Five Under 25: Philadelphia Flyers

This is a new series for me to work on exclusively for Full Press. I won’t be ranking these players, and most times they will be the players who are closest to having an NHL impact or are already contributing. Every team has five or more of these players, and some franchises, like the Flyers, have stated this is an important shift for them by getting more younger players in the lineup.

Morgan Frost can play center or wing and since he has a new coach, who knows where he will play? I would put him at center because he is more creative that way and his face-offs have improved. This is a make-it-or-break-it year for him. Frost only has roughly one NHL season of experience that was broken up into segments. He needs to be a playmaker for this team. They lack them. If not, the Flyers may move in a different direction even with RFA rights still there.

Owen Tippett represents the big piece they got in the Claude Giroux trade. I only say that because he will get more opportunities than most with his lack of goal production in the early part of his career. When Tippett acts instinctively goals go in. When he has a half-second to think about it, he misses. His skating, play away from the puck, and passing has all been effective. But he must score. If he doesn’t score 15 goals, the Flyers have a problem.

Noah Cates did more with his NHL time than most Flyers prospects. He came in hot and put up nine points in 16 games. His passing was smart, and his play around the net was needed. His two-way play was the best of the other forward prospects. Cates played that way at Minnesota Duluth at center or on the wing. He should get around 15 minutes of ice time with even better talent. He rises to the talent next to him, and his hockey I.Q. is as good as a lot of veterans.

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Cam York should be in the Flyers’ top six. With a new coach, I just can’t say where he ends up definitively just yet. Seeing York away from the NTDP has sold me to the fact that he’s a second-pairing defenseman with offensive upside but not 60-point potential. His strength is good now and his skating is great. At 21, he will still improve, but there’s a definite cap on his offense, not his total team impact, which will continue to get better.

Ronnie Attard is a big defenseman with a pro body. There will be a temptation to have him play in the NHL because he’s physically mature, and at 23, he’s almost there mentally. Yet, he’s still never played more than 50 games in any season in his career. His offense is almost there but his shot doesn’t hit the net enough. You don’t want him to try and figure that out at the NHL level. Let him run everything in Lehigh Valley for a while.