Seven Philadelphia Flyers Prospects just completed their juniors-level seasons in North America. Led by the strong performances of three prospects in the 2024 Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) Memorial Cup, these players appeared in games across the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Western Hockey League (WHL), British Columbia Hockey League (BCHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Over the course of the 2023-24 campaign, the prospects competing in these leagues made strong statements about the impacts they can have on the organization in coming seasons.
Denver Barkey
Forward Denver Barkey just completed his third regular season of hockey with the OHL’s London Knights. His total points during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons was 74 in 114 games. In 64 games this season, the Newmarket, Ontario native was an offensive leader, recording 102 points (35 goals and 67 assists). The 19-year-old had 31 multi-point games and a hat trick performance on Oct. 14. Drafted 95th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the left-shot center was tied for fourth overall in points and third in assists across the OHL during the regular season.
Barkey and the Knights defeated the Flint Firebirds, Kitchener Rangers, and Saginaw Spirit on their way to the J. Ross Robertson Cup Final. In the Robertson Cup Final, the Knights swept the Oshawa Generals (4-0) to capture their fifth OHL championship in franchise history. In 18 OHL postseason appearances, the 5-foot-9, 154-pounder recorded six goals, 21 assists, and had a plus-10 rating. Eleven of these postseason points came in the Robertson Cup Final, when he had multi-point games in all four appearances. The Knights went on to fall to the Spirit in the Memorial Cup Championship (4-3). Despite this disappointing outcome, Barkey and his teammates played well overall in the tournament; he had a goal and three assists in four games.
Oliver Bonk
Oliver Bonk just wrapped up his third season with the Knights. A right-shot defenseman, he was selected 22nd overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. The offensively-minded 19-year-old had 24 goals and 43 assists in 60 games during the 2023-24 campaign. In the OHL playoffs, the Ottawa native appeared in 18 games, recording 16 points (seven goals and nine assists) and a plus-16 rating. Throughout the postseason, he had five multi-point games, supporting the team’s effort in capturing the Robertson Cup. He was especially effective in the Robertson Cup Final, scoring three goals and tallying five assists as the Knights dominated the Generals in a four-game sweep.
Bonk also played very well in the Memorial Cup. In London’s four tournament games, the blueliner had six points in four games. His goal and assist in the Knight’s opening game against the Drummondville Voltigeurs supported his team’s cruising to a shutout victory (4-0). In a hard-fought Memorial Cup Championship that saw the Knights fall to Saginaw (4-3), the 6-foot-2, 179-pounder had two assists. He had a plus-3 rating during the tournament. Bonk also has international experience with Team Canada. A career highlight came last summer when he captured a gold medal with the Canadian squad during the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup.
Carter Sotheran
Selected 135th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Carter Sotheran just completed his second season with the WHL’s Portland Winterhawks. In 66 games, the defenseman had 13 goals, 27 assists, and 68 penalty minutes, helping Portland reach the WHL Finals. The Winterhawks ultimately fell in four games by the Moose Jaw Warriors.
Related: Bloom’s Late Goal Earns Saginaw the Memorial Cup Championship
Sotheran was very good in the playoffs, recording 11 points, 14 penalty minutes, and a plus-20 rating in 14 games. The 6-foot-3, 198-pound blueliner did not appear in the WHL Final after being injured blocking a trio of shots in the second period in Game 6 of the Western Conference Final against the Prince George Cougars. The Manitoba native will return to Portland for the 2024-25 campaign.
Ryan MacPherson
In 54 appearances in the BCHL, center Ryan MacPherson recorded 38 points (16 goals and 22 assists). The Penticton Vees ended the regular season with a 38-10-3-3 record, reaching the Fred Page Cup Final. The Vees fell in the series to the Surrey Eagles 4-2. In 22 postseason games, the 19-year-old Ontario native had four assists.
