According to the team’s website, the Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward David Kase to an entry-level contract. The 21-year-old spent this season playing for the lowly Mora IK in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL).
Taken 128th overall in the fifth round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Kase spent the 2015-16 and 2016-17 seasons playing for Pirati Chomutov in the Czech Republic’s Tipsport Extraliga. After he posted just 11 points in 62 games over two seasons with the club, Kase left the talented and competitive forward battle of Pirati Chomutov’s top six and joined Mora IK for this season, where he posted nine goals and 14 assists for 23 points in 44 games. He also provided a goal and two helpers in five games to help Mora IK stave off relegation.
Ondrej Kase’s brother has also represented the Czech Republic twice at the World Junior Championship, as he posted one assist in five games during the tournament two years ago and two goals and an assist in the tournament last year.
After a quiet few years in the Tipsport Extraliga, Kase could become a focal point for many Flyers’ fans over the next few seasons. Dave Isaac of The Courier-Post commented earlier this year that if he were to go pro next season he would be on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ roster. General Manager Ron Hextall also had this to say about Kase back in March of 2016:
“He plays and competes. He’s just a dog out there, [meaning] he hounds the puck. The skill level is there. He is a smart player. He stays on the right side of the puck… For where we got him in the draft and his upside, we’re very happy. He’s a great kid and he just loves to play the game.”
It seems as though Hextall is making it a priority to sign as many of his draft picks as possible, as Kase is the fifth pick of his that’s signed an ELC since March 11th. With the trio of Anthony Salinitri, Terrance Amorosa, and David Drake all needing to be signed over the next few months before they hit free agency, Hextall might not be done adding to the professional system.
