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Flyers sign Elliot Desnoyers and Olle Lycksell to entry level contracts

By Ariel Melendez

PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 30: A view of the ice before the game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders at Wells Fargo Center on January 30, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Due to covid-19 restrictions, NHL games are played without fans. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA - JANUARY 30: A view of the ice before the game between the Philadelphia Flyers and the New York Islanders at Wells Fargo Center on January 30, 2021 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Due to covid-19 restrictions, NHL games are played without fans. (Photo by Tim Nwachukwu/Getty Images) /
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The Flyers announced on Wednesday afternoon that they signed two players to entry-level contracts. Elliot Desnoyers and Olle Lycksell are signed on to three-year and two-year deals respectively that will begin next season.

For Lycksell, he is almost certainly making his North American debut with the Phantoms next season. He becomes the seventh member of the 2017 class to sign his deal.

Lycksell spent this past season in the SHL with Farjestad where he posted nine goals and 21 points in 46 games played. He had earned the promotion from the team’s junior squad, Linköping HC. He posted the same numbers that season with five more games under his belt.

There hasn’t been much talk about Lycksell since he was drafted as a 17-year-old. It seems as if there has been some questions in regards to his consistency level. He hasn’t shown a true ability to score despite flashing some pop on occasion.

But the team signing him before losing his rights this summer shows that there is still some belief in his skill set. He could be a depth option to watch in Lehigh Valley next season.

With Desnoyers, unless he makes a huge push at training camp next season, he will be able to slide a year of that contract by heading back for his fourth junior season. He is now the third member of the 2020 class to earn his entry-level deal.

Desnoyers took a huge step forward in his development after he was traded to the Halifax Mooseheads. With a bigger role on the team, Desnoyers posted 12 goals and 25 points in the Halifax’s first 16 games. He cooled down a bit after the league was forced to pause and return in January.

However, he exploded once again over a month. He finished his third junior season with 21 goals and 49 points in 37 games. He finished seventh in the QMJHL in points and was sixth in goals.

The Flyers traded two picks to nab Desnoyers when they did, so there seems to be a belief that they saw a potential breakout season coming. Now comes another important step for him. He’ll need to prove that this was a true step forward and that he can continue this upward trend in what is almost certainly his final year in juniors next year.

There isn’t a reason to believe that Desnoyers will break into the NHL next season so this would be the best option for his continued development. But the signing of his entry-level deal the season following his draft goes to show the improvements he made this year.

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