Despite an unexpectedly strong start to the 2023-24 season, the Philadelphia Flyers are still in rebuild mode. A major part of it includes the development of their prospects around the world. Outside of the organization’s prospects in Russia, the Flyers have four playing professionally in Europe.
Related: Flyers Prospects Report: Michkov, Kolosov, Fedotov, and More
These prospects, who range in age from 19 to 26 years old, are suiting up for teams in Sweden, Finland, Switzerland, and the Czech Republic and include two forwards, a defenseman, and a goaltender. Here’s an update on their progress.
Alex Čiernik
Selected 120th overall in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft by the Flyers, forward Alex Čiernik is currently playing for Västerviks IK in Sweden’s HockeyAllsvenskan, the second-highest professional league behind the Swedish Hockey League (SHL). In 19 games, Čiernik has 12 points (four goals and eight assists).
According to the EliteProspects 2023 NHL Draft Guide, the 5-foot-10 Slovak is “an explosive skater who can weave through neutral zone defences with crossover-heavy rush patterns and accelerate quickly to win loose puck races.”
Čiernik, 19 years old, is no stranger to international play. He was recently selected for Team Slovakia’s 2024 World Junior Championship roster. The tournament will kick off on Dec. 26 in Sweden. Čiernik will play alongside several other NHL prospects on Team Slovakia, including Samuel Honzek (Calgary Flames), Adam Sýkora (New York Rangers), Adam Zlnka (Arizona Coyotes), Servác Petrovský (Minnesota Wild), Juraj Pekarcik (St. Louis Blues), Martin Misiak (Chicago Blackhawks), Filip Mesar (Montreal Canadiens), Dalibor Dvorský (St. Louis Blues), Maxim Strbak (Buffalo Sabres), and Adam Gajan (Chicago Blackhawks).
Santeri Sulku
Forward Santeri Sulku was selected 197th overall by the Flyers in the seventh round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. The 19-year-old native of Finland is 12 games into his first season with Kokkolan Hermes (also known as Hermes) of Finland’s Mestis, the second-highest Finnish professional league. Sulku has six goals and two assists so far in 2023-24.
At 6-foot-4 and 201 pounds, Sulku is a physically intimidating presence on the ice. He is also considered a versatile player, having lined up at all three forward positions during his career. The EliteProspects 2022 NHL Draft Guide considers his open-ice playmaking abilities his best asset.
Brian Zanetti
Defenseman Brian Zanetti has suited up for 23 games this season with the SC Langnau Tigers (also known as the SCL Tigers) of Switzerland’s National League (NL), tallying four assists – the NL is the top-tier league in Switzerland. This is Zanetti’s first season playing in the professional ranks of his home country. The 20-year-old was selected 110th overall by the Flyers in the fourth round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. He is considered by scouting reports to be a “mobile puck-moving defenseman who can take care of the defensive end of the ice.”
Zanetti spent the last two seasons, 2021-22 and 2022-23, with the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Peterborough Petes where he won the 2022-23 J. Ross Robertson Cup as the league champion. In two seasons with the Petes, he has 38 points in 103 games.
Zanetti also has an abundance of international experience representing Switzerland. During the 2022-23 season, he donned Switzerland’s red and white jersey 17 times in international under-20 (U20) play, including the team’s five games in the 2023 World Junior Championship in Canada. In these five appearances, he tallied one assist for a team that was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Matej Tomek
A native of Slovakia, goaltender Matej Tomek is one of the organization’s older prospects at age 26. Selected 90th overall by the Flyers in the third round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft, Tomek has juniors, college, and professional experience playing for teams in Slovakia, the United States, Finland, and the Czech Republic. One of his career highlights includes a bronze medal with Slovakia during the 2022 Winter Olympic Games in Beijing when he appeared in goal for one game, a losing effort, largely backing up Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) star Patrik Rybár.
Tomek has appeared in 19 games this season for HC Litvínov (also known as HC VERVA Litvínov) of the Czech Extraliga, the top league in the Czech Republic. This season, he has a 2.94 goals-against average (GAA) and .906 save percentage (SV%), having won 13 of his 19 appearances in goal. Scouting reports consider him an agile goaltender for his size, 6-foot-3, 181 pounds, who demonstrates calmness and control under pressure.
Flyers Keeping an Eye on the Europeans
The Flyers’ front office has their eyes set on the future. With an abundance of North American and European prospects set to compete for NHL roster spots shortly, there is hope that the franchise will only improve on the flashes of brilliance and success we have seen on this ice this season. Also, having quality prospects in the organization can also translate to valuable trade pieces to attract veteran talent and established stars to the team. These factors are just some of the reasons why fans should keep an eye on the franchise’s pool of European prospects.