It’s time for the top 10 of our 25 Under 25 series! If you missed anything from 25 to 21, 20 to 16, or 15 to 11, make sure to check in on those first. Onward!
10. Scott Laughton
Primary Team/League: Philadelphia, NHL
2018-19 Stats: 7 G, 12 A in 48 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 9
Jay (ranked him #7): I’m likely among the highest on Laughts and well…I just like him okay? His offense seems to have taken a jump this season (perhaps so earlier in the season) and has become an asset on an improving penalty kill. He’s a guy that can move around anywhere on the bottom-six and still find ways to contribute. Also, I was afraid if I ranked him any lower he would murder me.
Drew (ranked him #10): For as consistent as Laughton has been, he’s still a bottom 6 forward. But…that’s not a bad thing! He’s easily one of the most skilled bottom sixers the team has had in a while, and his chipping in on the offense takes the weight off of Giroux’s shoulders. He’s very worthy of a top ten spot in my eyes.
Jake (ranked him #14): In a season mired largely in disappointment, Scooty Loots has been one of a few bright spots. He’s been one of the most consistent players on a team that’s struggled to find consistency. Laughton is not a top 6 forward and at this point in his career it’s not likely he ever will be, hence my personal ranking. That said, he has proven this year that he can be a solid bottom 6 player, whether that’s on the wing or down the middle, who can push play up ice and kill penalties, which are valuable skills to have in the depth positions of a lineup.
Maddie (ranked him #10): Completely agree. This season’s been pretty rough for just about everybody who isn’t named Scott Laughton. We all but know now that he doesn’t have top six upside, but he’s carved out a nice role for himself in the NHL as a solid utility bottom-sixer, and he’s doing really well in it. So credit to him for that.
Mike (ranked him #10): His offensive upside doesn’t look like it’s ever going to be much more than it is, but he’s an effective player who can slot in anywhere in the bottom six and gives you PK work. His board work and tenacity is a bright spot and he could slot in as a top six fill-in and do the dirty work for the big guns if needed and the world wouldn’t end. The limited offensive upside means he’s never really going to get higher than No. 10 on any list for me but I love him as a player.
Kurt (ranked him #9): It’s been a long, strange path for Scott Laughton. At some point in the last four or so years, pretty much any outcome from top-6 center to bust seemed like it was feasibly in play for Laughton’s long-term outlook. And here, in what will be his last go-round in the 25 under 25, we seem to have settled in on “pretty good bottom-6 forward”. He’s definitely having the best season of his career from a scoring perspective, though it should be noted he’s playing 2-3 more minutes a night than he used to, and his play-driving numbers are down compared to what they were last year. I dunno. Is this too high for a pretty good bottom-6 forward? There’s a case to be made it is, I think, but we’ve had no clue what to make of Laughton for six seasons now. Still having no clue on his last 25 Under 25 seems like a good way to cap it off.
Kyle (ranked him #11): Scoot Loots may never be a top six player for this hockey team, and that’s perfectly ok, because he is one hell of a bottom six forward. As Jake mentioned, he’s been a fun player to watch at times in a largely miserable season. He’s a fast player who can play both the wing and center position, a solid distributor, and can chip in a solid amount of goals. He’s an ideal bottom six player for a cup contending team, and the best part is he’s still at the ripe age of 24.
Brad (ranked him #11): I don’t think I have much to say about Laughts because Kyle went into my brain when I wasn’t looking and stole all my thoughts. Laughton is good at what he does, and fits the mold of an ideal bottom-sixer in today’s NHL.
Craig (ranked him #9): I love Scott Laughton. I’m happy his time in the AHL helped him become the ideal bottom-six forward in today’s NHL. If his long-term potential was more of a top-six forward or middle-six forward I think he’d be closer to the top five on this list.
Kelly (ranked him #6): I’m the highest on Scott Laughton? That’s a real plot twist. I guess a lot of my warm and comfy feelings about Laughts can be chalked up to recency bias, given that for most of this season, when the team was playing like utter garbage, Laughton was the lone consistent bright spot, always playing his ass off night in and night out. He’s a bottom sixer, sure. But he’s a damn good one.
