As Flyers fans, we owe plenty of gratitude to Ron Hextall for getting an exuberant amount of young talent for the farm system. Chuck Fletcher, is now picking up right where Hextall left off with another exciting draft last season. He also, added key pieces to the puzzle to make the Flyers the 89-point team we saw before our eyes prior to the season coming to an abrupt halt. Part of that exciting young talent and a potential major piece of the puzzle in the very near future, is Morgan Frost. Frost an exciting playmaking speedster, has of course already graced our presence this season in 20 games at the NHL level. While not at the NHL level, Frost was busy honing in his skills with the Phantoms, and doing a superb job at doing so.
Frost who was picked 27th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, has quickly established himself as a first year pro after completing his career with the OHL’s Soo Greyhounds. Frost can credit his quick success as a pro, to his keen hockey senses. At the young age of 21, Frost already has the ability to read plays quickly and use his speed to then pounce on any mistakes. Players do not want to be caught flatfooted around him, or he makes them pay more often than not. His overall defense will also continue to improve, as he continues to grow and become stronger with age. Very excitingly, some skills just simply cannot be taught to the level they are in certain players. One of those skills is how quickly and effectively Frost can read a play and even adjust accordingly if a mistake is made due to his quick and still growing closing speed. Of course his sharp hockey senses are also, what make him into the playmaker he is in the offensive zone. Frost has the ability to quickly realize whether passing or shooting is the better option at hand. Two examples of this can be seen below, one where Frost uses his senses to realize to make a beeline for the net and go to the backhand, then the next one is where he decides the pass to Claude Giroux is a better option, than trying to come out in front and shoot:
Now since we have seen his many skills in action, time to get into the Nitty Gritty details of Frost’s successful first pro season. In 20 games in the NHL this season Frost had two goals, five assists, for a total of seven points and, plus minus of negative three to go along with it. With the Flyers, as displayed in the two plays above, Frost showed off his great soft hands leading him to the ability to score that remarkable backhander against a former Vezina Goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky. He also used those same highly skilled hands, to improve his play on the forecheck leading to the ability to utilize his speed effectively on the transition game. Frost’s defensive game got better as the season wore on, and that is one main reason he appeared a few times on the penalty kill leading to his lone shorthanded goal while with the big club.
While in Lehigh, Frost really worked at honing in his potential elite level skills to make it even more likely he turns into the top player fans anticipate. With the Phantoms he worked on mastering his craft. Frost had one heck of a season as the Phantoms most skilled player. According to Head Coach Scott Gordon in an interview with Sam Carchidi of The Philadelphia Inquirer, Gordon said, “He was our most skilled player. There’s no comparison. He’s the most skilled player I’ve had in Lehigh since I’ve been here, for sure. There have been good players here, but not at the same skill level. The plays that he makes and the vision he has are second to none.” That’s high praise coming from a guy who has been coaching the team since 2015-16, so therefore has seen Philippe Myers, Aube-Kubel, Joel Farabee and many other rising talents make their way up to the Flyers. Enough talk about all the skill he has: time to get into his very successful first and likely only AHL season. Frost in 41 games played for the Phantoms had 13 goals, and 16 assists for a total of 29 points, with an even plus minus of 0 to go along with it. While with the Phantoms, Frost really showed off his ability to play on both ends scoring two power play goals, while also appearing on the Phantoms penalty kill and doing so successfully when he name was called upon. Frost also showed the organization how mature he is this season. Some players after having a fairly good 20 game stretch would mope around if they were sent down, not Frost. He wouldn’t be able to have such a successful season if that was the case. Frost established himself right back into the AHL lineup and hit the ground running showing fans that he not only has immense skill, but also the highly sought after ability to adjust to situations on the fly, which is a much needed skill as a professional athlete, yet not one that all players have at such a young age.
In just his first professional season, Frost has already shown fans how effective he can be, and this is just the beginning. At the ripe young age of 21, he was already a menace for the opponent with the Flyers, but we saw in others he was still raw and needed to grow in certain areas. Frost has done just that with the Phantoms this season, he showed increasing ability to become an above average two-way player given some time, while being a big time contributor in the offensive end. Frost’s wits, combined with all the many skills outlined above are just some reasons why Flyers fans should be highly anticipating his return to the NHL (This season or next). A return that could come even as early as this season, since per reports he is staying ready just in case for the postseason. Frost has shown he is ready to return to the NHL, and could become a very nice weapon for the Flyers in the playoffs if his number is called upon. It is time to bring on the Frost, whether that is for a full season starting next or for some playoff action once the NHL returns. Either way the kid is more than ready to make his presence felt at the highest level.
