The Flyers’ 25-and-under core’s late-season momentum provides hope for the future

When 23-year-old center Morgan Frost agreed to a one-year deal in the offseason to remain with the Flyers, he knew he had a lot to prove to the front office. After a shoulder injury derailed his 2020-21 season, followed by an inconsistent 2021-22 campaign, Frost still was looking to carve out a role as an NHL regular capable of flaunting his offensive skill on a nightly basis.

But for Frost to prove he could be that type of player, he needed to believe that he was that type of player. He wasn’t there yet.

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“That’s probably the biggest thing, in my opinion, for any young player is kind of proving it to yourself before you prove it to anyone,” Frost said Friday at the Flyers’ end-of-season exit interviews. “I think when you prove it to yourself and find that mojo, that’s when your game can really start to take off, and maybe that’s when you start to show the coaches and show the organization what you’re capable of.”

The latter part of this season provided a newfound opportunity and, in turn, a boost of confidence to members of the Flyers’ 25-and-under core including Frost, winger Owen Tippett, and center Noah Cates. Frost, for example, went from playing less than 10 minutes a night in a couple games early in the season to playing top-line and special-teams minutes for the last two months (17 minutes, 38 seconds of ice time on average).

Gradually, Frost started to figure out what it takes to be a consistently impactful player. In his final 26 games of the season, Frost ranked first on the team with 20 points (nine goals and 11 assists). By fine-tuning the details of his game and not heaping too much pressure on himself, Frost maintained the belief that he belonged in the NHL. He finished the season with career highs in goals (19), assists (27), and points (46).

“Early in the season, I was maybe having some doubts with myself and wasn’t feeling too great about my game,” Frost said. “And I think just kind of turning it around a little bit did a lot for me, and I felt kind of like a completely different player the second half.”

Frost wasn’t the only young player who thrived with more responsibility and flashed long-term potential. Tippett saw his nightly minutes increase dramatically when winger Travis Konecny was sidelined for 16 games because of a lower-body injury beginning in late February. In that span, 24-year-old Tippett averaged 20:41 (more than three minutes higher than his season average) while putting up eight goals (including two game-winners) and four assists.

By the end of the season, Tippett was playing more of the power-forward style that coach John Tortorella wanted. Like Frost, Tippett finished the year with career highs in goals (27), assists (22), and points (49), in his first full season in the Flyers organization no less. But as gratifying as it was to find that confidence individually, Tippett enjoyed watching some of his peers such as Frost surge as the season wore on.

“I think the last half of the year when guys got more comfortable and started to take off, personal success, it’s when you start having more fun kind of as a group,” Tippett said. “You just want to help each other have the most success possible. I think it goes a long way with that and it builds confidence for next year for sure for everyone in the group.”

While Tippett proved to himself that he could be a consistent NHL goal scorer, 24-year-old Cates showed that he was capable of thriving in a new position. Cates switched from left wing to center roughly six weeks into the season. Tortorella trusted him defensively to take on top opponents throughout the league, from speedy superstars in Edmonton Oilers center Connor McDavid and Boston Bruins winger David Pastrňák to big, powerful goal-scorers in Colorado Avalanche winger Mikko Rantanen and Florida Panthers center Aleksander Barkov.

It wasn’t a completely pain-free transition, as Cates won just 39.5% of his faceoffs. But upon playing with Cates following his return from injury, Konecny was floored by the maturity of his game. Konecny likened Cates to 2020 Selke Trophy winner Sean Couturier, capable of going up against top players defensively while still contributing offensively. Those opportunities to go toe-to-toe against the league’s best helped shape Cates’ perception of himself as a bona fide NHL player.

“I think just the confidence that I can play in this league and wherever I’m slotted or whoever I’m playing against, I’m confident and I know what I can do,” Cates said.

With the emergence of those three forwards, plus the potential of other members of the 25-and-under core including 23-year-old winger Joel Farabee, 22-year-old defenseman Cam York, and 21-year-old forward prospect Tyson Foerster, the Flyers’ old guard is optimistic about the team’s future as they embark upon a rebuild.

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“We have a lot of young guys that have stepped up in bigger roles,” forward Scott Laughton said. “I think you saw it in the last two months or so. They’re getting more opportunities and playing against some top guys and really getting their feet wet. You always don’t get that opportunity as the young guy to play those big minutes and be in key situations. So I think it can only help down the road.”

In the midst of uncertainty regarding plenty of facets of the Flyers’ organization, from the futures of veterans with term remaining on their contracts to how long the prospective rebuild might take, one thing is for sure — the kids are on the right track.