2014 NHL Draft - Portraits

Flyers' third-round draft pick Mark Friedman "can really, really run a power play," says TSN direct of scouting Craig Button.

(Jeff Zelevansky/Getty Images)

PHILADELPHIA – The Flyers' annual rookie camp begins Thursday at their Skate Zone practice rink in Voorhees.

Among the participates will be most of their 2014 draft class … one that TSN scouting director Craig Button says is worthy of an 'A' grade.

In a phone interview with NJ.com, Button raved about the Flyers' top four picks – defenseman Travis Sanheim (1st round, 17th overall), right wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel (2nd round, 48th overall), defenseman Mark Friedman (3rd round, 86th overall) and left wing Oskar Lindblom (5th round, 138th overall).

"I love Sanheim," Button said. "When you get that type of a defenseman, plus Aube-Kubel, Friedman and Lindblom ... Wow, those are 'A' moves!"

Sanheim, whom the Flyers believe has a ton of upside, was ranked as just the 53rd best North American skater by Central Scouting, by Button had the Western Hockey League blueliner as his eighth-best overall prospect.

"I think Travis Sanheim at the same age is like (Rangers star defenseman) Ryan McDonagh," said Button, who formerly was director of scouting for the Dallas Stars and general manager for the Calgary Flames. "That's what I see in Travis Sanheim. He's a superb skater, a superb thinker, really calm and collected with the puck. He's a guy who really has the ability as a defenseman to control the game, and those guys are hard to find.

"What I would tell you about Travis' Central Scouting ranking, they start meeting at the end of March and have their list out at the beginning of April. There's still some really good valuable games going on, teams in playoffs, international tournaments."

Sanheim's stock really shot up really shot up in April when he was in Finland representing Team Canada in the 2014 IIHL World Under 18 Championships. He played well enough there to be named the tournament's best defensemen and lead all blueliners in scoring.

"If Central Scouting met at the end of April, they would have had Travis in the first round," Button said. "By then I think Travis was totally on their radar."

Button also really likes the offensive potential of Aube-Kubel, an 18-year-old French-Canadian who scored 22 goals and 53 points in 65 QMJHL games last season for the Val d'Or Foreurs.

"I think when you're looking for offense, that's a great pick for the Flyers, I really do,” Button said. "You can find grinders. Why not go for offense?

"He has a lot of offensive flair. He can shoot. He can pass. Here you have a guy who's a French Canadian who you think would love (Flyers captain) Claude Giroux, right? So go to camp, watch how Claude Giroux plays."

Button sees Aube-Kubel, who compares himself to Ottawa Senators center Kyle Turris, becoming a top-6 forward at the NHL level.

"Yes I do" he said. "I'm not sure who I'd compare him to, but I think he's a second-line player who can play left wing or right wing. He can skate, he can kill penalties. You can move him around the lineup. He's a good player."

The Flyers drafted another potential top-6 forward in Lindblom, a 17-year-old from Sweden.

"He's a scorer," Button said. "He's got to improve his skating, but he's a big-time scorer and he's thick."

Button also really likes Friedman, a confident offensive defenseman who is headed for college hockey at Bowling Green after playing in the USHL last season.

"He's a another dynamic defenseman and a guy that can really, really run a power play,” Button said. "He's calm at the point on the power play. I don't want to get too carried away, but he's got some of what Dan Boyle has."

Boyle, now with the Rangers, is a two-time All-Star who quarterbacked the Tampa Bay Lightning’s power play when they won the Stanley Cup in 2004.

"When you think about the first four picks the Flyers took, they’re all guys that have a real-defined element,” Button said. “Obviously the two defensemen, but the two forwards are offensive guys. I really like what they did in the draft."

FLYERS 2014 DRAFT CLASS

1 (17) Travis Sanheim, D

2 (48) Nicolas Aube-Kubel, RW

3 (86) Mark Friedman, D

5 (138) Oskar Lindblom, LW

6 (168) Radel Fazleev, LW

7 (198) Jesper Pettersson, D