Flyers sign prospect Alexis Gendron to entry-level contract

When the Flyers selected Alexis Gendron with pick No. 220, the sixth-last pick of the 2022 NHL draft in Montreal, it seemed on the surface like more of a kind gesture toward a staff member than a bet on Gendron developing into an NHL players.

That’s because the 5-foot-10, 181-pound Gendron is the son of Flyers scout, Martin Gendron, who has worked for the team since 2019. While the younger Gendron still has a long way to go to reach the NHL, his journey took another positive step Tuesday when the Flyers signed him to a three-year entry-level contract.

While some may have chalked up the draft pick as another example of nepotism from the Flyers, the early returns, especially for a seventh-round pick, have been quite good. How good? Last season, Gendron ranked second in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with 55 goals while playing with the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada and later the Gatineau Olympiques, Claude Giroux’s former junior team. Gendron led the QMJHL with 21 power-play goals and notched 81 points between his two stops. In the playoffs, Gendron fired in another 14 goals in 13 games to help Gatineau reach the conference finals.

While the 19-year-old Gendron may still be a long shot to reach the NHL, scoring 55 goals in 63 games — even in an offensively inclined league like QMJHL — is no small feat. The Flyers may just have found something with a late pick here, and Gendron, who participated in the team’s development camp earlier this month, will be one to watch closely over the next few seasons.