One To Watch: Philadelphia Flyers

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The awful start to the season in Philly is enough for some Flyers fans to start looking closely at the depth of the organization to see if help is on the way. Fortunately there are some interesting players in the system but even the most staunch Flyers supporter would admit the prospect pool isn't as deep in Philadelphia as it is for most NHL teams. 

Rookie Nick Cousins is off to an impressive start on the farm with the Adirondack Phantoms. Ty McGinn and Michael Raffl have already been recalled to the big club. Plus, you could make a pretty good argument that Philly's top prospects are still in junior and college. 

2012 Choice: Anthony Stolarz - I thought last year was an interesting one for Stolarz as he moved from the NAHL to the NCAA. Then things got even more intriguing; Midway through the year the big goalie left Nebraska-Omaha for the London Knights of the OHL and ended up playing well into May as the club reached the Memorial Cup. This year the team hosts the tournament so Stolarz will be getting a done of action once again. 

My selection as One To Watch for Philadelphia in 2013-14 comes after the jump. 

One To Watch: Philadelphia Flyers

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The Flyers have one of the best amateur scouting staffs in the NHL but have an aggressive owner and management that means the organization doesn't rely on it as much as other clubs. The cost of making blockbuster trades is often youth and draft picks and Philly has paid that price a lot over the years. That's not a critique, the club has been a contender for the last half a decade because of it, but it is a reality.

Claude Grioux, Lucas Sbisa, Steve Downie and James vanRiemsdyk were all successful 1st round picks but trades have left only one with the organization. In the drafts from 2009-2011 the team used one 1st round pick and zero second rounders. That single pick was Sean Couturier.

What do you do if you don't have draft picks? You sign some CHL or NCAA free agents. Matt Read, Harry Zolnierczyk and Cal Heeter from the college ranks while Zac Rinaldo and Jason Akeson came in from the OHL.    

The status of Philly's prospect depth is currently fairly weak. Earlier in the series I pointed out that San Jose is ranked last by Hockey's Future but a commenter suggested that the Flyers are probably on the bottom right now. I don't know if that's the case but I think it's fair to say they'd be in that conversation but while the NHL team is a contender, thats the price they're happy to pay.

It's way to early to pass judgement on last June's draft but the very early indications are favorable. And yes, my pick as the key guy to watch this coming season does come from the Class of 2012. 

Saturday Morning Special - July 9th

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What a fantastic way to start your day - not only did we have terrific guests today but we had major breaking news occur during our broadcast and our listener auction produced almost $3000 for charity!

Congratulations and a huge "Thank You!" to the Owner(s) of O2's Taphouse & Grill who coughed up the high bid on the day, a cool $2800. For that they picked up the trip to Jasper, the Moosehead prize pack and the autographed Ryan Nugent-Hopkins Red Deer Rebels jersey.

If you were one of the many who were in on the fierce bidding war, don't worry; We're doing it again on Tuesday and next Saturday with a signed Mark Pysyk Edmonton Oil Kings jersey followed by a Buffalo Sabres sweater autographed by local product Tyler Ennis!

89th - Philadelphia Flyers Draft Preview

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You have to respect the way the Flyers have resisted the urge to experiment with logo changes or alternate jerseys. This 3-D release is the biggest departure from the look that every hockey fan recognizes and it's obviously not a huge change at all. Philly has turned their crest into a brand and it's become one of the more recognizable ones in all of professional sports.