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Top Five Philadelphia Flyers Forward Prospects In The System

By Benjamin Gabrych

VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 2: Morgan Frost #26 of Canada skates with the puck in Quarterfinal hockey action of the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship against Finland on January, 2, 2019 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images)
VANCOUVER, BC - JANUARY 2: Morgan Frost #26 of Canada skates with the puck in Quarterfinal hockey action of the 2019 IIHF World Junior Championship against Finland on January, 2, 2019 at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Rich Lam/Getty Images) /
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Philadelphia Flyers
LONDON, ON – FEBRUARY 26: Isaac Ratcliffe #19 of the Guelph Storm picks up the puck in the second period during OHL game action against the London Knights at Budweiser Gardens on February 26, 2019 in London, Canada. (Photo by Tom Szczerbowski/Getty Images) /

Prospect Number Four: German Rubtsov

German Rubtsov would be a more obvious candidate for the fourth-best forward spot had he been able to stay on the ice in the AHL this past season but a shoulder injury and subsequent surgery stopped him from doing so. The 6’0, 187-pound centerman posted 10 points (6 Goals, 4 Assists) in 14 games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in 2018-19 and was easily their best rookie during that span. He had an above-average career in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, too, potting 65 points in 65 games with the Chicoutimi Saguenéens and Acadie-Bathurst Titans. It can take a little time for guys to get accustomed to playing amongst AHL-level talent, but Rubtsov looked right at home facing off against the competition.

The 2016 First Round Pick has the frame for the NHL and, like Laczynski, has the strength to go along with it. Rubtsov possesses outstanding playmaking skills as well, passing the puck through tight windows to set up teammates for a scoring chance. I can see Rubtsov turning into a Top-6 forward in the future, whether it’s at the center or wing positions. He’ll have the opportunity to make the Flyers roster this season with a third-line role open, barring a trade from Fletcher.

Prospect Number Three: Isaac Ratcliffe

One of the more prominent prospects in the Flyers pipeline, Isaac Ratcliffe had his most successful season in the OHL this past year and showed why Hextall traded up for his services in the second round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. The towering 6’6, 201-pound left-winger helped the Guelph Storm win the J. Ross Robertson Cup as league champions with an 82 point (50 Goals, 32 Assists) 65 game campaign as Captain of the squad. He also scored 30 points in 24 postseason games and six points in four Memorial Cup tournament contests, where the Storm were eliminated in the semi-finals. While the OHL and CHL aren’t the cream of the crop as far as all hockey leagues go, it is one of, if not the best junior league out there and isn’t easy to score 50 goals in by any means.

The 19-year-old forward’s offensive skill set was on full display during the Memorial Cup, showcasing his silky mitts and goal-scoring prowess while Guelph battled in the round-robin tourney.  If there’s something that Ratcliffe can improve upon it’s increasing the step of his first-step. That’s not to say he has lousy speed or acceleration, because he doesn’t once he gets going, but it’d bode well for his game to get quicker in his first couple of strides. As long as everything goes according to plan in his development, Ratcliffe should become a Top-6 NHL forward who can thrive on the power-play as a net-front presence or in the slot. Like Rubtsov and the two prospects ranked ahead of him, he’ll play in Lehigh Valley for the 2019-20 season if he fails to carve out a third-line role with the Flyers out of camp.

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