It’s never too late to add, and sign undrafted free agents. The Flyers have had a ton of success with signing undrafted free agents such as Tim Kerr, Philippe Myers, Yegor Zamula, Michael Raffl, Dave Poulin, and Matt Read. There is one prospect that might and should catch the eye of Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher, and that is none other than Right-Handed Defenseman Ruben Rafkin.
The Flyers, like most teams in the NHL, could use a Right-Handed Defensemen in their system. It was a little head scratching that one did not get selected in the draft this past year, but nonetheless here we are with just Mark Friedman, Ronnie Attard, Wyatte Wylie, and Jack St. Ivany in the Flyers system as Right-Handed Defensemen. They could always use more righties, as it’s unpredictable who’s game will correlate to the NHL level.
Rafkin was born on January, 8, 2002, in Turku, FIN. This native of Finland found a passion, and a love for the sport of hockey at a very young age, and as a matter of fact I’m sure he started skating when he was just 2-3 years old. His passion for the game found himself playing for the Windsor Spitfires for the 2019-20 season, where he torched the league (4g,27a in 59 games played), but Rafkin wanted to move closer to home, and play for a team he has always loved in TPS. He is currently playing for TPS in the Liiga league, which is a comparable league to the SHL. This young man in Rafkin exits the defensive zone smoothly, and leads the charge up the ice, he’s just an excellent skater.
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On the season thus far, Rafkin has suited up in five games for HC TPS in the Liiga league and has registered one goal and one assist. Moreover, Rafkin is a plus one, and his vision of the ice has been solid. He just looks confident playing at home:
This young 18-year-old prospect in Rafkin is a speedster, physical, and transitions like the breeze of the wind. Moreover, Rafkin doesn’t sit around puck watching, has a killer wrist shot, and a darn good pair of hands. He’s a good Penalty Killer, and has great vision of the ice. Rafkin does not shy away from taking the body, and he closes gaps well. He stands at 5’11, and weighs a tough 190 pounds. Rafkin can hit, and win puck battles along the boards. Most importantly he is very good in his own zone, and is effective with transitioning out of the defensive zone.
This young prospect from Finland really has opened some eyes, and showcased his skills enough for a contract, at the very least a camp invite should be in store for Rafkin. He has the size and determination to make it at the Pro level. A team can never have enough Right-Handed Defenseman, so let’s make this happen Chuck.
I wrote about this this thing a while ago. And we have nothing to lose inviting Rafkin to our prospect camp, and all to gain! We should invite also two other right shot defenders, in Victor Mancini and Simon Kubicek, who surprisingly also went undrafted as well!
I’m with you guys. There’s nothing to lose by bringing in kids with potential. Remember, this last draft was a huge crapshoot since the season was cut short and so many young players were not seen playin. Many of them have gotten better, while many have not improved at all. Gregg Lorenz Bucks Co. Pa