Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr talks prospects Matvei Michkov, Alexei Kolosov, and more
In Part 1 of a two-part interview with The Inquirer, Flahr, who manages the team's amateur scouting, had a lot to say about Michkov and several other Flyers prospects.
The Flyers might be in the heat of a playoff race, but the organization insists its eyes remain on the future and building a sustainable contender.
This year’s roster includes several young players, including Owen Tippett, Cam York, and Tyson Foerster, who could be part of the long-term project. Others like Matvei Michkov, Oliver Bonk, and Denver Barkey have yet to arrive but have bright futures. With that in mind, The Inquirer caught up recently with Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr, who oversees amateur scouting and the draft. In Part 1 of our chat, we asked Flahr about some of the team’s top young players and prospects.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
Q: The Flyers’ farm system has been ranked highly by several media outlets. How do you assess the farm system today?
A: I think we have some depth in certain positions. I think we have some holes. Certainly, we’re not content. We have some picks that are developing in junior that we’re happy with and in the American Hockey League, too. But we still have a lot of work to do. Obviously, we’ve acquired picks — multiple picks this year and next year — and hopefully, we can capitalize on building the foundation going forward.
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Q: You’ve been with the organization since December 2018. How have you seen it grow and develop under your expertise?
A: Ever since Chuck Fletcher hired me here, the big focus was on the draft for me, and making sure we added players and skill. We were kind of an aging team, and we needed an influx of young players. So, yeah, we have a good group; I inherited a lot of guys, which I knew coming in, I knew just from the scouting circles and whatnot. We have a good staff here and we’ve worked hard, and I think we’ve done a good job adding some young players that we’re seeing coming into the lineup, the Foersters, the Yorks, guys that are contributing now and have great futures. Then, in the next couple of years, you’ll see more and more kids step in.
Q: Does it give you pride seeing the homegrown guys excelling at the NHL level?
A: For sure. … I know fans want these kids to all play right now, but there is a process, a development path for these kids. A lot of times it’s playing in the American Hockey League, it’s not a quick transition all the time. It’s a hard league and these kids step out of junior and there is a lot to learn. It’s a great league but it’s a challenge and sometimes it takes kids a year or two to find their way and learn the details of the game that they need to play in the NHL, especially for a coach like John Tortorella.
Q: The No. 1 prospect in the system is Michkov. Is it a little hard to wait for him to come?
A: For sure. We knew that going in, though. But where we picked and with his skill set, what he could bring to a franchise, it’s all worth the wait. When he does come, he’s NHL-ready; he’s probably pretty close to that right now. But he’s going to be stronger, he’s going to be faster. He’s going to be ready to step in and have an impact right away. So for fans that are probably losing patience, when he does get here it’ll be worth the wait.
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Q: Do you talk to him? Do you have a sense of where he’s at in his development and what his expectations are for the future?
A: We obviously leave him alone for the most part during the season, but [director of player development] Riley Armstrong communicates with him via an app that translates back and forth. Obviously, it was a frustrating year playing on a team like that. But he’s played a lot. It was really frustrating because they don’t play young players on [SKA] St. Petersburg, it doesn’t matter how talented they are. So he got down to Sochi and at least he got to play a lot. He also had to battle pneumonia, but he played well and performed and did what he does. I think he’s anxious to get over here, eventually. It’s just, he’ll work on his game while he’s there.
Q: Goalie prospect Alexei Kolosov is a guy on everyone’s minds. Where do things stand with him coming to North America?
A: There’s work visas and then, a lot of times, you have to wait if he has any obligations with the national program, as well. So they’re working some of those things out, plus his visa. But he’s excited. We’re excited to add him to the mix whenever that will be, whether it’s late this season or next year, but he’s an exciting prospect for us for sure.
Q: Many call Kolosov one of the best goalies outside the NHL. What is the expectation for him, let’s say for next year?
A: Well, you never know. The one thing with him, it’s kind of a freakish thing, is he’s played almost four years, I think, in the KHL. He played as an 18-year-old, which is unheard of. So, he’s got lots of experience, played at a high level, has played big games. He doesn’t play for the strongest team in his league — and he gets peppered a lot of nights, and it’s been really good. I think he, realistically, will need time in the American League, just to adjust to the pro game over here, with all the traffic and the arena size and all the different things. But he is highly athletic, he’s competitive. His interest is playing in the NHL and not the American League so we’ll see where it goes.
Q: It must be exciting to have someone like that coming, but does it put a little pressure on Sam Ersson to further prove himself?
A: Yeah, for sure. Sam, you probably got to know him a little bit now, he’s pretty comfortable in his own skin and confident. But goaltending depth, I’ve been with a few teams, and it’s hard to get, but our guys drafted well and we have really good depth in the goaltending position. Guys like Carson Bjarnason and Egor Zavragin, drafted last year, are two really promising goalies, so we’re not in any rush. They can take their time to develop and develop properly, but they’re very good prospects. So it’s exciting to have that pipeline of goaltending which we haven’t had — especially the Flyers organization — we haven’t had that in a long time.
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Q: Bonk played for Team Canada at the World Juniors and had that bad break in the gold medal game but bounced back.
A: He worked hard this summer, putting on some weight, and getting stronger. He still has a long way to go, but his hockey IQ and the confidence that he plays with on both sides of the puck is impressive. He’s had a strong year on a really good London team.
Q: But what does it say about him and how he didn’t let that unfortunate incident with Canada impact his season and progression?
A: That’s kind of the way his personality is. It’s one of the strengths of his game. You watch a lot of young players, especially defensemen, they make a mistake and you watch their next couple shifts and they’re rattled, they let it impact them. Bonker’s got that personality where he’s just going and doing what he does, and it’s just water off his back. So, he’s a pretty mature kid beyond his years. When you talk to him he looks like he’s still 14 years old, but he’s a pretty confident kid. He’s pretty self-aware and he’s in a real good spot for where we were expecting him to be.
Q: And his teammate, Denver Barkey, is having an exceptional year, too. Where do you see his game going?
A: He’s as advertised. He’s exceptionally smart, highly competitive, and, obviously, he’s highly skilled. The one thing working against him, or will work against him is his size [5-foot-9, 155 pounds]. But, he’s always been the smallest guy. He has a number of traits that small players have to have to make it like his high hockey IQ, skill level, and more importantly, his competitiveness. He’s really driven to score, really driven to win. And he plays on both sides of the puck. He’s an elite penalty killer in London, and very dangerous with [Toronto Maple Leafs prospect] Easton Cowan; they get more scoring chances on the PK sometimes than the [other team’s] power play. He’s a terrific kid who loves the game, he’s a rink rat. It’s going to take time to grow into his body and get stronger and get up to where he needs to get to, but he’s an exciting player.
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