Matthew Strome and his older brothers now have something in common: they're all professional hockey players. On Saturday afternoon, his slightly surprising wait during the 2017 Nhl Draft came to an end. The Philadelphia Flyers swooped in and selected the winger with the 106th overall pick in the fourth round. Now, he can get to the business of proving wrong all of the teams that passed on him in the first 100 or so picks.
Strome goes off the board
The 18-year old left winger has been playing for the Hamilton Bulldogs this season. He's a 6-foot-3 lefty who weighs just a tick over 200 pounds.
By some scouts, he was ranked as a potential first-round prospect, so his slip all the way to the fourth round of the NHL Draft was a shock. The Flyers are likely thrilled that Strome fell into their lap like that.
Strome was considered one of the smartest players in the OHL last season. He also plays with a competitive fire, accumulating 62 penalty minutes last season. He's not a great skater, though, which has been a concern in his development for some time, according to Sportsnet's scouting report. He will have to improve significantly in that area to carve out an NHL career.
Luckily, Strome will have plenty of people to take him under their wing. His oldest brother Ryan was a top-five pick in the NHL Draft back in 2011.
Ironically enough, he was traded from the New York Islanders to the Edmonton Oilers just a day before his youngest brother began his long wait to hear his name called. Dylan, meanwhile, was selected third overall by the Arizona Coyotes in 2015. He has only played seven games at the top level so far, but he and his brother will almost certainly be honored to usher young Matthew through the development process they once went through.
Flyers with a noteworthy NHL Draft
The Philadelphia Flyers have spent the 2017 NHL Draft making some major selections. It started with the second overall pick, when the team drafted highly-touted center Nolan Patrick. They had another first-round pick, which they spent on center Morgan Frost (an appropriate name for an ice hockey player).
Other notable picks included center Isaac Ratcliffe in the second round and goalie Kirill Ustimenko in the third round. The Flyers hope that Strome and the others will lead the team back to the Stanley Cup playoffs, which the team didn't make last season. Also, the team has not made it beyond the first round since the 2011-2012 season.
