How the Flyers' Top Players Developed as Prospects – Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

The Philadelphia Flyers haven't had the best draft record, and that was especially true throughout the 2010s. We often hear the claim that we don't know what a player is until he makes the NHL so we shouldn't judge the Flyers' latest draft until years into the future, but that claim is often false. We can see that if we look at their current team as an example.

For our players, we'll look at the Flyers' top five scorers from their 2023-24 season, examine how they've improved from their draft year to now—we'll look at their scoring production to do this. As you can probably tell, these players all showed their potential early in the development process.

Travis Konecny

Travis Konecny ​​entered the 2015 NHL Draft as one of the top prospects available. Posting 70 points in 63 games in 2013-14 in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), he was a potential top-five pick. However, his 2014-15 campaign did not live up to the hype.

He scored 68 points in 60 games, which was still sixth in points per game (P/G) among OHL 17-year-old players, but his last season meant he could approach 90 or even 100 points in his draft year . Because of that and the fact that he is a small player, he was ranked 24th overall. The Flyers traded up from the 29th to get him, and it's a good thing they were aggressive.

Konecny ​​quickly rewarded the Flyers for being aggressive in 2015-16. He scored 101 points in 60 games, tied for fourth in the OHL with Alex DeBrincat in P/G. At that point, it was clear that Konecny ​​was a good prospect—he had a full-time role with the Flyers in 2016-17.

Konecny ​​scored 28 points in 70 games in his first NHL season, improving steadily since then. He really broke out at age 22 in 2019-20, scoring 61 points in 66 games and representing the Flyers in the All-Star Game. Last season he scored 68 points in 76 contests—he led the team in points and no rebounds.

Owen Tippett

Owen Tippett, another OHL forward, was good in his draft year when he went 10th overall to the Florida Panthers in 2017. He was second in P/G among 17-year-old players, finishing with 75 in 60 contests. Interestingly, the top five players on the scoring list (Nick Suzuki, Tippett, Gabe Vilardi, Jason Robertson, and Robert Thomas) are all very good players in the NHL today—every one of them is at least a solid top-six forward.

Tippett continued his strong streak in 2017-18, scoring 75 points in 51 games and finishing just shy of Thomas' fourth P/G rating. He scored 74 points in 54 games in 2018-19, which was a bit of a step back, but at the time, it was clear he was ready for professional hockey.

In the American Hockey League (AHL) during his 2019-20 season, Tippett was impressive with 40 points in 46 games. That was supposed to be his ticket to long-term play in the NHL, but he couldn't find consistent playing time with the Panthers and struggled in his minutes. He was traded to Philadelphia at the 2022 trade deadline, and that's when he turned around.

Tippett became the player we know today in his 2022-23 season, scoring 49 points in 77 games. He has slightly increased that number to 53 points in 78 games, but perhaps a break will come in his 25-year-old campaign. Considering the strides the Flyers and he took in 2023-24, there should be some optimism this coming season.

Joel Farabee

Playing for the US National Team Development Program (USNTDP) in 2017-18, Joel Farabee stood out for one of the best programs in producing NHL talent. With 76 points in 62 games, he was fourth on the U18 club in P/G. As a result, the Flyers took him with the 14th overall pick in the 2018 NHL Draft—they got a great player.

With Boston University in 2018-19, Farabee quickly produced 36 points in 37 games. Ranked first in P/G among National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) 18-year-old players along with U18 standout teammate Oliver Wahlstrom (whom some used as a warning to buy into the USNTDP product), Farabee established himself as a star. .

Farabee was ready for the NHL in 2019-20, and was impressive in his age-19 campaign with 21 points in 52 games. He had 38 points in 55 games in 2020-21, which led to a six-year contract extension worth $5 million per season but he didn't do it right away. Disc replacement surgery in the 2022 offseason hurt his production in 2022-23, but he picked up where he left off in 2023-24 with 50 points in 82 games.

Related: Joel Farabee Flyers Amidst Reboots

He only averaged 16:11 of ice time with those 50 points, which is important to note. If he had the same ice time as Konecny, for example, he would be on pace for 61 points. Doing so with great defensive results unlike his aforementioned teammate, it wouldn't be wise to sleep on the 24-year-old—he's lived up to what he's been tricked into being.

Travis Sanheim

In general, defenders are a little difficult to evaluate based on points alone. However, even defensive defensemen must be able to score at a high level in the minor leagues if they are truly ready for the NHL. While that's not Travis Sanheim's style, he has shown consistent scoring progress year after year.

Sanheim was selected 17th overall in the 2014 NHL Draft by the Flyers, which took place at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. Scoring 29 points in 62 Western Hockey League (WHL) games, he was 11th in P/G among 17-year-old defensemen. Then, he had a spark and never looked back.

In 2014-15, Sanheim posted 65 points in 67 games, ranking second in P/G among 18-year-old defensemen in the WHL. In 2015-16, he completely dominated the WHL scene with 68 points in 52 games as a defenseman—the most among 19-year-old defensemen.

Sanheim played in the AHL in 2016-17, and scored 37 points in 76 games. From that point forward, he was only in the NHL minus 18 games in the AHL in 2017-18 where he scored 16 points. He finished with 44 points in 81 games for the Flyers last season and is still a solid defenseman who likes to attack for a while.

Morgan Frost

Morgan Frost was taken with the 27th overall pick in the same class as Tippett, and both played in the OHL. Frost had 62 points in 67 games in 2016-17, finishing eighth in points per game among OHLers—best behind Robertson, who is still one of the best players in the NHL but was on the Flyers' board. to take.

Frost matched his production in 2017-18, scoring a career-high 112 points in 67 games—which ranked second in OHL P/G among 18-year-old players. He was slightly better in 2018-19, finishing with 109 points in 58 games.

Like Tippett, it took some time for Frost to find his way in the NHL. He didn't appear as an official top-six player until 2022-23, but he's been just as productive as his teammates since then with 87 points in 152 games. There's a lot of talent here, so it could happen—just don't expect him to be a great player.

The big takeaway here is that, often, we can't figure out which players are going to be great NHLers early on—those who just burst onto the scene after their teenage years. Scores aren't a perfect science, but high-level prospects tend to get more of them. Top NHL players, something Matvei Michkov will be, also show their dominance quickly but tend to be more powerful and productive than the five players on this list. Nothing is perfect, but the first season after a player's draft is a big indicator of what that player can become. The Flyers players selected in the 2024 NHL Draft should be on everyone's radar as they enter their first season as members of the organization.