The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that they have signed prospect Denver Barkey to his entry-level contract. The contract will begin next season in 2024-25.
Barkey’s junior team, the OHL’s London Knights, looked to have leaked the information out early by accident before deleting their tweet. People quickly caught wind and after some intensive digging, Max Miller of The Hockey News was the first to be able to confirm the news on Saturday.
Barkey was drafted in the third round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft with the penultimate pick that initially belonged to Florida but was sent to Philadelphia as part of the Owen Tippett–Claude Giroux trade back in 2022. The ultra-talented forward was believed by many to be a true second-round talent but had dropped during the summer festivities due to concern regarding his stature, standing in at 5’9” and weighing in at around 155 pounds.
Nevertheless, Daniel Brière snatched the forward with their second pick in the round – goalie Egor Zavragin was taken eight picks before Barkey – and it looks like they might have found the steal of the draft. In his draft+1 season, Barkey has tallied 31 goals and 87 points in just 56 games for the Knights and is currently third in the OHL in points behind just Anthony Romani and David Goyette.
The Newmarket, Ontario, native has formed a dynastic duo with fellow 2023 draftee, Easton Cowan, with the youngster not too far behind with 83 points through 47 games, as well as fellow Flyers first-rounder Oliver Bonk, who has 61 points in 52 games from the backend.
Barkey, who turns 19 in April, represents one of the more offensively talented prospects within the Flyers pipeline and should enjoy continued success with the Knights for the foreseeable future. For those that need a reminder of what Barkey brings to the table, this is what Elite Prospects had to say pre-draft:
“Barkey understands how to make plays as a passer. He attracts defenders to create space for teammates, constantly uses them to progress the attack, and layers feints in his stickhandling. His quick give-and-goes only add more pace to his play. And he also knows where and how to position himself to get the puck back in dangerous spots.”
The Knights have eight games remaining on the docket for their regular season but have already clinched a playoff spot with a 43-13-4 record so far. Barkey will look to reach the 100-point mark but it’s already been a fantastic season as he has vastly improved from his 2022-23 season where he scored 22 goals and 59 points in 61 games.
Barkey is the third prospect from the 2023 draft to sign his entry-level contract after Bonk and goaltender and second-round pick Carson Bjarnason.
