Where are they Now – 2007 NHL Draft

With the NHL draft hoping to be done in about a month, it’s time to begin flashing back to the Flyers’ draft classes in the past two decades. In the eighth installment of the Philly Sports Network “where are they now” draft series, we take a look at the 2005 NHL draft.

Coming off a season where the Flyers missed the playoffs for the first time in 12 years, they had a little extra time to put into the decision making for the 2007 NHL Draft. It also gave them a high draft pick. Choosing at number two overall, the Flyers were bound to get a player who would help almost immediately.

First Round – James van Riemsdyk

With the number two overall pick, the Flyers selected JvR out of the NAHL/USDP. van Riemsdyk was the consensus after Patrick Kane was taken by the Chicago Blackhawks first overall. JvR was committed to the University of New Hampshire, and went there to play hockey for two years. After those two years were up, he debuted with the Flyers in 2009.

van Riemsdyk was part of the Flyers cup run in 2010, partaking in the 2010/11 and 2011/12 seasons as well. He played three years for the orange and black before re-upping with the club for six years and $25.5 million. Shortly after signing his deal, Holmgren struck a deal of his own. He sent JvR to the Toronto Maple Leafs for Luke Schenn. The deal flat out didn’t work, as Schenn underwhelmed with Philadelphia. JvR, on the other hand, found a decent bit of success with the Maple Leafs

James spent all six years of his new deal with the Maple Leafs, playing in 413 games. He tallied 154 goals and added 140 helpers for a total of 294 points. He was an integral part of the Maple Leafs forward group, alongside guys like Phil Kessel and Nazem Kadri. At the end of the six years, van Riemsdyk became a free agent.

In the summer of 2018, JvR returned to the Flyers on a five year, $35 million deal. van Riemsdyk is currently in the midst of the second year of his deal with the Flyers, and is a popular name in expansion draft talk. Regardless, he’s still producing well enough to be considered a solid option on any team.

Second Round – Kevin Marshall

With the 41st overall pick, the Flyers chose the stay-at-home defenseman Kevin Marshall out of the QMJHL with the Lewiston MAINEiacs. Marshall went on to spend one more year with Lewiston after being drafted, played for the Quebec Remparts in 2008/09, then turned pro following that season.

Marshall debuted with the Adirondack Phantoms during the 2009/10 season, and played all year plus the next season as well. Come 2011/12, he played 10 games with the Flyers, but was traded to the Capitals organization, and sent to play with the Hershey Bears. About a year later, Washington traded Marshall to Toronto.

Marshall played two seasons with the Toronto Marlies before jumping from North American hockey to the SHL. There, he spent three seasons from 2015-2018, but split the 2017/18 season between the SHL, Allsvenskan, and the DEL. To this day, Marshall still takes the ice in the DEL.

Third Round – Garrett Klotz

The Flyers third round pick came as a bit of a shock. Garrett Klotz was taken 66th overall from the Saskatoon Blades of the WHL. He played 150 games in the Western Hockey League, accumulating a whopping 10 points. The stat that stood out the most was his 229 penalty minutes in three seasons, and his six foot five inch, 234 pound frame.

Klotz would end up being a career minor-leaguer, splitting time between the AHL and ECHL, but mostly the latter. In the AHL, he played for the Phantoms and the Norfolk Admirals. In the ECHL, he suited up for 10 different teams in his career. He’s played for the Greenville Road Warriors, Fort Wayne Comets, Indy Fuel, Wichita Thunder, Elmira Jackals, Quad City Mallards, Jacksonville Icemen, Kansas City Mavericks, Rapid City Rush, and the Utah Grizzlies. He also played two seasons in the Central Hockey League, one apiece for the Allen Americans and the Bloomington Prairie Thunder.

Most notably, Klotz was a goon, for lack of a better term. His claim to that name was a hit to the back of the head of AJ Jenks while playing for the Kansas City Mavericks. In February of 2018, Klotz nailed the Toledo Walleye’s Jenks in the back of the head, causing him to hit the ice. While down, Klotz crosschecked him three times, spurning total chaos between both teams, including a goalie fight.

