The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that their Prospects Game will be against the New York Islanders at the Northwell Health Ice Center on September 12th. The teams will square off at 6 p.m. at the Isles’ practice rink in East Meadow, New York.
After seven straight Rookies games against the Washington Capitals from 2007 to 2014, this meeting will mark the third straight season the Orange and Black take on the Islanders’ prospects. Via the press release on the team’s website, here is the full history of the Flyers’ Rookie games:
2017: Islanders 4, Flyers, 3 OT in Philadelphia, PA
2016: Flyers 4, Islanders, 0 in East Meadow, NY
2014: Flyers 3, Capitals, 0 in Voorhees, NJ
2013: Flyers 1, Capitals 0 in Arlington, VA
2011: Flyers 3, Capitals 2 in Philadelphia, PA
2010: Capitals 4, Flyers 3 in Arlington, VA
2009: Flyers 7, Capitals 3 in Voorhees, NJ
2008: Capitals 7, Flyers 0 in Arlington, VA
2007: Flyers 5, Capitals 3 in Voorhees, NJ
As for the players in the game, it will be many fans’ first look at Joel Farabee, Jay O’Brien, and the rest of the Flyers’ 2018 draft class.
It will also feature several key prospects from the last few draft classes, as well as camp invite Mitchell Balmas, a 20-year-old left winger who won The Memorial Cup with German Rubtsov and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan this past season. Balmas totaled 42 goals and 30 assists between the Titan and Gatineau Olympiques for 72 points in 68 games regular season games during the 2017-18 campaign. He then posted 13 points in 16 QMJHL playoff games, as well as a pair of assists in four Memorial Cup games. According to Prospect Stats, Balmas was one of 23 QMJHL forwards to take part in 68 games last season (a full season). Of those 23 forwards, Balmas finished first with 26 5-on-5 goals, tied for fifth with 40 5-on-5 points, and second with 180 5-on-5 shots.
