If there’s anything positive to talk about in relation to the Philadelphia Flyers, it could very well be the youth movement that is slowly taking shape.
At the NHL level, we’ve seen former first round picks from the 2017 NHL Entry Draft in Owen Tippett (10th overall) and Morgan Frost (27th overall) finally showcase their skillset in a full 82-game season under the right tutelage. Noah Cates (24 years old) had a quiet yet fantastic rookie season as the Flyers’ top shutdown centreman with his 60 takeaways to 13 giveaways, and Joel Farabee (23 years old) was able to finish the season on a better note after rushing back from his offseason surgery and going through a hapless drought of 27 games without a goal.
Several draft picks from Chuck Fletcher’s tenure stepped up this season in Cam York, Tyson Foerster, Emil Andrae, and Samuel Ersson among others – whether with the big club, in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, or elsewhere in the junior circuits.
York started the season in the minors before being called up in November and slowly entrenched himself on the top pair, Foerster had a quick 8-game stint but impressed his head coach so much so that he was gleeful, and Ersson started his NHL career winning 6 straight contests.
Today we’ll look at the 10th through 6th ranked prospects for the Flyers as the season as wrapped up.
10: Olle Lycksell
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Drafted in the 6th round of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, former General Manager, Ron Hextall, found a diamond in the rough after a disappointing slew of picks in the early going. Lycksell has that Oskar Lindblom flair to him – another Swede drafted in the later rounds – which brings about a 200-foot game, good defensively, responsible on and off the puck, and has that scoring touch.
The 23-year-old centre/winger from Oskarshamn, Sweden, took part in his first professional season with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and finished first in assists (31) and 2nd in points (45) in 13 less games (53) than 1st ranked Tyson Foerster. Lycksell made his NHL debut during the Flyers home opener against the Vancouver Canucks before being sent down. He made 2 more appearances in December and another 5 in February. He recorded an assist, 8 PIM, was a -3, and averaged 10:34 TOI.
He made his SHL debut in 2017-18 for Linköping HC after spending a few years in their junior circuit. As an 18-year-old he scored 5 goals and 7 points in 26 games, then the following season he scored 5 goals and 12 points in 51 games as a 19-year-old. He continued his steady production in 2019-20, where he scored 9 goals and 21 points in the same amount of games.
The following season he played for Färjestad and scored the exact same 9 goals and 21 points, but in 5 less games. He finally got some postseason action with 1 goal and 3 points in 6 games.
Last season was a big year for his development as he scored 14 goals and 34 points in 47 games on loan with Växjö Lakers HC. He then chipped in with 3 goals and 8 points in 4 post-season appearances. After 5 years in the top Swedish League, Lycksell developed from an 18-year-old to a spry 22-year-old with points under his belt and a lot of experience to boot.
He stepped up in a big way for the Phantoms and played a big part in their postseason appearance. In their 3 games against the Charlotte Checkers, he scored 2 goals and 4 points. Look for the young Swede to try and pave his way onto the Flyers next season in what should be a competitive training camp for several prospects. He figures in to be a solid bottom-6 forward, while also not forgetting that he made the opening night roster this season.
9: Elliot Desnoyers
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Another late-round gem from the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Elliot Desnoyers – like Olle Lycksell – enjoyed a very successful rookie campaign with the Phantoms. After successive point-per-game seasons with the Halifax Mooseheads of the QMJHL, Desnoyers took the leap with the Phantoms and earned himself some NHL games with the Flyers.
In his draft season, Desnoyers scored 11 goals and 35 points in 61 games, followed that up with 21 goals and 49 points in just 37 games the next season. In 61 games in 2021-22, he scored 42 goals and 88 points, while captaining the Mooseheads. He chipped in with a goal and 9 points in just 5 post-season games. He earned himself a roster spot with Team Canada at the 2022 World Junior Championships that took place in the summer, played in 7 games, and added an assist in what was a bottom-6 role.
This year with the Phantoms, he appeared in 65 games, led the team in goals with 23, was 6th in assists with 21, and finished 3rd in points with 44, behind only Lycksell and Foerster. He was a plus-4, only took 16 PIM, added 6 power play goals, and earned himself 4 games with the Flyers. He quickly endeared himself to John Tortorella, delivered 6 hits, blocked 3 shots, and played 14:53 in his debut. He averaged 13:22 TOI and even earned himself some time killing penalties. Had it not been for the postseason push by the Phantoms, Desnoyers would have had a longer leash with the big club.