Paul (ranked him #17): Listen, I love Scott Laughton, so please don’t misunderstand why I have him ranked so low. When it comes to my rankings, I weigh very heavily towards the ceiling side of things for players, plus the impact that their ceiling may have on the future success of this team. While I know Scott Laughton is a sure-fire NHL hockey player, we’re all fairly certain that he is what he is; a bottom-six utility player who can net 30-35 points a season, play up in the lineup if need be, kill penalties, and play responsibly. There’s value in that, yes, but I don’t weigh that as heavily as potential and upside, which is why players like German Rubtsov, Jay O’Brien, etc. came in higher. Again, I love Laughton’s game and I love the fact that he’s become the player he has, but I also think we’ve seen him hit his peak and there are 16 players under the age of 25 who I believe will be able to exceed that peak.
9. Joel Farabee
Primary Team/League: Boston University, NCAA
2018-19 Stats: 8 G, 12 A in 23 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 10
Jay (ranked him #10): Farabee’s first collegiate season seems to be coming along well. He had a great showing in the WJC for Team USA. He’s been just about as advertised. He didn’t move up/down on my list from the Summer, but that’s all good and well. He still has crazy potential and is ticketed for a first-line role. Farabee is still really young and it will be fun to watch him develop for a couple more seasons.
Drew (ranked him #12): “The Bee”. I’m coining it now. His World Junior performance really impressed me, especially that hat trick early on. I love Farabee’s skillset. Hockey men always talk about playing a “200 foot game” and Farabee truly embodies that. I cannot wait to see Farabee at a higher level, and I have no doubt he will achieve great things as he progresses. The Beeeeeeee!
Jake (ranked him #8): Joel Farabee was one of my favorite players in the 2018 Draft and currently one of my favorite Flyers prospects. I was elated to see the Flyers select him. With 18 points in 21 games as a true freshman for a not-so-great Boston University squad, he is 2nd on the team in scoring behind 2016 Nashville 1st rounder Dante Fabbro. He’s also 5th among freshman scoring in his conference and leads freshman in SOG per game (3.24) and power play points (10). He’s basically everything you could want in a player. He’s a great skater, possesses a strong shot from just about anywhere on the ice, a shoot-first player but also a very good playmaker, responsible defensively, relentless forechecker, has good size (and will continue to fill out), very intelligent and can play in all situations. He’s not the flashiest player, but if given time and space he will make you pay. He was known as somewhat of a third wheel on a line with Jack Hughes and Oliver Wahlstrom at the U-18’s, but the more you dig into his stats and watch those games the more you see how much of a driving force he truly was for that line. The only possible downside to Farabee, in my opinion, is that he’s not likely to be a future superstar; which, I mean, given how few superstars there are, is that really a downside? There’s nothing not to like about Joel Farabee’s game and I believe he has all the tools to be a very good top 6 forward in the NHL in the very near future. In fact, I wouldn’t be surprised in the least if the Flyers tried to sign him this summer and have him turn pro.
Kurt (ranked him #11): Farabee’s first year at BU has probably been more or less in line with reasonable expectations. Not one that’s really raised his status from where it was when the Flyers drafted him last June, but one that we should be happy with. He’s already one of the best players on that team (not saying much, as BU is having a down year) and has produced at a really strong rate for a freshman, even if he’s not posting overwhelming, wow-worthy numbers. He’s a very well-rounded player and we saw at World Juniors just how much there is to like in his game. I actually don’t think that the team’s going to go particularly hard to sign him this summer, and that another year at BU would do him some good. But we’ll see how the new FO feels about his readiness.
Maddie (ranked him #8): The readiness question is super interesting. Because Farabee is obviously an exciting prospect with tons and tons of skill, but there’s still the ever-looming “he needs to bulk up” concern. So you do wonder if he goes back to BU for another year or if they push him to go pro and get him in with the Phantoms. But he’s certainly not lacking in the skill or tenacity departments, so it’s going to make next summer interesting. Selfishly, I want Farabee signed and with the Flyers/Phantoms as soon as possible, because I’m just super excited about him and his potential, but we’ll see what happens.
