It’s no surprise that defense and goaltending wins championships. It is surprising, however, that eight of the top 10 picks and 13 in the first round of the 2012 NHL Draft were defensemen – tying a record.
It also isn’t a surprise that the Philadelphia Flyers need to bolster their blueline and the closer it got to their first round pick, 20th overall, it seemed like a no-brainer that they would go after a D-man.
The Flyers made a surprise of their own when they selected Scott Laughton, a 6-foot, 177-pound center.
Laughton is just 18 and most likely at least two years away from being NHL ready but scouts have compared him to none other than Mike Richards. Like Richards, Laughton is a considered to be a skilled two-way forward who can kill penalties, has great hockey sense and even though he isn’t entirely big, plays big.
Last season, Laughton scored 21 goals, 53 points and racked up 101 penalty minutes with Oshawa in the OHL.
Many people are baffled as to why the Flyers would take a player that was projected by many to not be drafted until the second round, especially when they have an abundance of young forwards.
The Flyers, however, obviously love players that are able to play the game like Richards, often comparing Brayden Schenn and Sean Couturier to the former captain.
While they didn’t select a D-man as everybody expected, Laughton fits right into the Flyers’ mold. Should be interesting to see how the Flyers plan on filling up the holes on the blueline.