Do you believe in miracles? I've actually updated my prospect reports. Here's my latest top ten list--the result of research and a little random guesswork. A lot of people on my old list are gone. Mark Eaton and Pelletier were traded; Delmore plays in the NHL, but he has been a healthy scratch lately; other players, like Ryan Bast (remember him?) and Francois Belanger, are no longer with the organization.
There are some other names that I haven't included: Ruslan Fedotenko, Todd Fedoruk, and Justin Williams. These three are all playing with the big squad right now, and they show no signs of disappearing. Williams seems to have been a great pick, though it's unreasonable to expect him to be in the All-Star game next year, like Simon Gagné. Fedotenko and Fedoruk are making a name as grinders and fighters, though they aren't putting up big point totals.
As high-quality prospects go, the pool's rather shallow--partially because of a lot of graduates, partially because it's been that way for a long time. The Flyers have depth in goaltending and not much else. The major issue is a lack of real scoring talent. As the Flyers core gets older and older, you have to wonder who's going to be filling their shoes in a few years.
Also worth noting: the number of European prospects. Six of the top ten! Do you remember when the Flyers were notoriously North American biased?
Now without further delay...
(6'0, 184lbs)
1st round (22nd overall), 1999
2000-01 STATS: (QMJHL, through 2/7) 53 GP, 2.67 GAA, 31-16-4, 2 SO, .916 SV%
2000-01 STATS: (AHL) 2 GP, 2.78 GAA, 1-0-0, .926 SV%
Yet again, an easy decision. Maxime Ouellet remains the number 1 prospect in the Flyers organization. He is now in the last year of his junior career, and many scouts still think that he will be a Martin Brodeur type franchise goalie. It seems likely that he will not be traded until the Flyers goaltending situation is settled for once and for all--and he may be the one who wins the job.
Ouellet was traded by the Quebec Remparts (Simon Gagné's old team, part-owned by Patrick Roy) to the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies at the end of last season. He spent the first part of the season in the NHL as Brian Boucher's backup and also served a short conditioning stint in the AHL. Ouellet lost his only NHL start, but that was probably due to the Flyers' early season ineptitude. He also started for Team Canada at the World Jr. Hockey Championship--the team won a bronze medal. Ouellet had a generally good tournament, but he let in a couple suspect goals during the crucial semifinal match against Finland. On the other hand, he won his showdown against hot-shot American (NY Islanders draft pick) prospect, Rick DiPietro. It's also worth noting that he played for a powerhouse junior squad (the Remparts) for 2 years, and came up short in the playoffs twice. Conditioning has been questioned at times.
Scouting report: Good agility and balance ... Plays his angles very well ... Good stand-up style ... Showed very good concentration in all game situations ... Mentally tough, good competitor and great composure.
Depending on how the goalie situation plays out in the big club, I see Ouellet as NHL backup or AHL starter next year. Personally, I'd prefer to give him a year to dominate in the AHL--it's better to bring goalies along slowly.
(6'1, 172 lbs)
6th round, 1998
1999-00 STATS: (Final) 32 GP, 2.15 GAA, 23W-6L-2T, 3 SO
2000-01 STATS: (Through 1/16) 17 GP, 2.02 GAA, .924 SV%
Last season, Nittymaki played his first season for TPS Turku in Finland (after playing 4 years for TPS's junior team). He performed excellently, leading his team to the championship and also playing for Finland at the World Jrs. This year, his playing time and development has been slightly delayed by his compulsory military service. If Nittymaki is not traded before the deadline, we could see him in the AHL next year. He is prime trade bait, with a good shot at becoming a No. 1 NHL goaltender.
(6'3, 203 lbs), 7/23/80
2nd round (42nd overall), 1998
1999-00 STATS: (Final) 70 GP, 3G-15A-18P, 183 PIM
2000-01 STATS: (Through 2/7) 49 GP, 2G-9A-11P, +12, 76 PIM
Now playing for the Phantoms in the AHL, Beckett has enjoyed a solid rookie campaign to this point. His coach in Seattle (WHL), Don Nachbaur, is now one of the Phantoms' assistant coaches, which may have aided his adjustment. On a young and mediocre Phantoms squad, Beckett is an impressive +12. That's second best on the team; some of his teammates are an abysmal -15. Because of a rash of injuries, the Phantoms have often played as many as 5 rookie dmen, which makes his numbers look that much better. Beckett plays a punishing physical game and is rarely caught out of place. Will he be called up due to general ineptitude of the Flyers 5-7 dmen? Somewhat unlikely. It's a good chance we'll see him get an audition to the big show eventually as a middle- or low-tier dman.
