In baseball, you can never have enough bullpen pitching help. In hockey, you always need depth along the blueline. After a season like the Flyers had, where way too many people were injured, defensive depth can be a blessing.
On Monday, the Flyers signed Adam Ginning, a defensive prospect, to a two-year, entry-level contract. Had they failed to sign him, he would’ve become an unrestricted free agent this summer.
OFFICIAL: We have signed defenseman Adam Ginning, our second-round pick (50th overall) of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, to a two-year entry-level contract. https://t.co/NWwTOmrSI1
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) May 17, 2022
Ginning was the Flyers second round pick, 50th overall in 2018. It’s easy to see why they are interested in him. He is a 6’4″ 205lb hulking Swede who has been playing well in the Swedish league for Farjestads BK Karlstad. This past year, he had one goal and four assists with 42 penalty minutes. The year before, he posted career highs of 12 points and 53 PIM.
Ginning’s play improved during the postseason. In 19 games, he had two goals and five points. He jumped to 19:11 minutes per game after an average of 17:49 during the regular season. He helped lead his team to win the SHL Championship.
He has also represented Sweden in the World Junior Under 20 Championships in 2019 and 2020. He was Team Sweden’s captain in 2020 when the Swedes won the bronze medal in the tournament.
The 22-year-old drew a lot of comparisons to fellow Swede, and former Flyers’ defender, Robert Hagg because of his size, his physicality, and his defensive acuity. Ginning has tried to pattern his style of play after Oilers’ defenseman Adam Larsson and has paired up in international tournaments with Blue Jackets’ defender Adam Boqvist.
If Ginning can successfully bring his international play to the NHL, the Flyers would be in luck. The defense seems to be in a period of transition right now and having a blueliner with leadership experience would be a plus. Ginning is projected to start in the AHL next season, though.
We’ll see what the future holds, but for right now, it looks pretty bright.