Three Under-The-Radar Philadelphia Flyers Prospects To Watch Next Year

The Philadelphia Flyers have a notably deep prospect pool with plenty of names that could fly under-the-radar next year.

Most, if not all, Philadelphia Flyers fans know the top prospects by now. Morgan Frost, who’s arguably the Flyers top prospect at the moment, Joel Farabee, Isaac Ratcliffe, and German Rubtsov have all become familiar names amongst the fanbase through the past couple of years. There’s also the new faces like Cam York and Bobby Brink, who were apart of the seven-player 2019 Philadelphia draft class that took place in late June. All eyes will be on them when training camp, preseason, and the 2019-20 campaign get going, but who are some other lesser-known talents to keep tabs on as the year starts up?

The first is forward Maxim Sushko. Sushko was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NHL Draft and has quietly put together solid seasons in the Ontario Hockey League since being drafted.  The Belarus native netted 60 points (31 Goals, 29 Assists) in 60 games for the Owen Sound Attack in 2017-18 and 51 points in 62 contests this past year. He’ll be one of many rookies that will get to showcase his talents with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms next season and could shine on the offensive end given his excellent shot and I.Q. when the puck is on his stick.

Olle Lycksell is another prospect that doesn’t get talked about a lot. Like Sushko, Lycksell was a part of the Flyers 2017 draft as he was picked in the sixth round of that year. The 5’11, 176-pound forward spent most of his time in the Swedish Hockey League last year, scoring 12 points (5 Goals, 7 Assists) in 51 games with Linköping HC. While that may not seem like a lot, it’s worth noting that Lycksell was playing in one of the best hockey leagues the world has to offer outside of the NHL at the young age of 19 and was able to hold his own against the older competition. He also was able to net seven points in five games and eight points in six postseason contests in the SuperElit league, showing he can produce well against players near his age. Lycksell will spend another year in the SHL in 2019-20 to further his development as an all-around player.

Lastly, Linus Högberg has slowly but surely showed progress since being picked in the fifth round of the 2016 NHL Draft. The Swedish defenseman earned a consistent role on the Växjö Lakers blue-line last season, helping them reach the quarterfinals of the SHL playoffs where they ultimately lost to Luleå HF in five games. Högberg isn’t as offensive gifted as other defensive prospects that have come through the Flyers pipeline, potting just ten points in 52 games but proves his worth defending his own zone. He seemingly always makes the right play to break-up opposing scoring chances and hardly catches himself out of place while on the ice. The 20-year-old blue-liner will stay in Sweden this next season and could find himself in Lehigh Valley in 2020-21.

These three all possess the skill to make an impact on the Flyers roster in the future, especially if they can further develop as next season rolls along.