Farm Report: Standout Weekend for Philly Prospects

While the 2023-24 National Hockey League and American Hockey League regular seasons are set to start over the coming week, most of the other notable leagues across North America and Europe are already underway. This includes major junior hockey in Canada, pro and junior leagues in Europe and many (but not all) conferences in the NCAA. The Reading Royals and the rest of the ECHL begin their regular season in the latter part of October. 

The following is a roundup of how Flyers-affiliated prospects have been faring in their respective leagues. This past weekend was particularly notable for a host of players in the Philadelphia farm system.

Lehigh Valley Phantoms

 The Phantoms completed their three-game exhibition schedule on Sunday, staging a comeback 4-3 home overtime victory against the Hershey Bears. Adam Ginning, Alexis Gendron and Evan Polei tallied in regulation before Tanner Laczynski won the game with an overtime slam dunk off a feed from Victor Mete.

Ian Laperriere's team went 1-2-0 in the preseason. However, it should be noted that only the final game's lineup reflected a reasonable facsimile of what Lehigh Valley's lineup might look like when the regular season gets underway. In the previous two games, the Phantoms featured a lineup primarily consisting of tryout players and/or ECHL-bound players. On Sunday, this was the Phantoms lineup:

Brendan Furry - Tanner Laczynski - Alexis Gendron
Garrett Wilson - Elliot Desnoyers - Cooper Marody
Matt Brown - Rhett Gardner - Zayde Wisdom
Evan Polei - Jacob Gaucher  - Jordy Bellerive

Adam Ginning - Ronnie Attard

Victor Mete - Louie Belpedio
Ethan Samson - Helge Grans

Cal Petersen
[Parker Gahagen]

Notable projected Phantoms or Royals/Phantoms players who did not dress in Sunday's game: Wade Allison (reporting to Allentown this week after clearing NHL waivers on Saturday), Samu Tuomaala, Olle Lycksell, Adam Brooks, Adam Karashik,  Will Zmolek, Alex Kile, Mason Millman, Nolan Maier.

NCAA PLAYERS

Cutter Gauthier (C, Boston College)

The Flyers' 2022 first-round pick scored the winning goal in overtime as sixth-ranked Boston College defeated second-ranked Quinnipiac, 2-1, on the road on Saturday night. 

The game marked the BC freshman debuts of the Team USA national team trio of Ryan Leonard, Will Smith and Gabe Perrault. Perrault, Smith and Leonard primarily played as linemates but Gauthier saw penalty killing time together with Leonard, and they combined for the winning goal in the latter stages of overtime.

Leonard gained the offensive zone and passed across the ice to Gauthier, who potted the winning goal from the right circle with a fast shot release. Gauthier, who finished with six shots on goal, was fairly quiet offensively for two periods but then dominated in the third period (especially in the final five minutes of regulation).

Massimo Rizzo (C/W, Denver)

The gifted forward, whose rights the Flyers acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes on August 9, had the best game of his collegiate career to date in Denver's 5-2 win over Alaska on Saturday. The 22-year-old junior collected assists on two goals by Jack Devine and single tallies by Trisan Broz and Zeev Buium. One night earlier, in a 7-3 blowout of Alaska, Rizzo had three assists including a pair on goals by Devine.

Alex Bump (LW, Western Michigan)

The Broncos defeated the USNTDP team, 9-4, in an exhibition game on Friday.  Freshman winger Alex Bump, drafted by the Flyers in the fifth round of the 2022 Entry Draft, notched a pair of goals and had several opportunities to complete a hat trick. 

With the game tied at 1-1, Bump put the Broncos in front, potting a rebound in just under six minutes into the game. After the U.S. Under-18 team forged a 2-2 deadlock, the Broncos went on the power play. Just six seconds into the 5-on-4, Bump ripped a shot from the flank that found the back of the net.

Western Michigan begins its regular season schedule at home on Oct. 12 against Ferris State.

Cole Knuble (C, Notre Dame)

Freshman center Cole Knuble saw considerable ice time this weekend as the Fighting Irish split a pair of weekend non-conference games against Clarkson. In a 3-1 loss on Friday, Knuble had three shots on goal and went 11-for-24 on faceoffs. The next night, in 3-0 victory, Knuble put a pair of shots on goal and went 10-for-19 on draws. He did not get on the scoresheet. Knuble is coming off a solid showing at the World Junior Summer Showcase.

Owen McLaughlin (C, University of North Dakota)

The Chester County native had a four-point game (1g, 3a) in a 10-0 exhibition game blowout of Manitoba on Saturday evening. The regular season starts on Friday with a game against Army.

Ontario Hockey League

Denver Barkey (C/W, London Knights, OHL)
Oliver Bonk (D, London Knights, OHL)

Flyers 2023 third-round pick Denver Barkey had a stellar night in the London Knights' 4-1 victory against the Guelph Storm on Saturday night. London head coach Dale Hunter sent Barkey over the boards in virtually every key situation in the game, and he responded with two goals (even strength in the first period and empty-net late in the third) while setting up a Ruslan Gazizov goal that built a 3-1 led with just under six minutes left in regulation. Barkey deservedly was awarded first-star honors. For the season to date, Barkey is tied for the team lead with six points (2g, 4a) in five games.

Flyers 2023 first-round pick Oliver Bonk assisted on Barkey's first goal and was plus-two on the night. The young defenseman has three assists and a plus-two rating through five games.

