Philadelphia Flyers Prospect Perspective #4: Philippe Myers

Hear ye, hear ye, for the case of Phil(y). Phil Myers brings a lot to the Philadelphia Flyers defensively. He has a wide skill set ranging on both sides of the ice. If he is able to bounce back from a down season in 2020-21, he has the potential to be a top three defenseman.

Phil Myers is one of Ron Hextall’s best findings. He was a “diamond in the rough” undrafted free agent signing in 2015. Myers played 21 games in 2018-2019. He scored one goal and notched one assist. He picked it up in 2019-20, playing 50 games and scoring four goals and notching 12 assists.

At just 24 years of age and standing at 6’5″ and 210 pounds, Myers is fast and physical. His season in 2019-20 was absolutely dominant. He was especially effective playing alongside his old Lehigh Valley Phantoms partner, Travis Sanheim. When both were at the top of their game, they were a shut down pairing most nights.

Myers finished at plus-17 with 30 penalty minutes (PIM) in 2019-20. He also was able to throw his body around as well, recording 80 hits. Phil’s overall game didn’t stop at hits. He had 44 blocked shots and 21 takeaways.

Looking at the advanced stats from 2019-20, Myers was on the ice for 49 goals for and 32 goals against. While on the ice as well, the Flyers were much better. They controlled the puck 51.4% more than their opponent did. The goalie’s save percentage (SV%) while he was on the ice was also at 92.2%.

Myers also went on to score three goals and record an assist while the team was in the bubble during the 2020 Playoffs. Who can forget his bomb from the point for a Game 2 overtime win against the New York Islanders? The Flyers had high hopes for Myers coming into this past season.

He played 44 games this season and finished with one goal and 10 assists. He was a minus-10. His physicality was still evident, and his PIM went down to 22 minutes. He still handed out 69 hits and blocked 40 shots. His takeaways and giveaways also went down as well.

Some of his advanced stats improved. The Flyers controlled the puck more then their opponents with Myers playing. He was on the ice for 11 power play goals and 56 goals against as well.

If Myers can bring his +/- back down and ground his defensive game, he can be a viable threat next season. I don’t know who his partner will be next season, but regardless he needs to ground his game and play more consistently on a nightly basis.

Phil Myers’s physicality and aggressiveness is not being called into question, nor is 200 foot game. His ability to play that way every game is what we need to see. The bad stretch passes and decisions leading to turnovers in the neutral zone or his own defensive end need to stop. He also needs to be more selective on getting shots from the point and not just into traffic.

Hopefully, we see Sanheim re-signed and paired up with Myers so their dominant pairing can pick up the pieces and build together more. He is number four on my list due to the low risk, high reward signing. He is still young and has a lot to prove. I believe he will break out this season.