Two Flyers prospects to play in upcoming NCAA tournament

Just as March Madness is in full swing, the NCAA has another sport gearing up to crown a national champion. Colleges have finished their conference championships, the last of which ended on Saturday night. They will now prepare for the main event as the seedings and matchups were announced on ESPN's selection show on Sunday afternoon.

Before getting into the nitty gritty of which Flyers prospects will play in the tournament, there were a few who just missed the cut. Ty Murchison and Arizona State and Owen McLaughlin and North Dakota finished in the top 20 in the final rankings. But were not one of the 16 teams chosen to participate.

Murchison will finish his college career and potentially become a free agent if the Flyers do not offer him a contract by August 15. Named the NCHC Defensive Defenseman of the Year, Murchison might have what it takes on the defensive side of the puck. But his offense is almost nonexistent.

McLaughlin has one more year of college left so Philadelphia does not have to sign him right away. They did extend a bona fide offer to McLaughlin in 2022 to keep his rights. If he had signed the contract, he would've been able to continue his junior career. But his commitment to North Dakota, the Flyers were then able to hold his right for the four years he was enrolled.

He took a step back offensively in his junior year, dropping his goal total from 13 to five. He fills a need at a position the Flyers lack depth in. But he's still likely a bit away from being a contributor at the NHL level. He likely returns for his senior year.  

Now for the prospects Flyers fans can watch in the tournament. Grabbing the fourth seed, Alex Bump and Western Michigan will head to Fargo to take on Minnesota State. Bump has had a fantastic playoff, scoring the overtime goal to clinch the NCHC title. Bump had six goals and eight points in six games during the NCHC Frozen Faceoff.

It was also a career season for the sophomore forward. He led the Broncos in goals (23) and points (46), the former eight more and the latter 11 more than his next teammate. Bump was named to the All-NCHC First Team and was the NCHC Forward of the Year. There's a chance Bump could turn pro after this season, but we'll have to see how far he and Western Michigan can go.

Coming off its first Frozen Faceoff victory, Western Michigan will try to make its first-ever Frozen Four appearance.

Heading to Toledo will be Devin Kaplan and Boston University. An alternate captain for the Terriers, Kaplan played a big role in Boston's Beanpot victories. In the win over Harvard, he posted the second two-goal outing of his collegiate career in a 7-1 rout. His style of play is geared toward being a power forward, someone who can make it happen in the trenches and use his body to make plays.

His 10 goals matched his total from his freshman year while his 15 points are the lowest of his collegiate career. Boston will try to reach the Frozen Four for the third straight season.

Boston will kick off the tournament on Thursday. Puck drop is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. Western Michigan will follow at 5:00 p.m. The quarterfinals will take place next Sunday. The winners of each regional will then head to St. Louis to participate in the Frozen Four beginning April 10.