8: Egor Zamula
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It feels like the 23-year-old has been around for a lot longer just based on how often we’ve heard his name over the years. The Chelyabinsk, Russia native spent his junior years in the WHL, first with the Regina Pats and then the Calgary Hitman, before being an un-drafted signee by the Flyers. He has spent the last 3 seasons primarily with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms but has also had some run-ins with the Flyers in each season.
Zamula was brought into the 2018 training camp on an amateur tryout before sticking around ever since. During the 6’3” defenseman’s draft year, he scored 7 points in 38 games with the Pats and then after being claimed by the Hitmen, he added 11 points in 31 games. He drastically improved the following year with 10 goals and 56 points in 61 games, while chipping in with 7 assists in 11 playoff games. In 2019-20, his final season in the WHL, he scored at a point per game pace with 28 points and played in 7 games for Russia at the World Juniors where he added 2 goals and 5 points.
In 2020-21 he played in 25 games for the Phantoms with 6 assists, while playing in 2 games for the Flyers. He then played in 58 games for the Phantoms last year with 29 points and had a 10-game stint with the Flyers. This season he finally got his first career NHL point and added 3 more helpers in 14 games with the Flyers, while adding 19 points in 44 games for the Phantoms. He had to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery and missed the postseason.
If and when the Flyers have a few holes in their defense heading into the new season, Zamula should figure into one of those slots with a good training camp.
7: Samuel Ersson
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The late-round trend continues with goaltender, Samuel Ersson. Selected in the 5th round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft with the 143rd pick, Ersson – as most goaltenders do – took his time developing in the Swedish league before making the leap over the pond last year.
In his draft year he spent time between the J20 SuperElit and the SHL – technically, even if it was just 1 game. He was 27-13-0 with Brynas IF J20 in 2017-18, he then finished 27-9-0 with a 1.95 G.A.A. and a .933 SV% with Vasteras IK in the HockeyAllsvenskan in 2018-19 while also playing in 4 games for Sweden at the World Juniors – going 3-1-0 with a 2.23 G.A.A. and a .922 SV%.
In 2 seasons with Brynäs IF of the SHL, he first went 14-20-0 with a 2.90 GAA and a .895 SV% in 2019-20, before going 16-26-0 but with a .911 SV%. Ersson shined in the playoffs with a 4-1-0 record, 1.30 GAA, and a .949 SV%. Ersson made the leap to the Phantoms, appeared in 5 games in 2021-22, went 0-3-1, but leapfrogged several goaltenders within the organization’s depth chart.
In 42 games with the Phantoms this year, Ersson finished with a 24-17-1 record, a 2.84 GAA, and a .900 SV%. In the 3-game series against the Checkers, he finished with a 3.71 GAA and a .875 SV%. Not entirely the best of numbers, but it was his first 8-game stint with the Flyers that had many within the organization and fanbase impressed. He went 6-0-0 with a .913 SV%, 2.22 GAA, and 1 shutout. If you take out his NHL debut where he allowed 5 goals against the Carolina Hurricanes, he sported a 1.87 GAA and a .925 SV%.
He was called up in and out, backed up Felix Sandström quite a bit, and was more of an emergency backup after in latter part of the season but in his final 3 starts, he went 0-3-0, allowed 13 goals in 3 games, and sported an .866 SV%, which included 7 goals against the New Jersey Devils. The 23-year-old Swede should figure into the plans next season as Carter Hart’s backup, unless Sandström impresses during training camp or if Ersson regresses. He was also by and far the favourite of Tortorella between the 2 backups.
6: Ronnie Attard
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It was a toss up for 6 and 7 on this list between Ersson and Ronnie Attard, but the Western Michigan University product has surprised and impressed over the last few seasons to a point where he should be a lock for the opening night roster should there be vacancies.
In his 3 years with Western Michigan, Attard went from 6 goals and 14 points in 2019-20 to 8 goals and 22 points in 25 games in 2020-21, to 13 goals and 36 points in 39 games in 2021-22. He was signed at the end of his collegiate season and played in 15 games for the Flyers, added 2 goals and 4 points, while averaging 16:36 TOI. In 2018-19, the year before he committed to Western Michigan, he scored 30 goals and 64 points in 48 games as the captain of the Tri-City Storm of the USHL.
In his first season with the Phantoms, he played in 68 games, scored 12 goals and 32 points, was a plus-10, paced the back end in points and finished 8th overall on the Phantoms, and made the AHL All-Star Classic.
He appeared in 2 games near the end of the season for the Flyers, was held without a point, and averaged 16:45 TOI with some power play time. Like several others on this list, he would’ve been called up a lot sooner and would’ve been around for a lot longer had it not been for the Phantoms’ playoff push.
