Broad Street Hockey
A Lehigh Valley Phantoms blog. We talk about the AHL. That's it.
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BSH 2026 Community Draft Board, No. 10: Daxon Rudolph is a solid bet on top-4 upside
Next up on the BSH Community Draft Board is Daxon Rudolph, a defenseman from the WHL’s Prince Albert Raiders who has gotten buzz as a potential top-10 selection. Rudolph is in the second to third tier of defensemen in this draft class, depending on how you rank Albert Smits , Carson Carels , and Keaton Verhoeff . It appears that Rudolph is in a tier just below those guys, but it wouldn’t be entirely surprising if a team values Rudolph over someone in that tier. Pre-draft rankin...
Matvei Michkov may finally get to represent Russia again
The International Ice Hockey Federation has made a massive decision that could affect hundreds of players across the world, and most importantly, the Philadelphia Flyers’ Matvei Michkov. Announced by the group that oversees all international hockey tournaments, their previous decision to ban Russia from all competitions going forward has now been reversed. They most recently made the formal decision to ban the country from all competitions during the 2026-27 season, but now that ban has b...
2025-26 Player Grades: Bobby Brink eventually went over the edge
A few seasons ago, Flyers coach John Tortorella was reading Bobby Brink the riot act far more often than anyone would’ve preferred. Brink was trying to generate offense. Often it came at a price, namely cheating or not putting in the work in the defensive zone away from the puck. Tortorella quipped that Brink didn’t know how to spell the word “check,” let alone execute one. However, Brink turned a corner, and became one of the more dependable wingers on the Flyers. Along with Noah Cates and Ty...
Why the Flyers’ low-shot identity might be here to stay
The Flyers won more after the break, but their shot generation barely changed. Is this their long-term identity under Rick Tocchet?
Friday Morning Fly By: Go outside
*It’s going to be nice this weekend, you, dear reader, should go outside and enjoy it. The Stanley Cup Final starts next week. [ TSN ] *There was a lot said about what the Young Kids would learn from this season’s teensy little playoff run, but don’t forget that the old heads an learn something too. And Travis Konecny came away with some things that are going to really stick. [ NBC Sports Philly ] *Until he starts doing the things, we’re going to see a lot written about all the thing...
4 defensemen the Flyers need to avoid this summer
After surprising almost every single hockey fan by making the playoffs this season (and winning a series), the Philadelphia Flyers are looking to take another step forward. We already know that they have a young core in place with some even younger and possibly better pieces still developing into becoming true top-of-the-lineup NHL talent. But, general manager Danny Briere might look to accelerate things a little bit by adding some more experienced players to the roster and truly becoming a th...
2025-26 Player Grades: Carl Grundstrom was surprisingly impactful for the Flyers
Carl Grundstrom spent most of the season with the Philadelphia Flyers in a reduced role that saw him playing most of his time in the bottom six. Interestingly enough, he never really had consistent linemates throughout the season, as the most consistently used grouping he was involved in actually came with Matvei Michkov and Noah Cates– though he spent plenty of time with Rodrigo Abols as well. That’s just life in the bottom two lines, as they’re the most likely skaters to be recycled and rota...
BSH 2026 Community Draft Board, No.9: Carson Carels is an all-around stalwart
Next up on the community draft board is a smooth moving defenseman from the Western Hockey League who put up gaudy point totals, Prince George’s Carson Carels. Carels has hung around amongst the most highly-touted defense prospects for quite awhile in a draft that has no shortage of defenders projected to go in the top half of Round 1. He currently sits in a group alongside names like Alberts Smits, Chase Reid, and Keaton Verhoeff as the next wave of talent after the two uber-talented for...
Thursday Morning Fly By: Talkin’ ’bout contracts
*We know that Dan Vladar is going to get a contract extension at some point — he’s earned one, after all. But the details are starting to get flushed out and if the rumors are correct, then here’s hoping Vladdy Daddy isn’t a one season wonder. [ BSH ] *Related, the Inky’s annual Flyers fan polling has revealed which players You People want to see back and which you don’t care that much about at all. We love to hear Opinions! [ Inquirer ] *While we’re talking about which players we li...
2026 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 8: Alberts Smits is a high-risk, high-reward defender
From the NCAA, we head abroad to check in with Latvian defender Alberts Smits, who’s made quite a name for himself in this class of the back of his unique style of play. A quick riser through these draft rankings, Smits has done well to build up his stock coming off of successful stints internationally, first with the Latvian national team at World Juniors, and then ultimately at the Olympics. He’s established quite the impressive resume at such a young age, and while his play style might...
Flyers appear ready to reward Dan Vladar with starter-level contract
The Philadelphia Flyers will have some business to do this summer. They have a couple key restricted free agents in Trevor Zegras and Jamie Drysdale that could be locked up to long-term deals as this team starts to solidify their core moving forward. There’s the 2026 NHL Draft and free agency suddenly happening just a month from now. Heck, we might even see some trades happen with the winger logjam that is currently happening on the roster. But one piece of business that has been at the f...
2025-26 Player Grades: Denver Barkey became the Flyers’ best kept secret
Denver Barkey wasn’t supposed to be part of the plan. He began his first professional season this year in the American Hockey League with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, after a storied junior career with the London Knights compelled the Flyers to take him with 95th overall pick in 2023. After the diminutive forward put up 16 points in his first 26 games in the AHL, and Tyson Foerster went down with injury in early-December, Barkey was one of the names called up to try and fill the gaping ho...
