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Prospect Watch: Nathan Behm
Photo Credit: Kamloops Blazers X Page
Most leagues around the world are now close to a dozen or so games into their respective seasons. With being said, one name that has surprised me thus far is Nathan Behm, who plays for the Western Hockey League’s Kamloops Blazers. Nathan, who is 2025 Draft eligible prospect, is a 6’2, 198-pound winger who can line up on either side of the face-off dot and be equally effective, so much so that he has managed to come out this season and set the officials scoresheet on fire. Netting eleven goals and seven assists for an impressive total of 18 points in only eleven games played! And, to put into perspective just how good his production has been this year, his goal-a-game average finds him only trailing the diminutive dynamo Cameron Schmidt of the Vancouver Giants, who has tallied 12 goals this year for supremacy of the WHL leaderboard. Here’s the catch, though. Schmidt was/is viewed by many as a projected first-round NHL draft pick for some time now.
So, you have to figure when you’re playing that close to greatness, it can only mean that your stock should be on the rise. That’s why if Nathan can keep this pace up, I would not be surprised if he hears his name being called somewhere in the second round of this upcoming summers draft.
Now that I have your attention, let’s break down Nathan’s game. As I already stated when I provided you with his height and weight above, Behm is a player who already possesses NHL size and strength. And it’s that combo that allows Nathan to push his opponents off the puck during scrums in the corner. Where he then, effortlessly creates distance from them with just a few short powerful strides. But that’s not all; because of his lanky frame, Nathan wields what to some would seem to be an unusually long stick, but to him, it fits just right. And with it, Behm can stretch out and receive a leading pass on a fast break that is saucered to where only he can get it, which often leaves him off to the races.
And my oh my, what a talent he is in the offensive zone. Whether he is setting up around the face dots or in tight around the goal mouth Nathan just has a knack for knowing where the puck is going to end up. So that he can put home a nice juicy rebound or set himself up to perform his (what should be patent pending) finishing move, which I call the “Turn and Burn.” Where if you’re not familiar with it, Nathan will set up with his back to the goalie; then, upon receiving the pass, Behm blindly completes a 180-degree turn only to blast it past the goaltender’s glove or blocker.
I’m telling you guys. Behm has the kind of scoring touch that NHL scouts fall in love with, and with any hope, maybe your favorite NHL team will be the one lucky enough to get to draft him.
Is it too Early for the Flyers to Start to Re-Evaluate Their Options in Net?
HERE WE GO AGAIN….Well, folks, I know we are only a couple of games into the season, but with the Flyers giving up a combined 16 GOALS in the last three games, it appears once again that Philadelphia may have a problem in net.
For far too long now, the Philadelphia Flyers have been without a franchise goaltender. To the point that I would say the last real one they had was Ron Hextall, and he last played for the Orange and Black in the 1998-1999 season. That’s 25 years ago! So, to say that the Flyers have struggled to find Hexy’s replacement would be an understatement, especially when you factor in that they have started a total of 33 goaltenders since that time.
Still, that’s not to say that they didn’t have at least one goalie during that time that could have turned out to be “The Guy.” I mean, they convinced Sergei Bobrovsky to come over from Russia when he was just 22 years old. But they, of course, managed to piss him off by signing Ilya Bryzgalov to a nine-year deal worth an unheard-of $51 million that forced Bob out of town. Where since then, he only managed to win a Stanley Cup and a couple of Vezina Trophies. Not to mention the fact that he should quickly move into the top ten in all-time wins this season, considering that he is currently sitting at 398 career victories.
But, enough about the past, let us talk about the present. Now, I don’t have a problem with the young Sam Ersson. In fact, I commend him for stepping up last season after the sudden departure of Carter Hart. And for his efforts already this season where he managed to start back right where he left off by making some huge stops, especially in the first period of the first game this season while the Flyers were still trying to get their skates under them. The question is, do you think he is the long-term answer in net? I would say NO! While I do believe he is serviceable for the time being, I’m not ready to turn the net over to him for the next ten years.
We will save that discussion for another day, though, because in my mind, the more immediate question that needs to be answered is what the team should do with the colossal netminder Ivan Fedotov. After most of us gave up on the idea that this 6’7 goalkeeper (whom the team drafted way back in 2015) would ever come over and join this team, he finally did at the end of last season. And the scary thing is that after having him start in just three games (and winning none of them) for the team last season the Flyers felt confident enough to ink him this summer to a two-year $6.5 million deal. Despite Ivan averaging a horrendous 4.95 goals against average and an abysmal .811 save percentage in those three games.
Now, before you come to his defense, let me remind you that Ivan is no kid. He is a 27-year-old man who, previous to joining the Flyers, has played in a part of seven seasons in Russia’s top professional league, the KHL. Where he won both their league championship and their version of the Vezina Trophy after being voted the league’s top-rated goaltender. And, in my defense, I’ve been advocating for some time now that it may take Fedotov some time to get use to the smaller/faster North American-style ice surface. But I have to say that he’s had a whole off-season and multiple preseason games to do that, so by now, a goaltender with his championship pedigree should have figured it out.
But instead, here we are once again talking about the Flyers having goaltending issues. This of course, is being made apparent after Ivan has now started in two games this season, and he is averaging an embarrassing 6.09 goals against average and a .818 save percentage.
I’ve played the goaltending position for over 30 years now, and I have coached the position as well. And to me, Fedotov, who previously relied heavily on his enormous size to help him in net, cannot seem to react fast enough to the speed and overall talent that he is now facing in the NHL. And because of that, he has been unable to stop simple shots coming in from the point and is having trouble controlling very manageable rebounds. I don’t know why this would come as such a surprise to some, considering the KHL is widely overrated. Case in point: last season, one of the KHL’s top five scorers was 32-year-old Jordan Weal—a guy who never amounted to much more than a call-up option during his time with the Flyers.
So, now looking back, Fedotov (despite his age and prior accomplishments) probably should have been made to prove himself in the AHL first before being given millions of dollars and being gifted a free pass to play in the NHL, all because the Flyers had a glaring hole in the blue paint with Carter Hart not returning.
Still think I’m crazy? Well, I urge you to browse both the Daily Faceoff and Bleacher Report articles provided below that rank each NHL team’s Goaltender Tandems prior to this season. You will see that they ranked the Flyers dead last in one and 31st in the other.
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10138840-power-ranking-every-nhl-teams-goalie-tandem-for-2024-25
https://www.dailyfaceoff.com/news/ranking-all-32-nhl-goalie-tandems-for-2024-25
Ready yet to admit the Flyers might have jumped the gun a little bit when they signed the three-game NHL veteran to such a lucrative deal? I thought so.
Let’s look at their other options if Fedotov continues his downward spiral. Well, you can forget about Cal Petersen and the $5 million salary cap hit he carries if he rejoins the Flyers in the NHL. They don’t have the cap space nor the need for another floundering goalie. They did sign former Shark’s netminder Eetu Makiniemi to a deal out of training camp, but let’s be honest, he was brought in just in case their 22-year-old goaltending prospect Alexei Kolosov decided not to return to play in the AHL.
So, let’s talk about him for a moment. Alexei was drafted in the third round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and since then has been making quite the name for himself playing in parts of the last four seasons in the KHL. In fact, he became a gamer, a guy the Dinamo Minsk were able to count on to log a lot of minutes in net. But I don’t think he expected Fedotov to sign as well, hence why he was so willing to openly voice his displeasure on how he thinks the organization treated him when he first came over last season before the Phantoms’ playoff run.
We’re not going to dive into all that drama, though. Instead, I’ll just state that I think Kolosov needs to play as many games as possible. He is still developing and, therefore, needs the brunt of the workload that is going to be given to him at the AHL level. However, they might not have much of a choice if Fedotov continues to struggle. If that is indeed the case I wouldn’t be surprised to hear Kolosov’s name being put on the call-up list, for he did play pretty solid in the few preseason games that he managed to show up for.
How will this all play out? Well, we will just have to wait and see. All I know is the Flyers won’t likely want to do anything too drastic, seeing the team just utilized a 2nd and a 3rd round pick on goalies Carson Bjarnason and Yegor Zavragin in 2023, and both are developing fast.
With the Recent Events Happening in Philly Sports, I think it’s time this City Shift it’s Focus to the Flyers.
