Flyers’ Prospects Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk share a lot of the same qualities, and both share some of the same family roots in the sport of hockey “They know what they’re talking about and they know what it takes”

Photo Credit: Mark Malone/Postmedia Network file photo

Both Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk are just two young men that are a ball of energy and just fun to be around. One thing that both excel at is the sport of hockey. The sport of hockey is quite unique, it really brings people together. So much so, both Bonk and Barkey love playing for the London Knights, mainly due to their proud fan base. Both did say that there is pressure playing for the London Knights and it’s due to the proud-passionate fan base. They love London and the fan base for being supportive of not only them, but their entire team. The Knights are a renown hockey team in Canada, and London is filled with some great fans that expect to win a nightly basis. That’s the difference between London and some other sport cities.

So what can Flyers fans expect from Barkey when he signs his Entry-Level-Contract (ELC) and plays for the Flyers, “Someone to show up to the rink everyday. A player that can play up and down the lineup,” Barkey said to Jamey Baskow in an exclusive interview last week.

Barkey continued, “My parents are a huge inspiration. My grandpa also inspired me. Kind of see the Pro when he played in the NHL. That was one of his dreams (For his Grandpa to make the NHL).” Some don’t know that Barkey’s Grandpa played professional hockey. Randy Legge, Denver’s Grandpa, played for the New York Rangers, and wound up playing 12 games for the Rangers during his professional career. Legge was a right-handed defenseman, believe it or not, as he stood at 5’11. Of course, Barkey stands at 5’9, but he could fill out more as he is still only 18-years-old.

Barkey’s roots in the sport of hockey are strong, much like Bonk’s. Bonk’s dad of course was former NHL’er Radek Bonk, who was a very good Center in his prime. Oliver Bonk may be trying to fill his dad’s shoes. One thing to note is that Oliver loves the mullet, but he did shave it off at Flyers rookie camp. Both Barkey and Bonk know what it takes to succeed at the professional level, and that starts with hard-work. Yes, they do understand nothing can be taken for granted, one day you may be in this league, the next day maybe not. It starts with hard-work and dedication, and both have those traits.

Asides from both Bonk and Barkey being good at the sport of hockey, sometimes we as people forget that both are human beings. Both are family men, they love their families and really appreciate all the sacrifices that each of their families sacrificed for them to even to get drafted by the Flyers, “I talk to my dad on gameday,” Bonk said to me in an exclusive interview last week. His dad is his biggest inspiration and supporter of him, “I just say hi, how are you, how are things going (General talk).” They both like to talk about hockey, and they talk about certain plays. However, Radek (Bonk’s dad) leaves the coaching stuff up to the coaches, Oliver Bonk said.

Bonk did say there is no pressure coming from his parents to play the sport of hockey. He said that he doesn’t feel any pressure because of who his dad was and how he played in the sport of hockey, “They know what they’re talking about and they know what it takes,” Bonk said of his dad with having success at the professional level. “He got to coach me (Bonk’s dad), and obviously he knew what he talked about so he stuck around as a coach.”

Denver, on the other hand, said he used to model his game after Patrick Kane, but Brayden Point, as well, “Smaller (Brayden Point), but he’s good in the corners. I’m a smaller guy. I’m going to need to be strong on my feet to win puck battles.” The main thing that both Barkey and Bonk want to do is remain consistent. Consistency will play a huge part of moving up to the next level, and both will continue to work on that, of course get bigger and stronger.

One thing that cannot be understated about Barkey and Bonk are energy. Both players bring energy and it fuses their teammates with such. Barkey is usually in the right spot to pot a big goal, or he makes the right play that eventually develops into a goal. Bonk, on the other hand, is usually in the right spot to prevent a big play from transpiring, thus leading the charge in transition up the ice with his teammates.

The Flyers finally have drafted a solid skating defenseman, and finally from the heavens have drafted a good skater in Barkey. They needed a solid skating defenseman, and more powerful skating forwards. They obtained both at the 2023 NHL Draft. Bonk is a very confident and skilled puck handler, who effectively transitions the puck out of his zone and into his opponent’s zone. Barkey is an able bodied playmaker who excels at finding and creating passing lanes, mainly due to his edge work.

In the end, it appears that both Barkey and Bonk know what it takes to succeed in the sport of hockey, and how to move up to the next level of play. Nothing comes easy in life, and both understand that. Could Bonk become a Matt Niskanen or Chris Therien? Could Barkey become the next Danny Briere for the Flyers and follow his Grandpa’s roots? We shall see, in the end, both were made to be Flyers. These are two passionate players, that love playing in front of the London faithful.