Carter Sotheran (D, Portland Winterhawks, WHL)

Carter Sotheran, a fifth-round pick (135th overall) in the 2023 Entry Draft, showed promise at Development Camp and Rookie Camp, and has taken a lot of confidence back to the Western Hockey League's Portland Winterhawks. Through the first three games of the 2023 regular season, Sotheran has three points (1g, 2a) and has played well on both sides of the puck. On Saturday, in a 6-2 home win over the Vancouver Giants, Sotheran took second-star honors as he had a big offensive game. Sotheran scored once (the game-winning goal) at even strength and earned two power play helpers on a pair of goals by Luca Cagnoni.

Carson Bjarnason (G, Brandon Wheat Kings, WHL)

The Flyers 2023 second-round pick (51st overall) signed an entry-level NHL contract shortly prior to having the deal slide to the Western Hockey League's Brandon Wheat Kings for the 2023-24 season. He is 1-2-0 with a 4.02 GAA and .892 to date for a rebuilding Wheaties club that missed the playoffs last year with a 26-33-9 record. Bjarnason has already been bombarded with 111 shots in the first three games. His most successful outing to date was a 34-save performance in a 6-3 win over the Swift Current Broncos on September 30.

Players in European Leagues

Matvei Michkov (RW, HC Sochi, KHL)

Michkov was arguably the lone bright spot for HC Sochi in a 10-1 loss at the hands of Severstal Cherepovets. Michkov was in the thick of no fewer than five prime scoring chances for Sochi, including a breakaway that he slipped between the goalie's pads but which went off the post and stayed out. He also set up three prime chances for linemates that were not finished off. Michkov did collect a primary assist on a play where he attacked from the wing shot at the pads for a rebound slam dunk that gave Sochi a short-lived 1-0 lead in the first period.

Despite the subsequent barrage of Severstal goals, Michkov was a respectable minus-one for the game in 14:37 of ice time. For the season, since being loaned from SKA St. Petersburg to Sochi for the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign, Michkov has compiled five goals, seven assists, 12 points and a plus-five rating in 10 games.

Alexei Kolosov (G, Dinamo Minsk, KHL)

Signed by the Flyers this summer to an entry-level NHL contract and loaned to Dinamo for the 2023-24 season, the talented 21-year-old netminder is off to a strong start for a middling Dinamo club. This past week was his best to date, as he earned Player of the Game honors in back-to-back matches and notched his second shutout of the season (the first came in early September during his first start of the season).

To date this season, in six starts and one relief outing, Kolosov has posted a 3-4-1 record, 2.13 goals against average and .921 save percentage. By comparison, Dinamo's other goalie, 25-year-old former Otttawa Senators and Vegas Golden Knights netminder Dylan Ferguson, is 3-2-0 to date with a 2.84 GAA and .865 save percentage.

Alex Ciernik (LW, Västervik, Allsvenskan)

Selected by the Flyers in the fourth round (120th overall) of the 2023 Entry Draft, Ciernik obtained permission from Västerviks IK to attend the Flyers' Rookie Camp last month before returning to his parent club for the Allsvenskan regular season. Allsvenskan in Sweden's top minor league. Ciernik scored a goal in the first of the two Rookie Games between the Flyers' prospects and their New York Rangers counterparts.

To date in the regular season, Ciernik has posted five points (3g, 2a) in five games. He celebrated his 19th birthday this past weekend (Oct. 8). In his young career to date, Ciernik has been a streak scorer and he's currently in a good groove.

Brian Zanetti (D, Langnau Tigers, Swiss National League)

After completing his OHL career with the Peterborough Petes, Zanetti has gone home to Switzerland this season to play in the top pro league for the Langau. He's dressing nine games to date, chipping in one assist and posting a minus-two rating.

Yegor Zavragin (G, Yugra, MHL/VHL)

Selected by the Flyers in the third round (87th overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Zavragin is widely considered to be one of the two or three top junior-aged goaltenders in Russia. He was still available in the third round of the 2023 Draft, largely due to lack of international exposure but is rapidly climbing the prospect ranks in similar fashion to Kolsov when the Dinamo goalie was the same age.

To date this season, Zavragin has appeared in five games in the MHL (Russia's primary junior league) and two in the VHL (Russia's minor pro league, a step below the KHL) for Yugra's teams. In the MHL for Mamonty Yugry, he is 3-1-1 with a 1.38 goals against average, .958 save percentage and one shutout. In the VHL with Yugra Khanty-Mansiysk, he is 2-0-0 with a 1.51 GAA and .938 save percentage. Russia is banned by the IIHF from participation in the World Junior Championships and other sanctioned major international tournaments. Nonetheless, Zavragin has made himself very hard not to notice.

Canadian Junior A Hockey

Ryan MacPherson (C, Penticton Vees, BCHL)

Taking a flier on the 18-year-old's two-way upside despite him thus far having only played in secondary Canadian junior circuits, the Flyers drafted MacPherson in the sixth round (172nd overall) of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. So far this season with the BCHL's Penticton Vees, MacPherson, who will debut in the NCAA next season for the University of New Hampshire, has compiled six goals and eight points in six games. Ryan's twin brother, Connor MacPherson, is a Penticton teammate this season (6 games, one goal, six assists, seven points). 

Upcoming Collegiate Seasons

Not every NCAA conference has begun its 2023-24 season yet. For example, Hockey East, where power winger Devin Kaplan's Boston University Terriers and defenseman Hunter McDonald's Northeastern University Huskies teams make their homes, will get started later this month.