With the Mets bringing an early end to Red October and the Eagles already suffering multiple injuries to key players, I think it might be time for fans of this great sports city to shift their focus to the Flyers because, for the first time in a long time the Orange and Black are going to be putting out an opening night roster worthy of us getting excited about!
You heard me right. For years, the Flyers had put out the same old lineup, full of over-the-hill veterans who had sadly grown accustomed to mediocrity and, therefore, were ok with missing out on the playoffs if that meant that they could get an early jump on their golf game.
But ever since the organization finally wised up and replaced some of the stagnant problems up front with the likes of the now Head Coach John Tortorella, General Manager Danny Briere, and President of Hockey OPS Keith Jones, things have started to change for the better. And that’s because since being hired, these three men have been working tirelessly to rid this team of the locker room cancers that were dragging them down and replacing them with a youthful core of players who are hungry to compete.
Successfully, I meant add because this season, the Flyers boast the fifth youngest roster in the league. This is mainly due to both their 2023 first-round pick Matvei Michkov (who is 19) and 2024 first-round pick Jett Luchanko (who is 18) making the team.
But trust me, this was not out of luck or for some silly sales gimmick to sell jerseys. These two teenagers earned their spots.
Matvei Michkov
Michkov, who is only nineteen, as I previously stated, had already played in parts of three seasons in the KHL before joining the Flyers this season. Last year, of course, was his best season in Russia’s top professional league, where he posted 19 goals and 22 assists for 41 points in 47 games played. So, of course, there was anticipation for his arrival, but I don’t think anyone could have thought he would have done as well as he did this preseason. I mean, he led the league in points, scoring an impressive 1.75 points per game, netting three goals and four assists for a total of seven points in only four games played!
Now, I know it’s only preseason, but Connor McDavid played in the same number of games this preseason and only managed to tally six points. I’M JUST SAYING.
But, as nice as his point production or play behind the net may be, for me, it’s what Michkov is able to do for others on the ice with him. For instance, if you have read any of my work before, you know I have not been the biggest Morgan Frost fan. And that’s because, to me, Morgan has never been able to live up to the hype this franchise placed on him after selecting him with one of their first-round picks in 2017. Magically, though, once placed on a line with Matvei, Frost suddenly came alive by finishing off the type of goals I haven’t seen him make since he was playing for the Soo Greyhounds back in juniors. This, I believe, should become known as the “Michkov Effect”. This means Matvei is so good that anyone you place him on a line with, he will make them instantly better. Take, for instance, Morgan. In Frost’s case, Michkov did that by setting him up with some amazing passes that he was able to put away and, with that, came a regained sense of confidence. And it’s that skill that few players truly possess that will make this team better as a whole.
Jett Luchanko
Then there’s Jett Luchanko. The player most of the so-called experts (this writer included) were screaming was the wrong pick for the team to make at thirteenth overall, especially with elite goal scorers like Cole Eiserman still on the board. But little did we know that the Flyers brass saw something in this young man. And I’m glad they did because since being drafted, I’ve noticed that there is so much more to Jett’s game than just his unmatched speed and incredible play-making ability like his pied piper-like luring talent. Let me explain. Watching him in games, I couldn’t believe how even some of the league’s most established veteran defensemen seemed so entranced by Jett. To the point that all four players on the opposition’s penalty-killing unit gravitated towards him despite Luchanko harmlessly coming down the boards, which in turn proved to be not so harmless, I guess since it left every other teammate of his wide open for a perfect scoring chance.
Hearing all this, it makes sense why Jett is set to become the youngest Flyer ever on record to play a game for this now 56-year-old franchise. The only question now is whether he can manage to stay. We all know the Flyers are loaded down with a bunch of underachieving centers right now. Therefore, Luchanko will most likely have to force the Flyers’ hand with his play for them to attempt to make room for him via a trade if he wishes to stay past the CHL’s nine-game grace period before his entry-level contract would count on the books. But I guess time will tell.
All I know is that it is refreshing to see homegrown draft picks that possess so much potential. For in just a few short games, these two players made me a believer. For, I have not seen the Flyers offense run so well since the “Legion of Doom” was patrolling this ice surface. Not to mention the spark they were able to bring to the two-time defending league’s worst power-play unit.
And, while I may not “Trust the Process” when it comes to what the Sixers or any other Philly team is doing right now, I wholeheartedly believe in this “New Era of Orange” and can’t wait to see where it takes us.
A Glimpse of What’s to Come for the Flyers
Photo Credit: Philadelphia Flyers and BSB
With preseason games now upon us, we are finally getting the chance to witness the fruits of the Flyers General Manager Danny Briere’s labor. And I don’t know about you, but I have not been disappointed.
Take, for instance, the play of the Flyers 2023 seventh overall pick Matvei Michkov and their 2024 13th overall pick Jett Luchanko in Sunday’s 6-2 victory against the Washington Capitals. Both managed to tally two assists each in the game, not to mention creating multiple scoring chances of their own. But it should be noted that their play went so much more beyond just what was able to be transcribed on the score sheet. For instance, it seemed as though each and every time that this pair stepped on the ice, they were creating havoc for the other team. From Jett’s unmatchable speed to Matvei’s majestic work behind the net, these two young men not only were able to impress their coaches and fans alike with their performance, but they were actually able to make the performance of others who were lucky enough to play with them better.
So much so, in fact, that they were able to yield the often-overhyped Morgan Frost to appear as though he was an NHL Superstar out there. They did so by helping Frosty attain two goals and one assist for three points. They also aided Joel Farabee in his efforts to total an impressive one goal and three assists on the night, not to mention the fact that they were able to elevate Bobby Brink’s game to the point that he was able to accumulate two goals of his own during regulation on Sunday.
This got me thinking: with this duo already beginning to show us “A Glimpse of What’s to Come” for the Flyers, who else may still be on their way for the Orange and Black?
By now, it is well known that “Dealing Danny” has been busy trying to right all the wrongs done by his less-than-admirable predecessor, Chuck Fletcher. But few may really know just how well Briere might have already set both himself and this franchise up for the future. For example, if you look ahead to the 2025 NHL Entry Draft, you’ll see that Danny has already managed to potentially stockpile three first-round picks and three second-round picks for next summer. So, let’s take a look at some of the players that they could obtain with these picks, shall we?
Despite the team now essentially operating as if they are in an accelerated rebuild mode thanks to their star prospect Matvei Michkov surprisingly being able to get out of his KHL contract a few years early, they most likely will still find themselves utilizing their own first-round pick to make their teams initial selection of the 2025 Draft.
Flyers 1st Round Pick
And with that pick, I think that Philadelphia should look to draft the towering 6’5, 190-pound center Roger McQueen from the Western Hockey Leagues (WHL’s) Brandon Wheat Kings. This pick makes a lot of sense if you think about it. The Flyers GM has already expressed the want and need to upgrade his team down the middle of the ice, and what better way to do that than drafting a punishing offensive threat that they most likely already fell in love with last season when they were attending the Wheat Kings Games to see how their 2023 second round pick goalie Carson Bjarnason was progressing.
But who could blame them? Roger is a unique physical specimen who can indeed deliver crushing, blows and add a net-front presence like no other. But at the same time, Roger can surprisingly skate and stick handle with the speed and grace that you usually expect from a much smaller finesse guy.
To prove this, all you have to do is look at his stats from last season, where McQueen was able to total a near point per game in his draft minus one season, netting 21 goals and 31 assists for 51 points in 53 games played.
A feat that he looks more than capable of topping this season, seeing that he was able to post seven points in five games played for Team Canada on their way to winning a Gold Medal at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup. Not to mention, him being able to net four goals and two assists for six points in just the first two games played this season for the Wheat Kings.
Colorado’s 1st Round pick
The following selection came when Danny Briere so wisely decided to trade veteran defenseman Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche at last years deadline for the AV’s own first-round pick in 2025.
Therefore, with this selection, I’m hoping that defenseman Kashawn Aitcheson from the Barrie Colts of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) will fall a little. My thought behind this is that since the 2024 Draft was filled with so many great defenders, multiple teams couldn’t help but spend their first-round pick on them. Thus hopefully negating the need for them to do so again this year.
