The Philadelphia Flyers will have a total of seven prospects performing at the World Junior Championship this year.
With the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championships beginning Wednesday, it’s time to shift focus towards the future and take a look at some of the Philadelphia Flyers prospects that will be participating. The Flyers have seven prospects representing three different countries with talent at forward, defense, and in-net.
For those unaware, the IIHF World Junior Championships are an annual tournament that showcases some of the best young talent hockey has to offer. It will run from December 26th to January 5th, with metal-round play starting on January 2nd. Canada won the gold metal last year, defeating Sweden in the finals.
Forward Morgan Frost will be apart of the Canadian squad for the first time this year. He’s been absolutely electric with the Sault St. Marie Greyhounds in the OHL, netting 58 points in just 32 games played so far. That’s tied for second in the entire league and leads his team by a wide margin. Frost will likely receive third line minutes and play at the wing instead of center like he has with the Greyhounds.
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Defenseman Adam Ginning and goaltender Samuel Ersson will represent Sweden for the Flyers. Ginning, who was selected in the second round of the 2018 draft, has put up just four points in 25 games in the SHL. Ersson, who was chosen in the fifth round that same year, looks great for Västerås IK thus far. He’s posted a 1.81 Goals-Against Average with a .941 save percentage in 17 games, which sits third and leads the Allsvenskan league respectively. This gives both of them the chance to further shine and turn things around to help their team get the gold.
Philadelphia has a whopping four prospects on the American team, beginning with 2018 first round draft pick Joel Farabee. I noted in this article that Farabee was off to a solid start in the NCAA for Boston University, and that still holds true at this moment. He now has 11 points (4 Goals, 7 Assists) in 16 games, sitting fourth on the team in scoring.
The other forward representing is 2017 fifth round pick Noah Cates. Cates has semi-decent stats in the NCAA this year with seven points in 16 games, but should continue to improve as he gets used to his first year in a new league. He will impress fans with his two-way skill-set and good set of hands on the ice.
2018 fourth round pick Jack St. Ivany is an under-the-radar prospect for the Flyers and isn’t well known among the fanbase, but is definitely a name you should watch in this tournament. Ivany has 8 points (2 Goals, 6 Assists) in 12 games with Yale in the NCAA, leading all defensemen on he team in scoring. He shows great offensive ability, possesses a right-handed shot, and has solid size with a 6’3, 198 pound frame.
Getting to the final prospect, not one player in this bunch has had a tougher year than Jay O’Brien has. He’s suffered through injury, playing in just 10 games and netting two points. O’Brien looked very good in the World Junior Summer Showcase in the offseason and has the talent to do the same at the World Junior Championships.
Preliminary play will begin at 4:00pm EST with the Czech Republic taking on Switzerland. You can find the rest of the schedule right here and watch all of the action on NHL Network in the USA or TSN in Canada.