Here's a quick look at who these kids are, why they were selected and what ultimately may get them to Philadelphia:

The Flyers wrapped up the 2018 NHL Entry Draft taking eight players: five Americans and three Swedes. None are likely to make an immediate jump to the NHL but all have a feasible shot at playing roles in pro hockey down the line. The top two picks are projected top-six caliber offensive players, while the others have specialized abilities. One is a goaltender, four are forwards and three are defensemen.

JOEL FARABEE (LW)

DRAFTED: 1st Round, 14th overall (2018)

TEAM/LEAGUE: USNTDP - USHL

AGE: 18 (2-25-2000)

BORN: Cicero, New York

VITALS: 6'0", 161 pounds

WHY THE FLYERS LIKE HIM

Farabee plays a competitive game that is above his weight class. He is a threat off the rush and can make something out of nothing on broken plays. Farabee is an above-average skater with well-above average acceleration and somewhat above-average top speed although not blazingly fast.

Farabee is very good at controlling the pace of play. Like Flyers prospect Morgan Frost, Farabee excels in controlled entries into the offensive zone. He likes to hit the attack zone with speed, and then slow the tempo near the half-boards to study his options and then make a quick decision. He works the give-and-go as well as almost any player in his Draft class. Although not an overpowering shooter, he's an accurate one.

STRENGTHS

1) Highly skilled, excellent passer and a fine shooter with a quick release.

2) Strong hockey sense, with and without the puck.

3) Can help drive play on a skilled line but also can contribute in other areas on nights when goals are hard to come by.

DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

1) Muscle: Farabee is slightly built and needs to add strength to his frame.

2) Skating: Although not a concern, there is room for subtle adjustments.

3) Playing Time: He will benefit from a season or two of college hockey (Boston University) and the likely opportunity to represent Team USA at the World Junior Championships.

HEXTALL: "He's a real attention-to-detail player. He competes hard. He's got speed. He's got skill. He can score. He's just a good player. He's also got size in his family, so I still think there's a chance he can grow but he's certainly going to put a lot of beef on."

JAY O'BRIEN (C)

DRAFTED: 1st Round, 19th overall (2018)

TEAM/LEAGUE: Thayer Academy - USHS

AGE: 18 (11-4-1999)

BORN: Hingham, Massachusetts

VITALS: 5'10", 185 pounds

WHY THE FLYERS LIKE HIM

He is a very high-skill, yet well-rounded talent. He is a smart and creative player who boasts a far above-average righthanded wrist shot, makes tape-to-tape passes, accelerates fast and plays a hard-working game on top of a highly skilled one. All of the tools are there to become an NHL impact player down the line... He is deceptively strong with a lower center of gravity. A high-energy player, O'Brien never quits on a play. He also has a bit of agitator streak to him.

STRENGTHS

1) Strong hockey sense (a combination of skills and smarts)

2) Well above-average skater

3) Excellent shooter

4) Highly competitive, self-confident player.

DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

1) Experience: Apart from a short stint with the USNTDP, O'Brien has had very limited experience to date playing with and against high-grade competition. He will likely need at least two collegiate seasons at Providence College and potentially some AHL time before being NHL-ready.

2) Strength: A classic "little man who plays big", O'Brien would benefit from added muscle to his frame.

3) Position Play: Although the Flyers believe that he has the skill to play center in the NHL, it remains to be seen if his optimal pro position will be in the middle or on a wing.

HEXTALL: "We really liked his energy. He's got a really good motor... People look at it [now] and go, 'Wow, geez, you took a guy from a lower level.' When you look back in 10 years - and I'm not saying this is true with Jay -- you go, 'You should've taken that shot at him despite the fact that the hockey world felt like he should go later.'"

