Long last, it’s finally September. Hockey season is right around the corner. Lets talk about some Flyers prospects.

The long, drawn-out days of the summer have ended and we can finally start the process of getting back into hockey mode. Rookie and training camps are still a couple weeks away, but what’s a better way to get back into the hockey flow then to talk about 3 players I’m personally excited to watch at these camps?

(These three players will be guys that both regarded as rookies, and have a chance to make the Flyers roster out of camp. A rookie, by the NHL terms, is:

“To be considered a rookie, a player must not have played in more than 25 NHL games in any preceding seasons, nor in six or more NHL games in each of any two preceding seasons. Any player at least 26 years of age (by September 15th of that season) is not considered a rookie.”)

Sorry, Cam York, you have officially graduated with your 87 games played in the NHL. 

(These players are not listed in any specific order)

1. Tyson Foerster

(AHL stats in 22-23’: 20G-28A-48P) 

It really shouldn’t be a shock to anyone that Tyson Foerster is #1 on the list. With Matvei Michkov and Cutter Gauthier now in the system and taking up most of the spotlight regarding prospects, Foerster has kind of been in the shadows the last year or so. 

He suffered a shoulder injury that took him out of action for 4 months in 2021, later returning to the Barrie Colts of the OHL. Foerster had 6G-5A-11P in those 13 regular-season games, and added 1G-3A-4P in 6 playoff games. 

Fast forward to last season and Foerster found himself 1st on the Phantoms in points with 20G-28A-48P in 66 games. Add in the 1G-2A in the 3 playoff games he played in and I’d say that’s a pretty successful season for a kid coming off a shoulder injury the previous year. The added strength from missing all that time with not being able to do anything but workout the lower-body has done nothing but help. 

Foerster earned a call-up in March of last season and didn’t disappoint. He flashed that elite wrist shot that we’ve all come to love. His 7 points in his first 8 NHL games was even more than I personally expected of him (was expecting at least 4-5.) And honestly, that’s through no fault of Tyson, the team just sucked around him. 

When Foerster came out of the 2020 draft his skating was always something scouts harped on, and after watching him play the full season last year, it’s not going to be a problem. Is he ever going to be a MacKinnon type where he’s blowing by guys? No. But the added strength and weight since being drafted, plus the actual work on the skating, is enough for me to be confident it’s not a problem.

Now, we have Tyson reppin’ the new burnt orange jerseys at the Rookie Showcase today and I’d be lying if I said it didn’t get me VERY excited. 

I fully expect Foerster to make the Flyers out of camp barring injury or an absolutely abysmal camp.

2. Bobby Brink 

(AHL stats in 22-23: 12G-16A-28P)

Brink’s start to his pro career has been up and down. He went from having 57 points in his last season with Denver, being nominated for a Hobey Baker award and making his NHL debut all in a couple months. To then missing the beginning (3 months) with the torn labrum in his hip. 

When he did finally return to action, he had a very good start with the Phantoms with a goal in his first two games and 14 points in his first 15 games. You could tell his legs weren’t fully under him yet (to be expected) but the hands and IQ were there enough to slowly make up for it. He does such a great job of getting himself lost in the offensive zone and then suddenly popping up when the puck is loose. 

How many times did you watch the Flyers Rookie Game a couple months ago and think to yourself, “Damn, Brink seems to be in the right spot at the right time every time he’s on the ice”. And it’s true, he was fantastic in the rookie scrimmage, creating plays everywhere on the ice. I got there late but I’m pretty sure the kid had 3-grade chances in the first 5 minutes I was in the building. 

I’m not saying he’s the next Point (or am I?) just because he looked good against rookies in a scrimmage in the middle of the summer. He should look good against 18-19 year old kids who play in junior leagues. But for a guy to look as smooth and confident as he looked coming off the injury he suffered is only positive news for the Flyers and Brink himself. The kid is a wildcard and he has something to prove at training camp in these next few weeks. 

Get ready. 

3. Emil Andrae 

(NHL stats in 22-23’: N/A) 

Emil, Emil, Emil. Or should I say Kimmo Timonen 2.0 with more snarl? 

In all seriousness, it’s hard not to see Kimmo in a 5 ’10-5′ 11, left-handed defenseman, who is composed with the puck and can QB a power play with his eyes closed. 

It’s sort of the same message with Andrae that it is with Brink. Am I surprised Andrae looked really good against 18-19 year olds after playing in the SHL for years? No. Is it still nice to see him look good other than the ladder? Absolutely. 

But I am honestly more excited to see how Andrae performs in camp than I am with any of the other 2 prospects I talked about. And that’s nothing against Tyson and Bobby, Andrae just has everything you want in a modern-NHL defenseman, and I am a defenseman kind of guy. The skating, edges, skill, IQ and snarl are all there. The only thing about him that you might balk at is his height, but I promise the kid plays bigger than he is.

He also looked really good in his 10-game stint with the Phantoms towards the end of last season and that’s against pro players in a more defensive and scrappy kind of league. 2G-4A-6P in those games to start your AHL career off isn’t too shabby.

Oh, and throw in a couple of big hits and I was salivating at the idea of this kid playing in our lineup. 

Composure, first-pass, IQ, and spatial awareness when defending against the rush are all qualities of Andrae’s that I’m really interested to see against NHL players in a few weeks. It should be a good test for him to go up against guys like Couturier, Atkinson (hopefully they both make it to camp) and Konecny. 

The situation regarding Andrae’s status whether or not he makes the team out of camp is still unknown. The last I heard, he either makes the NHL team or goes back to the SHL because of a new agreement. I also heard that the Flyers and Andrae are looking into every possible scenario where that wouldn’t happen if he didn’t make the big club out of camp. 

Keep your eye out for any updates regarding that situation. 

Mandatory Credit: Johnny Ulecka