Mike (ranked him #8): Maddie and I are on the same page again. I’ve really started to fall in love with Farabee ever since Ron Hextall called his name on draft night. He’s had a really strong freshman season at BU coupled with a good showing at World Juniors, and is probably some extra muscle away from NHL readiness. The Flyers don’t have a ton of roster holes right now, but Farabee is a great talent with a nose for the puck and making plays. Can’t ever have too much of that.
Kyle (ranked him #7): I absolutely love Mr. Frisbee. Ever since I began researching last year’s draft class, and working on the community draft board for BSH last offseason, Farabee was a guy who stuck with me. He’s a high energy, high skill player who I think could be a top line forward at the NHL level down the road. He’s almost point per game already in his freshman season for BU, and that kind of production as Kurt said for a team in a down year, is impressive. Farabee may be my favorite prospect in the organization at this stage outside of Carter Hart, and I’m truly excited to see how soon he can make the jump to the big club.
Craig (ranked him #12): He’s got ten more points than Oliver Wahlstrom at the time I am writing this sentence, is all I’m saying. He is performing like the player Hextall envisioned when he drafted him earlier this year and doing very well as a freshman at BU. He has the most points among forwards at the school with 18 while Jack DeBoer (Pete’s kid) is the second-highest producing freshman with three points.
Brad (ranked #7): Farabee probably has the best release among all Flyers prospects and is a threat to score whenever he’s on the ice. He’s an incredible forechecker and there’s really no weakness to his game. I’d bet that he stays at BU for next season, but after that who knows. First line potential.
Kelly (ranked him #10): Okay, I know that allowing WJC performance to impact your overall view of a prospect is dumb, it’s just one tournament, SSS, etc…. but man Farabee was fun to watch for Team USA. That coupled with his performance at BU has me thinking this kid is going to be the kind of player that makes the Flyers fun to watch for a long time.
Paul (ranked him #8): Oh man, where do I even begin? Last year was the first year I really dove deep into prospects and draft research well before the days leading up to the draft, so I got to know quite a bit about the prospects that would be available right around where the Flyers were selecting. There were two players that I told myself, “if the Flyers package both of their first round picks to move up and grab one of these kids, I will be ecstatic”. Those two players were Vitali Kravtsov and, you guessed it, Joel Farabee. Watching him play the game of hockey is a thing of beauty. He does all of the little things at an elite level, can absolutely fly, fantastic edges, tenacious on puck pursuit, great first stride, incredible hands, plays with pace, everything. What do I love most about his game though? He’s incredibly smart with and without the puck. It takes a very smart player to be able to play with someone as talented as Jack Hughes and our boy Joel proved that he is more than capable of doing so. He thinks the game so well and processes what’s happening at top speed, which puts him in a great position to make plays constantly. Not only that, but his shot is underrated by a mile. Joel has the potential to be a legitimate top-line winger who can do everything and this season at BU has shown what he’s capable of. He wasn’t just a passenger on that line with Hughes and Wahlstrom, he was a driver.
Kurt: I will also note here that I will forever pronounce his name “Jo-el” thanks to our basketball-playing friend.
8. Oskar Lindblom
Primary Team/League: Philadelphia, NHL
2018-19 Stats: 5 G, 10 A in 47 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 8
Jay (ranked him #6): I may have expected a bigger offensive role for Lindblom this season, but I don’t think many Flyers fans can argue that he’s very much a future piece on this team. I believe once the right coach finds the right line-mates for Oskar, we see more of that offensive potential that made him a top prospect coming out of the SHL.
Drew (ranked him #7): Lindblom may be disappointing from a point production standpoint, but note his usage was abnormal under Hakstol, and he was broken away from the line he showed chemistry with. It’s important not to judge players solely by points, and even though I believe the points will come in droves for Lindblom, he is still early in his NHL career.
Jake (ranked him #9): I love watching cerebral players and Oskar Lindblom is one of those players. He’s such an intelligent player and although he hasn’t necessarily lit up the scoresheet, he affects the game in so many ways. Ever since I first saw him play, I’ve always likened him to a Raffl 2.0, a guy that can play anywhere in the lineup and while not as good a skater as Raffl, can finish plays and produce at a higher rate. That part hasn’t quite developed at the NHL level yet, but I do believe it will come in time. He’s a guy that can play in all situations and I particularly like how Scott Gordon has made him a regular on the PK. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the PK has improved now that he’s become a staple. I don’t think Lindblom will ever be a scoring leader like he was in the SHL, but he’s already a player that will drive play and create scoring chances while being responsible for 200 feet. He’s a strong bottom 6 player who can fill in on a top 6 line in a pinch. That’s a valuable player to have on any team.
