Here's a look at where both contracted and unsigned players in the Flyers' farm system are slated to play in 2022-23. At present, assuming the team does not add or trade picks, the Flyers are slated to add six additional prospects to the system ranks at the 2022 NHL Entry Draft.
Flyers Farm System Directory: 2022 Offseason
Here's a look at where both contracted and unsigned players in the Flyers' farm system are slated to play in 2022-23.
TURNING PRO IN 2022-23
Tyson Foerster - RW: The Flyers' 2020 first-round pick (23rd overall) missed most of the 2021-22 season due to an early-season shoulder injury that required surgery. After showing considerable promise in the American Hockey League for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms during the pandemic-affected 2020-21 campaign (10 goals and 17 points in 24 games), Foerster struggled out of the gates for Ian Laperriere's Phantoms squad in nine games this season prior to the injury. The AHL was somewhat watered down in 2020-21 due to roster attrition from NHL Taxi Squads, an influx of CHL-affiliated teenagers (including Forerster) due to delays or cancellations of CHL seasons, and an entirely intra-division shortened schedule with no Calder Cup playoffs being held. Unfortunately, Foerster scarcely had time to adapt to the greater challenge before he was lost for most of the season.
The good news: Foerster's surgery was successful and he was later able to dress in 13 OHL regular season games the Barrie Colts (6g, 11 points) plus six playoff games (1g, four points). Apart from one particularly dominant outing on April 3 in which he recorded a hat trick, Foerster was playing catch-up in terms of regaining his timing and game conditioning. He should be back to 100 percent by training camp.
Although he has 33 games of AHL experience due to the pandemic-driven relaxation of the CHL/AHL minimum age rule for AHL eligibility, Foerster will officially be in the first season of his NHL Entry Level contract in 2022-23. He turned 20 on Jan. 18. Foerster still has work to do in improving the consistency of his overall game and continuing to refine his skating. The player's one-timer is first rate, and he also has underrated anticipation and ice vision.
Zayde Wisdom - RW: Selected by the Flyers in the fourth round (94th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Wisdom missed the first half of the 2021-22 season due to offseason shoulder surgery. He came on for the Kingston Frontenacs during the playoffs (4g and 15 points in 11 games) after it took time for him to regain his form upon his regular season return from the surgery (nine goals and 38 points in 43 games).
Due to the cancellation of the 2020-21 Ontario Hockey League season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Wisdom spent the season in the American Hockey League with the Phantoms. He got off to a fast start before dealing later in the season with injury issues and being slowed by a bout with COVID. He chipped in seven goals and 18 points for Lehigh Valley while dressing in 28 of 32 games.
Wisdom will turn 20 on July 7. He will rejoin the Phantoms next season. A gritty power forward with a low center of gravity, Wisdom battles willingly along the boards and gets to the "greasy" areas near the net. He doesn't back down from a physical challenge. He projects as a complementary forward who could add grit to a skilled line or find a home in the bottom six.
Elliot Desnoyers - C/LW: Chosen by the Flyers in the 5th round (135th overall) of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Desnoyers has emerged over the past two seasons as one of the more well-rounded and mentally mature players in the Canadian major junior ranks. Correspondingly, he was selected to Team Canada's WJC Squad this past season.
Desnoyers has good speed, a high-level of competitiveness and two-way awareness. In his draft-plus-one and draft-plus-two seasons the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, he evolved into a high-scoring player but his pro role is likely to be more along the lines of bottom-six forward and penalty killer who can also chip in some points.
During training camp with the Flyers, Desnoyers scored a nice goal in an intrasquad scrimmage when he won a puck battle in the corner against Morgan Frost and then beat Frost to the net to receive a pass and finish off the play. After his return to the QMJHL's Halifax Mooseheads, Desnoyers posted 88 points (42g, 46a) in 61 regular season games and then added eight assists and nine total points in five postseason games.
While Desnoyers is more likely to be assigned checking-oriented duties in the pro game, he's shown that he can get separation on defenders with his speed and anticipation. He also will make second-effort or third-effort plays on both sides of the puck. Thus far in his young career, Desnoyers has rapidly become a favorite of the coaches for whom he's played. He turned 20 on January 21.
Olle Lycksell - LW: Originally drafted by the Flyers in the 6th round (168th overall) of the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, the 5-foot-9 Lyckell makes up for what in size with skill and quickness. The Swedish forward, who will turn 23 on Aug. 24, is coming off a breakthrough SHL season for the Växjö Lakers, for whom he posted 14 goals and 34 points in 47 games played in 2021-22. Lycksell will come over to North America for the 2022-23 season and is likely slated to play in the AHL for the Phantoms.
Ivan Fedotov - G: The lack of an NHL transfer agreement with the Russian Hockey Federation proved beneficial in the case of the 6-foot-8 goaltender whom the Flyers selected in the seventh round (188th overall) of the 2015 Entry Draft. The Flyers held Fedotov's NHL rights indefinitely and were able to be patient throughout his development process.
It's hardly unusual for goalies to be late bloomers and that has been the case with Fedotov. As a 19-year-old, he looked overwhelmed in the Flyers 2016 Development Camp. Back home in Russia, Fedotov developed at a slow but steady pace. He finally cracked the KHL around the time he turned 23.
Over the last three seasons, Fedotov has emerged as one of the top netminders in the KHL while playing for Traktor Chelyabinsk and CSKA Moscow. He also performed well in the 2022 Olympics.
With his KHL contractual obligations fulfilled, Fedotov signed with the Flyers on May 7. It remains to be seen how smoothly and rapidly he adapts to the North American rink but the netminder has come a long way since the time he was originally selected near the end of his Draft class.
