The Philadelphia Flyers are terrible. Is there hope for the future? Probably not, but let’s catch up with some of the Flyers’ top prospects and how they are fairing during the 2021-22 season.
Samu Tuomaala, RW, Vaasan Sport (Liiga), 5’10”, 176 lbs
Draft Pick: 2nd round pick, 46th overall in 2021
Stats: 13 games, 1 goal, 1 assist, 2pts
Tuomaala started his year very slow. He got in two scoreless games with the Phantoms and then was loaned to Sport in Finland after being scratched for most of his first month in North America. Not an ideal start to his Flyers career. Due to his slow start to the year, he did not make the Finnish U-20 team for the World Juniors. Another minus for a top draft pick but the World Juniors were cancelled due to COVID anyway. Tuomaala did sign his entry-level contract with the Flyers during that time. Tuomaala playing against men in the top Finnish league is a positive and he already has more points than last year in the league. His best asset is his shot and his speed which are two things that the current Flyers heavily lack. He projects as a middle-six forward who can play on the power play. Tuomaala is also the first Finn that the Flyers have drafted since 2006.
Flyers ETA: 2023-2024
Bobby Brink, RW, University of Denver (NCAA), 5’9”, 163lbs
Draft Pick: 2nd round pick, 34th overall in 2019
Stats: 22 games, 8 goals, 25 assists, 33 pts
Brink is an undersized but extremely skilled player. He is slightly held back by the fact that he is not a dynamic skater and is physically diminutive. However, he is an elite producer and his work ethic is second to none. He has more than a point per game in his college career at Denver and is currently leading his team in assists and points. Brink should have been a first-round pick in 2019 and surprisingly fell out of the 1st round. The Flyers’ sent two draft picks to Nashville to trade up and select Brink. Despite being drafted in 2019, he will not turn 21 until July 2022. By then, hopefully the Flyers will have signed him to an entry level contract, and maybe even have gotten him into some NHL/AHL games this year depending on how well Denver does in the postseason. Brink projects as a top-nine forward who can play on both special teams units.
Flyers ETA: 2022-2023
Tyson Foerster, C/RW, Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL), 6’2”, 194lbs
Draft Pick: 1st round pick, 23rd overall in 2020
Stats: 9 games, 2 goals, 1 assist, 3 pts
Stop me if you have heard this before, a Flyers top pick is out injured for a long-term period. Foerster had a great start to his professional career, scoring 17 points in 24 games in the AHL as a 19-year-old playing against men last year. Foerster has only gotten in nine games this year due to an upper body injury and hasn’t played since November. These development years are extremely important to the physical and mental growth of these teenagers trying to break into the top hockey league in the world. Foerster has top-six written all over him. He has size, speed, plays a 200-foot game, an elite shot, and plays with some hate. He has the whole package. The key is to be able to develop and have him be healthy enough to grow into his role. The Flyers had several offers to move down when they were on the clock to take Foerster and chose to stay and take him. Philadelphia needs Foerster to get healthy and maybe he will be able to get into some games late this season.
Flyers ETA: 2022-2023
Elliot Desnoyers, LW, Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL), 5’11”, 172lbs
Draft Pick: 5th round, 135th overall in 2020
Stats: 23 games, 16 goals, 20 assists, 36 pts
Desnoyers was another Flyers’ draft pick that was acquired via a pick trade-up with Nashville. He is the current captain of the Halifax Mooseheads and was on the Canadian U-20 team. Desnoyers projects to be a bottom-six forward in the NHL. While he might not be a top scorer at the next level, his game is based around the little things. He is a plus skater and will be one of the glue guys on the team. He is a leader and excels at penalty killing, which is a desperate need for the Flyers since their penalty kill has been in the bottom half of the league for the past two years. However, since being drafted, he has greatly improved his puck skills and produced at well over a point per game in the QMJHL. Desnoyers is a player that will do anything to help the team win and you can never have enough of those players. He was one of the last players to be sent down to juniors or the minors this past training camp.
Flyers ETA: 2023-2024
Emil Andrae, LHD, HV71 (Allsven), 5’9”, 176lbs
Draft Pick: 2nd round, 54th overall in 2020
Stats: 25 games, 3 goals, 15 assists, 18 pts
The Flyers’ 2020 draft class could be an elite draft class. Between Foerster, Desnoyers, Andrae, and not mentioned in this article Zayde Wisdom and Connor McClennon, those five players all have a decent shot of making the NHL. Andrae is a small but tenacious defenseman who is playing against men in the HockeyAllsvenskan, which is the Swedish equivalent to the AHL. He also played in 31 games in the top Swedish league last year. By playing against men but not in the top league he is getting the best of both worlds; playing top minutes and developing his game against physically superior opponents. Andrae was named captain of the Swedish U-20 World Juniors team. It’s another great honor and that shows how hard he is to play against despite only being 5’9”. Andrae projects to be a middle-pairing defenseman in the NHL.
Flyers ETA: 2024-2025
Ronnie Attard, RHD, Western Michigan (NCAA), 6’4”, 209lbs
Draft Pick: 3rd round, 72nd overall in 2019
Stats: 21 games, 7 goals, 14 assists, 21 pts
Attard was passed over in twice before being selected in 2019. He is a big, right-handed shooting defenseman whose game is like Brent Burns. Attard plays an extremely aggressive game where he is a rover around the ice. He pinches at the blue line and forces the opposition to make a quick decision. Attard is at a point per game this year and has a huge shot from the point. He scored 30 goals in 46 games during his draft year. He is also an assistant captain at Western Michigan which shows that he is a leader, which is another positive attribute. If the Flyers trade away some of their veteran defensemen at the trade deadline such as Justin Braun and Rasmus Ristolainen, Attard could be a player who receives some of that playing time depending on when his college season ends, and if the Flyers can get him under contract. The Flyers should get Attard under a contract as soon as possible so he can play more games in the AHL and hopefully the NHL.
Flyers ETA: 2022-2023
Some or all of these prospects may never play in the NHL, but this is the only thing as Flyers fans we have to look forward to. On a personal note about these prospects, there have been three times where I cheered when the Flyers made a draft pick. Ronnie Attard and Bobby Brink were two of them. I was extremely high on both before they became Flyers. The other time was when the Flyers drafted Robert Hagg in the 2nd round in 2013. Take that as you may.