At the end of the day, Klotz got eight games, but it wouldn’t be the last time he was suspended in the ECHL. Klotz has made a name for himself as being the tough guy wherever he goes. That’s all well and good, but the Flyers flat out wasted a third round pick on him in 2007.

Fourth Round

The Flyers dealt their fourth round pick in the 2007 NHL Draft to Anaheim back in 2006 for Todd Fedoruk.

Fifth Round – Mario Kempe

Mario Kempe was the Flyers fifth round selection, taken at 122 overall. He played for the St. John’s Fog Devils of the QMJHL at the time of being drafted. Kempe spent his draft-plus-one year in the Q as well. The next year, he jumped to Sweden for a majority of the year, but finished it out with the Philadelphia Phantoms.

From 2009 to 2014, Kempe played in the SHL. He spent five seasons there until he jumped to the KHL. He played three seasons in Russia from 2014 to 2017, and found his way back to North America. He made his NHL debut upon his return in 2017/18 with the Arizona Coyotes. He played 18 games that season, and a majority of next season with Arizona as well. He also spent time with their AHL affiliate, the Tucson Roadrunners, in 2018/19.

This current season saw Kempe sign with the same team as his younger brother, the Los Angeles Kings. Kempe was assigned to their AHL affiliate, but placed on unconditional waivers back in November. Ever since then, he’s returned to the KHL to play hockey.

Sixth Round – Jon Kalinski & Patrick Maroon

The sixth round of the 2007 NHL Draft saw the Flyers make two selection. The first, at 152 overall, was Jon Kalinski. Kalinski came from Minnesota State University where he played three seasons before turning pro. Come the 2008/09 season, Kalinski played 46 games with the Phantoms and 12 with the Flyers. The very next season, he logged 10 NHL games and 69 AHL games with the Flyers organization.

Kalinski spent all of 2010/11 with the Phantoms in the AHL, and 42 games with them in 2011/12. He was packaged that year in a deal with Tampa Bay to acquire Pavel Kubina. He would go on to finish the season playing for the Norfolk Admirals. The 2012/13 season was spent with the Hershey Bears in the AHL, followed by three seasons where Kalinski was M.I.A.

He would return for the 2016/17 season, joining the Bonnyville Senior Pontiacs of the NCHL. He hasn’t played since that season.

Nine picks later, the Flyers drafted the St. Louis Bandit’s Patrick Maroon from the NAHL. Maroon would play one season after the draft in the OHL with the London Knights, then make the jump to the pros. From 2008 to 2011, he played for the Phantoms in the Flyers organization. During the 2010/11 campaign, however, he was packaged in a deal that sent him to the Anaheim Ducks. He would finish the year with the Syracuse Crunch in the AHL.

In 2012/13, he spent 64 games playing for the Norfolk Admirals in the AHL, and 13 with the Anaheim Ducks in the NHL. The next three seasons, he was a mainstay on the Ducks roster. Come February of 2016, he was traded again. Anaheim shipped Maroon to Edmonton, where he played until 2018, and was traded to the New Jersey Devils.

At seasons end, Maroon would leave New Jersey to sign with the St. Louis Blues, his hometown team. Maroon would find himself hoisting Lord Stanley at the end of the season, achieving a lifelong dream of his. Come free agency in 2019, Maroon signed a one year deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, where he is currently playing, or not playing due to the suspended season.

Seventh Round – Brad Phillips

The Flyers last pick came at 182, where they chose goalie Brad Phillips out of the USDP. Phillips went on to attend Notre Dame for three years from 2007-2010, and hopped over to the Central Hockey League for the 2010/11 season.

Phillips would make his pro debut during the 2011/12 season with the Flyers organization. He got one game with the Phantoms in the AHL, and played 29 games in the ECHL with the Trenton Thunder. He joined the Ontario Reign of the ECHL for the 2012/13 season, but didn’t see any on-ice action.

2013/14 was a tumultuous season for Phillips. He began with the Stockton Thunder, was traded to the Gwinnett Gladiators in mid-December, and traded again at the end of January to the Elmira Jackals. The fun didn’t stop there. Four days after being traded to Elmira, Phillips would be traded to the Idaho Steelheads. He was traded one final time during the 2013/14 season in March to the South Carolina Stingrays. After the season was over, Phillips called it a career.