Flyers ink Cole Knuble to two-year contract

After another college season has come to an end for certain players, more than a few are deciding to jump to the professional level. The Flyers have already done that with one prospect, inking Noah Powell to a three-year deal after his season at Arizona State. Now they've added a well-known name to the bunch.

After a three-year run at Notre Dame, Cole Knuble has put an end to his collegiate career. His entry-level deal won't kick in until next season, and because he is 22, it will be for only two years instead of the standard three. For now, like Powell, Knuble will sign a tryout contract with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the rest of the season.

The decision shouldn't come as a shock to most. Rather, it was expected that Knuble would make the jump after his junior season. It wasn't the season he was hoping for. He had an impressive sophomore campaign, scoring 12 goals and 39 points in 34 games. He was also named to the B1G Second All-Star Team.

Knuble's numbers dipped this past year, though. He registered nine goals, the same as his freshman season, and 31 points in 36 games. He still managed to finish third on the team in points and was fourth in goals. It's not a huge dropoff; he isn't expected to be a high scorer in the NHL either. But it would've been nice to see Knuble build off his successful second season. It was a struggle of a season overall for Notre Dame, so that may not have played in his favor. They finished the season 9-23-5.

Knuble did play some wing at the college level, but he's projected to be a bottom-six center at the next level. The Flyers will almost certainly see what they can get out of him down the middle, considering they are loaded at winger. Knuble could slide into one of the bottom two lines in Lehigh Valley to get his feet wet and see what happens after that. With Lane Pederson and Philip Tomasino holding down the top six, though, that may be a tough task.

The Phantoms are in the midst of a playoff push as the season winds down. Right now, they hold the fifth seed in the Atlantic Division and are almost certain to face the Hershey Bears once again if they hold steady. The Springfield Thunderbirds are right on their tail, however. Things have not gone well for the Phantoms lately as they've won just three of their last 10 games.

Knuble should get a chance to play in some meaningful games during the final weeks of the AHL regular season. Hopefully the new challenge will help his regain some of that offensive touch while developing ways to succeed at the next level.