(6'2, 194 lbs)
7th round (195th overall), 1998
1999-00:(Final) 59 GP, 18G-31A-49P, +1, 30 PIM
2000-01:(Through 2/7) 21 GP, 5G-6A-11P, -9, 12 PIM
He had an impressive rookie season in the AHL last year, becoming a key player down the stretch. He has good size and solid defensive instincts, but he lacks natural scoring. Since the Flyers are weak at LW, he has a chance of cracking the line-up as a checking line type. Since he's missed the first three months with shoulder surgery, however, he may not get his shot at the NHL this season.
(5'11, 185 lbs), 6/8/79
7th round (200th overall), 1999
1999-00 STATS: (Final) 49 GP, 51P
2000-01 STATS: (Through 2/7) 43 GP, 13G-15A-28P, -2, 22 PIM
A small player with a sniper mentality, Pletka needs to work on his defense and needs to get a bit stronger. He started the season slowly, but he has come one in recent months. His prospect status pretty much depends on how much he scores. Pletka played very well with Divisek in the World Jrs. in 2000.
(6'0, 174 lbs)
3rd round (94th overall), 2000
2000-01 STATS: (Through 2/7) ??
One of the more interesting picks of the past year's entry draft. Drozdetsky's father played on the Red Army team and Flyers scout Inge Hammarstrom campaigned hard for his selection. His Russian team is abysmal; his numbers aren't great either. But he seems to have real talent--and more than just another mucker and grinder. Plays on the SKA St. Petersburg team.
(6'2, 205 lbs), 11/11/78
4th round, 1997
1999-00 STATS: (Final) 67 GP, 10G-6A-16P, +14, 54 PIM
2000-01 STATS: (Through 2/7) 29 GP, 6G-6A-12P, -5, 16 PIM
Out indefinitely with a shoulder injury since mid-December. He has had another inconsistent, up-and-down season. Last year, this was somewhat understandable, since he witnessed the death of his good friend Dmitri Tertyshny during the summer of 1999. Chernov went to camp with a decent chance to make the team, but his AHL play has been somewhat disappointing. He'll require more AHL seasoning. Has a nice heavy shot, but tends to be a bit turnover prone.
Mikhail is extra cool because we share a birthday (he's a year older).
(6'2, 204 lbs), 8/22/80
9th round, 1998
2000-01 STATS: (Through 2/7) 21 GP, 0G-8A-8P, -2, 29 PIM
He was drafted late despite a middlish-CSB ranking. He's a smooth skater and could progress quickly now that he's back from the shoulder injury (which kept him out of the lineup for most of the first half of the season. Probably not going to be an offensive force.
(6'4, 210 lbs), 1/31/81
4th round, 1999
1999-00 STATS: (Final) 74 GP, 1G-13A-14P, 212 PIM
2000-01 STATS: (Through 2/7) 51 GP, 2G-9A-11P, +7, 143 PIM
Feniak was recently traded to the Regina Pats of the WHL. Nicknamed Fenner, favorite player Chris Pronger (funny what kind of info you can find on team sites...). He's another bruising defensive defenseman, known for fighting a bit too. He has also played from the Tri-City Americans and the Calgary Hitmen and has Memorial Cup experience. Expect him to join the Phantoms next season. Probably a little below Beckett in talent and a year behind him development.
Here's an article on Feniak from the Tri-City website.
(6'2, 183 lbs), 9/2/79
9th round (243rd overall), 1998
2000-01 STATS: (Through 2/7) 36 GP, 1G-2A-3P, -6, 12 PIM
He has decent size and speed and is a solid two way player. Still, his play in the AHL has been disappointing, considering that he started the season in the NHL. Hubacek will need to work harder to get himself a more secure spot in the Flyers' long range plans.
Here are links to some of my sources. I don't just know this stuff off the top of my head:
Hockeys Future: Hockey 2000
The Toronto Star
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Editorials
Prospect Reports
In the Press
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