Aitcheson, who stands at 6’1 and 198 pounds, is a left-hand shot with a nasty disposition. An old-school defenseman, if you will, who is equally willing to clear the porch for his goalie or drop the gloves to come to the aid of a fellow teammate. But Kashawn is more than just some on-ice bouncer. He is a minute eater! One that you can put out there on the Power Play, the Penalty Kill, or during just regular five-on-five play. And in order to be that trusted, Aitcheson had to prove he could be mobile. And to this point he’s done just that. Reacting to a teammate’s turnover in the blink of an eye, Kashawn has proven time and time again that he must have taken many power skating classes over the years because he can transition from a forward motion to a backward motion with ease.
Edmonton’s Conditional 1st
This pick was acquired by Briere in Vegas during the first round of the 2024 Draft when he decided to trade away the 1st round pick that they received from the Florida Panthers when the Flyers dealt them Claude Giroux. But it has not yet been determined whether the Flyers will be granted the Oilers 1st round pick this year or the one in 2026.
However, if it does happen to be this year, I would find it difficult for Danny to pass up the chance to draft fellow Quebec Native Justin Carbonneau at the tail end of the first round.
Justin is a 6’1, 190-pound, speedy, playmaking right winger whose puck-handling ability makes him seem unstoppable most nights. A statement that most goalies playing in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last year found to be true since Carbonneau was able to score so frequently last season that most netminders in the league should probably have been tested this off-season to see if they now have epilepsy given the fact that Justin made that red goal light come on so often. Case in point: last year, while playing for the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada, Carbonneau was responsible for scoring 31 goals and 28 assists for a total of 59 points in 68 games played.
However, the reason why this talented player might be drafted so late is his lack of defensive ability. Despite him scoring 59 points on the season, Justin should, at least for now, be considered ineffective because he was on the ice last season when the other team scored 60 goals which resulted in him finishing the year a -1. Never fear, though, because defense can be taught, and that’s a good thing considering this season Carbonneau has already managed to amass 5 points in just two games but still is somehow rated as a 0 or even in terms of plus-minus rating.
Conditional 2nd Round pick from Columbus
In the second round next summer, the Flyers are bound to be picking early and often, given the fact that their first selection in the second round will probably be the one that they garnered from the Blue Jackets in a trade where the Flyers sent defenseman Ivan Provorov packing. This pick was a conditional one, but after the Blue Jackets chose to retain their second-round pick last year, they will now be forced to give up this year’s second-rounder to the Flyers.
In saying that, I think that the Flyers should take this opportunity to snatch up a player who I believe might fall to the second round, not because he is not skilled enough to be a first-round talent but rather for his total lack of size.
His name is Cameron Schmidt, and in addition to being probably one of the fastest players in this upcoming draft class, he can fill up a stat sheet as well. The only knock on him is that he stands at 5’8 and weighs in at only 152 pounds.
But height is not as important as it used to be in the old NHL. Players nowadays are able to run free out there without fear of being hooked, held, or downright driven into the concrete below like in the days of old. Such is why diminutive players like Montreal’s Cole Caulfield and Detroit’s Alex DeBrincat are able to do so well in this league.
And lucky for whoever is smart enough to draft him, Schmidt looks to be a 2025 version of both of those players. Because in his draft minus one season, Cameron racked up 31 goals and 27 assists, scoring 58 points in just 59 games played. And in the very early parts of this season, he looks destined to demolish his previous highs by scoring four goals in only two games played thus far this season.
Anaheim’s 2nd Rd Pick
Perhaps the most deflating moment of Briere’s still relatively young front-office career was the Flyers’ loss of their former top-five pick, Cutter Gauthier. Who, if you remember, Gauthier informed the team that he no longer wished to play for them and seemingly cut off any communications with the Flyers some time ago. Still being open-minded, It wasn’t until the Philadelphia’s management traveled halfway around the world to speak to Cutter at a Tournament he was playing in for Team USA and was denied access to talk to him face to face that they realized they had to do something.
That something turned out to be manifesting a trade that sent him to the Anaheim Ducks for the return of a young and prospering defenseman named Jamie Drysdale. But what most people forget is that it was not a one for one player trade. The Flyers also acquired in that trade the Ducks 2nd round pick in the 2025 Draft.
So, with the pick probably coming in the early part of the second round as well, I would suggest that the Flyers look to draft Jordan Gavin from the WHL’s Tri-City Americans. Jordan is a 5’11 181 pound two-way forward who can play both the wing and the center position.
He, like Cameron Schmidt and Jason Carbonneau, can take over a game single handily, but the difference between them is that Jordan will not force a play. At times, he is okay with just falling back and excelling as a playmaker when he sees that someone else just has the hotter stick that night. It’s about winning the game for Gavin, and with that kind of mindset, the sky is the limit for this young man.
Flyers Own 2nd
Now, to this point in the article, I have a potential top-line center of the future, a rough and rugged defenseman, and some absolutely explosive wingers for the Flyers to look to draft, but given the fact that the biggest question yet again for this team this season is how will their goaltending will fair? I think I should recommend a goaltender. But not just any goaltender, one that the Flyers could build around, one that will dominate the crease for at least the next decade.
This is no easy task, though, considering that this is something that the team has been trying to find since Ron Hextall retired in 2000. But I think I’m up for the challenge. This upcoming draft, there are going to be a number of good goaltenders available to select, but if I had my way, I would look to Switzerland, where a kid by the name of Elijah Neuenschwander plays.
And that’s because Elijah, to me, has a bit of old-school flare to his game. He, unlike most Butterfly goalies coming out today, does not choose to stay on his knees and just flop around the ice surface to try and locate a rebound through the opposition’s legs. Neuenschwander plays more of a standup style, where he chooses to use his 6’4 frame to his advantage and only goes down to make a stop down low or cover the puck.
To go with that, Elijah’s reaction and recovery time is off the charts. To prove this, you just have to watch his game tape, and you’ll see that Neuenschwander is so quick that, commonly, a player can shoot the puck. Elijah will go down to stop it and recover to his feet before the announcer can even finish getting out that the forward has taken a shot.
Folks, like him or not, Briere has been able to bring in two of the best prospects that this team has had in the last 20 years. Matvei Michkov & Jett Luchanko really look like they can be something special. And let me tell you, if Danny can turn all of the 2025 draft capital that he gained in such a short amount of time into this laundry list of players that I just laid out for you above, I swear construction crews will be erecting a statue of him outside of the Wells Fargo Center real soon!
Potential Dumpster Diving Treasures that Could Pay Dividends for the Flyers if Injuries Occur
Photo Credit: shutterstock.com
With Training Camp now upon us, teams all over the NHL will be trying to see exactly what they have. Their coaches will be taking a look at some new line combinations, evaluating their team’s top prospects to see if they are ready to make the jump to the NHL, and trying to figure out where any newly acquired free agents will fit in. The primary purpose of all this, of course, will be to try and come up with a final list of players who they feel will best give them a chance at winning the highly coveted Stanley Cup.
But as we all know, not all prospects turn out to be what their respective teams hope they will be when they draft them. Some players who are coming back from an extended injury are bound to reaggravate it, or lazy ones who may not have trained as hard as they should in the off-season acquire new ones.
With that being said, the Philadelphia Flyers are no different. Their 25-year-old center Morgan Frost still has not developed into the elite offensive threat that he appeared destined to be when they drafted him out of juniors. Plus, with the extensive injury history of their over-paid Selke Award-winning center Sean Couturier, highly talented young defender Jamie Drysdale, and veteran blueliner Rasmus Ristolainen things could go from “Good” to “OH SHIT, NOT AGAIN” real quick!
So, with that being said, I think that there are a couple of players that were brought into other team’s camps on an invite basis that they should keep a close eye on. Just in case any of the Flyers players/prospects underachieve, or any of those unwanted injuries rear their ugly head. Then maybe, just maybe, Philadelphia could still salvage the season by signing one of these players off the Trash Heap if they do not manage to make the club that they are currently on a try-out basis with.
Tyler Johnson
The first in my mind would have to be the two-time Stanley Cup Champion center Tyler Johnson. I’m a bit surprised that Johnson did not receive a contract from anyone. I get that he is now 34 years of age, but he can still produce offensively. To prove this, all you have to look at is his totals from last season, where he scored 17 goals (that’s four more than any Flyers center was able to net last year) and 14 assists for a total of 31 points.
