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The Athletic Philadelphia's Top 20 Flyers Prospects
By Charlie O'Connor Jan 11, 2018
With the Philadelphia Flyers on their week-long scheduled break, we at The Athletic Philadelphia have the benefit of briefly turning our attention away from the big club to focus more on the organization as a whole. It's no secret that the current roster — while capable of slipping into the playoffs as a low seed — lacks the all-around depth necessary to truly compete for a Stanley Cup. As a result, much of the hope surrounding the Flyers rests upon the continued improvement of young players on the roster, and the development of the team's enviable prospect pool.
The pool diminished in October, as Nolan Patrick, Travis Sanheim and Robert Hagg all lost their status as prospects and became full-time NHLers. But through the first three months of the 2017-18 season, others have stepped up to fill those gaps at the top of the pipeline. The bye week gives us the perfect opportunity to provide a snapshot of those developments for our readers.
Welcome to our inaugural Top 20 Flyers Prospects list. This will be a recurring feature — expect the next one to be released after June's draft — in which resident prospect expert Alexander Appleyard and myself compile our latest rankings of the Philadelphia prospect pool. Both of us put together individual lists of our 25 highest-rated prospects, judged by past performance, current status in the organization and perceived future upside. Then, we combined our rankings, resulting in a comprehensive list that reflects our evaluation of the youngsters in the Flyers' pipeline who have yet to play in at least 25 NHL games.
Our list includes three outright ties, and two others that we broke using the tiebreaker of highest individual ranking on a list. A total of 27 prospects received at least one Top 25 selection from either myself or Alex, but seven players — Kirill Ustimenko, Connor Bunnaman, Danick Martel, Olle Lycksell, Maksim Sushko, Pascal Laberge and Alex Lyon — did not score high enough to make our final list. The fact that all of the above players still possess legitimate NHL potential speaks to the depth of the Flyers' current prospect pool, and it would not surprise me in the slightest if one or more end up on a future incarnation of the list. Now, onto the rankings.
1. Carter Hart
Yes, goalie prospects are notoriously unpredictable in terms of what they will eventually become, even those who perform well at lower levels. But Carter Hart isn't merely impressing against his age-appropriate peers — he's flat out dominating them. Since returning from an early season bout with mononucleosis, Hart has been essentially untouchable in the WHL, allowing more than two goals in only one of his last 15 contests. Hart held the No. 1 spot on our list even before the gold medal game at the World Junior Championship, with his WJC-winning “Player of the Game” performance (35 saves on 36 shots) only cementing our evaluation of Hart as a truly elite goalie prospect.
Hart isn't a Dominik Hasek type — he doesn't wow you with out-of-this-world athleticism. Instead, he relies on expert positioning and high-end instincts. This is a goalie who makes tough saves look easier than they are, because he squares up shooters efficiently and swallows up shots that would have caused fat rebounds when directed at lesser netminders. In addition, Hart is actually young for his draft year; had he been born just 33 days later, he wouldn't have even been eligible for the Flyers to select him in the second round of the 2016 NHL Draft. But Philadelphia was lucky enough to have the opportunity to nab Hart, and as a result, it has legitimate hope for that long-awaited franchise goalie sitting in the pipeline, just a half-season away from turning pro.
2. Philippe Myers
The rare blueliner prospect with basically no holes in his skill set, Philippe Myers has ideal size for the position, quick feet, and great instincts in all three zones. All that's keeping him from slam-dunk No. 1 status on this list are his recurring injury issues, which have limited Myers to just 20 AHL games this season. But when the 20-year-old has played, he’s lived up to the hype, driving play at even strength prior to the injury and scoring at a solid rate for a defenseman, particularly one in his first professional season. A strong second half would put Myers on track to take a run at a roster spot at Flyers training camp in September.
3. Oskar Lindblom
Oskar Lindblom's slow start to the AHL season had some fans worried. But frankly, the 21-year-old winger was playing well, just suffering from some serious bad luck. Since he broke his pointless streak in his seventh game, Lindblom has put up 26 points in 31 contests. He possesses a fantastically well-rounded skill set and sure-fire top-six forward upside. He is certainly capable of playing in the NHL right now and should make his debut by season’s end.
4. Morgan Frost
The breakout Flyers prospect of 2017, Morgan Frost went from supposed reach at pick No. 27 of last summer’s draft to one of the best forwards in the OHL during his Draft+1 season. Frost is first and foremost a playmaker, but his high-end speed and hockey sense have helped him score 24 goals this year, ranking second on his club. Frost still has to fill out a bit more before he’ll be NHL-ready, but he absolutely looks like he possesses top-six forward upside once he gets to Philadelphia, with first-line results not being out of the question.
