Sportsnet: Elliotte Friedman on 32 Thoughts on Philadelphia Flyers first-round draft pick, Jay O’Brien.
** NHLRumors.com transcription
Ron McLean: “And finally, Philadelphia Flyers prospect Jay O’Brien.”
NHL Rumors: Washington Capitals, and the Columbus Blue Jackets
Friedman: “Yes, so Jay O’Brien was a first-round pick, 19th overall in 2018. The Flyers and the player had to make a decision to sign. I have heard that the decision has been made.
The Flyers will not sign him and that allows O’Brien to test free agency. He’s 23 years old. He can pick which organization he wants to play for.
The Flyers as a result will get a second-round pick in the upcoming draft. But O’Brien will not be a Flyer.
Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia: Vermont head coach Todd Woodcroft on Jay O’Brien.
“I kind of group players into two groups. They’re either drivers or they’re passengers. And he’s a driver,” Woodcroft said Wednesday in a phone interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia. “He’s a 210-foot player, which means he’s not limited to just the 200 feet. Like, he will go through the walls, he plays so well in between the dots. He’s a shooting threat and he’s a defensive threat.
“I didn’t even know what his goals were because I didn’t even really care. I was surprised, they were lower than I thought they would be. But B.U. has 16 elite forwards.”
O’Brien started off at Providence, then left for Penticton of the BCHL for a year, then on to Boston University for three years.
Woodcroft compares O’Brien to a right-handed Scott Laughton.
NHL Rumors: Vancouver Canucks, and the Washington Capitals