The Philadelphia Flyers have one of the NHL’s most impressive prospect pools. Here are their top 10 prospects entering 2018.
The Philadelphia Flyers are a team with a young surrounding cast around an older core. Their most important players, including Claude Giroux, Jakub Voracek, Wayne Simmonds, and James van Riemsdyk are aging. But their young players are helping the team win and should continue to do so into the future.
Here are some players who can help with that. The Flyers have so many prospects that the following are not included, but could be on other lists: German Rubtsov, Jay O’Brien, Maksim Sushko, Mikhail Vorobyov, Mike Vecchione, and Carsen Twarynski.
These prospects are ranked according to three factors: NHL readiness, ceiling, and likelihood said prospect plays with the Philadelphia Flyers. Chief amongst these is ceiling. To qualify, a prospect must not have played 25 games in the NHL prior to this season (and are thus Calder eligible).
Let’s start with the goaltenders.
1. Carter Hart (2-48, 2016)
Stats (Everett Silvertips, WHL): 41 gp, 1.60 GAA, .947 SV%, 7 SO (22 pgp, 2.40 GAA, .921 SV%, 2 SO).
He’ll start the year as the Philadelphia Flyers’ goaltender in the AHL, but Carter Hart is so much more than that. At 20, he’s coming off a season where he was first in goals against average, save percentage and shutouts in the WHL’s regular season. Hart was also second in playoff GAA, save percentage, and tied for second in shutouts. He’s one of the best goaltenders to come out of the WHL in a long time, maybe the best since Braden Holtby.
He’s one of the best goaltenders to come out of the WHL in a long time, maybe since Braden Holtby.
Hart doesn’t do a lot wrong, and while there’s room to develop, most Philadelphia fans eagerly anticipated Hart starting the year in the NHL. He’s seen as the franchise savior in net, which puts a lot of pressure on him. Perhaps the best idea would be to play him in the AHL for a season so he gets a taste of professional play with less pressure. When he’s shown himself to be a valid professional goaltender, then he can take the step into the NHL.
Before then, however, Hart is still incredibly young. Outstanding goaltenders haven’t played in the NHL until their age-27 season before. He’ll likely be a permanent fixture in the Flyers’ net before he’s 23, and could be a superstar before then as well. There should be patience.
2. AlexLyon (UDFA)
Stats (Lehigh Valley Phantoms, AHL): 27 gp, 2.75 GAA, .913 SV% (11 pgp, 1.98 GAA, .944 SV%); 11 gp, 2.75 GAA, .905 SV%. Philadelphia Flyers, NHL
Alex Lyon will be splitting starts with Hart in the AHL this season but could be the first call-up of the two if the occasion arises in the NHL this season. Lyon was good in the AHL last season, posting a .913 save percentage and 2.75 GAA and he has shown a capacity to make good saves. He was better in the playoffs than in the regular season, which shows he can step his game up when he needs to and be an important part of a playoff run.
He was better in the playoffs than in the regular season, which shows he can step his game up when he needs to and be an important part of a playoff run.
Ultimately, the Philadelphia Flyers might not need Lyon to be anything more than Hart’s backup. That’s not a bad position for the future, and it looks like Lyon can achieve it. He’ll be NHL ready before Hart is, and will likely get a chance at a season of starting first. He got 11 games in the AHL this past season and had decent stats. There’s a good chance that he ends up at least as part of the Flyers’ (or another NHL team’s) goaltending battery.