5. Wade Allison
If you’re looking for a future impact goal scorer in the Flyers’ pipeline, your search has ended. Wade Allison may not be a volume-sniper in the vein of Eeli Tolvanen (who the Flyers passed up in favor of Frost back in June), but his plus shot and willingness to bully his way into the dirty areas has turned him into one of the best scorers in college hockey. Despite being a 20-year old sophomore playing in the notoriously tight NCHC, Allison’s 28 points put him near the top of the collegiate leaderboards. There’s a bit of Scott Hartnell to Allison’s game, without the constant falling, of course. While many college prospects wait until after their junior season to leave school, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that Allison could earn a contract from the Flyers as soon as this spring, as he certainly seems to have mastered the collegiate level.
6. German Rubtsov
The Russian pivot has had a disappointing start to the 2017-18 season. After dazzling in the QMJHL to end last season, German Rubtsov has simply been OK this year. Rubtsov did have a solid World Juniors, during which he flashed his offensive skill set (four points in five games), through he was unlucky not to have a higher level of production. He certainly has a top-six forward ceiling, but Rubtsov needs to be less conservative minded in the offensive zone to fulfill it, or he may be pigeonholed into a checking role in the pros.
7. Samuel Morin
Back in September, it seemed unthinkable that Samuel Morin would even qualify for a January prospects list, as he was fully expected to take the leap into the NHL and nab one of the Flyers' two open spots on defense. But after he finished third in the training camp battle to Robert Hagg and Travis Sanheim, Morin returned to Lehigh Valley for another AHL season. When Morin has played, he's been fine, scoring at a higher rate than ever before and driving play at a passable rate.
Unfortunately, he's dealt with injuries this year, which have both kept him out of the Phantoms' lineup and prevented him from getting an extended look at the NHL level. Injuries aside, Morin's upside remains that of a second-pair defenseman who uses his plus skating and long reach to consistently disrupt zone entries while also excelling on the penalty kill. Whether he can overcome his clear limitations with the puck on his stick will decide his NHL fate.
8. Mikhail Vorobyev
Mikhail Vorobyev has impressed in the AHL since making the move to North America, proving to be an extremely smart center with great passing ability and an advanced defensive game. His possession stats for the Phantoms have been stellar, especially considering this is his first time playing on smaller ice. He clearly elevates the play of his linemates. Vorobyev realistically projects to be a high-end third-line center who can match up against top opposition players, kill penalties and chip in offensively.
9. Felix Sandstrom
The poised-yet-athletic goalie started the season well, but has been sidelined for months with a hiatal hernia that has prevented him from hydrating and eating properly. Felix Sandstrom is back healthy now and will likely to be loaned out to the second tier in Sweden so that he can be eased back into game shape. Sandstrom has NHL starting goalie potential, as shown both by his impressive play for his age in the SHL and his fantastic World Juniors performance last year.
10. Tanner Laczynski
Considering the fact that Tanner Laczynski entered the Flyers' organization as a sixth-round pick who was passed over by NHL teams entirely in his first draft-eligible season, it's a major credit to his collegiate efforts that he sneaks into the top-ten on our list. Laczynski has excelled in college hockey with the Ohio State Buckeyes, producing nearly at a point-per-game pace in his freshman year before joining the NCAA's scoring elite this season. In 2016-17, however, Laczynski had the benefit of playing on a loaded roster; this year, he's taken over as the club's clear best player and is thriving in the role. Laczynski probably tops out at middle-six forward upside at the NHL level, but his speed and strength took a substantial leap over the past calendar year, so it's not out of the realm of possibility that he just keeps getting better.
11. Nicolas Aube-Kubel
After a severely disappointing first season at the pro level in 2016-17, Nicolas Aube-Kubel has reaffirmed his place as a viable forward prospect in the Flyers organization with a bounceback 2017-18. Aube-Kubel has already surpassed his point total from his rookie AHL season (18), and the Phantoms haven't even reached their halfway point. He thrived early in the year on a line with Danick Martel and Mike Vecchione, but he's continued to drive play (+6.47% Corsi Rel) even after that dominant trio was broken up. We're not talking about a forward with first-line upside here, but Aube-Kubel is a well-rounded player who absolutely has middle-six forward potential at the next level.
