Prospect Report 1

It's been a busy offseason for the Phantoms and Flyers so here is an introduction to some of the new faces and to faces we may see in the near future. And to warn you now...the defensemen are coming!

The new Phantoms

Jesse Boulerice --Rw

(6'2, 217 lbs) 20-23-43 in 53 games played. Fith round draft choice in 1996. Boulerice is under suspension by the AHL until November 15th and has been charged with a felony due to his attack on Andrew Long during his time in the OHL. However, he is still a likely member of the Phantoms next season.

Putting that aside, Boulerice is supposedly a decent hockey player and was on the fast track to get to the Flyers. He had a good showing at the World Jrs. and is a good skater for his size. He is also a good fighter, and apparently his role in the OHL often consisted of protecting David Legwand from opposing thugs. Legwand was the team superstar and the number 2 overall pick in this year's entry draft. Any opportunity for Boulerice to play in the AHL this season is probably dependent on the outcome of his trial.

Mikhael Chernov--D

(6'2, 196 lbs) Chernov was drafted in 1997 (4th round) and there isn't a whole lot of information on him available. He played well at the World Jrs. (1998 -- Russia won the silver) and is a big, mobile defenseman who has already played at a Sr. level in Russia.

Until recently, all I had heard was that he wasn't expected in North America for a couple more years. Then again, he just signed a contract. I'd say with the mass defensive exodus and the signing of Klimintiev (see below), Chernov's appearance in orange and purple is pretty close to a sure thing. He's been compared to former Flyer Jiri Latal.

Mark Eaton--D

(6'2, 205lbs) 12-17-29 in 41 games. Mark Eaton seems to have been destined to end up in Philadelphia one way or another. As a child in Delaware, he played for the little Flyers. As a freshman at Notre Dame (CCHA), he developed under the watchful eye of former Flyer Dave Poulin. 19 years old, he went undrafted for two years before going to sign with the Phantoms. This forces him to give up his final years of college eligibility.

Eaton is an offensive defenseman and just one member of the new defensive core Clarke has installed in the Phantoms during this offseason. He was named CCHA Rookie of the year of 97-98 for anchoring the Notre Dame powerplay and was third in scoring among CCHA defensemen.

My take: this is a good signing for the Flyers but hardly the "top signing" that Clarke labeled it. Expect Eaton to spend the entire year with the Phantoms.

Mark Grieg--RW

Grieg is a 1990 first round draft pick of the then Hartford Whalers (now Carolina Hurricanes). He played with the Grand Rapid Griffiths of the IHL, accumulating 26-36-62 in 69 games. He has NHL experience and is 8-20-28 in 95 career games with Toronto, Hartford, and Calgary.

This definitely looks like a move to add depth to the Phantoms in case of Flyers' injury. And since Maneluk and Healey could both jump to the NHL next year, the added manpower will be useful.

Sergei Klimintiev --D

Out of context, Klimintiev's signing is perplexing. His numbers last year with Rochester were hardly stunning. In 57 games, he was 4-22-26 and a whopping -20. Plus/minus can be a deceptive stat when a player is on a less than stellar team, but evidently Klimitiev is not going to be the first call-up to the Flyers in time of injury!

The signing is a lot more understandable in light of Philadelphia's sudden glut of Russian prospects. In his first pro year, Dainius Zubrus lived with former Phantom Vladislav Boulin so he could learn to adjust to the lifestyle. Two rookie who are expected to play in Philadelphia are Russians Mikhael Chernov and Dimitri Tertyshny. Klimintiev's main purpose will be to help them, so don't expect him to get a lot of ice time.

Jean Marc Pelletier--G

(6'3, 184 lbs) 17-11-03 in 34 games with a 3.70 GAA and a .888 save percentage. 2nd round pick, 1997. We've all heard a ton about this guy, and despite his brief appearance with the team at the end of the year, it's worth taking a good look at him again. He's a big, butterfly-style goalie who played with Rimouski of the QMJHL last year. Before that, Pelletier played with Cornell of the ECAC. For those of you not up on your college hockey, Cornell is a perennial college powerhouse with one of the best college goalies around, Jason Elliot (a Red Wings draft pick, I think). Thus, after being drafted, Pelletier left Cornell for the QMJHL to get more playing time. He split time with Phillippe Sauve at Rimouski this year; Sauve was drafted by Colorado at the 1998 entry draft.

