The Flyers announced they’ve recalled center prospect Denver Barkey from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms. To open a roster spot, the team sent down defenseman Egor Zamula to Lehigh Valley after he cleared waivers earlier Friday. Barkey is expected to make his NHL debut Saturday afternoon against the Rangers.
Barkey, 20, is in the early stages of his first professional season after being drafted in the third round (No. 95 overall) by Philadelphia in 2023. He slipped a few spots past where most expected him to go in the draft, but he wasn’t viewed as much more than a potential mid-second round pick at best.
His stock exploded during his post-draft season. In 64 games for the OHL’s London Knights, he rattled off 35 goals and 102 points to lead the team in scoring and be named to the league’s Second All-Star Team. Last season, he captained the Knights to the second of back-to-back titles, took home a Memorial Cup ring for good measure, and averaged two points per game in the OHL playoffs.
At 5’10” and 172 lbs, Barkey plays bigger than his size. He’s one of the more energetic skaters in the Flyers’ system with above-average playmaking. Still, prospect evaluators are split on his ceiling. In preseason rankings, Elite Prospects named him the 13th-ranked prospect in Philly’s pool, projecting him as a third-line checking center or left-winger at best. The Athletic’s Corey Pronman had Barkey outside his top 13 rankings altogether, while Steven Ellis of Daily Faceoff put him at No. 6, labeling him as a versatile top-nine piece.
Evidently, the Flyers have liked what they’ve seen from Barkey through his first 26 games with the Phantoms. His seven goals are tied for second on the team, and he’s fourth in points with 16. He’ll now get his first chance to show what he can do in NHL minutes, even if it’s not expected to be a lengthy call-up with 13 healthy names ahead of him on the depth chart.