Dave Isaac | NHL Writer

It took all of eight days for the two to reunite.

First, Chuck Fletcher took the Flyers’ general manager job on Dec. 3 and then he hired his No. 2 from their days together in Minnesota. Brent Flahr was still there working for the Wild and now runs amateur scouting in Philadelphia as vice president and assistant general manager.

No need to feel out the new boss for Flahr. Even the scouts that he now oversees didn’t require much of an introduction.

“I had known the majority of them well from my travels and have worked with them in the past,” Flahr said by phone this week. “The transition has been great. It’s been busy switching mid-season and obviously catching up with everything. At the same time I’m pretty excited for the opportunity.”

A change in management may have meant more for the prospects than the front office members themselves.

It means a new group of people to impress and that can bring about some nerves and uncertainty until there’s a level of communication. So, who has impressed Flahr the most so far?

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“I think a lot of the players that were talked about have had strong years and there’s a couple others that weren’t as high of picks like Noah Cates (fifth-round pick in 2017) and people like that who have come up and surprised but the (Morgan) Frosts of the world, have really performed well and put up a big year,” Flahr said. “(Recently signed Joel) Farabee had a terrific year. (Isaac) Ratcliffe had a big year statistically and you’ve got (2017 seventh-round pick Wyatt) Kalynuk, some of those later picks like Cates and some of these guys that are having really good years and a couple of the goaltending prospects overseas, which makes it really exciting. Obviously not everybody may play in the NHL but it’s nice to have the depth and the number of prospects that we have coming.”

Many are already in North America and get a good amount of press. Over the past couple years, the Flyers have quietly put a sizable group together in Sweden, too. Kjell Samuelsson was out to his native country earlier this month and touched base with many of them.

Of the Swedish Seven — Felix Sandström, Linus Högberg, David Bernhardt, Olle Lycksell, Adam Ginning, Samuel Ersson and Marcus Westfält — only Sandström is expected to come overseas next season. The rest aren’t signing to play in North America just yet.

“Not this year. In talking to guys, we’ll probably leave them all,” Flahr said. “Those guys have made strides but I think it’s best to stay and get their games to another level. Lycksell’s played well. Ersson’s had a terrific year, which is really exciting. He’s put himself on the map, but he’s part of a good program there with Brynäs going forward. They’ve done a good job developing goalies. Ginning’s obviously, I think he’s come to development camp, he’s in a good spot there. Last two years they’re great at the pro level and I think realistically one more year over there would be good for him.”

The Flyers also hope to sign a couple other prospects to pro contracts, like Ohio State’s Tanner Laczynski, so that means the pool will need to be restocked again.

Flahr is well on his way with 2019 draft scouting, too.

With so much interest in the team’s prospect group, the Courier-Post will check in on the promising young players each week. Here’s the latest progress report with insights from Flahr.

Courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers

Wade Allison, right wing, Western Michigan Broncos (NCAA)

Age: 21

Height/weight: 6-foot-2, 205 pounds

Acquired: second-round pick in 2016 (52nd overall)

This season: 22 games, 8 goals, 7 assists

The skinny: It was a rough year for Allison, who wasn’t able to start the season on time after having surgery to repair the ACL in his knee and had to come out of the lineup a couple times throughout the season too. He wanted to play at Western Michigan this season instead of starting his pro career as a healthy scratch and turns out he didn’t play a true full season anyway. Now that the Broncos’ season is over, the Flyers want to sign him again this offseason and are in discussions with Allison and his advisor, Tom Lynn. There could be a resolution in a couple weeks.

Flahr’s take: “When he was able to play he was able to play well. I know it’s been a really frustrating year for him with his injury. I think a big part of it is that he wasn’t able to (start the season) to play and conditioning wasn’t where he wanted to be. At least that’s what he was telling us. It’s been a frustrating battle but I thought down the stretch he was playing well. We don’t have anybody like him coming, the way he plays and the power forward kind of game. He’s big and strong and he’s got good hands for a big guy. He can skate. He can really shoot it. He’s a good prospect that we have high hopes for.”

Courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers

German Rubtsov, center/right wing, Lehigh Valley Phantoms (AHL)

Age: 20

Height/weight: 6-feet, 187 pounds

Acquired: first-round pick in 2016 (22nd overall)

This season: 14 games, 6 goals, 4 assists

The skinny: Speaking of injured forwards, Rubtsov didn’t have much of a rookie pro season, either. He’s been out of the lineup since November with a shoulder injury and although he’s skating and shooting these days in Voorhees, he’s done for the season unless the Phantoms make the playoffs and go on a really long run. He’s been plagued with injuries since the Flyers drafted him but has showed promise when he’s able to play.

Flahr’s take: “I’ve known him since his draft year and when they drafted him. What he is, is a really smart two-way player, very responsible. I know the coaches, in talking to them— I wasn’t able to see him play in Lehigh early in the year but I know they were very, very happy with him and the maturity of his game. One thing with him is he knows his defensive responsibilities. They can trust him on the ice at any time and he’s also a skill player that can make plays. When you get a young kid out of junior, the majority of the time they have the offensive side and the details of the game need a lot of work. German, he came in and really impressed them with the details of his game, which is exciting.”

Courtesy of Philadelphia Flyers

Jack St. Ivany, defenseman, Yale Bulldogs (NCAA)

Age: 19

Height/weight: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds

Acquired: fourth-round pick in 2018 (122nd overall)

This season: 30 games, 6 goals, 8 assists

The skinny: From the L.A. Kings’ youth program, St. Ivany has made strides across the country in the last couple years from Manhattan Beach, California, to Sioux Falls, South Dakota for two seasons in the USHL and now in Connecticut at Yale. Although he didn’t play much, making the U.S. squad at the World Junior Championship was a big achievement and he was the top scoring defenseman as a freshman at Yale.