Yardbarker
x
Flyers’ 2026 NHL Draft Target: Tommy Bleyl
Tommy Bleyl, Moncton Wildcats (Photo credit: Daniel St. Louis)

Flyers’ 2026 NHL Draft Target: Tommy Bleyl

Originally posted on The Hockey Writers
By Justin Giampietro  |  Last updated May 17, 2026 9:05 AM ET
Google Add us as a preferred source on Google

The Philadelphia Flyers exceeded expectations in 2025-26, putting up a regular-season record of 43-27-12 and winning a playoff series against the Pittsburgh Penguins. Following their second-round defeat at the hands of the Carolina Hurricanes, the focus shifts to the offseason.

Despite piquing Philadelphians’ interest for the first time in years, there’s still work to be done for the Flyers. Most notably, they could use some help down the middle and on the back end.

To address the latter, the Flyers should keep an eye on Tommy Bleyl. He’d be a worthy choice with their first-round pick in the 2026 NHL Draft, which sits 21st overall.

What Bleyl Brings to the Table

Bleyl is a right-shot defenseman playing for the Moncton Wildcats of the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). He’s 5-foot-11 and 165 pounds, so a bit undersized, but the skill level and two-way prowess should help to offset any size concerns.

From a production standpoint, Bleyl is on a generational run. Across the regular season and the playoffs—the latter still being active as of writing—he has 19 goals and 90 assists in 83 games. Among draft-year or younger defensemen in QMJHL history, his 109 points rank third all-time.

First on the all-time list is Gilbert Delorme in 1979-80 with 123 points, and behind him is Ray Bourque in 1978-79 with 112 points. Aside from those seasons being close to a half-century old, what sets Bleyl apart from those two is that he is just one point shy of leading his team. Delorme and Bourque, meanwhile, were 83 and 62 points short of doing so.

The historical significance of Bleyl’s production is more of a fun fact than a reason to draft him, but it also serves as a good indicator of what he’s capable of offensively. Diving into his offensive game, he’s a high-volume shooter, averaging 3.18 shots on goal per game in the regular season and the playoffs. He gets a ton of puck touches in the offensive zone, and one of the ways he generates chances is by shooting from the point for deflections in front.

Bleyl’s playmaking is maximized by his elite mobility, impressive hands, and ability to make plays under pressure. He has a very effective east-west move at the blue line (shown at the 0:27 mark in the video below) that helps him create space to open up shooting lanes for his teammates. It’s one he uses a lot.

The typical knock for players like Bleyl is their defensive game, but I am actually somewhat optimistic in this department. For one, skating is a primary weapon for him. As shown a few times in the clip above, he is often on defensive zone retrieval duty—an area I think he does well in. His mobility helps here considerably, and he makes smart decisions with the puck.

Though he’s undersized, I also like some of what Bleyl has to offer from a pure defensive standpoint. He’s constantly boxing bigger opponents out of the crease in an attempt to eliminate chaos when opponents throw the puck on net. He could still use some more strength, but the engagement is there.

In a nutshell, Bleyl is a mobile, puck-moving defenseman with two-way upside. While small, he puts in the work defensively to inspire confidence in that aspect of his game. If you need any proof of his offensive capabilities, having the third-highest-scoring defensive season in QMJHL history for a draft-year or younger prospect should cover it.

Why Bleyl Could Be the Flyers’ Pick

There are plenty of other intriguing players who should be available at No. 21—whom I will cover over the next month and a half—but Bleyl stands out for a few reasons. Firstly, he fills a positional and organizational need: a mobile, puck-moving right-shot defenseman. Jamie Drysdale has done well in this role, but having another player like him would be ideal.


Tommy Bleyl, Moncton Wildcats (Photo credit: Daniel St. Louis)

Plus, the suggestion of drafting Bleyl isn’t just because he’d objectively be one of the best players available if he falls—he’d be someone the Flyers could realistically take. Again, there’s a bit of Drysdale in his game, a style that the front office is certainly not opposed to. After all, they traded Cutter Gauthier for said style (even if their hand was forced a bit).

However, Bleyl isn’t a slam-dunk Flyers type. After passing on Zeev Buium, a small defenseman, in the first round of the 2024 NHL Draft, general manager Daniel Brière was asked if size played a factor in the team’s decision. He answered, “…With Cam York, Jamie Drysdale, Emil Andrae, at some point, it gets tough to go with the smaller guy. But (Buium’s) a fantastic player.” So, that’s not encouraging.

At the same time, the addition of David Jiříček two months ago serves as an admission from Brière that offense from the blue line is an organizational need. If they want to boost that aspect of their team even further, Bleyl would be a solid choice.

This article first appeared on The Hockey Writers and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads:

Customize Your Newsletter

Yardbarker +

Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA.