Philadelphia Flyer eyes will be on two players when the Western Hockey League champion Brandon Wheat Kings take on the QMJHL champion Rouyn-Noranda Huskies in Memorial Cup round-robin play on Saturday in Red Deer, Alberta (7:00 p.m. EDT): Brandon defenseman Ivan Provorov and Rouyn-Noranda defenseman Philippe Myers.
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The 19-year-old Provorov, selected by the Flyers with the seventh overall pick of the 2015 NHL Draft, had a dominant two-way season for a powerhouse Brandon team and won the WHL's defenseman of the year award. Offensively, he posted 21 goals and 73 points in 62 games and was a plus-64. During the playoffs, he had 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 21 games and was plus-22.
There are are very few weaknesses in Provorov's game. He plays the game the right way, with and without the puck, and can make difficult plays look easy. He's not flashy but he is highly effective most nights and does not need to score or set up goals on a particular night -- although he does plenty of that, too -- to make a positive impact on the game for his team.
It's not that Provorov is immune from gaffes. All players, especially young defensemen, make their share. Anyone who micro-analyzes the player to expect perfect shift after perfect shift is setting themselves up for disappointment, because even Norris Trophy winning defensemen in the NHL can't adhere to that standard. Instead, look at the big picture.
In comparison to most of his peers -- even fellow first-round picks -- Provorov makes NHL-caliber reads and reactions not just some of the time but, rather, far more often than not. The player who returned from an excellent performance at the World Junior Championships elevated his game to a higher level on both sides of the puck. He did not look NHL-ready during camp with the Flyers last September.
As long as he plays to the norms he's shown from November onward, Provorov will make things tough (in a good way) on Dave Hakstol and Ron Hextall come September 2016. That's a long way off, however. Right now the focus is on winning the Memorial Cup.
Perhaps no prospect in hockey has come further over the last year than the 19-year-old Myers. Unselected in last year's NHL Draft, the consensus is that, if the Flyers had not signed him as a free agent to an entry-level contract out of a rookie camp invite, he'd have been a top-40 pick and perhaps even a first-round selection in 2016.
In fact, Myers has come so far over the last year that Flyers fans need to keep a dose of perspective on the player. He improved offensively by leaps and bounds (17 goals, 43 points, plus-52 in 63 regular season games, four goals and 16 points, plus-17 in 20 games) but that is not the reason why the Flyers are excited about his upside. Quebec League offensive numbers traditionally have not meant much because of the league's style of play. That's changed a bit over the years, but numbers still tend to be more inflated in the Q than the other two CHL circuits.
What the Flyers like the most about Myers is that he is a big (6-foot-4, 205 pounds) defenseman with very good mobility and two-way upside. He makes an accurate first pass, has a good defensive stick and is usually in the right position. His shot has improved considerably over the past year. Overall, he is not on Provorov's level but Myers is a fine NHL prospect in his own right.
Don't expect Myers to be a crusher in the hitting department, at least not as a main facet of his game. That does not mean, however, that he is not capable of doing so. During the President Cup playoffs, especially in the semifinals and finals, Myers dialed up the physical part of his game and looked impressive in doing so.
Myers is likely to play one more season of Quebec League hockey next year before turning professional. Some AHL time after than may also be in order based on the way that Hextall prefers to pace young players' development. Myers has a lot of upside, though, and his rate of improvement in one season is very encouraging.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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