1) A year ago at this time, there was a dearth of goaltending prospects in the Flyers' organization beyond Anthony Stolarz. One year later, there is above-average depth in the development chain.
* Stolarz had a good second pro season with the American Hockey League's Lehigh Valley Phantoms. was outstanding the first two months of the season. He hit some adversity where the still-existing rough spots in his game -- mostly some reads, committing too early, etc -- got exposed. However, he was always honest with himself and put in the work. Even in sitting for weeks with the Flyers and watching Steve Mason play game after game down the stretch, Stolarz tried to absorb things he could use for himself.
* The Flyers signed Yale goaltender Alex Lyon -- among NHL teams, he was the most sought-after undrafted goalie in the NCAA -- to a two-year entry level contract in April. By contractual agreement (there was no way around it, because it was something that every NHL team seriously competing to sign him would have had to do), the Flyers burned the first year of the contract by putting him on their NHL roster for the rest of the season even though he did not dress for a game. For more about Lyon,
click here.
* 2015 third-round pick Felix Sandström appeared in 25 regular season SHL games and two postseason games for Brynäs IF Gävle and two World Junior Championship games for Sweden. He had some ups and downs -- including taking a frightful beating at the WJC -- but the overall trend was a positive one. He is a good natural athlete and, even before he turned 19 in January, was already polished enough to be playing with some regularity in one of Europe's top professional leagues.
* Twenty-year-old prospect Merrick Madsen, drafted in the sixth round of the 2013 NHL Draft, went from appearing in just one game during his freshman year at Harvard to one of the better ECAC goalies as a sophomore. His early season shutout streak was, of course, unsustainable but the big picture is that Madsen made big strides over the last year.
* Drafted by the Flyers with their second of two picks in the 2015 third round, Slovak goalie Matej Tomek entered his freshman year rehabbing an offseason injury and, after he healed, did not appear in a single game for the eventual Frozen Four champion University of North Dakota team. Sophomore goalie Cam Johnson stepped up to enjoy an excellent season. It will be interesting to see what the next steps are with Tomek.
* Drafted in the seven round of last year's NHL Draft, 6-foot-7 Russian goaltender Ivan Fedotov hopes to move up at some point next season from playing in the MHL (Russian junior league) to the KHL. He has served as a KHL backup each of the last two seasons but only got into one game (in 2014-15). He will be with a new organization next season, leaving the Neftekhimik Nizhnekamsk organization for Salavat Yulaev Ufa. He will turn 20 in late November.
2) Today in Flyers History: June 8, 1983: The Flyers trade defenseman Behn Wilson to the Chicago Blackhawks in exchange for defenseman Doug Crossman and the 1984 second-round pick Philadelphia later used on the selection of forward Scott Mellanby.
3) Congratulations to Flyers right winger Jakub Voracek and girlfriend Nicole Warnecke, who are
expecting their first child.
4) Flyers Hall of Fame left winger Brian Propp, who has made an incredible recovery from a stroke last year, posted this photo of himself with Chris Therien, Joe Watson, Bob Kelly and Ray Allison at a Center for Autism event at Rivercrest Golf Club and Preserve. Among other causes, Propp is very active in supporting the Center for Autism's work and is one of the driving forces in the annual "CFA Winter Classic" game with the Flyers Alumni team. This year's game raised $25,000 for CFA.
Something else pretty cool about this photo is that, since Joe Watson was a member of the Flyers' inaugural 1967-68 team and Chris Therien played for the Flyers as late as 2005-06 (in his second stint with the club), there are Flyers of the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s represented in a single photo of five people.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»