Photo Credit: Hockeydb.com
In 2018, Former Flyers’ General Manager Ron Hextall wanted to eventually restock the defensive cupboard within the farm system, hence the reason why Hextall selected a Wyatte Wylie in the 5th round of the NHL Draft.
Just a year or so after signing his Entry-Level-Contract with the Flyers. Wylie appears to be forgotten about at times, with the likes of Egor Zamula, and Cam York pegged ahead of him. Actually, there has been more talk recently about a new 4th round prospect that was selected by Chuck Fletcher in 2021 in Brian Zanetti. So what gives? Well, on one special day yesterday at the roomie game, Wylie was really good, and let his work do the talking. He left Tarrytown saying “Don’t forget about me folks.”
Wylie was really good from puck drop yesterday. He was blocking shots, as he took a blast off his arm in the third period yesterday in the eventual 6-3 Flyers prospect victory over the New York Rangers prospects. More importantly, he is a very good penalty killer and a solid passer as he finished the game with two apples.
What most Flyers fans do not know is that Wylie played on his off-hand in the 2018-19 season for the Everett Silvertips, meaning he can play both the left and right sides on defense. Wylie told me at Developmental Camp that he just wants to play, so he would play either side the coaches ask him to play. These tools became valuable when Chuck Fletcher decided to ink him to a three-year ELC yesterday, “I wanted to come here this Summer to prove to the Flyers I wanted to be here,” Wylie told me at Developmental Camp in 2019, “Just give it all I can, and for Everett to let me do this it’s awesome.”
Wylie continued, “The support Everett (Fans) gives you, whether your home or away, it’s something that makes you want to work harder. It definitely keeps you going. The fans of Everett are everything, their awesome.”
This young prospect in Wylie really put forth a solid season for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in what would be his first taste of professional hockey last season. Wylie finished the season with one goal, and six apples in 21 games played, but he took his defensive game to another level as he was fortunate to use quick zone exits as a strategy.
What’s become mind-boggling is that he is often forgotten about in the pipeline on defense for the Flyers. I have seen a lot of tweets and read stuff on facebook of people crediting the pipeline with prospects, such as, Emil Andrae, Mason Millman, Cam York, Egor Zamula, and even Ronnie Attard all for good reason. However, Wylie is rarely mentioned as a quality prospect that has a future on the blueline with the Flyers. The question is why?
There is only one real answer as to why some people may not be high on Wylie from what I gathered. Some people have told me that Wylie didn’t play against men during his time at Everett in Junior hockey, whereas, Andrae, Attard, and York did and still do. To me every prospect is different. Some prospects that play overseas have a harder time adjusting to the North American rink size (Felix Sandström was a perfect example of this), while others take more time to get bigger and stronger to handle the rigors of an 82 game season in the AHL or NHL.
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Wylie has a good hockey IQ, has a keen hockey sense, and can transition from defense to offense with the best of them. This former Silvertips star has some great hockey tools that the Flyers could benefit from in the future. Wylie is a good skater, and he’s very talented to not succeed at the pro level. One thing is for certain Flyers fans, the future is bright in Flyer land.
