The undrafted rookie has grown during his time in the Flyers organization and has a chance to be a star for them one day.
Philippe Myers came to the Flyers after being passed over at the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. Coming him, he had just eight points in 60 games in the QMJHL so it’s fair to see why he wasn’t drafted. He did earn an invite to the Calgary Flames development camp but left there without a contract.
The Flyers took a chance and invited him to their training camp a few months later. He impressed so much that then-GM Ron Hextall signed him as an undrafted free agent. He posted 17 goals and 45 assists for Rouyn-Noranda that season.
Talk about a boost of confidence. Or he could’ve just bulked up and taken that leap. But the Flyers were happy with themselves none the less. He spent two seasons growing with the Phantoms before seemingly earning a spot this past season.
After a call-up at the end of October, Myers spent the rest of the season in the NHL. He posted four goals and 16 assists in 50 games. His metrics were strong for a player who didn’t have much experience in the league prior to this season.
He was good at driving play in his favor (51.34 FF) and he was able to out-chance teams when he was on the ice (52.02 CF%). The Flyers scored more with him on the ice (3.41 GF/60) than they gave up (2.2 GA/60). These numbers weren’t the best on the team. But they were strong for a player that came in with just 21 games under his belt a season ago.
NBC Sports analyst Keith Jones certainly likes what he has seen from the young defenseman. He spoke about the team, including Myers, in a recent interview with NBC Sports Philadelphia.
"“I think he’s going to be a star,” Jones said. “He’s showing us glimpses, which is remarkable when you look at the way he arrived in the NHL; he’s going to be a top player. I like his attitude and I know he’s got a lot of room to grow. I think the potential is probably what excites me more than what we’ve seen so far.”"
A strong regular season turned into sort of a bumpy postseason towards the end of it. He did grab three goals, four points total, in the playoffs. One of which gave the Flyers an overtime victory to even the series early on against the Islanders. But it was also that series that showed that he still has a bit to learn in the NHL.
The playoff time was a valuable experience, though, and showed Myers what he will need to work on moving forward. But the fact that he was able to contribute is proof that he is well on his way to figuring out what he needs to do.
The Flyers certainly have a star in the making with Myers. It is absolutely a diamond in the rough signing that clearly no other team saw coming.