Flyers sign sixth-round forward Radel Fazleev
Fazleev, drafted last year, had an impressive postseason with the WHL Calgary Hitmen.
TWO MONTHS after Radel Fazleev commanded the attention of Flyers president Paul Holmgren and top Western Canada scout Mark Greig during a visit in Calgary, Fazleev has checked off one of his career goals.
The Flyers signed Fazleev, a low-risk, high-reward sixth-round pick to a three-year, entry-level contract Thursday.
Fazleev, picked 168th overall last June, wowed Holmgren during one of his Calgary Hitmen games when the Flyers were at the Saddledome in March. He played in just about every situation in Calgary, on the second-unit power play and penalty kill, and earned a reputation for his hunger for loose pucks.
The all-around forward from Russia finished up his solid campaign with 14 points in 17 WHL playoff games. In two years in North America, Fazleev has learned English fluently and has grown in leaps and bounds on the ice. Since he is 19, he will likely go back to Calgary next season for another year of major junior. He cannot play in the AHL.
"I don't know about other , but for me, I want to play in the NHL,'' Fazleev told the Daily News in March. "This is not the easiest way, but I think this is the shortest way to get there. I've got to work on everything, my speed, my weight, my shot. I don't want to stop working hard. Progressing never stops.''
Slap shots
Flyers 2013 first-round pick Samuel Morin scored in the second period of Thursday night's do-or-die Memorial Cup game for Rimouski (QMJHL) . . . While it might be hard to root for Chicago after that 2010 Stanley Cup final, Flyers fans may have a reason: If the Blackhawks win Game 7 Saturday night in Anaheim, the Flyers' 2016 draft pick from this February's Kimmo Timonen trade will bump up from the third round to the second.