Photo Credit: Christopher Mast/Getty Images
The Western Hockey League’s (WHL’s) heavily favored Winnipeg Ice were recently knocked out of the playoffs four games to one by 2021 1st round draft selection/star goaltending prospect Sebastian Cossa and the rest of the Edmonton Oil Kings. This allows the Flyers’ 2020 6th round selection, Forward Connor McClennon, to now be able to sign his first NHL level contract with the Flyers.
Why should this be viewed as such a pressing manner, you might be asking? Well, the answer is that this 19-year-old 5’8 161-pound right-winger from Wainwright, Alberta, Canada, is just what the Flyers need in their system right now. He is a sharpshooter, and come June 25th, he will turn 20 years of age and thus be eligible to play in Lehigh Valley for the Phantoms next season.
This year the Ice finished the regular season with an incredible record of 53 wins, ten losses, and three OTL for a total of 111 points, primarily due to the play of the Flyers diminutive prospect Connor McClennon. In 62 games played, McClennon had 43 goals and 38 assists for 81 points. That means Connor averaged 1.30 points per game (P.P.G.) while maintaining a +42 plus/minus rating. Where come the playoffs his play only got better, playing in 15 games before being eliminated; McClennon scored eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points for an average of 1.40 P.P.G. To put into better perspective just how much offensive prowess McClennon was able to offer his team this year here’s a fun fact for you. Connor was able to outscore teammate and potential 2022 top-five pick Matthew Savoie by eight goals this season, with him finishing with the 43 goals mentioned above and Savoie only totaling 35 on the year.
Now, Connor may be small, but he makes up for it with his strong skating ability and deadly accurate shot. He has been busy proving his doubters wrong his whole life and has survived playing three years in juniors thus far. While the NHL still has some monsters patrolling the blueline, size is not as much of an issue in today’s kinder, gentler NHL than it was in the past. Today’s pros are more about speed and skill and therefore are often elusive enough to avoid the league’s behemoths. Connor is no different, and if the Flyers are even thinking about drafting his fellow Winnipeg Ice linemate Matthew Savoie with the 5th overall selection in this year’s upcoming draft, wouldn’t you want McClennon to be already signed? Doing so would mean come rookie camp that, they could continue to build upon the chemistry they already have that saw them score a combined 171 points this season. Call me crazy, but if I were Chuck Fletcher (the Flyers’ General Manager), the minute McClennon and the Ice were eliminated from the playoffs, I would have already had a first-class plane ticket to Philadelphia in Connor’s inbox before he even got done shaking the other team’s hands.
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If I am him I am waiting the 1 day and going to free agency. Why not wait? The flyers are a mess and without a coach you have no idea what system they are going to play. It’s most likely he would not see the nhl here until he is 24. Why not wait a day and see what’s out there. Hell he may find a team that will let him play right away but that is not happening here and a place where the team is in a better place.
I see a pattern of CF screwing up little things. “If you take care of the small things, the big things take care of themselves.” Emily Dickinson
I really do not think he does the big things well either to be fair. Not sure what he does well. Mr average, everything is just meh.