Philadelphia Flyers: Prospects Dazzling In Canadian Juniors

A couple of Philadelphia Flyers prospects have played well in the first few games of their 2019-20 seasons in the Canadian Junior Leagues.

With the 2019-20 NHL regular-season on the horizon, teams have made a majority of their cuts in preparation for the new campaign, getting within the roster limitations. The Philadelphia Flyers have been no exception, basically setting their team in stone as they head to Switzerland for their preseason finale. Having said that, some of their prospects playing in the Canadian Junior Leagues have started their seasons off on a high note, showcasing why the Flyers farm system is so highly praised around the league.

Forward Jay O’Brien is among the group impressing thus far. While he plays in a league that’s considered a step below the CHL, the 2018 First Round Pick has still been able to stand out, which is a promising sign given the season from hell he had with the Providence Friars in 2018-19. O’Brien’s netted nine points (4 Goals, 5 Assists) in six games with the Penticton Vees in the BCHL. That mark is good for second on the team behind Danny Weight and ties for seventh in the entire league. Though he should with his talent-level and age, I’m still happy to see O’Brien perform well as watching him go through an injury-riddled campaign in the NCAA was rough to witness.

2019 sixth-rounders Egor Serdyuk and Roddy Ross have also shined in the QMJHL and WHL, respectively. Serdyuk’s put his goal-scoring capabilities on full display, with all of his five points in three games being goals. His point total ranks third among all players in the league and leads Victoriaville by a two-point margin. The 18-year-old Russian forward had a solid rookie year in the Q last season and will hope to continue to build on that as 2019-20 rolls along.

Ross hasn’t played in a whole lot of games yet but had an outstanding start in the Seattle Thunderbirds season-opener. The 19-year-old netminder made a whopping 50 saves on 51 shots, leading the T-Birds to a 4-1 win over the Kamloops Blazers. This performance earned him the WHL Goaltender of the Week award, which was well deserved given how poorly his defense played in front of him.

Moving on to the final three defensemen, both Wyatte Wylie and Egor “It’s No Longer Yegor” Zamula are scoring at either over or at a point-per-game pace. Wylie’s potted three points (2 Goals, 1 Assist) in two games in his fourth campaign with the Everett Silvertips while Zamula’s scored one goal in a single contest with the Calgary Hitmen. I was slightly disappointed to see Wylie fail to obtain an ELC out of camp and thought Zamula got sent down a bit too early, but am glad they’re looking good in the WHL. 2019 Fourth Round Pick Mason Millman has yet to register a point in two games in the OHL.

We’ll have to see if these prospects can produce at the same or at least similar level throughout the year, but right now, they’ve all made impressions in their own right.