Morgan Frost, Joel Farabee head Flyers’ forward-heavy, top-10 prospect list

Eight of the Flyers’ top 10 prospects are forwards, headed by Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee -- players selected with draft picks the Flyers acquired in a 2017 deal that sent Brayden Schenn to St. Louis.

The Inquirer’s rankings have fast-blossoming left winger Isaac Ratcliffe at No. 3 after a sensational season in the Ontario Hockey League.

The only non-forwards in the rankings: defensemen Samuel Morin (No. 4) and Wyatt Kalynuk (No. 10). Three goaltenders are among the players listed under “honorable mention” and all have the ability to jump into the top 10 during the 2019-20 season.

The rankings do not include players who played at least 20 games with the Flyers last season, such as goalie Carter Hart and defenseman Phil Myers.

1. Morgan Frost (6-foot, 184 pounds): The 20-year-old center is coming off junior seasons in which he accumulated 112 and 109 points, respectively, and is regarded as a future top-six forward. He will battle for a roster spot in camp – perhaps moving to wing – and will likely start the season with the AHL’s Phantoms.

2. Joel Farabee (6-1, 174): The speedy 19-year-old left winger was named the Hockey East rookie of the year at Boston University last season after leading the team in most categories, including goals (17) and points (36). Like Frost, Farabee will have a chance to make the Flyers during training camp but will likely play for the Phantoms.

3. Isaac Ratcliffe (6-6, 204): A rugged left winger with soft hands and a great scoring touch, Ratcliffe had 50 goals and 82 points in 65 Ontario Hockey League games last season, then netted 15 goals and 30 points in 24 playoff games. A second-round draft pick in 2017, Ratcliffe, 20, is likely headed to Lehigh Valley this season.

4. Samuel Morin (6-7, 227): Now that he’s finally healthy after undergoing ACL surgery on his right knee on May 31, 2018, the almost-24-year-old Morin will be given a great chance to be on the Flyers’ opening-night roster. Drafted in the first round (11th overall) in 2013, he brings some much-needed physicality to the back end.

5. Wade Allison (6-2, 205): Because he was recovering from a torn ACL, Allison’s season with Western Michigan was delayed last year, but the powerful right winger is on track to become a key power forward for the Flyers down the road. Allison, 21, had 15 points, including eight goals, in 22 games last season and is expected to return to college for one more year.

6. German Rubtsov (6-0, 187): Drafted in the first round in 2016, Rubtsov was making strides before his Phantoms season ended because of shoulder surgery. He had six goals and 10 points in 14 games. Rubtsov, a center who turns 21 on June 27, should be at 100 percent this season, and he could be a call-up during the year.

7. Tanner Laczynski (6-1, 190): The 22-year-old center, a sixth-round steal in the 2017 draft, plans to return to Ohio State for his senior year. He has 37 goals, 109 points, and a plus-40 rating in 102 games at OSU and has a high hockey IQ. The Flyers, who selected Laczynski with the 169th overall pick, own his rights until Aug. 15, 2020.

8. Noah Cates (6-1, 179): The 20-year-old left winger, chosen in the fifth round in 2017, is a relentless worker who is climbing the Flyers prospect chart. He had nine goals and 23 points in 40 regular-season games and helped Minnesota Duluth win its second straight national title. He also helped the United States win bronze in the World Juniors.

9. Jay O’Brien (5-10, 174): After a difficult freshman season in which he suffered a concussion and a shoulder injury, the feisty center left Providence College and could end up in the British Columbia Hockey League. A surprising first-round selection (19th overall) last year after amassing 80 points in 30 high school games, O’Brien, 19, will try to rebound after collecting five points in 25 games at Providence.

10. Wyatt Kalynuk (6-1, 180): The Flyers love the strides the 22-year-old defenseman made at the University of Wisconsin, where he had nine goals and 25 points in 37 games last season. A smooth skater drafted in the seventh round in 2017, Kalynuk is a puck-moving defenseman with lots of upside.

Honorable mention (alphabetically): Nic Aube-Kubel, right winger; Connor Bunnaman, center; Samuel Ersson, goalie; Pascal Laberge, right winger; Felix Sandstrom, goalie; Carsen Twarynski, left winger; Kirill Ustimenko, goalie; Mikhail Vorobyev, center; Yegor Zamula, defenseman.