DALLAS – It will probably take four years, or longer, before general manager Ron Hextall’s latest draft class can be properly evaluated.
By then, some of his Class of ‘18 members should be in the NHL, while some may still be kicking around the Flyers’ farm system. Others could be with different organizations.
All told, Hextall made eight selections over the weekend in Dallas, and none of those draftees was more fascinating than 18-year-old center Jay O’Brien, who was the Flyers’ second first-round pick.
He also represented Hextall’s biggest gamble in the two-day draft.
O’Brien tore up his competition this season, collecting a staggering 80 points in 30 high school games for Thayer (Mass.