Kyle (ranked him #8): Booyah, hit the nail on the head with this one. Lindblom was getting Hak’d earlier in the year and even when Scott Gordon first came in he wasn’t seeing a huge minutes increase, but now that’s changed. He’s such a smart player and those are some of my favorites to watch play hockey. He’s seemingly always in the right position on the ice, away from or with the puck, and he’s got this cool demeanor under pressure that can’t be overlooked at his young age. I still think that with the right linemates, Lindblom could be a 40-50 point player in this league. He just needs the sustained chance to prove he can produce in the top six.
Craig (ranked him #6): Like Jake, I love watching cerebral players like Lindblom. His production this season may have hurt his value in these rankings a little (a 30-game goal drought will do that), but I think indefensible coaching decisions earlier in this season hurt his numbers and limited his ice time. He’ll be here for awhile and his production will jump up next season, which paired with his play-driving numbers will make him a pretty good top-six forward forward.
Brad (ranked him #9): It’s encouraging to see Lindblom being used as an all situations player, as he should be, under Gordon. I’m not sure if he slots into the top-six long term or if he’ll end up as a third liner, but either way the Flyers have a player in Lindblom who has a positive impact in all three zones, can play either wing, and plays on both special teams units. He’s going to be a key contributor for years to come.
Maddie (ranked him #9): As someone who at least feels like one of the biggest Lindblom fans at BSH, I’m surprised to see I ranked him lower than a lot of you guys. Weird. But anyway, I still really, really like Lindblom. Like we’ve said, we were probably all expecting more from him this season, but his usage has kind of hindered him. But, that said, it’s exciting to see him flourishing in his new role playing back up in the lineup. It’s also been nice seeing him getting some looks on the penalty kill, as he looked dominant there, at least in the AHL. So, it seems like things are finally all coming together for Lindblom, and it’s nice to see him put in the best position to succeed. I’m excited to see what he can do down the stretch and into next season.
Mike (ranked him #9): I like the kid, and wish that Hakstol would have kept him with Nolan Patrick longer earlier this year when the pair showed some solid chemistry. He and Patrick could have worked through some young struggles together instead of being shoved down on the fourth line. That said, his game is good in all three zones but I’m not sure he’s much more than a Swedish Michael Raffl going forward. Can play up and down the lineup and pop in a few goals and the occasional assists, but nothing consistent enough to peg down a top six role night-in and night-out.
Kelly (ranked him #8): Lindblom has been a bit of a let down this season but really, to this point who hasn’t? I think this kid has the making of the kind of swiss-army-knife type of player that can slot in where ever you need him, can play – and play well – in all situations, and has a great hockey IQ overall. I think Dave’s lack of confidence in him early this season slowed him down a lot; I think with better usage we’ll get a lot from Oskar.
Kurt (ranked him #7): Hm. I wouldn’t have guessed that I ranked him this high, but on reflection I think it’s reasonable? Goal drought this season acknowledged, I think he’s shown he’s an NHL-caliber winger, and while he (ideally) is probably never going to be the best or most skilled player on his line, we’ve seen guys like that succeed before in the right setting. (Scott Hartnell, hello.) Maybe he’s not a plus finisher, but I have a hard time seeing a guy who plays his style of play converting on just 6.7 percent of his shots on goal going forward, the way he has in his career to date. Points will come here, and when they do people will start to pick up on the fact that we’ve got a good one here.
Paul (ranked him #9): I love Oskar’s game and I fully believe his “setback” this year falls on Dave Hakstol’s shoulders. He’s very, very smart and plays virtually mistake free hockey on a nightly basis. The way he plays the game opens up the ice for other players who are more skilled, which in itself is an actual skill. I love him on Nolan Patrick’s wing and I hope we see more of that in the near future, as they seem to have a bit of chemistry and keeping them together may just help both of them get in a groove.
