The Flyers have inked one of their more intriguing and promising prospects to a three year entry level deal. Emil Andrae, a Swedish defender, has agreed to a three year deal with Philadelphia. Financial details of the contract have not yet been released
Andrae was the 2020 second round pick by the Flyers. He was taken #54 overall. As far as Swedish defenders go, he’s not super big. He’s listed at 5’9″ and 180 lbs. The size of his body is not what makes him valuable. It’s what he does with his size that matters most.
According to scouting reports, he possesses “good puck vision” and doesn’t “give up on a puck battle.” Sounds like similar reports to what we’ve heard on Cam York and Elliot Desnoyers. Andrae is called a tough player who will battle it out. He possesses a lot of energy and gives everything he has on the ice during every shift. This is definitely something that this team desperately needs right now.
The 21 year old blueliner has spent most of this season playing for HV71 of the Swedish Hockey League. He has put up six goals with 20 assists and 67 penalty minutes in 51 games. Last year, he posted nine goals with 24 assists in 47 games with just 18 penalty minutes. He has also made his North American debut this season as well, playing in five games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and getting two assists.
This is also amazing when you consider that he had a nasty injury to start this season. Back in September, Andrae took a puck to the face and had to be carted off the ice. It seems that he has bounced back from the injury fairly well.
Andrae was Team Sweden’s captain during the 2022 World Junior Championship and turned a lot of heads during the tournament. He recorded four goals and four assists in eight games and helped Sweden take home the bronze medal. For his efforts, Andrae also was named as an All-Star.
If all goes well, Andrae could be part of a youthful defensive contingent that includes York, Egor Zamula, and Ronnie Attard. Since he is probably not NHL ready yet, he could use some seasoning in the AHL. But as his star keeps climbing, we may see him don the Orange and Black soon enough.