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Flyers prospect Joel Farabee stars in United States' win in World Junior tournament

Ron Hextall, the former Flyers' general manager, and Chris Pryor, an ex-assistant general manager, were both fired last month. But they did a terrific job in drafts.

Left winger Joel Farabee, with then-GM Ron Hextall behind him, puts on a jersey after being selected by the Flyers in the first round in the 2018 draft. He was one of five Americans drafted by the Flyers.
Left winger Joel Farabee, with then-GM Ron Hextall behind him, puts on a jersey after being selected by the Flyers in the first round in the 2018 draft. He was one of five Americans drafted by the Flyers.Read moreMICHAEL AINSWORTH

Flyers prospects continue to make Ron Hextall and Chris Pryor look good.

Hextall, the former Flyers' general manager, and Pryor, an ex-assistant general manager, were both fired last month. But they did a terrific job in drafts.

One of their draft selections, Joel Farabee, scored a natural hat trick in a 6:52 span of the first period Friday, leading the United States past Kazakhstan, 8-2, in the World Junior Championships in Victoria, British Columbia.

Farabee, a freshman at Boston University, became the second Flyers' first-round draft pick to score a hat trick in the tourney. Morgan Frost, who is starring in juniors, did it in Canada’s first game, a 14-0 whipping of Denmark. Frost had five points in that win.

Coincidentally, Farabee (first-rounder in 2018, 14th overall) and Frost (first rounder in 2017, 27th overall) were selected with draft picks acquired as part of the deal that sent Brayden Schenn to St. Louis last year.

The Flyers (15-16-5) play in Sunrise, Fla., on Saturday night, and 20-year-old goaltender Carter Hart — another draft pick of Hextall’s and Pryor’s — will face the Panthers (15-15-6), who dropped a 5-3 decision to visiting Montreal on Friday.

Breakaways

Jordan Weal, who is replacing the injured Nolan Patrick, will center Scott Laughton and Michael Raffl. ... Patrick skated Saturday morning but is expected to miss the next three games. ... Among the 130 players who have taken at least 200 faceoffs this season, Weal is No. 1 with a 60 percent success rate. Laughton is fourth (59 percent) and Giroux is fifth (58.6 percent). ... Wayne Simmonds needs two goal to reach 200 as a Flyer. ... Injured goalie Brian Elliott is not close to returning. Tonight will be the 19th game he has missed this season. ... In franchise history, the Flyers are 29-16-1-1 in road games against the Panthers. ... The Flyers' power play is last in the NHL (13.1 percent success rate), while the Panthers' PP Is No. 2 (28.4 percent).