7. Phil Myers
Primary Team/League: Lehigh Valley, AHL
2018-19 Stats: 8 G, 20 A in 45 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 7
Jay (ranked him #8): What’s not to like about a 6’5”, 21 year old defenseman that’s second in the AHL in primary points among defensemen? Oh and he’s helping control play as well when you look at his phancystats. The Flyers have a potential top pairing defenseman on cusp of making his NHL debut given a opportunity. I’m of the opinion that it’s dumb that Myers hasn’t received it already.
Drew (ranked him #11): Dear The Flyers, please call up Myers. I really can’t wait to have a guy like this on the defense. It’s very unfortunate that we wade through hours of Andrew MacDonald footage while Myers “perfects himself” in the AHL. *rolls eyes* The player Myers (very much) reminds me of Chris Pronger, and we all know what happened when Pronger was a mainstay on this team.
Jake (ranked #7): Phil Myers has progressed very nicely ever since the Flyers signed him out of camp off an invite. He’s big, strong, aggressive and drives play. He’s playing big minutes for the Phantoms and thriving. Myers easily has top 4 defenseman potential and may even become a top pair defenseman one day. Outside of taking penalties and the occasional mistake of getting too aggressive, there’s really not much to dislike about Myers’ game. It’s only a matter of time before he gets his chance at the NHL level and it should be very soon.
Kurt (ranked him #6): Phil!
… oh, I need to add more than that. Sure. Myers is having the year this year that I think some were hoping he’d have last year, and while I will continue to wonder if he would’ve been better served making the NHL squad out of camp, I’m not upset with how things have gone for him. There’s no good reason for him to not be up here by the trade deadline.
Kyle (ranked him #6): I can’t wait til we get to see this guy in a Flyers jersey. He’s having a fantastic season for the Phantoms already blowing past his point total from last year. He’s going to have some growing pains but all young players do, the upside is way too big for me to care though.
Craig (ranked him #8): I get that a gigantic blue liner that doesn’t throw up points in the QMJHL may not attract many teams, but it’s still surprising this guy went undrafted. A great find by Hextall and a welcomed addition to the Flyers whenever the hell they call him up.
Brad (ranked him #8): Has this season done enough to get rid of the “injury prone” tag yet? He’s one of just three Phantoms to have appeared in all 45 games this season — the other two being Mike Vecchione and Mark Friedman — and outside of a somewhat poor start to the season in terms of on-ice metrics, I’d say he’s been the team’s second-most consistent defenseman behind Philip Samuelsson. He’s on pace to finish the season with just under 50 points, but let’s hope he doesn’t even get the chance to hit that number and instead finishes the year in Philadelphia.
Maddie (ranked him #7): Great point about losing the “injury prone” tag, Brad. Can we ditch that one already? I’m over it. Myers had a pretty rough start to the season, but he’s pulled things together in a big way, and he’s back to looking like he’s in more or less old form. He certainly seems to be ready for a call-up, but the numbers game is sort of working against him. Which is a shame, because it’s becoming clearer and cleaer that he’s just too good for the Americna League.
Mike (ranked him #7): Kind of like Morgan Frost (more on him in a minute), there’s not much left to add to Myers before I can see him at the NHL level. He’s proved himself at the AHL level and we’ve got to see what he can do at the highest level to see just what the Flyers have or don’t have in him.
Kelly (ranked him #7): BRING clap ME clap PHIL clap MYERS!!! clap clap clap
Paul (ranked him #6): He needs to spend the remainder of the season with the Flyers, no doubt about it. Where do I find the most value in Myers though? His ability to alleviate some of the pressure off of Ivan Provorov. Scott Gordon has done a better job of deployment with Provy, but he needs support out there and the other guys just aren’t good enough to give him that. While I love the pairing of Provorov and Sanheim, I would love even more to have Myers up here with Sanheim, who showed great chemistry together in Lehigh Valley, and then a reuniting of Provorov and Gostisbehere. If the minutes can be more evenly split and 9-53 isn’t out there against the top line for 90% of their minutes, I believe it would help restore confidence and boost the defense immensely moving forward. That’s why I have Myers ranked so high, as he has the potential to be the top-2 or -3 defenseman for this team to anchor things down even further.
