Philadelphia Flyers

Flyers Draft Mike Knuble’s Son, Cole, In Fourth Round

Published

11 months ago

June 29, 2023

Chuck Bausman

Cole Knuble (Photo from Notre Dame hockey Twitter)

The Philadelphia Flyers drafted another son of an NHL player Thursday — and this time it’s the son of a former Flyer.

Cole Knuble, a center who is scheduled to play at Notre Dame next season, was selected in the fourth round, 103rd overall. He is 5-foot-11, 185 pounds and a right-handed shot. He turns 19 on Saturday. Knuble was not drafted last year. Knuble played 66 games last season for the Fargo Force, of the USHL. He scored 30 goals and 36 assists in 57 games,

Knuble’s dad is Mike Knuble, who played five seasons with the Flyers in his 16-year NHL career. Mike scored 118 goals and 111 assists in 338 games from 2005-09 and 2012-13. Mike Knuble was a teammate of current Flyers general manager Daniel Brière for two seasons in Philadelphia.

Elite Prospects wrote about Cole Knuble: “A proactive, intelligent support player, he’s always eliminating threats and positioning himself to start the breakout.

“He’s legitimately talented down-low and around the net. When not battling along the boards before cutting back and making a quick backhand pass inside, he’s locked to the net-front battling for positioning, deflecting shots, and gathering rebounds.”

Here are Cole Knuble’s rankings:

Ranked #106 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM

Ranked #111 by DAILY FACEOFF

Ranked #125 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY

Ranked #105 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)

Ranked #77 by DOBBERPROSPECTS

Ranked #186 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY

Ranked #87 by SMAHT SCOUTING

In the first round, the Flyers selected defenseman Oliver Bonk at 22, the son of former NHL center Radek Bonk.

With the 120th overall pick, the Flyers selected forward Alex Ciernik. He is 5-10, 179 pounds and played for Slovakia in the 2023 World Junior Championships. He is known for his speed and offensive skills.

Ciernik has impressive rankings:

With the 135th overall pick, the Flyers selected defenseman Carter Sotheran from the Portland Winterhawks of the Western Hockey League.

Sotheran is 6-foot-3, 185 pounds. He is a good and fast skater and excels at both offense and defense.

Here are Sotheran’s rankings:

Ranked #87 by CONSOLIDATED RANKING

Ranked #55 by ELITEPROSPECTS.COM

Ranked #64 by FCHOCKEY

Ranked #72 by DAILY FACEOFF

Ranked #72 by MCKEEN’S HOCKEY

Ranked #71 by NHL CENTRAL SCOUTING (NA Skaters)

Ranked #94 by DOBBERPROSPECTS

Ranked #158 by DRAFT PROSPECTS HOCKEY

Ranked #77 by SMAHT SCOUTING

The Flyers selected center Ryan MacPherson with the 172nd overall pick. He is scheduled to play for the Penticton Vees, of the British Columbia Hockey League, next season and the University of New Hampshire starting in 2024. He is 6-foot, 176 pounds and a left-handed shot. He is ranked 211th overall among North American skaters by NHL Central Scouting.

With their final pick, the Flyers drafted defenseman Matteo Mann with the 199th overall selection. Mann is a 6-foot-6, 229-pound right-handed shot. He played 45 games this past season for the Chicoutimi Sagueneens, of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. He is ranked 84th on NHL Central Scouting’s final ranking of North American skaters.