The Future Flyers Report is back.
In this edition, we’re going to highlight the Flyers’ prized forward prospect, who reached an impressive milestone over the weekend.
Let’s get rolling.
Travis Konecny, C/RW, Sarnia Sting
Konecny’s tear through the OHL has reached new heights. In Sarnia’s 6-4 win over Saginaw on Saturday, the forward recorded two goals and three assists in a performance that pushed him over the 100-point plateau on the season. He could have had more, too, with the game-high seven shots he fired on goal. The 24th overall pick in last season’s draft closed the regular season with 101 points — 30 goals and 71 assists, both career highs — in 60 games split between Ottawa and Sarnia. That point total was good to tie for seventh in the OHL. With Sarnia’s second-place conference position locked up, Konecny sat out Sunday’s regular-season finale against Windsor. Sarnia opens up a first-round playoff series vs. Sault St. Marie on Friday.
Ivan Provorov, D, Brandon Wheat Kings
The accolades just keep coming for Provorov. With four assists in three games last week, including a three-assist effort in Tuesday’s win over Swift Current, the prized defenseman finished the regular season with 73 points, the most by any defenseman in the WHL. He also earned the league’s plus/minus award with an incredible plus-64 rating. But wait, there’s more. Provorov also took home the Brad McCrimmon Award as Brandon’s best defenseman and earned the team’s MVP award. Brandon finished in first place in the WHL’s Eastern Conference and will play either Edmonton or Medicine Hat in a first-round playoff series.
Anthony Stolarz. G, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Yes, Stolarz is currently with the Flyers backing up Steve Mason in the wake of Michal Neuvirth’s torn meniscus. So it would be helpful to check in and see how he performed last week. He made 28 stops in a 3-1 loss at Rochester last Wednesday. In that game he gave up a power-play one-timer that he didn’t have too much of a chance on and had another one go in off of teammate Sam Morin, who attempted to bat a rebound out of the air into the corner but instead knocked it into his own net. Stolarz again played well in Friday night’s overtime loss to Toronto, making 34 saves against the league’s highest-scoring team. All told on the season, Stolarz is 19-15-3 with a 2.59 goals-against average and .916 save percentage.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel, C/RW, Val-d’Or Foreurs
Aube-Kubel had his way with Drummondville on Friday night when he scored twice and added an assist in a 7-2 victory. His goals on Saturday were his 37th and 38th of the season, which tied him for eighth most in the regular season in the Quebec Major Junior League. Add in Saturday’s assist, and Aube-Kubel finished the campaign with 84 points, which placed him 12th in “The Q.” No doubt an impressive showing for the Flyers’ 2014 second-round pick. His Val-d’Or team opens up a first-round playoff series with Blainville-Boisbriand on Friday.
Petr Straka, LW, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
The Phantoms didn’t light the world on fire offensively last week, scoring just five goals in three games. But Straka got on the board during Friday night’s overtime loss in Toronto with a breakaway tally that gave the Phantoms a 2-0 early in the third period. It was his 19th goal of the season, which places him second on the squad behind Danick Martel. Straka also has 36 points, tied for fourth most on the team. He had his quick cup of coffee with the Flyers last season and he’s playing well again this season in the AHL.
NHL
Sam Morin, D, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
As touched upon above in the section about Stolarz, Morin had a tough go of it against the Marlies in Toronto on Saturday. In the third period, Stolarz made a save that saw a rebound pop into the air. Morin, who was defending in front of the net, made the right decision and tried to bat the puck into the corner. Right idea, but poor execution as the attempt to clear the puck from harm’s way misfired and the it went of Morin’s hand and into the Phantoms’ net. Stuff of that nature happens to every player at one point or another, especially in the development stage. The key is not to let those things become a habit.
Travis Sanheim, D, Calgary Hitmen
Hard to believe we’ve gotten this far in the Future Flyers Report without talking about Sanheim, the Flyers’ top pick in 2014. His Calgary team finished the regular season on three-game win streak last week and Sanheim played a big role with a goal and three assists in those three games. His goal in Friday’s win over visiting Kootenay was his 15th of the season, placing him sixth among all WHL defensemen this season. Last week’s three assists got him to 53 on the season, tying him for second in the league. Sanheim’s 68 regular-season points place him fourth the WHL. As mentioned above, Provorov, Sanheim’s future teammate, led all WHL defensemen with 72 points this year.
Danick Martel, LW, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
It wasn’t a productive week for Martel, who leads the Phantoms this season with 21 goals. He didn’t find his way onto the scoresheet in any fashion in games against Rochester, Toronto and Portland. That said, he did fire five shots on goal in the loss in Rochester and got three more on net in the loss to Portland, a game in which he was also plus-1.
Phillipe Myers, D, Ryoun Noranda Huskies
Myers didn’t find the back of the net last week, but he did post two assists and was a combined plus-5 as his powerhouse Ryoun Noranda team closed out its regular season with three wins. Despite not scoring last week, he still finished tied for first among defensemen in the Quebec Major Junior League with 17 goals. His 45 regular-season points tied him for seventh among all defensemen in the league. Perhaps most impressively, his final plus-52 rating finished as the best in league among all players. Ryoun Noranda, which finished with a league-high 113 points, opens a first-round playoff series with Drummondville this weekend.
Quick hits
• The Flyers signed 2012 fifth-round draft pick Reece Willcox, a defenseman out of Cornell, to an entry-level deal on Monday. He finished his senior season with two goals and 11 assists for the Big Red. You can check out more on Willcox here.
• Winger Radel Fazleev posted two assists and was plus-2 for the Calgary Hitmen in two games last week. He finished the regular season with 19 goals and 52 assists in 59 games played.
• It was a quiet week for Phantoms winger Taylor Leier. He had just one assist and was a minus-2 in the Phantoms’ three losses. That said, he’s still third on the team with 18 goals this season.
• Phantoms winger Cole Bardeau had a rough go of it last week with a combined minus-4 in three games.
• Winger Oskar Lindblom impressed with a goal and an assist in Brynas’ 5-4 loss to Djurgardens last Monday.
• Goalie Felix Sandstrom, Lindblom’s teammate with Brynas, made 27 stops in last Monday’s loss to Djurgardens. He responded nicely by stopping 25 of 27 shots in a tough 3-1 loss on Wednesday.
• Forward Samuel Dove-McFalls notched two assists in Saint John’s three losses last week. He finished the regular season with five goals and seven assists in 29 games. Saint John's opens a first-round playoff series with Acadie-Bathurst on Friday.
• Center Cooper Marody’s Michigan team won the Big 10 tournament this past weekend, but he didn’t record a point in the games the Wolverines played against Penn State and Minnesota. Michigan has a Midwest Regional date with Notre Dame on Friday night in the NCAA Tournament.