There are only six teams in the NHL that are older than the Philadelphia Flyers, and the Flyers have a storied history to say the least. This also applies to the draft, where the Flyers have had some down times draft-wise, but they have also had some good ones.
Which are the best draft classes in team history? Below are some of the most notable picks from each class.
1969 NHL Draft
Bobby Clarke, C
Objectively, Bobby Clarke is the greatest player in the history of the Flyers franchise. He played in 1,144 career games with the Flyers, scoring 358 goals and 852 assists for a total of 1,210 points. As Philadelphia captain from the 1972-73 season through the 1975-76 season, Clarke won three Hart Trophies and won Stanley Cups in both 1974 and 1975.
Clark has decades of experience in the Flyers front office and remains one of the most influential figures in franchise history both on and off the ice. Since he retired, no one has matched his success on the ice.
Dave Schultz, LW
Dave Schultz is arguably one of the greatest enforcers of all time, despite only having 535 NHL games under his belt. In the 1970s, with the Broad Street Bullies, he led the league in penalty minutes for three consecutive seasons from 1972-1975 and set a single-season penalty minutes record with 472 minutes in 1974-1975. He terrorized his rivals and scored 200 points.
Don Saleski, R.W.
Don Saleski played an intense role for the Flyers and also contributed points. He spent most of his 543-game career with Philadelphia, scoring 128 goals, 125 assists, 253 points and 629 penalty minutes.
1972 NHL Draft
Bill Barber, LW
Besides Clark, Bill Barber is the only player to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame after playing his entire career with the Flyers. He was a key member of the Flyers' Stanley Cup championship team, recording a team-leading 420 goals, 463 assists and 883 points in 903 games. His best season came in 1975-76, when he recorded 50 goals, 62 assists and 112 points in 80 games.
Tom Brayden, RD
Tom Braydon was another key member of the Flyers' back-to-back Stanley Cup wins. While he didn't play a comparable role to Clarke or Barber, he did play a two-way role on defense. He recorded 73 goals, 197 assists and 270 points in 610 games during his career, mostly with the Flyers.
Jimmy Watson, LD
Arguably the best defenseman the Flyers have ever drafted, Jimmy Watson contributed greatly to the Flyers' championship run, even if he didn't necessarily have the numbers to back that up. The talented defender recorded 38 goals and 148 assists for 186 points in 613 games with Philadelphia and was a five-time All-Star.
Al Macadam, R.W.
Al McAdam was a Flyers draft pick but only played five games with the franchise. However, he had a fantastic career. At the height of his career, he recorded 42 goals and 51 assists for 93 points in 80 games in 1979-1980, the same season he won the Bill Masterton Trophy with the Minnesota North Stars. In his career, he recorded 240 goals, 351 assists for 591 points in 864 games.
1979 NHL Draft
Brian Propp, LW
Brian Propp was a star for the Flyers throughout the 1980s. In 790 games in the Orange and Black, he finished as the franchise's fourth-leading points scorer with 369 goals and 480 assists for 849 points. A member of the 1,000-point club, Propp was also a bargain for Philadelphia as the 14th overall pick.
Pelle Lindbergh, G
Pelle Lindbergh only spent five seasons in the NHL, but had a stellar career. He played in the NHL from age 22 to 26, compiling a .887 save percentage (SV%), 3.31 goals against average, 55.1 saves above average (GSAA) and a record of 87 wins, 49 losses and 15 ties in 157 games.
Related: Remembering Pelle Lindbergh
Being a goalie in the 1980s wasn't easy, but Lindberg was one of the best in the NHL. In 1984-1985, he won the Vezina Trophy with a league-leading 40 wins and a 47.4 GSAA total, the 18th highest in history. He also had an .899 SV% and a 3.01 GAA, and was on his way to becoming one of the NHL's greatest goalies until his death in 1985.
1983 NHL Draft
Peter Zezel, C
Peter Zesel had a great start to his career with the Flyers. The second-round draft pick recorded 60 points in his age-19 season despite only appearing in 65 games. This set the tone for the rest of his time in the Orange and Black, where he consistently put up numbers in that range. Though he only played four seasons with Philadelphia, he recorded 219 goals, 388 assists and 607 points in 873 career games and performed pretty well for other teams.
Derrick Smith, LW
Derrick Smith probably would have been a little more beloved if the Flyers hadn't been so loaded with talent in the mid-'80s. He never produced phenomenal numbers, but he did play nearly 500 games with Philadelphia and 537 total games in the NHL. He scored 82 goals and 92 assists for 174 points and was a solid contributor on the 1985 and 1987 Flyers teams that reached the Stanley Cup Finals.
Rick Tocchet, RW
During his playing days, Rick Tocchet was one of the best players in the business. He played more than half of his 1,144 career NHL games with the Flyers twice, peaking in 1989-90 with 96 points and 196 penalty minutes in 75 games. He won a Stanley Cup with the Pittsburgh Penguins in 1992 and was a four-time All-Star. He had 440 goals, 512 assists, 952 points and 2,970 penalty minutes in his career.
Pelle Eklund, C
Pelle Eklund appeared in 594 games for the Orange and Black, all but five of which were with the Blue Jays. He was a valuable scorer and talented two-way player, recording 120 goals and 335 assists for a total of 455 points during his time in the NHL. While he never had a dominating season in terms of scoring, he was always a consistent performer.
2003 NHL Draft
Jeff Carter, C
Jeff Carter is the last player on this list to retire after a 19-year career that ends in 2023-24. His best years came with the Flyers, recording 46 goals, 38 assists and 84 points in 82 games in 2008-09 when scoring wasn't as easy. Traded from Philadelphia after his age-26 season, he went on to win two Stanley Cups with the Los Angeles Kings, recording 442 goals, 409 assists and 851 points in 1,321 games.
Mike Richards, C
Mike Richards was the Flyers' second first-round draft pick in 2003 and was a fantastic player. Though he only played 749 games in the NHL, during his prime he was one of the franchise's best players of all time. His best season with the Flyers was the 2008-09 season, when he earned 80 points in 78 games and finished second in Selke Trophy voting. In his career, he had 181 goals, 306 assists and 487 points.
The Flyers certainly had other legendary draft picks, but they rarely put it all together, and in these five instances, the Flyers did a very good job of that.
