Photo Courtesy of Matt Slocum, Associated Press
One of the most important takeaways throughout the remainder of the season is how the young players on the Flyers perform and finish out the campaign. In particular a player that has reached another level of play as of late is Flyers center, Morgan Frost. In the last 10 games played the forward has scored 6 goals and 6 assists for 12 points while also having 22 shots on goal.Â
The production has been there for Frost. He’s looked like the team’s most impactful forward from an offensive chance creation perspective during this latest stretch of games. Frost had mainly been driving play through his puck handling ability and carrying the puck up ice and entering the offensive zone. Most notably the forward has shown the ability to rush up the ice with the puck creating odd man rushes and scoring opportunities. It’s evident the center is playing with confidence due to some of the skilled plays that are being attempted while on the ice.
A lack of assertiveness especially within the offensive zone and through the middle of the ice with the puck on his stick has been a criticism of Frost’s game in the past at the NHL level. The forward’s creativity in terms of passing and playmaking abilities, as well as, attempting to make certain plays has been on display in full force lately. Which can be attributed to Frost playing with more aggressiveness in his game.
It’s important to note the most recent play from Frost has displayed the young forward is beginning to figure out what it takes to consistently be offensively successful at the NHL level. Doing so includes understanding what types of plays he can make to create scoring opportunities. In addition to the fact the forward needs to go to certain areas of the ice to effectively create offense for himself and his teammates. Frost has clearly been improving in all of these areas as the season has gone along.
One other aspect of Frost’s game to highlight has been the awareness to create turnovers with forechecking and his anticipation. It outlines the hockey sense and IQ present in the forwards game to create turnovers and changes of possession through his anticipation. Frost’s tenaciousness on the forecheck, backchecking, and within board battles has been very apparent in the recent weeks.
Considering this is Frost’s first full NHL season it’s obvious there would be a learning curve at this level. The increase of usage through the majority of the season and getting first line usage the last handful of games shows the steady progression of his game. Along with the fact he’a gained more trust from the Flyers coaching staff. It’s encouraging to see the forward show constant progression as this season has gone along. What that highlights is a young player’s development typically is not a linear process and patience is the key.
Heading into next season it will be fascinating to see if Frost continues to take steps forward with his game. Based on the forward’s age and experience gained this year in the NHL, it wouldn’t be surprising if Frost breaks out even further next season.
Gettin Gritty Wit It
Episode 156 of the podcast is here. This week Yariv and Vasili discuss Morgan Frost’s recent play, the new aura surrounding the team, and a variety of other topics listed below:
-Couturier shut down
-Attard recall
-Is Konecny a 40 goal guy ?
-Frost has evolved his game
-“Shake-up” trades
-Andrae almost PPG
Thanks for listening and supporting!
Have a great week everybody.
