After updating their roster on the NHL Media site, the Philadelphia Flyers appear to have revealed their training camp squad ahead of rookie camp, training camp, and the start of the NHL preseason.
Flyers fans will be happy to know that Matvei Michkov has officially been added to the NHL roster. However, he does not have a headshot that I can share at this time. He’s out in Colorado with his family right now, anyway.
But, without further ado, let’s break down the Flyers training camp roster and what the next few weeks will mean for certain players in this group.
Left Wings (5)
Noah Cates, Nicolas Deslauriers, Elliot Desnoyers, Oscar Eklind, Joel Farabee
The most barren group of the Flyers’ roster, there are no surprises here.
Desnoyers returns on the heels of a very disappointing AHL season that followed a promising training camp and preseason in 2023. The 22-year-old ultimately lost out to fellow prospects Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink, and the fact that those two have quickly nailed down NHL roles means trouble for Desnoyers’ NHL future with the Flyers.
It doesn’t appear that there is a spot for Desnoyers this year, but injuries happen, too. Never say never.
With the exception of Swedish forward Oscar Eklind, who signed a contract with the Flyers on April 8, everyone is expected to reprise their roles from 2023-24.
Centers (11)
Rodrigo Abols, Jon-Randall Avon, Denver Barkey, Sean Couturier, Morgan Frost, Rhett Gardner, Scott Laughton, Jett Luchanko, Ryan Poehling, Anthony Richard, Massimo Rizzo
Who would’ve guessed that the Flyers have some semblance of center depth?
Abols, like Eklind, is coming over from Sweden after signing on June 15. Abols does have some North American experience as a former Vancouver Canucks prospect; he scored seven goals, 16 assists, and 23 points in 36 games with the Springfield Thunderbirds in the AHL in the 2019-20 season before making the leap to the SHL and becoming a standout power forward in Sweden.
It’s unclear what he and Eklind will ultimately give the Flyers, but they are more than worthy gambles to take.
Prospects like Denver Barkey and Jett Luchanko won’t be making the Flyers this year, but perhaps they’ll get to taste some NHL preseason action before returning to the OHL. Barkey did so last year, and maybe he gets an extended run this time around.
It’ll only benefit him because the London Knights forward is close to kickstarting his NHL career.
Rizzo is expected to be the lead dog of the AHL group after a prolific NCAA career at the University of Denver, with whom he became a national champion after defeating Cutter Gauthier and Boston College 2-0 in the national championship on April 13.
While he and Jon-Randall Avon gain valuable experience as young players, Rhett Gardner and Anthony Richard will likely be duking it out for the right to be the Flyers’ first injury call-up at the center position if and when needed. Gardner appeared in one NHL game for the Flyers last season.
Note that injured center Ryan Johansen can no longer be found in the Flyers’ team directory on the NHL Media site and was not included on the roster.
Right Wing (10)
Bobby Brink, Tyson Foerster, Alexis Gendron, Garnet Hathaway, Travis Konecny, Olle Lycksell, Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, Samu Tuomaala, Zayde Wisdom
After re-signing with the Flyers last month, Brink is expected to make the NHL team outright once again and become an even better and more consistent player. The same is true of Foerster, who Flyers head coach John Tortorella admitted to looking for on his bench in key moments. Knowing how demanding Tortorella can be as a coach, you can’t get a better indirect compliment than that as a young NHL player.
Hathaway, Konecny, Michkov, and Tippett round out a loaded right wing group that will dominate the allocation of top-nine forward minutes, especially considering that Tippett played left wing almost exclusively last season.
Olle Lycksell deserves a chance in this group, but I think he’s going to be the victim of the numbers game here. He’ll get another shot at being an NHL regular, but I’m not sure that comes from the Flyers.
After scoring five goals, two assists, and seven points in 17 games with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season before returning to the Drummondville Voltigeurs in the QMJHL, Alexis Gendron is expected to take another step forward in his development and eventually grow into a hidden gem for the Flyers.
Before hitting a cold spell and getting injured, Samu Tuomaala was having a nice season in Allentown. He’s still a part of the organization’s plans, but he’ll need to have a better, more consistent second full season in North America to put himself back on people’s radars.
