Philadelphia Flyers Top Five Goaltending Prospects In The System

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The Philadelphia Flyers still have a solid crop of goaltending talent in their prospect pipeline.

Rounding out my Top Five prospects at their respective positions are none other than the net-minders. While Carter Hart graduated from the farm and is now gearing up to be the starting goalie for the Philadelphia Flyers during the 2019-20 season, the team still possesses a few names that should have bright futures ahead of them as long as they develop correctly.

The Flyers currently have six goaltending prospects in the system, give or take one or two of them depending on if you think Alex Lyon is still considered a prospect and what your thoughts on Matej Tomek’s situation are. I’ve personally decided to leave both of them off of this list, but in Tomek’s case, it’s more of an indictment on his overall skill set since I don’t believe he’ll become an NHL goaltender. As far as Lyon goes, he’s played 13 career games with the Flyers and, as I stated above, I’m one of the people who don’t see him as a young talent anymore, especially since he’s about to turn 27 in December. My criteria of putting ceiling over floor remains in effect for these rankings, so putting that aside, let’s get right into number five.

The fifth-best goalie in the Flyers farm, in my opinion, is the new kid on the block in Roddy Ross. Ross was selected in the sixth round of the 2019 NHL Draft in June and found success with the Seattle Thunderbirds in the WHL last season. He posted a 2.76 Goals Against Average (GAA) with a .919 save percentage (SVS%) in 25 games, helping the team get to the playoffs. Ross did struggle a bit during postseason play against the Everett Silvertips, but that shouldn’t be too surprising as he was a rookie going up against a more talented squad.

This next season will be huge in deciding just how good Ross is as a prospect. He’ll have the chance to start a full year with the T-Birds after joining them this past January and gaining experience in any league can go a long way for a young player. Ross has the potential to turn into something with a quality blend of size and athleticism and could unlock it with the right amount of coaching.

VOORHEES, NJ – JUNE 26: Kirill Ustimenko (67) in action at the Flyers Development Camp on June 28, 2019 at the Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone. (Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

Prospect Number Four: Ivan Fedotov

Coming in at number four is a relatively unknown guy in Ivan Fedotov. Fedotov was chosen in the seventh round of the 2015 draft and has been nothing short of dependable in the Russian junior hockey leagues. The 22-year-old goalie posted a 1.67 GAA with a .929 SVS% in 26 contests with Toros Neftekamsk in the VHL and also had a 2.08 GA with a .933 SVS% with Salavat Yulaev Ufa in three games of KHL action. He hasn’t been able to find the same amount of success in the VHL playoffs, though, posting a save percentage lower than .900 in two of the last three years.

I honestly don’t know much about Fedotov from an overall talent standpoint, but what I do know is he’s freaking massive. The Russian goaltender is billed at 6’7, 205-pounds, obviously taking up a whole lot of space while playing in the net. He’ll have to perform well in the KHL this upcoming year if he wants an opportunity of earning an Entry-Level Contract from the Flyers, especially with all of the talents the organization is set to have in North America this season and in 2020-21.

Prospect Number Three: Kirill Ustimenko

Kirill Ustimenko is one of those previously mentioned prospects who’s gearing up to play in North America. Following an outstanding year in the MHL, putting up a 1.78 GAA and a .927 SVS% in 46 games with MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg, Philadelphia gifted him with a three-year ELC this past May. He has yet to see action at a professional level, though, so it remains to be seen how well he’ll fare in either the AHL or ECHL in 2019-20.

The Belarusian net-minder doesn’t possess the size of Fedotov but certainly isn’t small coming in at 6’3, 187-pounds. Like Ross, he has an outstanding amount of athletism to go along with his frame, but I’d go as far to say that he’s more athletic than Ross. Ustimenko also tracks the puck well and usually finds himself in the correct position to make a save. I’m incredibly interested to see how he’ll look with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms or Reading Royals and play against more skilled players.

VICTORIA , BC – DECEMBER 29: Samuel Ersson #30 of Sweden versus the United States at the IIHF World Junior Championships at the Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre on December 29, 2018 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. (Photo by Kevin Light/Getty Images) /

Prospect Number Two: Felix Sandstrom

Felix Sandstrom is also preparing for his first full season in North America. Selected in the third round of the 2015 draft, Sandstrom battled through injuries leading up to the 2018-19 campaign and finished out the year on a strong note. The Swedish goaltending prospect delivered a 2.16 GAA with a .911 SVS% in 19 contests on loan with HV71 in the SHL, leading the team and tying for 17th in the entire league in save percentage. Sandstrom received a game of action in with the Phantoms this past season, as well, making 40 saves on 43 shots and earning a victory for his efforts.

The Gavle, Sweden native has plenty of raw talent at his disposal. His lateral movements are tremendous, allowing him to make tough saves in any situation. Sandstrom has decent positioning to go along with it, too, and reacts to plays in front of him with lightening-like quickness. I liked his demeanor in-net in the lone contest with Lehigh Valley, as he never let any of the three goals get the best of him. I’m as excited as anyone to finally get to watch him work in the AHL, or ECHL if the Flyers opt to put him there, and can’t wait to see what he does.

Prospect Number One: Samuel Ersson

Now, I know what you’re thinking. “Samuel Ersson over Sandstrom? Are you crazy?!” First of all, yes I’m very much insane, but Ersson could end up being the better player in the long run. The 2018 fifth-rounder had a stellar year in the Allsvenskan, posting a 1.95 GAA and .933 SVS% in 36 games with Västerås IK. All of his terrific performances eventually earned him several awards once the 2018-19 season came to a close, including Goaltender of the Year and the Most Valuable Player of the league. He dominated at the Under-20 World Junior Championships, as well, with a 2.23 GAA and .922 SVS% in four contests with Team Sweden.

Ersson’s 2019-20 season has already gotten underway, as he helped Brynäs IF obtain a preseason victory over MODO Hockey with a 32 save on 35 shots outing. He holds all of the tools to become an excellent NHL goaltender with size, athleticism, puck-tracking skills, and IQ to round his game out. It’ll be up to him to reach his potential, but there’s no denying he has the highest ceiling of any Flyers goaltending prospect currently in the system.

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I wouldn’t be surprised if any one of these guys became Hart’s backup in the future. They all are talented in their own rights and are worth keeping an eye on as the new season gets going.

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