Flyers prospect report: Gauthier scores OT winner and more

The Philadelphia Flyers’ prospects have been running the game recently, and that hasn’t shown any signs of stopping as we approach the start of the 2023-24 regular season.

We’ll try to make this kind of report a regular thing, and some highlights for this week include Cutter Gauthier’s overtime winner for Boston College, Ryan MacPherson’s scorching-hot start, and the London Knights boys marauding through their first games of the season.

BCHL

• Ryan MacPherson (Penticton Vees)
  • 2023 sixth-round pick MacPherson’s Vees are 3-1-1 to start their season, and the young center has played a big part in that. MacPherson scored a hat trick and added an assist in a 6-0 win over the Merritt Centennials, assisted in the OT victory against the Nanaimo Clippers a week later, and followed that up with a brace in a shootout loss to the Powell River Kings.
  • The 18-year-old was named the BCHL’s First Star of the Month

HockeyAllsvenskan

• Alex Ciernik (Vasterviks IK)
  • The Flyers’ 2023 fourth-round pick doesn’t seem to be in the greatest situation as Vasterviks have started their season 1-3-2.
  • Ciernik scored in the opener, added a brace against Ostersunds IK on Oct. 3, and followed that up with two apples against Brynäs IF four days later.

NCAA

• Cutter Gauthier (Boston College)
  • The Flyers’ top draft selection in 2022 wowed spectators with his movement and skating ability and was able to score the overtime winner for Boston College with a heavy wrister from the right circle with 10 seconds remaining. Gauthier fired eight shots on goal in the victory.
  • The Athletic‘s Scott Wheeler described the 19-year-old as a ‘legit Hobey [Baker] contender’.

• Devin Kaplan (Boston University)
  • Kaplan made his season debut against Bentley University but didn’t record any stats. He took two shots and a minor penalty and had a plus-minus rating of plus-one. The Flyers will want him to improve offensively on his 2022-23 season where he scored 23 points in 40 games as a freshman.
• Cole Knuble (Notre Dame)
  • The son of former Flyers winger Mike Knuble made his collegiate debut, but like Kaplan, he did not record any stats. Knuble had three shots on goal in a 3-1 loss to Clarkson University.
• Hunter McDonald (Northeastern)
  • An older prospect with less fanfare, McDonald registered an assist in his season debut – a 7-0 win over Stonehill College. At 21 years old and standing at 6-foot-4, the 2022 sixth-round pick probably won’t become some offensive dynamo on the blueline overnight, but it’ll be interesting to see if he can become something for the Flyers.
• Massimo Rizzo (Denver)
  • Tony DeAng- I mean Massimo Rizzo returns for his third season at the University of Denver, and the unsigned center is off to a flying start. Denver’s talisman racked up three assists in a 7-3 dismantling of the University of Alaska-Fairbanks. If he keeps this up, the Flyers are going to want to tie him down with an NHL deal quickly.

National League

• Brian Zanetti (SCL Tigers)
  • The Flyers’ 2021 fourth-round pick returns to Switzerland after two years with the Peterborough Petes of the OHL. This will be Zanetti’s first season of pro hockey after playing with Lugano’s age group junior teams in the past.
  • The 6-foot-3 blueliner has one assist through nine games thus far, but his ice time has ranged from as low as 10:24 to as high as 18:41. Even though it’s pro hockey, the Flyers will want to see some more consistency in that area, as it’s critical to the development of defensemen.

KHL

• Matvei Michkov (HC Sochi)
  • Michkov helped stun his former team SKA St. Petersburg on Oct. 2 with a three-point effort, and is currently riding a four-game point streak.
  • Since the future Flyers star joined Sochi, the team has only lost two games out of 10. In addition, Michkov has only been held off the stat sheet three times – two of those times coincide with his two lowest TOI totals since returning to Sochi.
• Alexei Kolosov (Dinamo Minsk)
  • For our latest on Kolosov, click here.

OHL

• Denver Barkey (London Knights)
  • The 2023 third-round pick has recorded a point in all but one of the London Knights’ five games since his return from an impressive display at Flyers training camp. He’s up to six points in five games, and is on pace for 81 points in 68 games – an astounding 22-point improvement over the year before.
  • Barkey’s production last year wasn’t necessarily ground-breaking, but it was similar to that of 2023 first-rounders like Calum Ritchie, Colby Barlow, and Quentin Musty. Barkey was picked at the bottom of the third round. If his production improves even further this year, he’s going to be a real player for the Flyers.
• Oliver Bonk (London Knights)
  • Barkey’s teammate Bonk has had an equally successful start to the season, posting three assists in his five appearances. One such assist came on a Barkey deflection, and Flyers fans could get used to seeing that.
  • Bonk also has room to grow offensively, but all the tools are there. It’s an encouraging start for the 18-year-old, who could find himself in a top-four role at the NHL level rather soon

WHL

• Carter Sotheran (Portland Winterhawks)
  • After going scoreless and racking up six penalty minutes in his first two games, the 2023 fifth-round pick had a goal and two assists against the Vancouver Giants on Oct. 7. He’s another sleeper defensemen the Flyers have with the potential to carve out a role in the pros; Sotheran plays a game that translates well to the NHL level.
• Carson Bjarnason (Brandon Wheat Kings)
  • The Wheat Kings were one of the worst teams in the WHL last season with the fourth-fewest wins of any team (26), and unfortunately for the Flyers and Bjarnason, that trend is going to repeat itself this year.
  • The 18-year-old is 1-2-0 with a paltry 4.02 goals-against-average and a subpar 0.892 save percentage, but he’s getting killed out there. Bjarnason has faced no fewer than 36 shots in each of his three appearances. The 2023 second-round pick is a top talent in goal, and his herculean performances have shown that.

Russia (Other)

• Yegor Zavragin (Mamonty Yugry, Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk)
  • Zavragin has played in both the MHL (junior) and the VHL (a step below the KHL) this season, and he’s made both look easy. The 2023 third-round pick is 2-0-0 in the VHL with a 1.51 GAA and a save percentage of 0.939, and 2-1-1 in the MHL with a 1.47 GAA and a 0.957 save percentage.
  • The Flyers probably can’t wait to get this kid over to North America in a few years’ time.
  • Did they draft a goalie or a brick wall?

Same time next week?