Flyers sign NCAA prospects Alex Bump and Devin Kaplan to entry-level contracts

ST. LOUIS — Alex Bump and Devin Kaplan FaceTime often as the two Flyers prospects have developed a strong friendship.

They chatted last week about the Frozen Four, which ended with Bump’s Western Michigan squad beating Kaplan and Boston University, 6-2, in the national championship game. Although the two didn’t plan on talking to each other before that game, they are assuredly speed-dialing each other now.

» READ MORE: Flyers prospect Alex Bump has become a star at Western Michigan. The former fifth-rounder might prove to be ‘an absolute steal.’

On Tuesday, Kaplan, a third-round pick by the Flyers in 2022, and Bump, a fifth-rounder in that same draft, both signed three-year, entry-level contracts with the team. Kaplan, 21, will join the Flyers this week while Bump’s deal won’t begin until next season. In the meantime, Bump has signed an amateur tryout agreement with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League; the Phantoms begin the playoffs next week.

The signings come on the heels of Bump, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference’s forward of the year, often being the best player on the ice during this past weekend’s Frozen Four despite not registering a point. The 21-year-old generated several Grade A chances himself (12 shots on goal over two games) and also played a key role in creating opportunities for his linemate, Owen Michaels, to score four goals, including the double-overtime winner in a 3-2 victory against Denver in the semifinals.

“Alex Bump is a star,” Western Michigan coach Pat Ferschweiler said after the title game. “Him choosing us and believing in what we’re trying to do here, him coming every day and getting better every single day, which he has the last two years, and now he’s turned himself into a National Hockey League player, no doubt in my mind.”

Out of Prior Lake High School in Minnesota, Bump has developed from an afterthought into a bona fide NHL prospect since finding a home in Kalamazoo, Mich. He registered 14 goals and 36 points in 38 games as a freshman with the Broncos and this past season upped his production to 47 points (23 goals, 24 assists) in 42 games.

“He’s a volume shooter. He loves to shoot the puck” Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong recently said of Bump. “That’s what generates so much offense not only for him but for the team in general.

“I think when you add that to him making that next step to the NHL, I think it’s going to look great for him, to be honest. When you look at Alex and you think 6-2, and he puts on 10 to 15 more pounds in the next couple of years? You look at a kid who, I’m thinking, is a top-six forward at the NHL level.”

Meanwhile, the 6-foot-3, 205-pound Kaplan’s game has grown and developed over the years with the Terriers.

“I think the big thing I’ve been talking about with my coaches [is] net front, when the puck gets run down, just keeping guys on my back and kind of holding them off and slowing down at my pace, so I can make plays,” he said.

“Playing below the goal line, below the tops of the circles, just things like that. Because I feel like I’m good at holding guys off and making plays under pressure. So just kind of fine-tuning that and working on that.”

In 115 games with the Terriers, Kaplan tallied 25 goals and 64 points. This past season, wearing an “A” as an alternate captain, he had 18 points (10 goals, eight assists) in 38 games and created time and space for his linemates.

Now his focus shifts to the NHL. The Flyers have two games left, Tuesday at home against the Columbus Blue Jackets (7 p.m., NBCSP) and Thursday at the Buffalo Sabres (7 p.m., NBCSP).

“I think he’s come a long way this year,” BU coach Jay Pandolfo said. “I think he’s starting to figure out the way he needs to play to be effective. He’s a power forward-type player. He’s very good at attacking the net. He’s got to make sure he’s good below the goal line, separating, being able to protect pucks, and getting to the net.”

Now the two close friends, who were drafted on the same day in 2022, will embark on their pro careers just a week after going toe-to-toe for a national title.

Flyers goalie prospect Carson Bjarnason has been assigned to Lehigh Valley, a source confirmed to The Inquirer. A second-round pick by the Flyers in 2023, Bjarnason recently finished his season with Brandon of the Western Hockey League. The 19-year-old went 22-15-3 with a .913 save percentage in 40 games this season for the Wheat Kings.

» READ MORE: Flyers prospect Alex Bump won an NCAA title with Western Michigan. Could his coach join him here?