Whether you follow the Flyers prospects growth on a regular basis or not you have had to hear the not so quiet rumblings this season coming from the teams’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. By now we all know the amazing story of Zayde Wisdom (the Flyers 2020 4th round selection) and the recent success this underage player has had while playing in the AHL this year, but he is not the only one making a name for himself this season. Another player by the name of Max Willman has been setting the league on fire as well, managing to operate at a point per game pace this season with the Phantoms! Scoring six goals and chipping in one assist for seven points in just seven games played. To give an idea of just how good of a start Max has been off to those six goals totaled this season currently have him tied for second in the league with the likes of the Carolina Hurricanes 2020 1st round pick Seth Jarvis, and linemate Zayde Wisdom. Not too shabby right? Yet just where did Max Willman come from, and why the recent success?
Well, this now 26-year-old 6’0 183-pound Massachusetts native was originally drafted back in the 2014 NHL Entry Draft by the Buffalo Sabers in the 5th round after an impressive season at the Williston Northampton Prep School where he amassed a 1.76 point per game average (PPG) while totaling 44 points in just 25 games.
It was then that this talented young forward choose to continue his journey to the professional ranks by playing in the collegiate ranks. To be more precise, in the Ivy league playing for the prestigious Brown University, where he spent four seasons playing for the Bears spanning the 2014-2015 season through the 2017-2018 season. During this time Max had no where near the level of success that he did in his prep school years. So, after graduating he decided to attend Boston University for the 2018-2019 season where he was a teammate of the Flyers Joel Farabee. During this season with the Terriers Willman only managed to score six points in 36 games played (GP).
After yet another frustrating season in the colligate ranks. It was time for Willman to move on and finally try his hand at turning pro. In doing so he joined up with Philadelphia’s East Coast Hockey League (ECHL) affiliate the Reading Royals for the 2019-2020 season where he seemed to finally light the lamp again with some regularity. Posting 25 points in just 20 games played (a 1.25 PPG clip). That kind of effort was good enough to grab the attention of the Phantoms executives, in which they decided to offer Max the opportunity to play in the AHL where he netted nine points in 24 GP last season.
That leads us to this season. Which has proved to be quite unique. On top of the Phantoms being forced to get an extremely late start to the season because of COVID. Lehigh Valley has been forced to deal with some irregularity seeing that several its players are constantly being pulled from and returned to their lineup on a regular basis. The reason for this is that the NHL’s recent formation of the “Taxi Squad”. Which was created to allow teams the ability to retain a certain number of players from their AHL ranks with them in case the COVID-19 virus ever hit their locker room (and hit it did). But even with that in place Willman was expected to still be considered a depth forward for the Phantoms due to all the talented young draft picks the Flyers had turning pro. But, with players like Isaac Ratcliffe (the Flyers ‘17 2nd rd. pick) suffering a fractured rib which lead to a collapsed lung and thus has required multiple surgeries to repair. The Flyers (‘20 1st rd. pick) Tyson Foerster sustaining a fractured shin in his pro debut with the Phantoms, and the injury prone Wade Allison (who Philadelphia drafted in the 2nd rd. of the ‘16 draft) being out after having to undergo ankle surgery to repair a nagging injury. Max has suddenly saw more playing time as of late. In which he has managed to make the most out of this opportunity given to him by way of other’s misfortunes.
With the nightly highlight reel plays from the dynamic duo of Wisdom and Willman showing no real sign of stopping any time soon. Philadelphia should be breathing a sigh of relief seeing that these two inexpensive options may just find themselves vying for a spot on the Flyers bottom six next year. With both the ever-looming expansion draft set to occur (creating an opening) and a load of other current Flyers with expiring contracts at the seasons end (some of which will come with hefty raises) there will be some openings to be had. None the less Max who is signed through this season to an AHL only contract. Would be a great option for the Flyers to offer a two-way deal next season. Which would allow Willman the opportunity he needs to possibly advance his game to the next level when he is ready to do so.