ADAM GINNING (D)

DRAFTED: 2nd Round, 50th overall (2018)

TEAM/LEAGUE: Linköpings HC - SHL

AGE: 18 (1-15-2000)

BORN: Linköping, Sweden

VITALS: 6'4", 205 pounds

WHY THE FLYERS LIKE HIM

Ginning (pronounced YIN-ning) is already a regular starting defenseman for Linköping at the SHL level and has extensive international hockey experience for Team Sweden within his age group. Paired with righthanded Chicago Blackhawks first-round pick Adam Boqvist, the lefthanded Ginning was the shutdown half the Swedish U18 national team's top pairing. He plays physical but positionally intelligent brand of hockey, competes hard. Unlike many bigger-framed defenseman, he has good feet (i.e., skating is not a long-range concern).

STRENGTHS

1) Physically strong, competitive and hard to play against on the walls and netfront

2) Penalty killing upside

3) Underrated defensive stick with good reach.

4) Leadership potential (captained Team Sweden at U18 Worlds).

DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

1) Puck skills: Ginning makes a pro-caliber first pass and can sometimes surprise an off-guard opponent with a stretch. Overall, he's working to improve the puck-moving side of his game.

2) Skating: Ginning is no plodder skating and has a good mechanical framework for his footwork, but there is room to further increase this area into one of his strengths.

3) Shooting: Ginning has a hard shot and usually keeps it low, but he's never scored much even at the Swedish junior levels in various age categories.

HEXTALL: "First of all, we like his upside, but we like his size. He's a big guy, but he moves pretty well for a big guy. He's got solid puck skills and got the range that you need for solid defensemen."

JACK ST. IVANY (D)

DRAFTED: 4th Round, 112th overall (2018)

TEAM/LEAGUE: Sioux Falls Stampede - USHL

AGE: 18 (7-22-1999)

BORN: Manhattan Beach, California

VITALS: 6'3", 198 pounds

WHY THE FLYERS LIKE HIM

Jack St. Ivany is a bit of a late bloomer. After going unselected in the 2017 NHL Draft, the righthanded shooting defenseman improved rapidly this season as he prepared to make the jump up from the USHL level to the collegiate game (St. Ivany is committed to Yale University, starting this fall. An alternate captain for Sioux Falls in 2017-18, St. Ivany was an all-situations defenseman for his team, playing both ends of special teams as well as logging considerable even strength ice time.

STRENGTHS

1) Puck-moving righthanded defenseman with good size profile.

2) Quick defensive stick and good first pass.

3) Poised and sees the ice well.

DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

1) Mobility: Overall solid, but added lower-body strength would further benefit St. Ivany's skating ability.

2) Offense: Although he played on the power play at the USHL level and was sixth in scoring among defensemen, St. Ivany needs further development of his offensive game before he could project to doing the same as a pro.

3) Size: Does not back down physically but is rather lanky at this age.

HEXTALL: "Good size, moves well. Kind of one of those 'Steady Eddie' types of guys. Solid with the puck. He was a good fit for our group."

WYATTE WYLIE (D)

DRAFTED: 5th Round, 127th overall (2018)

TEAM/LEAGUE: Everett Silvertips - WHL

AGE: 18 (11-22-1999)

BORN: Everett, Washington

VITALS: 6'1", 192 pounds

WHY THE FLYERS LIKE HIM

Wyatte Wiley is a fluid-skating righthanded defenseman whose game has grown significantly over his time in the Western Hockey League. He was a late-riser in this year's Draft class, especially on the strength of his play in the postseason for an Everett Silvertips team. Defensively sound and a good penalty killer, Wylie can also move the puck up ice and chip in a bit offensively.

STRENGTHS

1) Well above-average mobility.

2) Plays well within structure and maintains good gaps.

3) Two-way upside as a puck-mover, transitional D and penalty killer.

DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

1) Shot: Despite a heavy shot, Wylie does not project as an offensively dynamic player from the back end at the pro level.

2) Offside Play: More effective on his strong side (right D) than his off-side, although he's played both at different junctures.

MARK GREIG: (Flyers WHL-based scout): "His makeup is he's a solid, steady guy. He's a pretty good defender with a nice compete level and he has the ability to make the simple play going forward, so there's nothing really flashy but he's a pretty effective guy."