6. Morgan Frost
Primary Team/League: Sault Ste. Marie, OHL
2018-19 Stats: 31 G, 47 A in 40 GP
Rank in Summer 25 Under 25: 6
Jay (ranked him #9): I’m probably going to get grilled for this ranking, BUT HEAR ME OUT. I think Morgan Frost is their best prospect not in the pros. He’s (sorta) dominating a league in which he has really grown out of. The hockey IQ and offensive skills are off the charts good. The “pace of play” questions surrounding his game aren’t overblown and are some of the biggest hurdles for Canadian junior players to overcome when they join the NHL/AHL. With that, it wouldn’t surprise me if he also blows the doors off the AHL next season and is pressuring management for the call-up.
Maddie (ranked him #6): I, for one, would be extremely down with that last part happening. And not at all surprised. I really like his skill set, and while I hear the pace concerns, I’ll be more worried about it being an issue at the next level when I see it being an issue. I’m a big Frost fan, and it’s exciting to see him starting to get more buzz outside of Philly, from that World Juniors performance. Because he deserves it.
Drew (ranked him #4): I legitimately think Frost is going to be a superstar in this league. Just watching his OHL games, he is clearly the best player on the ice 9 out of 10 times during his shift. I’m not sure whether he’ll start in the AHL or with the Flyers, but I can for sure see him putting up a huge rookie season. I honestly think he could be just as good as a Matt Barzal, or even better. #FrostyTheGoalman
Jake (ranked him #6): For a guy not many people knew about coming out of the 2017 draft, Mo Fro sure has done a great job of making his presence known ever since. Nolan Patrick was the obvious focus of that draft for Flyers fans, but Frost deserves a great deal of attention for what he has done over the past year-plus in the OHL. In the 105 regular season games he has played since being drafted, Morgan Frost has amassed 187 points. If you include his 29 points in last year’s OHL playoffs and 8 points at this year’s WJC, that total rises to 224 points over 134 games. Folks, that’s a lot of points. And for a player known for his playmaking ability, he’s on pace for back-to-back 40 goal seasons. Morgan Frost has been one of the best players in the OHL and arguably one of the best players in junior hockey over the past 2 seasons and has largely flown under the radar. He’s a gifted passer, a solid 200 foot player and deceptively fast due to his tendency to want to slow the game down. Whether he starts in the AHL or NHL next season, Morgan Frost has a bright future with this team as a dynamic offensive talent.
Kyle (ranked him #9): Yes, I ranked Farabee ahead of Frost. Sue me. I still believe Morgan Frost is one of the most talented forwards the Flyers have in the system, and is going to be an incredible talent at the NHL level. For me, Farabee’s production in the NCAA as a freshman simply weighs more for me than Frost’s in the OHL. That’s nothing against Frost, it’s against the league he’s in which is no doing of his own. Once Frost inevitably starts tearing up the AHL, if he even doesn’t make the Flyers outright next season, I’ll most likely have him above Farabee. A lot of this also is how much I’ve loved Farabee as a prospect since watching film on him last year.
Craig (ranked him #7): What Jay said. He is absolutely murdering the OHL right now (six multi-goal games and 22 multi-point games in 38 games heading into last night), but we knew he is was going to do that this year. There might be some concerns about his jump to the pros. I don’t think those issues will be things that hamper his capabilities at the next level, but might be an issue in his first few months in the AHL (or NHL) transitioning to a new league.
Mike (ranked him #6): Can’t punish Frost for seeing the OHL again this season, but he’s just torching that league, it’s really not fair. Like Myers, Frost has done it all at this level and while he was impressive at World Juniors, watching his game translate to the bigger, faster league like NHL —or even the AHL for that matter— will be fascinating. I think he’s got the skill to be an impact NHL player, but we’ll have to wait a bit more to see if that pans out starting with his camp battle next year.
Brad (ranked him #6): My number one ranked non-NHLer — all of ours, on average — is Morgan Frost. He’s an electric playmaker who no doubt has a career in the NHL ahead of him. He’ll likely make his Flyers debut sometime next season, even if he doesn’t make the team out of camp.
Kelly (ranked him #9): Frankly, my ranking of him doesn’t accurately reflect how high I am on this kid. It’s crazy, but whatever: I want to see this kid in the NHL ASAP to see what he can do. I hope he has a really strong camp next year and earns a nice long look in the preseason because I am very excited to see him play with the Flyers.
