Cole Knuble is making his case for a bigger role with the Flyers

Cole Knuble has familiarity with the Flyers organization. His father, Mike, played five seasons in Philadelphia and scored more than 100 goals. The younger Knuble has endeared himself to the team rather quickly.

Passed over in his first draft season, Knuble posted career highs in his second USHL season and turned that into a fourth-round selection by the Flyers. Three years after being drafted, Knuble is hitting the professional ranks for his first full season. He debuted with the Phantoms at the end of last season and largely impressed.

"I thought he was one of our higher-end players and was not taking a backward step to anybody at that professional level. That's kind of impressive coming from college. We've got high expectations for him," Patrick Sharp, an advisor in the Flyers' hockey operations department, said in July.

Knuble only played seven games, but what he showed in that time earned him enough trust to be near the top of the lineup early on. And while he finished his college season on the wing, he was tasked with returning to center with the Phantoms. That versatility is always important at the next level, but especially because the Flyers continue to look for help down the middle.

"We've had some conversations about it, and I think I'm going to be a guy that can play both, which I think is good to be versatile like that. You know, it's more opportunity than you can get, kind of, put anywhere. And yeah, I think I can do that," Knuble said ahead of the first game against the Rangers.

Knuble building momentum after strong Phantoms' debut

As a college athlete, Knuble couldn't attend rookie or training camp in the past. The only time he could make a direct impact in front of the organization was at development camp, and he was one of the better players there earlier this summer.

Being in the area this late in the year will be a new experience for Knuble. But after getting his first taste of professional hockey last year, he's not going into things completely blind.

"Yeah, I'm really happy I did that. And I think the biggest thing was confidence, kind of knowing I can play at the level and make an impact. It's in the back of your mind all summer when you're training and skating, like what you kind of have to get to and the level you're going to play at."

Knuble was given a good look right off the bat, playing the wing on the top line with Jett Luchanko and Alex Bump in the Flyers' first of two Rookie Series games against the Rangers. He stood out, not only scoring a goal but also showing off his improved speed. He showed some tenacity as well, at one point getting knocked down before getting back in the play and keeping the puck in the offensive zone.

An NHL roster spot this fall is going to be hard to come by. There isn't much room on the Flyers, and Knuble likely still has more than a few names ahead of him on the depth chart. That doesn't mean he can't put himself higher on the map with an impressive showing in the next few weeks.

Denver Barkey did just that last season. While he didn't make the team out of camp, his work stood out, which no doubt expedited his eventual debut. Knuble has similar qualities in his game and could follow the same path if he continues to impress once training camp gets underway in a few days.

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