Former Flyers first-rounder Jay O’Brien signs minor-league deal with Toronto

Just 10 days after he officially became a free agent, Jay O’Brien has found a new home.

The former first-round pick of the Flyers inked a one-year AHL deal with the Toronto Marlies on Friday, as he looks to kickstart his professional hockey career. O’Brien, who recently completed his senior season at Boston University, was free to sign with any team as of Aug. 15.

The Flyers revealed in April they would not be signing O’Brien, who was drafted with the No. 19 overall pick by then-general manager Ron Hextall in 2018. By not signing the 23-year-old center, the Flyers will receive a 2024 second-round pick (No. 51) as compensation.

After being drafted out of prep school by the Flyers, O’Brien played one season at Providence College, one season in the British Columbia Hockey League, and three seasons at Boston University. He scored eight goals and posted 32 points in 39 games last season as Boston University reached the Frozen Four.

While he never developed into a star at the college ranks, O’Brien was a productive player for the Terriers, averaging 0.89 points per game over his three-year career. The biggest problem for O’Brien was staying healthy, as his first three college seasons were marred by shoulder, head, and hip injuries. Before last season, the center underwent hip surgery to fix a nagging problem. At BU, he was a teammate of current Flyers prospect and 2022 third-round pick Devin Kaplan.

O’Brien leaves the Flyers organization after five years and without ever playing a professional game. He was selected five picks after the Flyers drafted winger Joel Farabee in 2018 and three picks before the New York Rangers nabbed star defenseman K’Andre Miller. O’Brien will hope his skating and playmaking ability will help him latch on with Toronto and some day earn a shot at playing in the NHL.

O’Brien wasn’t the only former Flyers high draft pick to agree to a deal on Friday, as Isaac Ratcliffe was signed to a professional tryout by the St. Louis Blues.

Ratcliffe, a second-round pick (No. 35 overall) in 2017 by the Flyers, looks to catch on with the Blues after signing an AHL deal with the Chicago Wolves earlier this summer. St. Louis will need to sign Ratcliffe to an NHL contract or he will be returned to the Wolves.

The 6-foot-6, 201-pound Ratcliffe was a 50-goal scorer in junior for the Guelph Storm but struggled to produce in the AHL in five seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms (0.35 points per game in 162 career games). However, he did show some flashes in a 10-game stint with the Flyers in 2021-22, scoring a goal and four points while playing big and with skill.

Ratcliffe finished last season with the Milwaukee Admirals of the AHL after being traded by the Flyers to the Nashville Predators. In 21 games with Milwaukee, Ratcliffe scored four and 16 points, compared with just two goals and four points in 26 games with the Phantoms before the trade. He will be at Blues training camp alongside former Flyers teammate Kevin Hayes, who was traded to St. Louis in June.

To this point, Ratcliffe, like O’Brien and 2017 No. 2 overall pick Nolan Patrick, looks like another failed Hextall draft pick. It is worth noting that Dallas Stars MVP candidate Jason Robertson was picked 39th in the Ratcliffe draft, while big center Eetu Luostarinen, who impressed during the playoffs with the Florida Panthers, went 42nd to Carolina.