2022 NHL Draft: Flyers pick Cutter Gauthier 5th overall pick

Cutter Gauthier saw his stocks soar up to the No. 5 Flyers.

The Flyers snagged the big forward fifth overall in Thursday night’s 2022 NHL draft at the Bell Center in Montreal.

The 6-foot-2, 200-pounder is en route to Boston College and wants to play center at the next level.

Gauthier can find and facilitate the back of the net as he finished second in the U.S. National Team Development Program under-18 squad with 34 goals in 54 games in 2021-22. He also racked up 31 assists and had a Plus 33 rating.

He was considered a rising star by various design experts.

Center Shane Wright, considered by many pundits to be the pick of the draft, almost slipped to the 5th pick on the Flyers. The Kraken took him in 4th place.

The Flyers had an opportunity to take on 6-foot-3 right-footed defenseman David Jiricek, considered by some to be the best blueliner in the draft. The Czech-born went off the board as the next pick to the Blue Jackets. He was the second drafted defender. Simon Nemec was the first to go to the Devils in 2nd place.

Gauthier was the third-picked North American skater by NHL Central Scouting and was rated fifth overall by TSN’s Bob McKenzie.

He’s a left winger but wants to play center ice for Boston College.

“There are some scouts who think he could be in the league as early as 2022-23, but it would be okay if he spent more time developing in college, especially since he needs more reps at center,” Chris wrote Peters from DailyFaceoff.com last month.

Gauthier’s size, center and scoring elements clearly intrigued the Flyers. The club hadn’t taken many pivots in the past three years. It needed more center talent and scoring ability in its system.

Gauthier possesses a gentle but powerful skating stride. He has the potential to protect the puck and score.

The 18-year-old was born in Sweden while his father Sean Gauthier played professionally in the country.

The 2022 draft is the fourth of the Flyers under general manager Chuck Fletcher and assistant general manager Brent Flahr. The club picked defender Cam York 14th overall in 2019 and winger Tyson Foerster 23rd overall in 2020. Last summer, Fletcher traded the Flyers’ first-round pick to the Sabers in exchange for Rasmus Ristolainen.

The last time the Flyers had a top-five pick was in 2017, when they improbably rose from 13th place to No. 2 overall. They had a 2.4 percent chance of second pick this summer and landed it by picking Nolan Patrick of the WHL.

Day 2 of the 2022 draft is Friday and concludes with Rounds 2-7 (11 a.m. ET/NHL Network).

Here are the remaining tips from the Flyers:

• third round – No. 69 overall
• fourth round – No. 101 overall
• Fifth Round – No. 133 overall
• sixth round – No. 165 overall
• seventh round — No. 197 overall

Fletcher was asked last week if the Flyers were actively seeking a second-round pick.

“Yes, definitely,” he said. “I think the priority is to make sure we do well with our first pick. If we still get a great first round pick and find a way to get a second round pick or get another player, get another prospect or something, sure. But I think that’s secondary when you actually look at the top end of the design.

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