Speaking of getting back on people’s radars, it’s looking like this is Zayde Wisdom’s last chance to prove he’s a pro player in North American hockey.
Wisdom really put himself on the map in 2020-21, scoring seven goals, 11 assists, and 18 points in 28 games in his AHL debut season during the COVID-10 pandemic. After returning to the OHL in 2021-22, Wisdom just wasn’t the same player.
His last full season with the Kingston Frontenacs in 2019-20 saw him produce 29 goals and 59 points in 62 games, though those totals plummeted in 2021-22; Wisdom managed just nine goals and 38 points in 43 games.
In 2022-23, Wisdom bounced between the Phantoms and the ECHL Reading Royals after stumbling to just three goals, seven assists, and 10 points in 45 AHL games. Last year, in 2023-24, the 22-year-old was even worse, scrapping up just two goals, an assist, and three points in 49 games, serving as a healthy scratch at times.
With production like that, it’s going to take a miracle for Wisdom to get his career back on track, even in spite of the strong NHL training camp he had last year.
Defense (16)
Emil Andrae, Ronnie Attard, Louie Belpedio, Oliver Bonk, Jamie Drysdale, Ryan Ellis (IR), Adam Ginning, Helge Grans, Erik Johnson, Hunter McDonald, Rasmus Ristolainen (IR), Ethan Samson, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Cam York, Egor Zamula
Before anyone asks, yes, Ryan Ellis being on here is a formality. Also, nothing has changed with Rasmus Ristolainen and he’s expected to be ready to go in a few weeks.
Jamie Drysdale, Erik Johnson, Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, and Cam York are all locks to be on the Flyers this season. The last spot comes down to what will likely be a four-way battle between Emil Andrae, Adam Ginning, Hunter McDonald, and Egor Zamula, though it’s pretty clear that Zamula has the inside edge here.
Louie Belpedio will reprise his role as the steady veteran while Helge Grans and Ethan Samson continue to develop at the professional level. But, speaking of Grans, he’s already 22 years old and has four seasons, or 171 games, worth of AHL experience. I don’t know how much more AHL time he needs, but he’s quickly running out of time after an elite 2021-22 debut season in the AHL.
Ronnie Attard, too, is running out of time. He’ll turn 26 before the end of the season and has yet to appear in more than 15 games in a season for the Flyers. After the acquisition of Drysdale, it seems that Attard won’t get the chance to be an NHL regular here, even though he proved capable of handling his own amidst the Flyers’ injury woes late last season.
Oliver Bonk is expected to go back to London for another season in the OHL, but I would not at all be surprised to see him push for an NHL roster spot next month. His game is that mature. It probably won’t happen this year, but as Bonk continues to grow, put on muscle, and learn the pro game, he’s going to be a real solid player.
Maybe not elite, but solid. Dependable.
Goalies (5)
Carson Bjarnason, Sam Ersson, Ivan Fedotov, Alexei Kolosov, Cal Petersen
Hey, that’s the Alexei Kolosov we’ve all been talking about!
Yes, Kolosov is on the roster, and no, this doesn’t mean he’s coming back for sure. The Flyers are expecting him to, and technically and legally, Kolosov has to. Until he touches down in North America again, it doesn’t mean anything. Sorry to burst everyone’s bubble here.
Sam Ersson and Ivan Fedotov are penciled in as the NHL goalies, and Cal Petersen will again serve as the crease commander in the AHL now that Felix Sandstrom left for Buffalo.
Petersen has one more year on his albatross contract and, because of his salary, will serve as the Flyers’ get-out-of-jail-free card, especially if things do go awry with Kolosov.
Also, I ask you to give more of your attention to Carson Bjarnason. He’s big, he’s athletic, and he’s been carrying a Brandon Wheat Kings team that hasn’t been so good in recent years. Bjarnason is a great kid who has a bubbly personality, works his tail off, and is always happy to do community events for Brandon.
He deserves more respect than he’s gotten, and his NHL upside with the Flyers is very real.