2021 NHL DRAFT
Samu Tuomaala (2/46) RW: The small-framed speedster has been working with new Flyers European-based development coach Sami Kapanen. Tuomaala is coming off a disappointing 2021-22 season split between a brief stint in the AHL with the Phantoms and two different teams in Liiga (Sport Vaasa and Jukurit Mikkeli). He was not named to Finland's national U20 team for the World Junior Championship one year after posting offensive numbers for the U18 squad at the U18 Worlds. Getting physically stronger is a top priority for the 19-year-old along with improving his all-around game. It's not a question of speed or hands.
Alexei Kolosov (3/78) G: Even before he turned 20 years old, Kolosov cracked the KHL as a frequent starting goaltender for Dinamo Minsk. He is widely considered to be one of the most talented young netminders in the league. As with all young players currently playing in Russia or Belarus -- both of which are presently banned from IIHF competition -- the situation is fluid. The NHL has no formal transfer agreement with the Russian Hockey Federation. Due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, the NHL also canceled its Memorandum of Understanding (MOA) with the KHL, which was a de facto transfer agreement in that both leagues agreed to avoid signing players under active contract to clubs in the other league and to limit signings to players considered free agents. Although the MOA was canceled, it seems like the policy may hold for awhile. However, it's a bit more straightforward with veterans (such as Ivan Fedotov) than it is in terms of young players fulfilling the KHL equivalent of entry-level deals and being eligible to come over to North America. This sane uncertainty over when recently drafted prospects will be able to come play in North America could affect where KHL-affiliated players get drafted in the upcoming 2022 NHL Draft. As for Kolosov, he is definitely a prospect worth tracking, because he's ahead of the typical curve in his development.
Brian Zanetti (4/110) D: The smooth-skating Swiss puck-mover impressed in Development Camp and Rookie Camp last summer with the Flyers. He had an inconsistent season in the Ontario Hockey League for the Peterborough Petes. Since he played his Draft-eligible season in Europe (HC Lugano Jr team), Zanetti would technically be exempt from the AHL/CHL age rule next season. However, he is not ready at present for pro hockey and further junior-level seasoning is in order. He had room to get stronger and improve all-around, but the Flyers like his mobility, first-pass and 6-foot-2 frame.
Ty Murchison (5/158) D: The USNTDP product dressed in every game this past season as a freshman for Arizona State, playing a defensive-D role on the blueline, He chipped in four goals and seven points while showing some physicality to his game. The 19-year-old may need all four NCAA-eligible seasons to properly gauge as a potential ELC candidate.
Ethan Samson (6/174) D: A more offensive-minded defenseman than fellow 2020 draftees Zanetti and Murchison, Samson enjoyed a breakout season in his draft-plus-one campaign with the WHL's Prince George Cougars including 15 goals and 43 points. He already has three WHL seasons under his belt. Samson, along with seventh-round selection Owen McLaughlin, was recently extended a bona fide contract offer by the Flyers. Even if he signs, he will slide back to the WHL for another season. The lanky (6-foot-3. 183 pound) defenseman will not turn 19 until Aug. 23. There is room for him to improve both defensively and in terms of physical strength but he's off to a fine start developmentally through his draft-plus-one year, especially for a late-round pick.
Owen McLaughlin (7/206) C/W: As with Samson, McLaughlin has an ELC offer from the Flyers. If he were to sign it now, McLaughlin would forfeit his amateur status and NCAA eligibility. The Chester County native is slated to be an incoming freshman at North Dakota in 2022-23. Alternatively, if he signs a contract with the Flyers, the deal could slide in 2022-23 while on loan to a major junior team in Canada. He's not pro ready but McLaughlin has scored at every level he's played and is coming off an encouraging USHL season for Sioux City (28 goals, 72 points in 62 games). His overall game needs refinement along with adding muscle and improving his skating. However, the belief is that added muscle/explosiveness will naturally help him along in his skating.
J.R. Avon (free agent signing) C: The pandemic-driven cancellation of the 2020-21 Ontario Hockey League season caused Avon -- originally projected as a potential top 100 pick in 2021 -- to slip through the 2021 Draft unselected. He attended Flyers' camp on a tryout basis and earned an entry-level contract. The deal will slide again in 2021-22. Avon showed nice progress, especially after missing a season, with Peterborough this past year. He posted 29 goals and 68 points in 64 regular season games although he was a non-factor in the postseason. The first thing that jumps out about Avon is his skating; he has very good wheels. He does not project as a top-six forward in the NHL but has long-range upward mobility within a bottom-six group.
2020 NHL DRAFT
Emil Andrae (2/54) D: The captain of Sweden's J20 team, Andrae was arguably the best defenseman playing in Sweden's Allsvenskan (top minor league) pro level in 2020-21. His performance for HV71 Jönköping this past season was a major reason why the team earned a promotion back to the SHL level. Despite standing just 5-foot-8, Andrae is a savvy positional defender with a very quick stick. He is very adept at making breakout passes and is an up-ice threat, too, with 33 points (9g, 24a) in 44 regular season games this past season. Over the last two years, Andrae has worked hard to reduce his body fat percentage and replace it with muscular weight. He's always had a thick build (ca. 180 pounds). Until he proves otherwise in the North American pros, there will be question marks about Andrae because of his lack of height. The Flyers would like to see him play a full SHL season in 2022-23. He is a candidate to come to North America in 2023-24.
Notes: Andrae is the lone remaining 2020 pick who is neither under ELC to the Flyers (Foerster, Wisdom, Desnoyers) or whose rights were relinquished (Connor McClennon). Among 2019 draftees, University of Minnesota right wing Bryce Brodzinski, a senior in 2022-23, remains unsigned. 2018 first-round pick Jay O'Brien has one season of NCAA eligibility remaining for Boston University.