When Brian Boucher impressed scouts at the 1997 World Jrs., his back-up and roommate was none other than Pelletier. In 1998, Pelletier had his own shot to impress. Although the Americans showing was a disappointment after the previous year's silver medal, Pelletier had a strong showing. Also, after a rocky start, his numbers with Rimouski gradually improved and he backstopped them to the QMJHL finals. His fine playoff run was ended by injury. Remember, his numbers are slightly deceptive due to his horrible start; I believe his GAA was hovering near 5 at the beginning of the season and goalies in the QMJHL can face a lot of rubber; 50 shots in one night is not unusual.

In the last year, many think that Pelletier has become a better goaltending prospect than Boucher. His cocky attitude is something that many people think is an asset; Boucher is soft spoken and has trouble bouncing back from bad outings. He is said to have a great glove hand and attended the summer rookie skating camp. Pelletier leaves the Phantoms a huge problem. With Little, Boucher, and Pelletier under contract, which two will play in the orange and purple next season? We'll see in the fall.

Dmitri Tertyshny--D

3-10-13 in 46 games played. 21 years old. It was a surprise to many when Tertyshny was invited to the Flyers' optional rookie skating camp. Fellow Russian Mikhael Chernov was there--but he already had a contract. Tertyshny must have impressed the suits there because when the camp ended he was offered a contract and will most likely play with the Phantoms next year. He was a fifth round pick in 1995 and, like many European players, has a great skating style.

Jason Zent--W

Twenty-seven years old, Zent played with Worcester last year and was 25-17-42 in 66 games. He has played in 25 games with the Senators over his career and is 3-3-6 in those games. Like Greig, this looks strictly like a depth move by Flyers' management.

These players probably won't be in orange and purple on opening night but you should definitely remember their names.

Simon Gagne: The Flyers' first round draft pick in 1998. 6'1, ??? lbs. 30-39-69 in 53 games. Another attendee of the Flyers rookie skating camp, this young center is being heralded for his great skating and offensive creativity. This creativity is something that the Flyers are dying for among their forwards, considering the collection of hard working, but essentially grinding forwards they have collected. Gagne's father played with Flyers scout Simon Nolet way back when and was present at the Flyers' first training camp. But this draft pick wasn't solely the result of cronyism. He had some injuries this year, which is probably the reason he was still around when the Flyers' turn came up. Gagne will probably play in the QMJHL again this year and may be present at the World Jrs. (he's currently at their summer tryout camp).
Jason Beckett (6'3, 205 lbs). 1-11-12 in 71 games. A second round pick in 1998 (aquired in the Niinimaa trade). He is a stay at home defenseman who played last year with Seattle of the WHL. He is apparently surprising mobile for a defenseman of his considerable size and after a couple more years in jrs. he may be ready to jump to the AHL.
Ian Forbes (6'6, 206 lbs). 2-3-5 in 61 games played. This guy is huge! Another second round pick in 1998, he is a character player in addition to being a defensively oriented dman. Again, he's going to need more seasoning in jrs. before he has a chance to jump to the Phantoms. By the way, he does have a cousin named Colin but is no relation to the one Phantoms and Flyers fans know. :-)
Par Styf (6'0, 190 lbs) A product of MoDo juniors (the same system that produced some guy named Forsberg), Styf was the 240th pick overall in the 1997 draft. Usually you don't expect to find NHL talent that low in the draft, but Styf may be an exception. Injuries over the last three years have limited his playing time, but in the 17 games in which he was healthy last season, he rang up a very respectable 7 goals from the blueline. If he stays healthy he could play in the World Jrs. next season for Sweden and begin to figure into the Flyers long term plans.
Marko Kauppinen (6'0,178 lbs) An eighth round draft pick in 1997. Kauppinen's been called one of the best defensive prospects out of Finland since Janne Niinimaa. That, in itself, is a good thing. Kauppinen captained the Finnish team at the European championship and actually ended up leading the tournament in scoring. He played for the gold medal winning Finnish squad at the 1998 World Jrs. He is heralded for his hockey sense and strong skating. Good on the power play, he is also noted for taking care of business on the defensive side of the puck, something not all offensive dmen can claim. He may end up playing with the Phantoms late in the season after his Finnish season ends. This could be another lucky late-round pick for the Flyers.

Here are links to some of my sources. I don't just know this stuff off the top of my head:
Bill Meltzer's "Philly's Phuture" editorials at Mike Barr's Flyers site
Hockeys Future: Hockey 2000

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