Kurt (ranked him #8): Bad timing here for Frost, a big-time slacker who only posted three points in two Hounds games this past weekend to keep him UNDER a two-point-per-game pace. What a loser. In seriousness, though, get him to a new league ASAP. Pretty clear the OHL is not a challenge for him any more, and it’s important for him to start getting used to playing against faster opposition where he’ll be forced to use his own plus speed and skating more than he currently does. That’s been the big question that’s popped up around Frost in the past couple of seasons — whether he’ll be able to get away with some of what he does in juniors at higher levels — and the sooner he can start proving he’s able to do just that, the better.
Paul (ranked him #7): What’s not to love about this kid’s game? His playmaking ability and vision are elite and he is following in much the same footsteps as our beloved Flyers’ captain, Claude Giroux. He’s been underrated and “counted out” for most of his junior career (see: Canada’s OT loss to Finland in the 2019 WJC during which Morgan Frost, Canada’s leading scorer, did not see a single second of ice time in the overtime period). Some players absolutely thrive on that type of stuff and it makes them work that much harder. I see that in Frost and do believe he will make the NHL and become a star forward simply because there are people who say he can’t. He’s not big enough, he’s not strong enough, he doesn’t play with enough pace… He’s heard it all, but I think it only fuels his fire, much like it does Giroux’s. Remember that time G was left off of team Canada so Kunitz could be there? Yea, same. I’m not convinced he’ll make the team out of camp, but I do believe he will see action in the NHL next year with the orange and black and he won’t look back.
How We Voted For Players 10-6
| Player | Bill M | Brad | Craig | Drew | Jake | Jason | Joe | John | Kelly | Kurt | Kyle | Maddie | Mike | Paul | Steph | Community | Total Points | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scott Laughton | 10 | 11 | 9 | 10 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 17 | 7 | 9 | 255 | 10 |
| Joel Farabee | 17 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 14 | 10 | 256 | 9 |
| Oskar Lindblom | 8 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 9 | 8 | 288 | 8 |
| Philippe Myers | 7 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 301 | 7 |
| Morgan Frost | 6 | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 7 | 7 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 6 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 6 | 307 | 6 |
How We Voted At 10-6
| Rank | Bill M | Brad | Craig | Drew | Jake | Jason | Joe | John | Kelly | Kurt | Kyle | Maddie | Mike | Paul | Steph | Community |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | Scott Laughton | German Rubtsov | Mikhail Vorobyev | Scott Laughton | Wade Allison | Joel Farabee | Scott Laughton | Isaac Ratcliffe | Joel Farabee | Isaac Ratcliffe | Wade Allison | Scott Laughton | Scott Laughton | Wade Allison | Robert Hagg | Joel Farabee |
| 9 | Egor Zemula | Oskar Lindblom | Scott Laughton | Robert Hagg | Oskar Lindblom | Morgan Frost | Joel Farabee | Joel Farabee | Morgan Frost | Scott Laughton | Morgan Frost | Oskar Lindblom | Oskar Lindblom | Oskar Lindblom | Oskar Lindblom | Scott Laughton |
| 8 | Oskar Lindblom | Philippe Myers | Philippe Myers | Isaac Ratcliffe | Joel Farabee | Philippe Myers | Oskar Lindblom | Oskar Lindblom | Oskar Lindblom | Morgan Frost | Oskar Lindblom | Joel Farabee | Joel Farabee | Joel Farabee | Philippe Myers | Oskar Lindblom |
| 7 | Philippe Myers | Joel Farabee | Morgan Frost | Oskar Lindblom | Philippe Myers | Scott Laughton | Morgan Frost | Morgan Frost | Philippe Myers | Oskar Lindblom | Joel Farabee | Philippe Myers | Philippe Myers | Morgan Frost | Scott Laughton | Philippe Myers |
| 6 | Morgan Frost | Morgan Frost | Oskar Lindblom | Nolan Patrick | Morgan Frost | Oskar Lindblom | Philippe Myers | Philippe Myers | Scott Laughton | Philippe Myers | Philippe Myers | Morgan Frost | Morgan Frost | Philippe Myers | Morgan Frost | Morgan Frost |
