Two Flyers prospects are headed to the Memorial Cup championship game. A defense prospect has signed a two-year extension structured as a two-way/one-way contract. Meanwhile, the Flyers are close to naming NHL assistant coaches and the next head coach for the American Hockey League’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Here are your quick hits for May 31, 2025.
London advances to Memorial Cup championship game
The 2025 Memorial Cup tournament in Rimouski, Quebec has come down to its championship game. The Ontario Hockey League (OHL) champion London Knights will take on the Western Hockey League (WHL) champion Medicine Hat Tigers. Game time on Sunday is 7:00 p.m. EDT.
On Friday evening, the Knights dispatched the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) champion Moncton Wildcats, 5-2. Flyers prospect Denver Barkey led the way for London with a goal and an assist. Barkey, London’s team captain, has posted five points (one goal, four assists) in four games during the tournament. Meanwhile, Flyers defense prospects Oliver Bonk posted a plus-four night and chipped in an assist in Friday’s semifinal. Overall, Bonk is plus-six with two assists during the tourney.
Flyers 2024 second-round pick Spencer Gill, sidelined by injury throughout the QMJHL postseason and Memorial Cup, did not play. Recently, Gill was in the Philadelphia area to rehab a broken ankle. Gill was disappointed to be unavailable for the playoffs. Nevertheless, he had a strong draft-plus-one season. Gill is a candidate for Team Canada’s 2025-26 World Junior championship squad.
Top 2025 NHL Draft prospect Caleb Desnoyers finished out his 2024-25 season on Friday. In a losing cause against London, Desnoyers posted a goal and an assist. Overall, Desnoyers did not have a great tourney (1g, 1a, -5) during the four games he played. However, that should not materially affect his chances of being a top-five to top-eight selection at the upcoming Draft.
Flyers sign Grans to a two-way/one way contract extension
On Friday, the Flyers announced the signing of defenseman Helge Grans to a two-year contract extension. The deal preempts restricted free agency for Grans this summer. Grans, 23, enjoyed a strong 2024-25 season in the AHL with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. During the regular season, the right-handed shooting blueliner saw extensive ice time while chipping in 23 points (8g, 15a) in 66 games. He added four points (1g, 3a) in four Calder Cup playoff games. Additionally, Grans held his own in six NHL matches with the Flyers.
Whenever a player signs a two-way/one-way contract, it elicits confusion among some fans. Actually, it’s pretty straightforward.
The first season of Grans’ two-year contract has one payment rate for whatever portion of the 2025-26 campaign he spends in the NHL. He’d earn $787,500 if he spends the full season in the NHL. He’d earn the prorated equivalent for a partial season stint with the Flyers. Next, there’s a second, lower payment rate for whatever portion he plays in the American Hockey League. It’s not much different than how an entry-level contract (ELC) works, except that the AHL and NHL rates are adjusted to increase the minor league rate.
Year two of Grans’ contract is strictly one-way. That means, the Flyers pay the player at the NHL rate regardless of whether he plays for the parent team or the farm club. That’s all the two-way/one-way designation means. Usually, such deals exist only in two-year “bridge” contracts signed after an entry-level deal expires. Veteran AHL players signed to NHL contracts are either one-way or two-way arrangements for their entire duration. Normally, one-way deals are reserved only for vets who have some previous NHL experience and have a good chance of at least seeing some additional NHL games in the upcoming season.
The Los Angeles Kings originally drafted Grans in the second-round (35th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft. The Flyers acquired him in the 2023 three-team trade that sent Ivan Provorov to the Columbus Blue Jackets. Grans had a solid rookie season in the Kings’ farm system but dealt with inconsistency the next couple seasons. The 2024-25 campaign, his second with the Phantoms, saw an uptick in his reliability. There’s never been a question about Grans’ physical tools or work ethic. Skeptics have questioned his hockey sense.
With veteran right-handed defenseman Rasmus Ristolainen expected to miss all of training camp and the first few weeks of the 2025-26 regular season, the 6-foot-4 and 205 pound Swede has a chance to open the season with the the Flyers. He’d have to have a strong camp for new head coach Rick Tocchet in order to do so. The competition, as of now, includes Hunter McDonald, Adam Ginning and possibly incoming rookie Bonk.
Snow the Goalie: Assistant Coach Decisions Pending
On the latest edition of the Snow the Goalie podcast, Anthony SanFilippo said that he expects the Flyers to finalize their decisions on NHL-level assistant coaches within the next week. There are several vacancies to fill, including defense/penalty kill coach and forwards/power play instructor. Additionally, the Flyers must name a successor for Ian Laperriere as the Phantoms’ head coach.
For weeks, Chicago Blackhawks head coach Luke Richardson has been rumored to be the front-runner for an assistant coaching spot under Tocchet. Richardson would take over the role previously performed by the now-departed Brad Shaw. A source close to Richardson said that the longtime former NHL defenseman wanted to see first if there was another NHL head coaching opportunity available before committing to an assistant coaching job.
In particular, Richardson is said to have had interest in the head coaching job for the Seattle Kraken or the Boston Bruins. However, Seattle hired Lane Lambert a few days ago. Reportedly, the Bruins’ decision is down to Marco Sturm or Mitch Love as the finalists. Consequently, if accurate, Richardson is out of the running in Boston, too.
In regard to the power play coaching role, the rumor mill had it that Tocchet and Hockey Ops president Keith Jones had interest in Hockey Hall of Famer Mark Recchi (a former Flyers teammate of both men). Recchi, however, told the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jackie Spiegel that he prefers his current community ambassador rule to a return to coaching. With Recchi removing himself from consideration, the field is still open.
Before hiring Tocchet as head coach, the Flyers spoke with former Danny Briere teammate Jay McKee. Subsequently, the Flyers interviewed McKee for the Phantoms head coaching job. While it’s possible that McKee could be part of the NHL staff in lieu of Richardson, Allentown appears to be the likelier destination if he’s hired. McKee has considerable junior level head coaching experience but Lehigh Valley would be his first pro head coaching role.
If McKee does not end up in Allentown (or Philadelphia), Phantoms assistant coach John Snowden is the likeliest candidate to take over from Laperriere as head coach.
The STG crew also talked about the Marco Rossi rumors, unrestricted free agent Mitch Marner, Tyson Foerster’s comtract, Ian Laperriere’s new role and other topics.