Wednesday Morning Fly By: Did not see that coming
*Well, the Western Conference is set. Man, what the heck happened to the Avs?! Yeesh. [ NHL.com ] *Evidently, the Flyers are set to get a brand new third jersey and we’ve compiled everything we know so far at this likely-to-be-disappointing development. [ BSH ] *Phantoms head coach John Snowden sat down with The Local Sports Media to talk about the state of the Flyers farm and the players he’s got some excitement about. [ Inquirer ] *If you’ve not considered subscribing to this lovel...
2026 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 7: Tynan Lawrence does it all
As we hit the seven spot on this ranking, we’re shifting back to the NCAA to talk about a name that might already be familiar to some, in centerman Tynan Lawrence. Flyers prospect watchers might already have some exposure to Lawrence, as he made the midseason jump from Muskegon of the USHL to Boston University, spending the second half of the season as a teammate to Owen McLaughlin and Jack Murtagh. A high-motor center, Lawrence brings a well developed utility style game, bringing speed a...
What we know so far about the Flyers’ ‘Hometown Remix’ jerseys
It’s something that every single hockey fan can get excited about and interested in: Potential new jerseys that your favorite team is going to be wearing next season. For the upcoming 2026-27 season, the NHL is going to be unveiling a league-wide “Hometown Remix” campaign to give each team an alternate sweater to wear throughout the season. While the description is so vague — certainly more mysterious than the previous “Reverse Retro” jerseys that were fairly easy to imagine as a re-desig...
What Alex Bump’s shooting habits reveal about his goal-scoring potential
Alex Bump was scoring well, if unsustainably, for the Flyers in his debut stint. What his shooting habits can tell us about how he can refine his process.
Tuesday Morning Fly By: Back to work
*There was a lot to like in Rasmus Ristolainen’s season, but the biggest piece of all is the fact that we finally, finally, got to see Playoff Risto. [ BSH ] *Rodrigo Abols played his part well through his short season as well, but his status beyond this season remains something of a question mark. [ BSH ] *Shifting to the future though, we’re digging into some young free agents the Flyers might be interested in targeting later this summer. [ BSH ] *And, in our next installment ...
4 young free agents the Flyers could target this summer
Each year, July 1 is free agent frenzy in the National Hockey League. Teams look to upgrade their rosters by signing unrestricted free agents, often to long-term deals that might be considered overpays. Meanwhile, teams that still own the player’s rights and are pending restricted free agents, negotiate on new contracts or, at worst, extend qualifying offers to retain their rights. But somewhere between the UFA and RFA divide there’s a slight crack where a third category of player can sometime...
2026 BSH Community Draft Board, No. 6: Viggo Bjorck is the most overlooked prospect this year
It almost feels like a cliche at this point. In almost every single NHL Draft there is a prospect that those who pay attention online and watch some tape and look at more advanced stats than just the ones we’re given on Elite Prospects, tend to believe should be ranked much higher than he is. For some reason — whether it is his listed height or weight or the league he plays in — there is always a prospect that us prospect freaks (endearing) like so much more than the consensus. And typica...
2025-26 Player Grades: Rasmus Ristolainen made it to the playoffs
Rasmus Ristolainen has been somewhat of a lightning rod for criticism of the Flyers’ front office– an easy target given his struggles to stay on the ice . This year proved difficult again for the fifth-year Flyer defenseman, as he managed just 44 games after missing the team’s first 31 of the season due to his ruptured triceps tendon. Credit to Ristolainen, though, as he would play almost the entire rest of the season, logging pretty big minute totals through two playoff rounds in his first tr...
2025-26 Player Grades: Rodrigo Abols played his part but has been replaced
Rodrigo Abols is a feel-good story for the Philadelphia Flyers that might have now come to an unfortunate end. Despite being drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in 2016, Abols did not officially break into the NHL until the Flyers signed him to a quick little contract two summers ago, just to see if he can be anything — because who wouldn’t want a 6-foot-4 Latvian in your bottom six? He worked his way up after starting in the AHL and ended up playing in 64 games over two seasons for the Flye...
Monday Morning Fly By: Heating up
*The Flyers are facing a looming logjam on their back end, and we have to wonder, does this mean Emil Andrae could be on his way out? [ BSH ] *It’s one of the many big questions and issues that the Flyers are going to tackle in this sneaky major offseason ahead of them. [ Inquirer ] *Another area potentially in need of addressing is the goaltending position, and the Flyers won’t have a shortage of potential trade partners, should they opt to go that route. [ BSH ] *Speaking of g...
2025-26 Player Grades: Sam Ersson rebounded during Flyers’ stretch run
The 2025-26 season was sure to be a major one for goaltender Sam Ersson. Coming off of as close to disastrous of a season as possible in 2024-25, in which he got away from his game so severely that he landed down in the basement of the league rankings in goaltenders as a result, and heading into a contract year, Ersson needed to find a way to get his game back on track and fast if he wanted to hold on to his place in this organization. And while the year was still an up and down one, the ...
3 trade partners that could solve the Flyers’ backup goalie problem
It feels like it’s goalie week here at Broad Street Hockey. We’ve taken a look at the possibility of a Dan Vladar extension , why the Flyers should move on from Sam Ersson , and a few options in free agency that Danny Briere should target to pair with his starting netminder. But the trade market is always interesting as well, and it’s somewhere that Briere has found hidden gems throughout his tenure as Flyers general manager. Could he do the same this offseason by trading for a goali...
2025-26 Player Grades: Tyson Foerster battled injury to be a factor
Tyson Foerster came into this season as one of the Flyers’ best kept secrets, and was seemingly primed for a breakout campaign where he would push for his first 30 goal season. As the year began, Foerster seemed well on his way, he put up 10 goals in his first 21 games, and was on a 40 goal pace heading into early December. He looked like someone who was going to be instrumental on both ends for a team desperate for goal scoring, and elite defensive forwards. Then, the injuries started.&n...
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