SAMUEL ERSSON (G)

DRAFTED: 5th Round, 143rd overall (2018)

TEAM/LEAGUE: Brynäs IF Gävle J20 - SuperElit

AGE: 18 (10-20-1999)

BORN: Falun, Sweden

VITALS: 6'2", 180 pounds

WHY THE FLYERS LIKE HIM

Samuel Ersson is a product of the Brynäs development system; a veritable factory of quality prospects at all positions, including goaltenders (Flyers goalie prospect Felix Sandström among them, along with young Flyers left winger Oskar Lindblom). The left-catching netminder is fluid mechanically and has diligent work habits.

STRENGTHS

1) An athletic, modern-style butterfly goalie.

2) Takes good angles on the shooter.

3) Above-average feet.

DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

1) Big-game experience: Ersson has only played three international games (U19 tournaments) for Team Sweden and was the backup goalie at the U18 Worlds in 2017.

2) Consistent Play: As with most teenage goaltenders, Ersson needs to more consistently replicate his top-end capabilities in various game-situation areas in order to bring them up to NHL-caliber.

HEXTALL: "We weren't chasing a goalie. But we like his size, we like his athleticism. We think there's some upside there that hasn't been tapped yet. We got him a lot later. If we needed a goalie, we would've taken him earlier. If a guy [we like] falls to a certain point, then we're going to take him."

GAVIN HAIN (C/LW)

DRAFTED: 6th Round, 174th overall (2018)

TEAM/LEAGUE: USNTDP - USHL

AGE: 18 (10-20-1999)

BORN: Grand Rapids, Minnesota

VITALS: 5'11", 195 pounds

WHY THE FLYERS LIKE HIM

Gavin Hain is a thick-framed two-way center. He plays with a lot of energy and gives a consistently hard-working effort on both sides of the puck. Despite a slow start and largely settling into a bottom-six role for the USNTDP squad, Hain managed 15 goals this season. As a center, Hain got better as the season moved along, and the Flyers believe that he could become a solid role-playing forward as a pro down the line.

STRENGTHS

1) Tenacious on the forecheck.

2) Competes hard without the puck/Good at protecting the puck.

3) Willing to venture into high-traffic areas.

DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

1) Experience: The University of North Dakota recruit may need several collegiate seasons before he is potentially ready for the pro game.

2) Vision: Improvement creating time and space: things that set apart a projected top-six forward from someone in a different role.

3) Skating: A good skater at top speed, Hain could nevertheless make subtle improvements to his stride and add explosiveness.

HEXTALL: "We think he is a good fit with our overall group. We like him, especially for where we selected him. He has traits that can help fill some areas that are tough to fill."

MARCUS WESTFÄLT (C/LW)

DRAFTED: 7th Round, 205th overall (2018)

TEAM/LEAGUE: Brynäs IF Gävle - SHL

AGE: 18 (3-12-2000)

BORN: Stockholm, Sweden

VITALS: 6'3", 205 pounds

WHY THE FLYERS LIKE HIM

Marcus Westfält plays a straightforward north-south game and is effective at using his size effectively. Defensively aware and a hard-working player, he is hard to take off the puck and is good in close quarters. He has graduated to the pro level, spending the majority of the 2017-18 season in the SHL with the Brynäs men's team. A regular for Sweden's U18 national team, he saw some netfront power play duty.

STRENGTHS

1) Big, strong & versatile.

2) Works hard below the dots.

3) Battles for the puck and willing to go to the "greasy" areas.

DEVELOPMENTAL NEEDS

1) Offense: Although he's been a good scorer at the Swedish junior levels, SHL level will test his scoring.

2) Quickness: Pro game will help him develop more quickness.

3) Use Size: He is patient and unselfishness are positive traits overall - looks to use size more efficiently.

WESTFÄLT: "I like to use my size. I think I am solid on defense and I would like to work on my puck skills."