Photo Credit: Our very own Jamey Baskow
Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere traded a solid defenseman in Ivan Provorov for picks, Helge Grans, and Sean Walker. So just who is prospect Helge Grans, as he will be making his NHL Debut tonight for the Flyers?
Grans is a right-handed defenseman that is just 22-years-old and stands at 6’4, while weighing 205 pounds. He’s a sizable defenseman that likes to move the puck. Grans does not shy away from the offensive side of the puck. However, he makes bad pinches at times, and tries to do too much. He is still very raw, and that was made evident at developmental camp/training camp. Grans pinches at the wrong time sometimes, and he isn’t the fastest skater to catch up and get back in the play. He did, however, still put forth a good developmental and training camp.
Grans just looked different during the rookie series in September, while being paired with Emil Andrae. The two looked cohesive, and Grans made the right plays. He was seeing stifling his opponents, and would transition up the ice nicely. Grans looked confident and poised, maybe all it took was one camp to get to know his teammates. It’s not easy being traded, so good for him for sticking with it.
This young puck moving defenseman is very gifted offensively. He reminds me of a player that Danny Briere was alluding to earlier in his press conferences in May of 2023, when he said that the Flyers would like to add young reclamation projects, like Owen Tippett for instance.
The prospect in Grans moves the puck reasonably well and is a solid defender. He uses his long stick effectively, and skates well given his size with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Grans has the ability to log big minutes, but he needs to learn how to pick his spots better. As stated above, he tries to be so good offensively, Grans makes bad pinches which leads to odd man rushes the other way. He’s still young, so Grans is untapped with all this potential.
Grans was drafted 35th overall at the 2020 draft by the Los Angeles Kings. He has played well for the Phantoms, where he has reunited with former teammate in Emil Andrae. Both players played for the Swedish National Junior Team at one time, “Coming here, the more I realized that I need to focus more on the defensive zone,” Grans said at developmental camp. “I feel I’m getting more and more as a two-way defenseman, but more on the defensive side.”
Believe it or not, Grans is exactly the prospect the Flyers were talking about with obtaining youth reclamation projects, “We don’t want to make those mistakes. We want those young guys to turn into, like Sharp and Williams, very good players down the road,” Keith Jones said. “Maybe Morgan Frost is one of those guys. We’ve got to be sure before we commit, but that’s the type of thing that we were hoping for. Owen Tippett could be one of those guys. I think Florida’s going to regret it. He’s got the package. Now, we’ve just got to cultivate it and bring him to the next level.”
Whatever the case may be, Grans will make his NHL Debut tonight. Hope it’s a good one.
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