Flyers prospect Phil Myers dominating in junior ranks
Phil Myers probably would have been a first-round pick in next month's NHL draft if the Flyers didn't have the foresight to sign the 6-foot-5, 208-pound free agent during last year's training camp.
Phil Myers probably would have been a first-round pick in next month's NHL draft if the Flyers didn't have the foresight to sign the 6-foot-5, 208-pound free agent during last year's training camp.
Since then, the junior-level defenseman has blossomed faster than anyone could have expected, strengthening the Flyers' already-deep group of up-and-coming blue liners.
"There's no question" he would have been a first-round selection if he was in this year's draft, said Craig Button, the highly respected draft guru for TSN in Canada. "What a steal by the Flyers."
Myers, 19, had a "series of nagging injuries last year and it really prevented him from showing what that promise was," Button said in a phone interview Thursday.
As a result, he was bypassed in last year's draft. Myers went to Calgary's developmental camp last summer, but the Flames did not sign him. The Flyers swooped in, inviting him to training camp last September and, after an impressive showing, signing the free agent to a three-year, $1.9 million entry-level contract.
"It gave me a lot of confidence," Myers, who is getting ready to play in the Memorial Cup for the Rouyn-Noranda Huskies, said of the Flyers' commitment.
"He came in and he earned it," Flyers coach Dave Hakstol said at the time. "That's the old-fashioned way."
Playing for the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League champion Huskies, Myers had 17 goals, 45 points and a plus-52 rating this season. That's an eye-opening improvement from his previous season: two goals, eight points, and a minus-14 rating.
"He took the motivation of not getting drafted and turned it into something," said Doug Shepherd, Myers' agent.
Button went to five of Myers' early-season games this season.
"You know when you see something and you just go, 'Whoa,' " Button said. "You watched him and [his play] just jumped up and grabbed you by the scruff of the neck and said, 'You want to see what I'm about. This is what I'm about.' "
Button said the righthanded-shooting Myers reminds him of Winnipeg's Tyler Myers (no relation), a former 12th overall draft pick, and ex-Flyer Kjell Samuelsson.
"I love the range of his game - offensively, defensively, physically. He's smart. . . . He's a rangy player, he can handle the puck, he can make plays, he can shoot the puck," Button said.
Button said the 6-6 Samuelsson, now a member of the Flyers' player-development staff, had a solid 14-year career because he was long and rangy.
"When you got into Kjell Samuelssons's space, it was like you got into a spider web," Button said. "There was no way to get out of it. Phil Myers has some of that capability with his range."
Myers, a puck mover and a strong defender, and the Flyers' best defensive prospect - Ivan Provorov of WHL champion Brandon - will face each other Saturday in the round-robin Memorial Cup, which brings together four outstanding junior teams in Red Deer, Alberta.
"We've been striving for this all year," Myers said in a phone conversation Wednesday night, "and to finally have all our work pay off, it feels great. It was a great team effort and everybody has been on the same page."
Myers said training camp sped up his development.
"I gained a lot of experience going there," he said. "I went on the ice with all the NHL guys, and you see you're not that far off. It just gave me a lot of confidence, and I also had a big summer in the gym. I got a lot stronger and more mobile. And I came into this year knowing I could dominate in this league."
After going undrafted last June, Myers had offers to go to six NHL camps. He chose the Flyers, he said, "because they were the ones showing the most interest."
At camp, he said, he took away things he carried into this season.
"I learned how preparation was important," he said. "I learned how important sleep is, and how important your diet is - and what goes into your body to give you more energy for a game."
In midseason, Button ranked Myers 38th among the top 50 NHL-affiliated prospects. He was ahead of players who had been selected in the first and second rounds of recent drafts.
Flyers prospects Provorov (fourth), defenseman Travis Sanheim (23rd), and right winger Travis Konecny (29th) also made the list.
Myers said part of the reason for his dominating season was because he received more playing time and was put on the power play.
"Obviously, confidence was a big factor, but I also got a lot more ice time this year and gaining the coach's trust was a big factor, too," he said.
Myers and his teammates are looking forward to facing Brandon and the highly touted Provorov on Saturday.
"It's pretty exciting, but the main task is to beat them," he said. "I'm not going there to play against Ivan."
Because of his age, Myers will have to play another junior season and won't be eligible to join the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms until 2017-18. He said it would be "ideal" if he reached the NHL in 2018-19.
By that time, the Flyers' blue line could include home-grown defenders Shayne Gostisbehere, Provorov, Sanheim, Sam Morin and perhaps Robert Hagg - a young and gifted defensive corps that figures to be the team's identity for many years to come.
@BroadStBull www.philly.com/flyersblog