Selected 172nd overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, MacPherson will make his NCAA debut next season with the University of New Hampshire. The Wildcats have steadily been improving their program’s overall performance in recent years. After finishing nine-straight seasons below .500, New Hampshire finished the 2023-24 campaign 20-15-1 (one tie) to rank #20 in Division I college hockey standings. Talented, young prospects like MacPherson will be relied upon to keep the program trending in the right direction for the next few seasons.
Alexis Gendron
During the 2022-23 campaign, the 220th overall 2022 NHL Entry Draft pick recorded 81 points for two different QMJHL teams. This performance in juniors last season earned him a start with the Flyers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season. In 17 professional games, the left-shot forward had seven points, 13 penalty minutes, and a minus-2 rating. Flyers front office staff opted to return the Quebec native to the QMJHL’s Voltigeurs after his Dec. 31 start against the Charlotte Checkers. In 16 regular-season games, the 20-year-old scored 10 goals and tallied eight assists.
On Drummondville’s path to the Gilles-Courteau Trophy (formerly known as the President’s Cup), Gendron appeared in 15 postseason games, recording 19 points (11 goals and eight assists) and a plus-8 rating. The Voltigeurs defeated the Sherbrooke Phoenix, Victoriaville Tigres, and Baie-Comeau Drakkar to capture their second QMJHL championship in franchise history. The 5-foot-10, 181-pounder had six multi-point games in the playoffs, including a hat trick in Game 1 of the Final against Baie-Comeau on May 9. In the Memorial Cup, Drummondville lost all three games they played. Gendron had one goal and a minus-1 rating during the tournament.
Matteo Mann
Defenceman Matteo Mann just completed his fourth season in the QMJHL. Drafted 199th overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, the New Brunswick native appeared in 42 games for the Saint John Sea Dogs, recording 13 points (six goals and seven assists) and 68 penalty minutes. In four playoff games, Mann had one goal and eight penalty minutes. After the Sea Dogs fell in the playoffs to Drummondville (4-0), the defenseman joined the Reading Royals — ECHL affiliate of the Flyers — for one game on Apr. 12.
Before joining the Sea Dogs this past season, Mann played in parts of three seasons with the QMJHL’s Chicoutimi Saguenéens. The right-shot blueliner 17 points and 116 penalty minutes between 2020 and 2023. The 2023-24 campaign marked a significant production improvement for the big d-man, who will turn 20 years old this December. The 6-foot-6, 229-pounder is the son of former Ottawa Senators’ assistant General manager, Trent Mann.
Carson Bjarnason
Carson Bjarnason is one of the Flyers’ top goaltending prospects. The 6-foot-3, 203-pounder has played parts of three seasons with the WHL’s Brandon Wheat Kings. In 46 appearances this campaign, the Manitoba native had a 3.01 goals against average (GAA), .907 save percentage (SV%), and earned a WHL (East) Second All-Star Team selection. Bjarnason did not fare as well in the playoffs as he did during the regular season. Brandon was shelled by the eventual-WHL-champion Warriors, who scored 24 goals; Bjarnson allowed 21 of them. In four playoff appearances, he recorded a 7.15 GAA and .831 SV%.
Drafted 51st overall in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Bjarnason represented Canada on the international level during the 2023 Hlinka Gretzky Cup. He won his only appearance in goal for the gold medal winning Canadian under-18 squad, recording a 1.00 GAA and .950 SV%. The 18-year-old is set to join the Wheat Kings for his fourth campaign in 2024-25.
The Future is Bright
As the Flyers look towards the future, they will have to rely upon a number of talented, young prospects in their system to reestablish and maintain a winning culture in the “City of Brotherly Love.” The recent success of players such as Barkey, Bonk, and Gendron at the highest level of junior hockey competition, the Memorial Cup, stands as a strong statement to fans and Flyers brass that help is on the way to the big club. If the juniors-level talent continues to develop as planned, the addition of the players covered in this report will have strong impacts on the Flyers in coming years.
