, Carson Carels, Alberts Smits, and even Malte Gustafsson and Dax Rudolf. After that, there is a significant drop, and the next tier would fall right in the Flyers’ lap. Xavier Villeneuve, Ryan Lin, Juho Piiparinen, and William Hakansson.
The burning question for the Flyers becomes about what’s more important? Do they draft another Middle-6 likely center, or do the Flyers chase after the future of their power play?
Shilov and Hextall are two of my favorite players who could be realistic possibilities for the Flyers. The size of Roobroeck and Rogowski will certainly make you wonder about a potential reach. However, I think the Flyers will chase after a power-play solution instead.
If both remain on the board, which they should, the Flyers will pick between Villeneuve, LHD, and Ryan Lin, RHD. Both are “undersized” defensemen, though 5’11” really isn’t THAT small. Both bring power-play experience. But ultimately, one player is much better than the other in regard to the offensive/power-play ability, and that should make the Flyers’ choice clear.
Read More: Earn Your Time: How the Flyers Rookies Stuck Around This Season
Flyers Pick No. 21: Xavier Villeneuve, LHD, Blainville-Broisband Armada (QMJHL) (Boston U. Commit)
Villeneuve’s 2025-26 Stats: 37 GP, 6 G, 32 A, 38 TP
Xavier Villeneuve would be the perfect player for the Flyers at the 21st overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Villeneuve is an offensive-minded defenseman with a growing bag of defensive tools. He had shown improvement with his stick defensively, but teams won’t draft him for his defensive ability.
Throughout his time with Blainville in the Q, Villeneuve was used in a unique role as a third-pair defenseman until the team needed a goal. All of a sudden, he was elevated to the top pair, playing with the team’s best defenseman and top forwards. Villeneuve also quarterbacked a power-play unit, and did so successfully.
His vision and playmaking are exceptional for a defenseman. He is great at moving the puck when it’s on his stick, and he has a knack for finding teammates with stretch passes. His shooting abilities won’t blow you away, but they’re still on the above-average side, and with some added strength, could get better.
Villeneuve is a smooth skater, which helps him in both zones. He can keep up and defend the rush well. He takes good angles, and again, improved with his stick defensively.
I have read many player comparisons for Villeneuve, and the most common one is the one that I see when watching him play: Lane Hutson. Huston also happens to be Villenueve’s favorite player. Villenueve will also join Flyers prospects Jack Murtagh and Carter Amico at Boston University this fall, Hutson’s former team.
Amico may just be the perfect big, mobile, physical defenseman to partner with Villenueve on the blueline.
Cam Robinson of Elite Prospects says Boston University can give him what he describes as the “Hutson treatment”.
Now, the downside of Villeneuve. As mentioned earlier, he is 5’11”, so that would add another undersized, offensive-minded defenseman to the mix of Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, and Emil Andrae. I mentioned his defensive improvement earlier, but there are some consistency issues with that.
If Villenueve were a little more consistent, really on both sides of the puck, he’d be a surefire top-15 pick, and maybe in the Dax Rudolph category rather than the 20’s range. Instead, he finds himself in the early 20’s.
The thing with Villenueve is that he still won’t check off the Flyers’ need for another top-pair defenseman. At best, he’ll be a second-pair guy, with his peak value on the power-play. Being a left-shot defenseman, I can envision a pair of Villeneuve and Oliver Bonk in the future for the Flyers.
A year with Jay Pandolfo at BU will be good for Villeneuve and his development. Playing against NCAA competition should help him find that consistency before joining the NHL. Villenueve will be 19 when the NCAA season begins.
Ultimately, I believe the Flyers could draft the next Lane Hutson and the future power-play QB by selecting Xavier Villeneuve with the 21st overall pick in the 2026 NHL Draft.
Read More: James: My Favorite Prospects For the Flyers in the 2026 NHL Draft
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