Photo Credit: Christopher Mast/Getty Images
There was no denying that the Flyers are in need of a goal scorers, and Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher has been on record saying that he would love to add a top six player. However, he did say it’s not realistic to add this need through trade or free agency due to the flat-cap, but there is one way to do it, add this piece through the draft.
When a goal scorer comes to mind within the Flyers system it could be Connor McClennon, a young 18-year-old that stands at 5’8 and weighs 163 pounds. He is a boom or bust type pick and he could change the overall landscape of the farm system and team in the future if this pick pans out. One addition, yes the addition of McClennon, a natural goal scorer, a young man who knows and is not afraid to shoot the puck, one that doesn’t hesitate to get to the greasy areas to score a goal. That’s what McClennon provides, he is a competitor, “I worked hard in the Summer after spending sometime in Lehigh (Becoming a more rounded player),” McClennon said. “Getting bigger and stronger, protecting the puck, battling for pucks against the wall. Just focusing on rounding up my game was a big focal point this Summer.”
This young goal scorer will shoot the puck from anywhere on the ice. McClennon is a sharpshooter that is highly accurate, with elite goal scoring abilities. He was on fire with the Winnipeg Ice in the WHL before the season ended. For his efforts, McClennon tallied 43 goals and registered 38 assists for a total of 81 points in 62 games played. McClennon could become a nice player in the future and he is a solid skater. He is meed of a contract by June 1, 2022 with the flyers or he becomes a free agent:
“I model my game after Travis Konecny. He has a shoot first mentality. Even if he wasn’t a Flyer he would be good to model my game after. He’s a proven goal scorer at the highest level.” – Connor McClennon said to me in September
McClennon could use some work with his first step, but he is a solid skater nonetheless. He is a good board battler, can play the penalty kill, is smart with his positioning, and is quick in transition. One underrated part of his game is winning puck battles. It’s an area the Flyers have struggled with for the past few years, but McClennon really excels in this particular area.
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The Flyers could use this lethal Right-Winger…like asap (As soon as possible). McClennon could have been snagged in the third round, but his collarbone injury set him back in the draft. He is a puck possession machine that has extremely good hands, and has acute vision of the ice. McClennon can make something out of nothing in tight spaces, and that is an area of need for the Flyers, as well.
McClennon will turn 20 on June 25, 2002, so if he signs an ELC with the Flyers he will report to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the Fall. The Flyers would be wise to ink him to his first NHL contract.