11. Isaac Ratcliffe
There is no denying that Isaac Ratcliffe is what some would refer to as a project. He is raw, but it is easy to see why the majority of respected draft rankings had him as a first-round pick. Six-foot-5 players with good skating, a great shot and high-level skill are golden unicorns in hockey. Ratcliffe started the season slowly, but has picked up the pace recently, with 16 goals and 27 points in his last 26 games. He possesses top-six forward upside if he keeps developing.
13. Linus Hogberg
A smooth-skating blueliner with extremely high defensive IQ, great outlet passing ability and solid puck skills, Linus Hogberg projects to be the prototypical modern day “defensive” defenseman in a No. 4 or No. 5 spot. Hogberg may fly slightly under the radar, but he's been impressive in the SHL this season. He played the last month before World Juniors in the top-four of the best team in the SHL, and is rarely beaten in either the neutral or defensive zones.
13. Mark Friedman
Mark Friedman's freshman year in the AHL inspires legitimate parallels to Sanheim's rookie season with the Flyers. Like Sanheim, Friedman has excelled from a 5v5 play-driving standpoint, posting a 54.24% Corsi For Percentage, which is +5.01% relative to his teammates. But Friedman (like his NHL counterpart) has dealt with horrid puck luck despite helping his club to a major territorial edge, as the Phantoms have been outscored 19 to 26 with him on the ice.
Friedman still possesses all of the attributes that made him a standout at camp and in the rookie game, and the underlying numbers imply that those skill sets are translating on the ice at the AHL level. Right now, he's dealing with occasional scratches and is playing down the Lehigh Valley lineup — hey, doesn't that sound familiar? — but once the goal-based numbers start matching up with his advanced stats, expect Friedman's stock in the organization to rise rapidly.
15. Cooper Marody
Cooper Marody's primary selling point as a prospect is his collegiate production, which has been simply stellar during what is now his junior season with the Michigan Wolverines. His 29 points currently put him in a tie for 3rd in the NCAA in scoring (along with fellow Philadelphia prospect Laczynski), and his 22 assists lead all of college hockey. There are reasons for skepticism, though — Marody lacks a truly dynamic skill set and was merely a decent scorer in his first two seasons at Michigan. Marody's hockey IQ is his best trait, and he'll most likely be given an opportunity next season to prove that translates to the professional game with the Phantoms.
16. Mike Vecchione
Mike Vecchione's upside is almost certainly limited to that of an above-average bottom-sixer at the NHL level, but even as a 24-year-old rookie at the pro level, he's more than met expectations in 2017-18. Twenty-three points in 31 games is nothing to sneeze at, and it shows that his offensive ability from college can translate (at least to a degree) against tougher competition. In addition, Vecchione has been solidly positive by advanced metrics (51.32% CF%, +1.35% Corsi Rel) with the Phantoms, and showcases a well-rounded game. Vecchione is one of a few players at the AHL level that appears ready to make the jump to the big club — he's simply waiting for an injury to the right player in Philadelphia to get his shot.
17. Matthew Strome
It’s rare that a prospect with both the skill level and statistics of Matthew Strome falls to the fourth round in the draft. He possesses size, physicality, a great shot, smooth hands, good vision and is solid defensively. He also currently ranks 2nd in the OHL for goals among players his age and younger, and 9th in points. But his only flaw is an enormous one: his skating is extremely sub-par. However, if he improves his skating to a passable level, he clearly possesses top-six forward upside at the NHL level.
18. Anthony Stolarz
Just because Anthony Stolarz is out injured does not mean he lost his talent overnight. He is still only 23 years old, and has already shown he can be an AHL All-Star-level goalie and hold his own in the NHL. Hopefully the big goalie can return before the end of the season and stake a claim for Michal Neuvirth’s job on the Flyers next year. He has the ability to be a good NHL backup.
19. David Bernhardt
Statistics don’t really do justice to how much David Bernhardt's game has grown in the last season. His points-per-game may be down, and his minutes may be limited, but Bernhardt has developed his game substantially. His skating has improved and his play at his own blue line has gone from shaky to high-end. Excellent at denying zone entries and good in his own zone, Bernhardt has a great shot and good puck skills. He possesses NHL potential as a complimentary defenseman.
20. David Kase
Moving from the Czech Extraliga to the SHL in 2017-18 seemed like a bold move for David Kase. Stepping up in level after a frustrating season with limited minutes might have been a risk, but the skilled, gritty winger has taken it in stride. Kase has been one of best players on his team, in addition to making his international debut. His game is reminiscent of that of his big brother — Anaheim Ducks forward Ondrej Kase — and it is not unimaginable that he can have a similar NHL impact down the line.
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