With Chuck Fletcher now getting ready for his third NHL Entry Draft as the Flyers’ general manager, the team has already seen the fruits of his labor from his two prior draft classes starting to pay off. Defenseman Cameron York (his 2019 1st round pick) just turned pro after finishing an amazing collegiate career at the University of Michigan and was able to make his NHL debut this season. Defenseman Mason Millman (his 2019 4th round pick) and forwards Tyson Foerster (his 2020 1st round pick) and Zayde Wisdom (his 2020 4th round pick) signed their entry-level deals. Then, they made the most out of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) not playing this year due to COVID by suiting up for the Flyers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and thus causing jerseys to go flying off the racks that have their name on them. Next, the much-anticipated Elliot Desnoyers of the Halifax Mooseheads (his 2020 5th round pick) was one of Fletcher’s latest selection to ink a deal with the Flyers. There’s no doubt that the young talent that Chuck has been able to select over the past couple of off seasons is starting to infuse themselves into the Flyers’ ranks.
But just who from Chuck’s draft stock might be next to be offered the chance to sign on the dotted line and play for the Philadelphia Flyers one day? Well, if I had to guess it would be none-other than Connor McClennon- Fletcher’s 2020 6th round pick who plays for the Western Hockey League’s (WHL) Winnipeg Ice.
This elusive soon-to-be 19-year-old player has nothing else to prove in the WHL next season. This year alone he was able to total 14 goals and 19 assists for 33 points in just 24 games played (GP). That 1.37 point per game (PPG) average and 0.58 goals per game (GPG) totals would be much better suited to help the likes of Tyson and Zayde in the Phantoms next season.
While this writer was hesitant to believe the hype on Connor before, given his diminutive size of just 5’8, McClennon’s continued drive has made him a believer. Unlike Bobby Brink (Fletcher’s 2019 2nd round pick) who is the same size, Connor has only managed to progress his game by finding ways to adapt and overcome his shortcomings (pun intended). Brink, on the other hand, has taken a step back this season while playing in the very physical NCAA for the University of Denver; scoring just two goals this season compared to the 11 he had last year.
One of the ways Connor has managed to elevate his game after being drafted by the Flyers last off season was to never take a shift off. Hustling on each and every play, McClennon is able to beat out the competition on most puck races. To go along with that, McClennon looks to have an excellent hockey IQ: he knows where to be to receive a pass and uses his size to his advantage by sneaking his way behind the opposition’s defenses.
But what about when Connor has the puck on his stick? Well, he is just as elusive. He can handle the puck with ease like very few can do. The game seems to literally slow down as soon as McClennon receives a pass. Cradling it close to him, Connor’s stick handling is almost mesmerizing. He does not have to rush the play like some young players can do by forcing a difficult pass. His abilities have made his opponents respect him since most have been burned before when challenging him in these situations. With this much earned additional time, McClennon will wait for his fellow teammates to catch up or get in position in order to achieve the best scoring chance before making his move. Once ready, Connor then decides to either lay a silky-smooth pass right to the tape of an awaiting line mate’s stick blade or release a seemingly effortless- but powerful- wrist shot of his own that he tends to pick corners with.
It’s true that few players of McClennon’s stature ever make an extended stay in the NHL, but this is something that Connor doesn’t necessarily let bother him. He has dealt with people doubting him because of his size his whole career and knows that, if signed, he will have to work that much harder than everyone else on the team’s depth chart in order to prove he is in fact worthy of a shot at suiting up for the orange and black one day.
In saying all this, Connor may not be ready for the NHL just yet, but he is deserving of a chance to play next season in the AHL alongside the rest of Fletcher’s talented crop of emerging prospects.
Hey Lance,
Hate to disagree with you bro, but I have ZERO faith in Fletcher as a GM. Whem he was GM of Minnesota, they missed the playoffs half the time under his “leadership.”
In his time here, he seems to be a guy who would rather lurk in the background rather than take a more active leadership role.
We saw this year as he watched one of the worst PK and PP units in memory, and did nothing to address it.
He’s stood by as Giroux, Voracek, and others took entire weeks off and neither said nor did anything about it.
Any other GM would have at the very least let the assistant coaches who coached the PK and the PP go. At the least.
Fletcher did nothing. As far as his draft picks go, they’ve done nothing yet and have everything to prove.
I’m taking a wait and see approach because that’s all any fan can do right now. I do not like what I’ve seen so far. At all.
I agree with much of what Flyersguy says in his post. Chuck Fletcher was as animated as a Macy’s manikin this year and he has allowed the Flyers to become the Philly version of Minnesota Wild hockey. Fletcher has yet to prove he knows how to draft future NHL players either. Cam York and Bobby Brink are both too small to play key roles for the Flyers and better players were available when Fletcher had the chance to get them(Alex Newhook, Arthur Kaliyev and a number of others could have been Flyers). Also, signing Kevin Hayes to an overpriced, long term contract looks like a huge mistake. Hayes looked uninterested as a player this year and he still has a lot of years left on his contract. In addition Hayes has a no trade contract. As mentioned by poster, special teams were both a total disaster and new coaches should have been brought in to fix these issues.
Watching the Flyers play the last two months this year was extremely difficult. The team looked stale, it was as though some of the key players just wanted to get the games over with. The Flyers came out flat in most games, got behind and quit playing, showing little passion for the game. Not working hard is not how you impress loyal Flyer’s fans. Losing is accepted in Philly if you worked your tail off, but losing without giving an honest effort, is despised. I have loved the Flyers for decades, but this team was not worth watching and on many nights, I turned them off. I’m just glad I didn’t have to attend games, since I have had season tickets since 1977. Changes are needed and I would start at the top. Chuck Fletcher is not putting a good team on the ice, so begin by replacing him, Get someone who has a proven track record. After all, Philly is a great hockey town, with an outstanding fan base. We fans deserve better. Gregg Lorenz, Bucks County Pa