Now, perhaps the reason nobody wanted him was that he was a -35 on the season last year. But let me remind you that he was playing for Chicago, which has been horrible for quite some time now. So, much so that everybody who played for the Blackhawks was pretty much a minus player last season, including Connor Bedard, who was a -44. Did teams forget that Johnson was a +84 during his nine years in Tampa Bay? I’m sure he didn’t just forget how to play defense. He simply made the mistake of leaving a dynasty for the chance at a bigger payday.
In the coming days, if cut from Boston’s training camp, Johnson could not only prove to be an inexpensive upgrade offensively over the Flyers’ current disappointing group of centers. But a stopgap who could play alongside the Flyers’ Star prospect Matvei Michkov, at least until their newly drafted explosive center Jett Luchanko is ready to join the team, perhaps after playing one more season in juniors.
Logan Brown
If Johnson proves unavailable, another possible option for the Flyers to gain help in the dots would be the former first-round pick of the Ottawa Senators, Logan Brown. Logan is a 6’6 227 pound 26-year-old who, through all of Juniors and most of his time spent playing in the AHL, was a well over a point per game player. However, with so many prospects down the middle, the Sens decided to trade him along with an additional draft pick to St. Louis for an NHL player who could help them now.
If put into a bad position, the Flyers might be willing to take a chance on Logan because of this. Throughout the course of his career, Logan has excelled at making others look great. His head is always up and scanning the ice to try and make the perfect pass to set up a goal. This trait would bode well for the Flyers, considering most of their depth is at the wing position, with guys like Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Matvei Michkov, Tyson Foerster, Joel Farabee, and Bobby Brink already slotted to be on the roster.
But the Flyer should be aware that Brown is just coming back from hip surgery that cost him to miss all of last season. And, although he is supposed to be fully recovered now, when you are that big, once you start to sustain injuries, they usually begin to come in bunches. So, the team will need to do a full medical workup on Logan before allowing him to sign his name to anything. That is if the Lightning (who he is currently in camp with on a PTO) don’t sign him first.
Tyson Barrie
As previously stated, if Drysdale sustains another injury or Ristolainen suffers another setback, the Flyers could be in for a very long season. Both are right-hand shot defenders and although the Flyers have a plethora of blueliners within their system, most seem to be on the fast track to becoming career AHL players. That is with the exception of the young Oliver Bonk, of course. But he isn’t even likely to turn pro until after this upcoming season. Soooo, what should the Flyers do if the now somewhat expected happens again, and we lose one or more of our top four defenders to injury?
In my opinion, although it might not be too favorable with the current coaching staff considering this player’s lack of defensive abilities, I would look to try and sign 33-year-old Tyson Barrie to a contract if the Flames end up letting him go from his current PTO deal.
Think about it: the Flyers are coming off back-to-back seasons where they had the league’s worst power-play unit. And Tyson is a power play specialist. In fact, Barrie is so good while on the man advantage that 210 out of his 505 career points that he has scored have come while on the powerplay. And, if you add him to our back end, he will only make things easier for the likes of Michkov, Konecny, and Tippett.
As for all you Barrie haters, listen, he is not my top pick either, but we’re talking about if the team is put in a position where they have to scramble to find an NHL-caliber defenseman. Because I’m sorry if they were that worried about finding a veteran defender that was defensively sound like they preach, they want all the time; then they should have traded for 35-year-old Ryan McDonagh, who is a two-time cup winner and holds a career plus-minus of +246. And not chosen to re-sign the 36-year-old Erik Johnson, who has a career -11. Because the rest of Philadelphia’s defense could use some better guidance, seeing that Tyson, who was a -10 last season while playing for Nashville (and has been labeled not the best defender), was still better defensively than Cam York, who was a -13, Erik Johnson who was a -14, or Travis Sanheim and Jamie Drysdale who both finished the season a -20.
In closing, I hope it doesn’t come down to the Flyers needing to sign one of these players, but the harsh reality is that it might; with guys like Couturier missing a total of 98 games over the course of the last three seasons, Drysdale only playing in 42 of his last 246 games and Risto, managing to suit up for only 31 contest last year. Like they say, history is bound to repeat itself, and the Flyers have to be ready if it does. Because God forbid, the next time may be the last time for one of these players, and the Flyers cannot afford another Ryan Ellis situation where they are stuck paying buku bucks to some injury-prone player who is never going to hit the ice again, thus leaving them high and dry.
Each Country’s Top Prospect Available for the 2025 NHL Draft
Photo Credit: Rena Laverty / USA Hockey
In the not-so-distant past, the only cultural diversity you would find in an NHL locker room would be the Canadian providence from which the players hailed. But that is not the case anymore because the love of this game is now so vast it has stretched to all reaches of the world.
To the point where, it’s not out of the ordinary to have players from several different nations coming together on a single roster. That’s why most teams now are having to hire interpreters to follow these players around so that they can translate what the coach is asking of them.
But this is not a bad thing because, I believe, with the addition of each country’s prospects bringing with them their own particular style of play, this game not only continues to get more exciting but it is metamorphosing before our eyes into something even better.
With that being said, let’s take a look at the best player each country has to offer to see which nation will reign supreme in the 2025 Draft.
BELARUS
Belarus is a small landlocked country in Eastern Europe with a population of only nine million people. It gained independence in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union. And, although they may not have the lengthy list of former NHL players that other countries have to boast about. They will soon, given the fact that over the last couple of years, Belarus has been able to produce players like defenseman Artyom Levshunov, who was just taken second overall this summer by the Chicago Blackhawks.
With that being said, one Belarusian player that I think you should keep an eye on this year is Yaroslav Bryzgalov. Yaroslav is a skilled forward who has chosen to take a similar route to that of Levshunov in that he decided it was in his best interest to come to play stateside this season to prove to both himself and prospecting NHL franchises that his game could translate well to not only the North American style game but that of the NHL.
To do so, this 6’3, 205-pound, still very raw prospect has agreed to play for the USHL’s Des Moines Buccaneers this season. With that, the Bucs stand to gain a forward who scored 21 goals and 48 assists for a total of 69 points in 52 games played last year. And, if those stats weren’t exciting enough, the fact that he was able to do so while maintaining a +44 average on the year should be.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: Late 2nd RD.
CANADA
This one is a toss-up between Porter Martone and Michael Misa. I can tell you I’ve literally sat here and watched hours and hours of tape on these two players and still cannot definitively say that if put in the position of going up to the podium on draft day to select one over the other, I would be comfortable in doing so.
That’s because both players are simply outstanding! Each managed to score well over a point per game last season in the Ontario Hockey League at just 16 years of age. And with that, there’s no doubt in my mind that each player will one day, sooner rather than later, have their faces plastered all over banners and billboards throughout their respective NHL club’s city.
So, I’ll let you pick your favorite.
Porter Martone– who plays for the Brampton Steelheads (who were previously known as the Mississauga Steelheads), is a 6’3, 196-pound power forward who is able to create his own offense by dangling through the competition. (Note: this could be an enticing trait to have for a franchise that is in the middle of a rebuild and might not have too much to surround him with at the moment).
Because of this skill and many more, Porter was able to light the lamp a total of 33 times last season and managed to assist on another 38 to finish with 71 points. To boot, Martone also managed to sustain a +25 average for the year.
Michael Misa– who plays for the Saginaw Spirt and stands in at 6’1 and 185 pounds, is more of a speedy, opportunistic forward who is at his best when playing with others who can cycle the puck on the power play or put home one of his passes that he serves up to them on a silver platter.
Not to be outdone, last year, Misa scored 29 goals and 46 assists for a total of 75 points. Not to mention the fact that he netted another five points in five games played to help his team win the CHL’s 2024 Memorial Cup Championship.
Were you able to decide between the two? Yeah, me neither.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: Both players have Top 5 overall potential
Czechia
While some might argue that the best Czech player out of this draft is forward Dominik Pavlik or defenseman Radim Mrtka. I believe that the diminutive Adam Benak will prevail over all others.
The main reason for that is that Benak (unlike any of the others listed above) was willing to come over and play in the USHL this season for the Youngstown Phantoms so that NHL clubs will have ample opportunity to scout him this year.
And for good reason. Benak is an elusive, offensive-minded player who can beat you any way he deems necessary. To prove that at just 16 years of age last season, Adam was able to score 29 points in 29 games played versus U20 competition in Czechia, and he just managed to surpass all others that came before him in total points scored (21) during the Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: LATE 1ST Early 2nd RD.
