The Philadelphia Flyers 2017 First Round pick is one of the candidates to make the roster out of training camp and preseason.
As has been known since their 2018-19 season ended in early April, the Philadelphia Flyers have a vacancy on the third-line. Whether it’s on the left or right side, the team needs to bring another winger into the fold. General Manager and Team President Chuck Fletcher could still look to trade one of the eight defensemen currently on the roster once Ivan Provorov signs, but it seems increasingly likely that he’ll let a prospect earn the spot out of camp. Some of the early favorites are Joel Farabee, who’s impressed the masses at the 2019 World Junior Summer Showcase, German Rubtsov, Isaac Ratcliffe, and Morgan Frost. Frost’s been thought of by many as the best prospect in the Flyers system, but that doesn’t mean he’s an absolute shoo-in to earn the third-line role.
Frost will have to prove his worth in order to make the jump to the NHL, and that’ll start with producing on the ice. During the 2018-19 preseason, the Ontario native wasn’t very noticeable while taking shifts in the one game he played in. Sure, he could have received a more extended look during camp, as he was sent back down to juniors just four days after it opened, but it was clear he wasn’t ready for the NHL-level. Frost is now coming off of back-to-back 100 point OHL campaigns, and that production has to translate if he has any hopes of starting the year in Philadelphia.
Contributing factors to his vanishment during the preseason game he participated in was his lack of strength and playing at a quicker pace. Frost noted during Development Camp that he’s bulked up to 187 pounds and hopes to get to 190 at some point in the future. A 5’11, 187-pound body is undoubtedly an NHL-ready frame, which should take away some of the strengthening concerns. The 20-year-old forward will still need to prove that he can play at a faster pace with the puck on his stick, though, as he likes to slow the game down at times to make the right decision. That likely won’t fly against NHL talent, who will be able to either read what he’s trying to set-up or closeout any space that he’s created.
If Fletcher does stand pat and lets a prospect compete for a spot on the team, the battle for the third-line winger position will certainly be one to keep an eye on. It won’t be easy for Frost or any of the other prospects vying for the role, and they’ll all need to show they can handle the pressure of an 82 game NHL campaign, but they all possess the talent to begin their 2019-20 seasons with the Flyers.