Photo courtesy of London Knights
The London Knights defeated Saginaw 3-1 yesterday and are now 10-0 in the OHL playoffs. They're just a spinning saw and it's who moves which a few nights, but our Flyers prospects are playing very well at the moment. Several members of the Flyers' top team have attended the Knights' playoff games throughout the OHL playoffs, and yesterday was no exception. They must be scouting Barky and Bonk. Both could join the Flyers next fall or return to London for another season. But I think they're giving a pretty good look at potential draft targets like Sam O'Reilly and Sam Dickinson.
This goes to show how committed the Flyers' top team is to winning in the future, with two high-profile players within the Flyers system and potential draft targets set to meet. It's much better to see it in person than on TV. Let's get back to Barky and Bonk.
denver berkey
Denver Birkie is a bundle of energy and a joy to be around. The sport of hockey is very unique and really brings people together. Varkey loves playing for the London Knights, mainly because of their proud fan base. Berkey finished the season with seven shorthanded goals, which tied him for first in the OHL with teammate Easton Cowan. Of course he finished the season with 102 points (35g, 65a).
This is a great honor as it is a goal he has set for himself. Berkey has become more of a dual threat this season, not only scoring, but playing away from the puck much better than in years past. He is what you would call a complete player.
So what can Flyers fans expect from Burkey when he signs his entry-level contract (ELC) and plays for the Flyers? A player who can play up and down the batting line.” Burkey told Jamie Bascow in an exclusive interview a few months ago.
Berkey continued, “My parents are a big inspiration. My grandpa is also an inspiration to me. I remember when the pros were playing in the NHL. That was one of his dreams. Some people don't know that Berkey's grandfather played professional hockey. Denver's grandpa, Randy Legg, played for the New York Rangers and ended up appearing in 12 games for the Rangers during her professional career. Believe it or not, Legg was a 5'11 right-handed defenseman. Of course, Burkey's height is 5'9, but he still has the potential to grow more since he is only 18 years old.
Thanks to his efforts, his success trickled down to the playoffs, where he had three goals and 10 assists in 10 games. He has excelled on both ends of the ice and is playing like an AP (a depth determined to be on the Flyers' roster next season). No one knows how this will end, but Birkie is on fire.[layerdeterminedtomaketheFlyersrosternextseasonHowthisendsisanyone'sguessbutBarkeyisonfire[layerdeterminedtomaketheFlyersrosternextseasonHowthisendsisanyone’sguessbutBarkeyisonfire
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Oliver Bonk
Right-handed defenseman Oliver Bonk was still on the board in the first round the Flyers were scheduled to select, and they selected him 22nd overall. Just prior to this selection, the Flyers selected Matvey Mitchkov, a prospect with superstar/generational potential. Vonk's selection received mixed reactions from proud Flyers faithful, with some fans projecting him as a project, while others similarly projected him as a top-four defenseman.
The Flyers finally drafted a solid skating defenseman. They needed a solid skating defense and this was one way to do that. In particular, there has been speculation for weeks about who the Flyers will select with the 22nd pick. Bonk has a ton of skill that can suffocate players at the blue line and lead the Flyers in opposite directions on the ice. Bonk is a defenseman who skates well, but this type of defenseman doesn't come around very often.
Bonk is a guy with an MNA advantage and could maybe, just maybe, be an impact piece in this area when he makes his NHL debut in Philadelphia in the future.