Finland
Now that we turn our focus to Finland, the name that stands out above the rest for me is Jesper Kotajarvi. Jesper is an elite defender who moves very well and possesses a heavy shot. In terms of his play, he is wise beyond his years. Kotajarvi very seldom makes mistakes to the point that on the rare occasion that he is accused of making one, if you take the time and review the play, you’ll most likely conclude that while Jesper may have indeed made the turnover, it was only because the winger was not playing with his head up and therefore could not see Kotajarvi absolutely threading the needle right to where the tape of his stick should have been.
Finland has not been the prospect factory that it once was and, therefore, has not been able to provide Jesper with the kind of help he needs to truly thrive. Nevertheless, Kotajarvi is a special player who will indeed make whatever team that drafts him look really clever.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: 2ND RD. Pick
Germany
Now, although there doesn’t appear to be any gems like Leon Draisaitl, Tim Stutzle, or Moritz Seider coming out of Germany this season, there are a couple of players from Deutschland who will be drafted.
The first of those players will probably be David Lewandowski, a 6’2 176-pound forward who was able to score 15 goals and 33 assists for 48 points in only 33 games last season playing against U-20 competition.
Still, David will most likely take a few years before he’s ready to come stateside, and that’s ok because he is not considered to be a first-round talent.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: Late 2nd or Early 3rd
Norway
Surprisingly enough, this Scandinavian country that is directly connected to prospect powerhouses Sweden and Finland has never really been able to produce many Norwegian-born players who could ever make it to the ranks of the NHL. But they have one this year.
His name is Mikkel Eriksen, and he is so good that if he works hard enough, his career (when it’s all said and done) could rival Norway’s own Mats Zuccarello.
Case in point: Last year, at just 16 years of age, Eriksen was able to post 2.04 points per game while playing up in Norway’s U-20 League. To reach that feat, he scored 19 goals and 28 assists for 47 points in only 23 games played and averaged a +32.
Now, I get it if you are still kind of skeptical about his actual value because of the lack of competition he faces on a daily basis playing in Norway, but to prove that his play can match up against some of the best in the world at his age. Mikkel also managed to post a point per game at the U18 World Junior Championships last year, scoring four goals and one assist in five games.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: 3rd RD.
Russia
Although it can sometimes be tough to get this country’s prospects over here after drafting them, it is usally worth the hassle because Russia takes their hockey very seriously. From a very young age, when a player shows potential, Russia will do everything in its power not only to harness it but also to cultivate it.
This being the case with the young Ivan Ryabkin, who last season scored 58 points while playing in the MHL in his draft minus one season. To compare how good he is to other Russian players who came before him, we can take a look at another Russian Prospect named Ivan Demidov, who was taken fifth overall by Montreal this summer. Last season, while playing in his draft-eligible year, Demidov managed to put up 60 points in the same league. So, Ryabkin, who is essentially a year younger than Demidov, was only two points off his pace.
With that being said, it should come as no surprise to hear that Ryabkin has already seen playing time in the KHL (Russia’s top professional league) this season.
However, teams who want this young center should be aware because, like the Flyers’ Michkov was, Ryabkin is signed for the next few seasons. So, teams would have to be willing to either wait until the end of the 2026/2027 season when he is a free agent or somehow convince ($$$) his current club to grant him an early release from his deal if they want to utilize his talents before then.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: Top 5 Overall Pick
Slovakia
When I think of Slovakian-born players, I think of speedy wingers like Peter Stastny, Peter Bondra, Marian Gaborik, and Zigmund Palffy. But on the rare occasion, you can get a pretty good defenseman out of them like Zdeno Chara or Andrej Meszaros.
This being the case this season with the young right-hand shooting defenseman Luka Radivojevic, who was actually born in the USA, but resides in Slovakia and is Eastern European through and through.
Radivojevic is a mobile, offensively driven defenseman who can get back and play defense as well, which can’t be said for most offensive defensemen coming out in the draft nowadays. To prove this, all you have to do is compare Luka’s 33 points that he managed to score in Sweden’s J20 League last year to his league-leading +29 plus-minus rating.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: Late 1st Rd.
Sweden
The Swedes are a country whose list of all-time greats could stack up with just about anybody’s. And the next player in this country’s long line of succession may be a kid named Anton Frondell.
Anton is a forward who possesses both the skill set to dance through the opposition’s defense and the NHL-caliber shot that it takes to send that little piece of vulcanized rubber right past their goaltender like he is standing still.
Last season, Frondell spent the majority of his season playing in Sweden’s J20 League, where he scored 18 goals and 21 assists for a total of 39 points in only 29 games played. But, the knock on him will be that he is set to undergo knee surgery and currently has no timetable set for a return.
Now, with this not being his first significant injury, his draft stock will surely suffer, but trust and believe with him being this talented someone inside the top ten will still take a chance on him.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: Top Ten pick
Switzerland
-is another country that is underrated in terms of the prospects they put out. Mainly because it is not every year that they develop top-end talent, but when they do; watch out because they are going to be something extraordinary! Case in point: Nashville’s Josi Roman and the two Swiss brethren that play up in New Jersey former top 10 pick Timo Meier and 2017’s number one overall pick Nico Hischier.
This season just so happens to be one of those years. This time, their prized prospect comes in the form of 17-year-old goaltender Elijah Neuenschwander. For me, Elijah is a breath of fresh air. His style of play is not that of today’s typical butterfly goalie who stays down on the ice and continues to flop around, looking through peoples’ legs to try and locate the puck after a rebound. Instead, he is a bit old school in the sense that he chooses to stay up when at all possible, using his 6’4 frame to his advantage. He likes to challenge the shooter, and only when he has no other choice does he decide to go down into the butterfly to make a save. But you best believe once he has, Elijah immediately recovers to a standing position.
And, just to clarify, when I say immediately, I mean it has been a very looooong time since I’ve seen a goalie with his kind of reflexes and reactionary time. So, although this draft appears to have a few good guardians of the blue paint, I would have to say Neuenschwander might be the cream of the crop.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: 2nd Rd.
United States
No team in the world over the past ten years has been more dominant than the USA Hockey National Team Development Program. Every year, this club seems to have five to ten kids on the team who not only get drafted but also get taken in the first or second round of the draft.
They’ve gotten so good, in fact, that this upcoming off-season, they just might have helped to develop yet another number-one overall draft pick. That’s right, the USNTDP helped produce former number overall picks like Jack Hughes, Auston Matthews, and Patrick Kane.
Now, the next might just be a dynamic 17-year-old center named James Hagens. James is perhaps the most complete player in this draft class. He has the speed to skate through the opposition’s defense with ease, he has the sticking handling ability to get open and place a perfect pass right on the tape of an awaiting teammate. To go with all that James possesses the kind of finishing ability you’ve come to expect from a ten year professional.
Now, if you think I’m just blowing smoke, then let me go over some of his stats from last year. In 58 games played for Team USA last year, James was able to score 39 goals and 63 assists for 102 points. But that was just his offensive production. Hagens is also good in his own zone as well, seeing that he was able to maintain a +43 average on the year. But if that’s still not enough to convince you that James is already the consensus number-one overall pick before he even plays a single regular season game. Then this might. During the World Junior Championships U-18 tournament. Hagens was able to finish with nine goals and 13 assists for a total of 22 points in only seven games played. That feat was good enough to earn his country the silver medal and James the honor of being named the Tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
With nothing else to prove in the junior ranks, James is set to attend and play for Boston College next season. The question now is, will he be able to match 2024’s 1st overall pick Macklin Celebrini’s success from last year when he played for Boston College and scored 64 points that helped him to win the highly regarded Hobey Baker Award? We will just have to wait and see.
CURRENT NHL DRAFT RANKING: 1st Overall
So, there you have it, proof that hockey is alive and well in all reaches of the world. As you just read, this upcoming draft is going to be a good one and why wouldn’t it? As this game’s popularity continues to grow around the world, so will the game itself. Every nation brings a little something different to the game, and nowhere is that more evident than when they all come together to play in the Melting Pot, that is the NHL.
Flyers Camp Battles that are Set to Ensue
Photo Credit: Zack Hill/Flyers
With the Philadelphia Flyers Training Camp set to commence on September 18th, I thought it was about time I brought you my annual article on what camp battles are set to ensue.
