The Philadelphia Flyers have lost another prospect this week, but the organization will be keeping a very close eye on his future exploits with help from an old friend.
Despite having signed an amateur tryout offer with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on March 26, Flyers forward prospect Alex Ciernik has passed on signing his entry-level contract with Philadelphia for the time (or, perhaps the other way around).
Instead, the 20-year-old former fourth-round pick has signed a one-year deal with the Lahti Pelicans of Finland's Liiga and will get his first taste of playing in the best senior league a nation has to offer.
The bulk of Ciernik's professional experience has come from HockeyAllsvenskan, Sweden's second-tier men's hockey league. In 109 games there, the Flyers prospect scored 18 goals, 31 assists, and 49 points across parts of five seasons with Sodertalje SK, Vasterviks IK, and Nybro Vikings IF.
"Everything feels very different now, but in a positive way. I've known the head coach for a few years now and I love the way the Pelicans play. Also, a few of my old teammates have played in Lahti, and everything I've heard about the organization, the city, and the fans has been nothing but good. The decision was pretty easy for me in the end," Ciernik said of his decision in a press release Wednesday.
It is with the Pelicans that Ciernik will reunite with an old Flyers friend in Sami Kapanen. Fans may recall that Kapanen, a former Flyers player himself, has been working with the Philadelphia organization as a pro scout and development coach.
Kapanen was hired by the Pelicans to be the Finnish outfit's new head coach on Feb. 10 and is still listed as European player development and pro scout on the Flyers' staff directory.
The 51-year-old former NHLer has served as a head coach in Liiga before, most recently for KalPa, the franchise he owned from 2003-04 to 2019-20. With KalPa, Kapanen coached players like Eetu Luostarinen, Niko Mikkola, and Alexandre Texier.
Now, Kapanen will turn his attention to Ciernik, who the Flyers still have hopes for. The Slovakian winger picked up one assist during his brief three-game tryout with the Phantoms. Ciernik did not play in the Calder Cup playoffs.
We are very happy to welcome Alex. I have a personal history with him for a couple of seasons as a player developer, so I know his strengths well. He is a player reserved by the Flyers, who has experience in Europe and North America," Kapanen said of Ciernik. "We will get a very powerful, fast, and skillful forward in him. Great potential, especially offensively, and there is a lot to look forward to."
