Assistant general manager Brent Flahr discusses the Flyers’ mindset going into the 2021 NHL draft in the age of COVID-19.
For the first time since 2017, the Flyers grabbed a goalie in the third round or higher of the NHL draft.
With their 2021 third-round selection, the club selected Belarusian netminder Aleksei Kolosov at 78th overall on Saturday.
Kolosov was the second-ranked European goalie by NHL Central Scouting and ended up being the third goalie taken in the draft. Top goalies Sebastian Cossa (15th overall to the Red Wings) and Jesper Wallstedt (20th overall to the Wild) went ahead of him.
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Current Flyers prospect Kirill Ustimenko, a fellow Belarusian, was taken in the third round of the 2017 draft. The year prior, the Flyers took Carter Hart in the second round, making him the first goalie selected in that draft.
The 19-year-old Kolosov played nine games in the KHL last season, going 3-5-1 with a 2.69 goals-against average, .911 save percentage and one shutout for Minsk.
Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said amateur scouts Ken Hoodikoff and Joakim Grundberg identified Kolosov early in Minsk and the club's staff stayed on him.
"They were really high on his athleticism," Flahr said Saturday. "He got to play a lot in the KHL as a young goalie, which is a rarity — and not only play, but play well and saw a lot of shots in tough situations. He's a talented guy, very athletic and a guy our goalie guys are confident they can mold into an NHL goalie. In the third round, it was certainly a pick that we were hoping to get him there and it worked out."
NHL
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The 6-foot-1, 185-pound Kolosov is set to play in the KHL for the 2021-22 season.
"He's a quality athlete and quality goaltending prospect," Flahr said. "If you look at the history, over the last five, 10 years, they've done a great job of developing goaltenders over there. We're in no rush with him, but we're obviously excited to have him as part of the group. We'll see how develops the next couple of years."
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