Now, while the Flyers roster may not have changed that much over the summer thanks to General Manager Danny Briere being able to work out deals to bring back Travis Konecny, Bobby Brink, Garnet Hathaway, defenseman Yegor Zamula, and Russian netminder Ivan Fedotov, he did decide to switch some things up by buying out veteran forward Cam Atkinson and terminating the inflated contract of Ryan Johanson in order to make room for their star prospect Matvei Michkov to be able to come over from Russia after he was granted an unexpected early release from his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg back in late June.
With that being said, as far as the camp goes, the roster of attendees is already pretty well set, so let’s dive in and try to break down each position to find out if we should expect any surprises to make this club’s opening night’s roster.
Centers
To start, I thought it best to begin with the position that could benefit the most from some assistance. As Briere has previously alluded to, he is not exactly happy with his core group of centers. The reason for that is despite Sean Couturier, Morgan Frost, Scott Laughton, and Ryan Poehling collectively making around $15 million of the team’s $83.5 Million salary cap last year, not one of them was able to score more than 13 goals on the season; which I guess would be fine in theory if they were all the shutdown defensively responsible two way centers that the club makes them out to be, but in reality only one of them finished last season as a plus player.
Who are some of the outliers that may be attending camp that have a chance to make the club you may be asking? Well, some familiar faces like Jon-Randall Avon and Rhett Gardner, who played the majority of the year with the Phantoms last year, will likely be in attendance. Still, if I’m being honest, neither of them overly impressed me last season.
This is the reason why the team may have decided to go out and draft the speedy center Jett Luchanko from the OHL’s Guelph Storm with their first-round pick. Not to mention, the team selecting center Denver Barkey in the third round the previous summer, which, with his success last season, is turning out to be one of the steals of the draft. But, even though you can expect both of these prospects to receive extended looks during Training Camp, they most likely will return to the OHL next season for some more seasoning before getting the chance to turn pro, possibly in the spring.
In a similar boat is Massimo Rizzo, who, after winning his second National Championship with the University of Denver, decided to turn pro and join the ranks of the Flyers. But given the fact that he is inexperienced at the pro level, I would expect that management would like to see him gain the most experience/playing time that he can, which most likely means he will spend most, if not all, of next season, playing in the AHL.
So, who does that leave us with that could make the club’s opening night roster or at least be viewed as a ligament call-up option in case the injury-prone Sean Couturier or another dot dweller on the NHL roster goes down with an injury? Well, I think it will come down to a battle between the Flyers’ newly signed 28-year-old 6’4, 205-pound Latvian-born center Rodrigo Abols. Who has a year of experience playing in the AHL before heading over to play in Sweden’s top league, the SHL, for the last four seasons. If you’re not familiar with Abols’ game, despite his size, he is not the most physical of players, but he does surprise a lot of people with his speed and his play in front of the opposition’s net.
The other name to watch as far as faceoff men go is Anthony Richard. Anthony is a 27-year-old center that the Flyers signed this off-season. Richard comes with both AHL and NHL experience and is best known for scoring a combined 55 goals and 122 points at the AHL level over the past two seasons alone. I should mention that these massive totals came despite him being called up to play a part in each of the last two seasons in the NHL with both the Bruins and Canadiens, respectfully.
Now, while neither of these players should be considered long-term answers for the Flyers, they are decent options for this season, considering the team is playing up against the cap right now. With that being said, if needed, one or both of these players should be able to help the Flyers finish out the year and get them to the off-season, where their previously mentioned talented draft picks may then be ready to take over.
Wings
The Flyers have a wealth of players in this position who shoot right-handed but are currently deficient in players who are able to shoot left-handed. This makes the fact that they let their 2022 fifth-round pick Alex Bump, who shoots left-handed and scored at a near-a-point-per-game pace for Western Michigan University last season, walk away from their Development Camp this summer without a contract in hand seem a little crazy to me.
Be that as it may, the Flyers returning locks at wing are, of course, the newly resigned $70 million man, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, Joel Farabee, Garnet Hathaway, Nicolas Deslauriers, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink.
But let’s be honest, who most fans are most excited to see play this season is their newly signed star prospect Matvei Michkov, who has already been seen practicing and working out at the Flyers facilities alongside fellow Russian Egor Zamula. This comes after Michkov had just had a season in the KHL where he scored 19 goals and 22 assists for a total of 41 points in 47 games played. So, it should go without saying that the 19-year-old Michkov, who was taken number seven overall in 2023, will likely be forced to learn on the Fly with Philadelphia as they would not want to take the chance of sending him to Lehigh Valley to have some goon trying to make a name for himself take a run at him.
Whose left that could fill in if needed this year, you may be asking? Well, the Flyers would have hoped that prospects like Elliot Desnoyers, Samu Toumaala, Alexis Gendron, or Zayde Wisdom would have taken a step forward in their progression last season. But to me, all of them left a lot to be desired.
So, I think it will come down to two Swedish-born players who will battle it out for the chance to make the team or at least be a formidable call-up option. One of those players is Olle Lycksell, a versatile forward who has been developing within the team’s system for some time now. Olle, who was over a point-per-game player for the Phantoms last year, scoring 39 points in 38 games played, was also fortunate enough to spend 18 games up with the Flyers last season, where he registered five points.
The other Swede. to watch is the massive 6’4, 220-pound power forward Oscar Eklind. Oscar, who is 26 years old, was signed by the Flyers this summer after a season in the SHL, where he was able to score 17 goals and 11 assists for a total of 28 points in 48 games played. He is a player who uses his size to his advantage and scores most, if not all, of his points from five feet or fewer away from the crease, with you hearing that it should come as no surprise when I tell you that Oscar is very comfortable setting up shop in front the net. His goal is to screen the opposing team’s goalie. And being that he spends so much time there, Eklind has become exceptionally versed in the art of redirecting the puck and capitalizing on a nice juicy rebound.
It’s been a long time since the Flyers were able to benefit from a player with his type of skill set. And if you think back to when the team had guys who played a similar game, like Wayne Simmonds, Scott Hartnell, Mike Knuble, and/or John LeClair, the Flyers never had a problem scoring on the power play. Because of this, I foresee the Flyers growing very fond of Eklind’s skill set. I predict that they might eventually call him up this season (yes, even before they call up Lycksell) because he could add that missing element to their league’s worst power-play unit.
Defense
There is no denying that the Flyers have spent a lot of time and resources trying to strengthen their blue line over the past couple of years. And, thanks to their efforts, they have managed to get a pretty solid group of players with whom they feel comfortable heading into this season. Those players whose names will be written in Ink to patrol the Flyers Blueline even before the first puck drop will be Travis Sanheim, Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nick Seeler, and the Stanley Cup-winning veteran Erik Johnson.
This leaves us with Egor Zamula as the most likely candidate to be the rotational seventh defenseman, who will come in and out of the lineup to give guys a night off.
But that is not the end of their defensive depth. The Flyers also have 2023 1st round pick Oliver Bonk in the system, who doesn’t really have anything else to prove at the junior level after scoring 67 points in 60 regular season games for the London Knights, who he ended up winning an OHL Championship with last season. And therefore, he should not be sent back down just to beat up on competition that is no longer challenging him. But I digress. Others who will be there are 2020 2nd-round pick Emil Andrae, Ronnie Attard, Adam Ginning, Helge Grans, and Hunter McDonald.
So, if the Flyers are wise, they will give Oliver Bonk the most time in camp that they can to prove himself. But, if they do decide to send him back for his last year of Juniors, then the name that stands to beat out any of the other dogs in this fight would be 28-year-old Louie Belpedio.
To me, out of all the Phantoms’ defensemen that were brought up last season to play in a few games, Belpedio looked to be the most solid. Out of the 12 games he played with Philadelphia last season, he was the only one to offer the Flyers something in all facets of the game. Offensively, Louie scored two goals and two assists during his short stint with the Flyers last season. He was also sound defensively, playing mistake-free hockey on his way to finishing as a plus player with a +6 average. Not to mention, he is the only one on the back end who managed to show off how skilled he is when it comes to the art of fist-to-cuffs.
So, to me, while Bonk looks to be undoubtedly part of this team’s future, the amount of playing time he needs to continue to develop and thrive at the NHL level is not there. So, don’t be surprised if Belpedio finds himself holding down his spot for a while.
