On March 3, the Philadelphia Flyers signed 18-year-old prospect Denver Barkey to a three-year entry-level contract. He was selected 95th overall in the third round in the 2023 NHL Draft by Philadelphia.
Barkey has had a tremendous 2023-24 campaign for the London Knights in the Ontario Hockey League (OHL). Their leading scorer, he has helped them to a 43-13-4 record this season. Now officially a Flyer, what does this mean for him and the team?
Who Is Denver Barkey?
In his draft year, Barkey had 22 goals and 37 assists for 59 points and a plus-18 rating in 61 games. This season, he has one-upped that with 31 goals and 56 assists for 87 points and a plus-38 rating in just 56 contests. He is third in OHL scoring and ranks eighth in the league in points per game at 1.55, just behind the 10th-overall pick from his draft, Dalibor Dvorsky, who is sitting at 1.56.
One of the reasons he went so low is his frame. He’s just 5-foot-9 and has played both center and on the wing, but has leaned toward the latter this season. It’s not abnormal for undersized players to fall a bit in the draft — that was Barkey’s fate. Scoring is pretty high in the OHL and it’s a league with a lot of players younger than Barkey, so it’s important to note that he’s not putting up superstar numbers. But his development has been inspiring nonetheless.
Related: Flyers’ Denver Barkey Showing Promising Development
With this contract, that likely means Barkey will be making the jump from the OHL to the American Hockey League (AHL) fairly soon, whether that is next season or the season after. If he’s in the AHL as soon as 2024-25, it might take him a bit to adjust to playing with those his age versus those who are far older than him. If he’s able to make that jump and produce after he has time to adjust, he could be an NHL regular for the Orange and Black.
Right now, Barkey projects to be about a third-line player — in 2017-18, Flyers center Morgan Frost was second in OHL scoring and fourth in points per game, just a step ahead of Barkey. Frost is a lower-end second-line player currently at 24 years of age, so that’s not a reach or underestimation at this time. If Barkey develops, he can be a very useful player for the Flyers. Philadelphia has seemingly found a gem in him.
