The Philadelphia Flyers addressed their depth and more specifically their AHL roster by signing forward Anthony Richard to a two-year, two-way contract, according to General Manager Daniel Brière.
It was initially reported by Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period on Monday but the Flyers made it official today. Also reported by Di Marco was the signing of defenseman Xavier Bernard, but that has yet to be announced by the organization.
Richard is a 27-year-old native of Trois-Rivières, Québec. He stands in at 5’11” and 185 pounds, plays the centre and left wing positions and was originally drafted by the Nashville Predators in the fourth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft.
He has been in the AHL almost his entire career with the Milwaukee Admirals (2015-16 to 2019-20, 2021-22), Chicago Wolves (2020-21), Syracuse Crunch (2021-22), Laval Rocket (2022-23), and the Providence Bruins (2023-24). Richard played his junior hockey with the Val d’Or Foreurs of the QMJHL and recorded 43 goals and 91 points in 66 games during his draft year before scoring 37 goals and 87 points in 58 games during his draft+1 season.
He has amassed 144 goals and 300 points in 481 games across 8 seasons at the AHL level, including 30 goals and 67 points in 60 games for the Rocket in 2022-23 and 55 points in 59 games for the Bruins last year. At the NHL level, he has appeared in 24 games, 2 of which came with the Nashville Predators, 13 with Montréal, and 9 with Boston, where he has 4 goals and 8 points, including a goal and 2 assists with the Bruins this past season.
Bernard was drafted in the 4th round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft by the New Jersey Devils. The 24-year-old stands in at 6’5 and 205 pounds, is a left-handed shooting defenseman, and has explicitly played in either the ECHL or AHL since 2021-22.
In the ECHL, Bernard has suited up for 25 games with the Atlanta Gladiators (2021-22), 18 games for the Allen Americans (2022-23), and 64 games for the Fort Wayne Komets (2023-24). At the AHL-level he’s played in 38 games for the Belleville Senators (2021-22-2022-23) and 14 games for the Bakersfield Condors (2022-23-2023-24). This past season he scored 3 goals and 16 points in 64 games for Komets, while going pointless in 2 games for the Condors.
Both players are expected to compete for a roster spot with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the AHL with Bernard specifically signing an AHL contract. If Richard continues to excel in the minors, he could get a call-up from the Flyers during the regular season.
The Flyers also signed Matvei Michkov to his entry-level contract earlier Monday, brought back Erik Johnson, and extended Garnet Hathaway until 2026-27.
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