4 forward prospects who could make the Philadelphia Flyers this season

The Flyers have a pretty interesting roster this year. It's mostly the same cast of characters who almost earned a playoff berth last season as injuries took a toll down the stretch.

The young players are a year older and, hopefully, have been working on their on-ice chemistry. We're all hoping for some big things from players like Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, and Tyson Foerster as well as seeing how vets like Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny hold up. And of course, there is Matvei Michkov.

However, injuries can and do happen. Some guys are down for a game or two. Some are lost for weeks. Others, sadly, are lost for the season. In those cases, most likely you'd see Bobby Brink or Olle Lysksell get the first chances.

Then again, there are always those kids who impress during training camp. They deserve another look to see how they can translate their skills to the next level.

As the season winds down, these players could also get late-season call-ups to give the vets a rest and to see if they could be used in a deep playoff run.

So, which forwards could impress and make an impact later on this season? We are leaving Michkov off this list because barring some catastrophic injury, he should make the team right out of camp this year with no questions asked.

Elliot Desnoyers

Much like Noah Cates, Desnoyers is a fifth-rounder who has been making waves in the Flyers organization. Two years ago, he lit up the AHL with 23 goals and 21 assists for the Phantoms.

He earned a late-season call-up and appeared in four games. Last year, he fell back to Earth a bit, scoring just six goals.

Still, he is 22 years if he impresses during training camp and has a good season for Lehigh Valley, it is possible he could appear for the Flyers sometime this year.

Massimo Rizzo

Rizzo is one of the players coming to camp that everyone is watching. Ever since he arrived at the Flyers with a trade with Carolina, he has generated a lot of buzz.

He has a skillset that this organization wants. He signed an entry-level deal earlier this spring and will play with the Phantoms. He's scored 39 goals in three seasons with Univ. of Denver, but his intangibles have been improving as well (such as puck handling, skating into traffic, etc.)

There are some that he could even join the team out of camp if there are injuries or if someone else (such as Brink) has a poor training camp showing.

I'm not sure he is quite there yet, however, I think that it could put him in a position where he could be "first man up" this fall or winter; especially if he impresses during training camp this month. Keep an eye on him.

Samu Tuomaala

The 2021 first rounder has been quickly rising up the ranks in the Flyers organization. He had a great summer camp after having a solid season in Allentown. In his last season in the Finnish league, where he scored 26 goals in 29 games. Last year with the Phantoms, Tuomaala, scored 15 goals but added 28 assists.

The 21-year-old Finn could get a lot of pairings with Michkov during the rookie camp. He has the sort of speed that could complement the Russian star. If the two gain some chemistry during camp, don't be surprised if he shows up at some point during this season.

Jett Luchanko

Luchanko and Michkov have already been paired up often at rookie camp. Not for nothing, but they look good together. Extremely Good. As in this could be a future Flyers combo good. We're looking at the team's possible future now.

With that in mind, if that chemistry keeps building up and the two have a natural flair for knowing where the other will be, it is very possible that they could both break camp together.

I know the plan right now is to pair Michkov with either some vets or young players who could maximize his potential, but if he bonds well with Luchanko, you can't ignore that.

Luchanko, this year's first-round pick just turned 18. He's supposed to be a long-term plan. However, if he impresses Daniel Briere, John Tortorella, and the rest of the organization, it is possible that we could see him in Philly this year.

He's a player that Briere is high on, going so far as to compare him to Nick Suzuki. Again, it's unlikely, but anything can happen. If he is better than we all thought, he could be around sooner than we think.