Goaltending
With the sudden departure of Carter Hart last season, most of us thought that the team would be doomed. But lucky for us, the Flyers’ 24-year-old goalie Sam Ersson managed to step up and be a workhorse for the team down the stretch, playing in 51 games last season.
And now with the long-awaited addition of the Flyers’ 6’8 netminder Ivan Fedotov, who has previously single handily carried Russia to an Olympic Silver Medal and won the KHL’s version of the Stanley Cup, the “Gagarin Cup”. With this addition, the Flyers once again seem to have a legitimate ONE-and ONE-A pairing in net.
As for the other goalies at Camp Cal, Petersen and his $5 million salary will likely be banished to the AHL again this season in order to lessen the financial burden on the team.
Prospect Carson Bjarnason, who management was impressed with at Development Camp, will be there as well, but don’t be shocked if he heads back to Juniors for another season.
So, I guess the real story comes down to whether the 22-year-old netminder that the team drafted back in the third round of the 2021 Draft, Alexei Kolosov, reports back to Philly as he’s being ordered to do so or not. If you didn’t hear, Kolosov was apparently unhappy with how he was treated when he came over at the end of last season, so much so that Alexei has made it known that he doesn’t wish to return despite him being contractually obligated to.
Lucky for us, Briere has a plan in action in case Kolosov is serious about his refusal to return. That plan is for Danny to invite 25-year-old netminder Eetu Makiniemi to camp on a tryout basis. Makiniemi, who was initially drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2017 in the fourth round, has played professionally in his home country of Finland in the Liiga, as well as over here in the ECHL, AHL, and NHL levels. And although he has limited NHL experience, playing in just two games last season for the San Jose Sharks, he did manage to put up some very respectable numbers during those outings with him, posting a 2.13 goals-against-average and a .906 save percentage.
So, in my mind, Makiniemi and Kolosov are the players to watch in net. Because there is not only a real possibility that if Kolosov does not return, Makiniemi could make the Phantoms roster, but that Eetu might prove to be a better call-up option than Petersen, seeing that when Cal was called up last season to play with the Flyers, he averaged an abysmal 3.90 goals-against-average and a .864 save percentage.
Well, that about sums it up. As in recent years, Training Camp for the Flyers is going to be a proving ground of sorts for some new guys who will be battling it out for their chance at either making the big club or setting themselves to be the number one call-up option moving forward at their position. But don’t count out other prospects who have been here from the pre-Briere era because they may sense that their time is running out for them to make a lasting impression and use that to fuel them to work harder and make the club. Regardless of how it all unfolds, it is bound to be entertaining! So, I would suggest you find your way up to Voorhees, NJ, come Sept. 18th and watch how it all plays out.
One USHL Rookie who will set the League on Fire This Year
Photo Credit: Andy Devlin | Hockey Canada Images
With each passing season, it seems as though the United States Hockey League (better known as the USHL) is gaining more and more esteem.
That’s because although it has stayed true to its roots of being the top-feeder league, Division One NCAA teams have come to depend on to fill their rosters. Over the last couple of years, it has managed to evolve into one of the more elite Junior leagues in the world. So much so that if you include the United States National Team Development Program (which is now a full-time affiliate), it has now been known to annually produce dozens of players that are taken in the first couple rounds of the draft.
With all that being said, it should come as no surprise to hear that even foreign-born players who have NHL aspirations are starting to migrate over to try and prove that their game is one that will translate well to the North American style of play.
This is the case of one USHL rookie named Adam Benak, who hails from Czechia and is due to join the Youngstown Phantoms this season.
Now, if you are not familiar with Adam, let me fill you in. At first glance, you’ll notice that he is a diminutive center who only stands at 5’7. But let me assure you what he lacks in size; he more than makes up for in speed and skill.
This was made evident by his play in the last two Hlinka Gretzky Cup Tournaments. While getting the rare chance to represent his Country on the world stage at just sixteen years old, Benak managed to explode onto the scene in the 23-24 tournament when he opened a lot of eyes, scoring two goals and eight assists for 10 points in only five games played, which for his efforts his team received the Silver Medal.
But with him falling short (no pun intended) of achieving a Gold Medal last year. Adam came into this year’s tournament (that was held on Aug. 5th-10th up in Edmonton) with the mindset of win or die trying because he ended up breaking the tournament’s all-time point record by scoring another four goals and seven assists that, when combined with his totals from last year adds up to an incredible 21 points!
And, to try and put into perspective just how grand that accolade is, with him operating at an over a two points-per-game pace in this tournament, it puts him in the same company as players like Matvei Michkov, Jarome Iginla, Alexander Ovechkin, Nathan Mackinnon, Rick Nash, and Tyler Seguin whom all previously made quite the name for themselves in this tournament.
Now, as far as what you can expect from Adam this season with the Phantoms, I predict that given the fact that guys won’t be that familiar with this elusive offensive-minded center, we could see this young man put up point totals that rival Phantoms’ legendary alumni Kyle Connor’s 14-15 campaign when he netted 34 goals and 46 assists for 80 points.
Yes, I am dead serious! Benak is an exceptional player who should hear his name being called by a team in the first round of next summer’s draft. But, of course, don’t just take my word for it; find your way up to Youngstown this season and take in a game to see if my prognostications come true.
One Underrated Flyers Free Agent Signing that Could Prove to Pay Dividends this Year.
Photo Credit: RDS.CA
There is no doubt that most Flyers fans were left feeling a little underwhelmed with the team’s free agency haul (or lack thereof) this offseason. But you have to remember General Manager Danny Briere didn’t have a lot of cap space with which to play with. Especially, if you factor in the team having to shell out a combined $7,596,429 this season to buy the underperforming Cam Atkinson and having to trade away/retain part of the salary of both forward Kevin Hayes and defensemen Anthony DeAngelo.
But that’s not all. The Flyers recently had to take on the bad contracts of both goalie Cal Peterson and center Ryan Johansen in order to gain the draft pick compensation that will help the club in the future, which now makes them responsible for the pair’s combined $9 million cap hit that they will most likely be obligated to have to bury in the minors.
Then there are, of course, the players dealing with extended injuries to factor in, whose salaries can’t be moved to the Long Term I.R. list until the start of the regular season, which obviously includes defenseman Ryan Ellis and his $6,250,000 annual cap hit that the team is still on the hook for three more seasons. And potentially, Rasmus Ristolainen (who holds a $5,100,000 AAV) that may or may not be ready to go at the start of the season after having to undergo surgery last year to repair a torn triceps tendon.
If you think about it, in total, that’s $27,946,429 out of the NHL’s allotted $88,000,000 Cap ceiling that teams are allowed to spend this season, that is virtually a wash for the Flyers right now. So, even if Briere wanted to pull off a significant acquisition on July 1st, he couldn’t because he simply did not have the money with which to do so.
So, they had to be not only tactful but frugal with their spending this off-season so as not to land themselves right back into cap purgatory. However, this does not mean that the team did not have needs. As their GM a louted to at the draft this franchise needs help down the middle of the ice. The reason? Well, the men that the team currently employs to patrol the faceoff dots here in Philadelphia are a group whose focus has become more about preventing goals than scoring them, which probably had a lot to do with the fact that the team ranked among the league’s worst in Goals Scored Per Game, and found themselves finishing dead last in the league in terms of powerplay goals scored over the previous two seasons.
But even though management is aware of this issue and has taken action to try and combat it, like when they drafted centers Denver Barkey, Jett Luchanko, Jack Berglund, and Heikki Ruohonen, not to mention trading for Massimo Rizzo the sad reality is that none of these players may be ready next season to join the Flyers; which is why I thought one of the most underrated moves made by management this year was the signing of 27-year-old center Anthony Richard.
Anthony Richard
Anthony, who was originally drafted back in the 4th round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators, has developed into quite the offensive threat at the AHL level over the last two seasons. For example, Anthony finished the 22-23 campaign with 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 points in 60 games played (An average of 1.12 points per game). He followed that up this last season by scoring 25 goals and 30 assists for 55 points in only 59 games played, which equates to him scoring at a rate of 0.93 points per game.
Now, while Richard may be far from the star center we were all hoping to somehow magically obtain this offseason, his immense speed and superior puck-handling skills will make him an excellent call-up option if those players above him on the depth chart continue to struggle offensively or sustain injuries.
