The future Michigan Wolverine is a mobile defenseman who plays well on both ends of the ice but could be a bit of a reach for the Philadelphia Flyers at 11th overall.
Cam York is another United States Developmental Program (USDP) prospect that should, at the very least, catch Philadelphia Flyers General Manager Chuck Fletcher’s attention with the amount of talent he possesses. While there’ll likely be better prospects on the board at 11, York would still jump to near the top of the Flyers defensive farm system with Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers in the NHL.
York posted 65 points (14 Goals, 51 Assists) in 63 games with the United States Nation Under-18 team in the USDP this past season. That far and away led all defensemen on the squad, with the closest blue-liner having 42 points, and ranked fifth overall amongst all players as well. He had a strong showing during the U-18 World Junior Championships, too, netting 11 points (4 Goals, 7. Assists) in seven games, helping the USA win bronze during the tournament.
The University of Michigan commit doesn’t have blow away speed but beats the opposition with his excellent work on his edges. That’s not to say his pace is bad by any means, because he’s one of the better skating defensemen in this draft, just that his edge work is more impressive. York uses it to quickly close out on attacking forwards, transitioning from back-to-forward skate with relative ease, and shutdown scoring chances. He’s also very smart in both zones, never making plays that jeopardize his team, pinches in the offensive zone when deemed necessary, and is a tremendous passer to boot.
If there’s one thing York needs to work on, it’s getting stronger. He doesn’t play a physical game but will get pushed off of the puck in the NHL if he doesn’t hit the weight room. It would also bode well for his defensive game if he could knock opposing players off of the puck and not heavily rely on using his stick to break chances apart.
Again, taking York with the 11th pick would be a slight reach for the Flyers, but if Fletcher decides to trade down for any reason, York would be a prime candidate to put in an Orange and Black uniform.