Flyers reward Denver Barkey with three-year, entry-level contract

It’s official: Denver Barkey is a Flyer.

Ripping through the Ontario Hockey League this season, Barkey was rewarded Sunday with a three-year entry-level contract, effective in the 2024-25 season.

The 18-year-old leads the London Knights in goals (31), assists (56), and points (87). He is tops among OHL forwards with a plus-minus of plus-38, tied with Toronto Maple Leafs prospect Easton Cowan with seven shorthanded goals, and ranks fourth on the team with 27 power-play points.

A third-round draft pick by the Flyers in 2023, Barkey has scored the first goal for London seven times (tied for third in the OHL) and has won 53.3% of his faceoffs (114 of 214). Fellow Flyers prospect Oliver Bonk leads the Knights in power-play goals (15) and points (30).

Barkey’s point and assist totals also rank third in the OHL, and Cowan and Barkey’s seven shorthanded goals rank second across the entire Canadian Hockey League. This season, the teen from Newmarket, Ontario, has upped his game after scoring 59 points in 61 games last season and just 15 in 53 games in 2021-22.

» READ MORE: Flyers prospects Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey share a bond as they grow their games in the OHL

He was drafted 95th overall in 2023, but Barkey’s stock has risen quickly.

“I’ve gotten much more time on the [penalty kill] this year,” Barkey recently told The Inquirer. “I’m letting my hockey sense and my compete take over. I just try to read plays, jump on pucks, and maybe turn penalty kills into offensive chances. It’s a team effort. There [are] four guys on the ice; without those guys, I wouldn’t have the scoring chances I have on the PK. It’s a huge credit to the guys I’m on the ice with. I’ve been fortunate to bury some chances on the PK.”

Barkey has also shown some bite this season. One of the last cuts by Hockey Canada for the 2024 World Juniors Championship despite notching a goal and an assist in an exhibition win at the team’s pre-tournament training camp, the center only amped up his game. At the time of the cut, he was seventh in OHL scoring with 41 points (17 goals, 24 assists) in 28 games, at a clip of 1.46 points per game. In the last 28 games, he’s producing at a pace of 1.64 points per game (46 points; 14 goals, 32 assists).

At 5-foot-9 and 170 pounds, Barkey has been working on adding more muscle and wants to “continue to get heavier, bigger, and stronger.” This summer he’ll be at the Flyers development camp, alongside his buddy Bonk.

“When Philly announced their pick and picked me, it was one of the coolest moments of my life,” Barkey says. “It’s a big relief just to be drafted. But to be drafted to the same team with Oliver, it’s super cool. I walked down the aisle and gave him a huge hug.

“It was a super cool moment to know you’re going to spend a lot more time with him. It was an experience I’ll never forget.”