For, I believe all this late-blooming prospect really needs now is a legitimate chance to prove himself at the NHL level. Because this team, more so than any other he had the privilege of spending NHL time with prior to this year, has the options at wing to help him succeed. Think about it: Our top nine (first three lines) projected wingers for next season are Konecny, Michkov, Tippett, Foerster, Farabee, and Brink. So, if Anthony, who is offensively minded is called upon at some point this season to come in and play with any combination of those guys previously mentioned. I don’t think it would be that far out of the realm of possibilities that he could easily surpass the 7.75 Million Dollar Man’s (Sean Couturier) 11 goals from last season.
Remember, the Flyers have three 1st round draft picks and potentially three second-round draft picks in next summer’s draft, so, again, while Anthony may not be the long-term solution that we all were hoping for this off-season, he and his nominal contract of just $775,000 could prove to be just the kind of stopgap this club needs until the newly drafted or not yet drafted reinforcements begin to show up.
Prospect Watch: Elijah Neuenschwander
Photo Credit: Alain Favre
As this old goalie starts to take a look at the crop of netminders that will be available in the 2025 NHL Draft, a few names obviously stand out. With those being Canadian-born Joshua Ravensbergen and Jack Ivankovic who both play in the CHL. But there is an outlier who I think will be making a name for himself this season. And that is Swiss-born goalie Elijah Neuenschwander.
What I like about Elijah, who stands at 6’4 and 183 pounds, is that he is not just another flopping butterfly goalie that everyone who plays this position now has seemed to turn into. He is more of a traditional stand-up goalie who will go down to stop a puck when he has to but will quickly recover to a standing position afterward.
This style breeds patience as Neuenschwander often elects to utilize his immense size to his advantage by leaving the crease to challenge the shooter that is barring down on him in an effort to eliminate any sight of twine for them to aim at. By doing this, Elijah forces his opponent into a game of chicken, where both wait for the other to make the first move. It’s a duel of sorts where Neuenschwander’s athleticism and quick reactionary times usually end in him coming out victorious.
Now, let’s talk some numbers. This past season, when Elijah was loaned out to the EHC Chur of the MyHL, he was able to record two wins in two starts while maintaining a goals-against average of just 0.97—so, being that his talents appear to far surpass that of his fellow peers. He spent most of his time playing up in the Swiss Elite Junior League in the U20 Division, where he was able to attain some more challenging competition. But, with every prospect from overseas, the real test for NHL scouts is seeing how these prospects will perform on an international level. I believe Elijah passes that test as well, seeing that while playing in two games for Team Switzerland’s U19 Team this past season, Neuenschwander was able to win both games again (with one being a shutout) and post a 0.50 goals against average and maintain a .985 save percentage.
So, with all this being said, look for this young netminder to be taken somewhere in the second round next summer. Because not only do I think Neuenschwander’s style of play will transition well to the North American game, but I believe in time, Elijah could find himself becoming the best Swiss born goalie to ever play in the NHL. And yes, that includes him surpassing the likes of both David Aebischer and Martin Gerber, who both, mind you, possess Stanley Cup Rings.
Prospect Watch: Malcolm Spence
Photo Credit: Natalie Shaver/OHL Images
If you have paid attention to the OHL at all these last couple of seasons, one name you have probably heard quite frequently mentioned is Malcolm Spence. And that’s because Spence, who was drafted second overall by the Erie Otters in the 2022 Priority Selection Draft, is a bit of an anomaly.
What I mean by that is he possesses so many different skill sets that he is virtually uncategorizable. For instance at first glance, even the best of scouts would look at Malcolm, who stands at 6’2 and 192 pounds, and label him a power forward. Would they be wrong? No, for Spence, at times, relies heavily on his size, strength, and grit to get into the dirty areas, win board battles, and finish off plays in front of the net. Much like another player who wore the number 17, Wayne Simmonds did for so many years in Philadelphia with the Flyers.
But, then, on the very next shift, Malcolm is able to switch gears, if you will, and surprise the opposition’s defense with the type of speed and dexterity we, the fans, are more used to seeing come from a more skilled, slightly smaller forward. An example of him exhibiting these type of traits is when Spence uses a sudden burst of speed to dangle his way into the high-scoring area known as the slot.
However, what will make him the most alluring to prospecting NHL clubs next summer is his ability to combine all that with his renewed focus on becoming more defensively reliable. A feat that he was able to achieve last season when Malcolm was able to go from finishing the 22-23 campaign a -23 to this past season closing out the year a +11.
I’ve got to be honest here with Malcolm helping Team Canada to win GOLD at both the Hlinka Gretzky Cup and the U-18 World Junior Championships, not to mention him scoring 19 goals and 43 assists for 62 points in 66 games played with the Otters last season it’s going to be hard to top that. But if anyone is capable of doing that, I assure you it’s this driven individual. And this is because he somehow seems to learn on the fly, whether it’s him computing goalie’s tendencies to memory or having the ability never to make the same mistake twice, I don’t know. But what I am sure of is that Malcolm seems to get better with each and every game that passes; which is why I’m willing to bet when this upcoming season is all said and done Spence will hear his name being called by one of the top ten teams in next summer’s draft.
Should Mark Recchi replace Flyers Ast. Coach Rocky Thompson?
Photo credit: The Philadelphia Inquirer
For the past two seasons, the Philadelphia Flyers power play unit (that finished statistically the worst in the league in each of the last two seasons) has been run by former tough guy Rocky Thompson—a guy who was drafted in the third round of the 1995 NHL Draft by the Calgary Flames. And, despite playing 12 seasons as a professional only got to play in a whopping 25 NHL games. Now, in those 25 NHL games, Rocky managed to net a grand total of ZERO goals! However, to his credit he did amass an impressive 2,036 career penalty minutes as a professional!
To make this worse still, you’ll be happy to know that the Flyers thought it wise to hire this career knuckle dragger to run the power play of all things after he was let go by the San Jose Sharks for ripping off his shirt in a team meeting and challenging the then Shark’ Evander Kane to a fight. A real class act if I’ve ever heard one.
I need someone from the Flyers’ upper management to make this make sense for me because not only do I not understand the reason he was hired in the first place, but I don’t get why he is still employed given the team’s lack of production on the man advantage during his tenure. I mean, the Flyers were only effective 12.2% of the time on the power play last year, scoring just 31 power play goals on 254 attempts. Folks, that was 40 goals off the pace of the league-leading Tampa Bay Lightning. And the previous season was much of the same.
So, what’s the answer? Well, although maybe not the best option, one that would make more sense is firing Rocky Thompson and hiring a familiar face in Mark Recchi, who was just let go from his job with the Columbus Blue Jackets after joining their coaching staff in the middle of the season. Now, call it Nepotism if you want, but with the potential hiring of Mark Recchi, the Flyers would gain the knowledge of a former player whose career spanned 22 seasons in the NHL. Won three Stanley Cups and was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame for scoring 577 career goals (200 of which game on the power play) and totaled 1,533 points (569 of those coming while he was on the PP.).
Now, I know Mark’s recent efforts with Columbus did not go so well. But tell me, when was the last time Columbus had a successful season? I’ll tell you if you don’t know, it was back in 2019 when their Head Coach was John Tortorella, when they went to the Playoffs four years in a row.
So, I’m not willing to put the Blue Jackets’ ineffectiveness on the power play last season all on Recchi, especially since Mark won an additional two Stanley Cups as a coach when he was with the Penguins.
What it boils down to for me is, at the end of the day, who do you think this youthful core of players is actually going to listen to and or respect? Rocky Thompson, who was never even afforded the opportunity to be on the ice during a man advantage? Or the iconic Mark Recchi, who has more power-play points than the likes of Brett Hull, Sidney Crosby, and Gordie Howe.
With that being said, Thompson has had his chance and has failed miserably. The team’s power play unit, which was once feared, is now the laughingstock of the league. And I, for one, no longer wish for him to be the guy offering up the tutelage to our players. Hell, Michkov may be the best prospect we’ve had since Eric Lindros, and I’d much rather have a guy like Recchi, who has collected a fist full of Stanley Cup rings drawing up plays for him, than a guy who possibly inspired Adam Sandler to write Happy Gilmore.