Bill Meltzer: Flyers Gameday: 11/5/22 @ OTT; Phantoms Update

Ratcliffe on the 4th line with Phantoms..another wasted pick. the guy never had NHL wheels and when he couldnt use his size to overpower opponents he became useless

Ratcliffe on the 4th line with Phantoms..another wasted pick. the guy never had NHL wheels and when he couldnt use his size to overpower opponents he became useless
- hfc355

Ratcliffe skates well enough; better skater than Foerster. He had no problem keeping up during his 10-game NHL stint last year. His issue has been that he/org have never figured out what his actual role is or ought to be. Is he a power forward and PP netfront guy? Is he an energy-line checker who needs to hit aggressively? A 4th line grinder whose main role is to win board battles? Someone being groomed as a PKer? A shooter from the slot?

Ratcliffe was arguably the Phantoms' most effective forward in the final 5 weeks of last season (outplayed Allison, for one, during that stretch). Had a meh camp (first guy Torts soured on). Has been back on 4th line with the Phantoms and has seemingly regressed again.

Frustrating for three reasons: 1) Much more was hoped/expected. 2) The developmental vision was never really clear. 3) He may just be the nicest guy in the organization (among many) and is someone who is easy to root to see succeed.

I guess Aube-Kubel still not claimed. Let's hope Bellows scopes up 23 points like Aube-Kubel last season.

If you're looking for the No. 1 reason why the club is saddled with a 2-5-1 record through eight games, Ian Laperriere this is the biggest culprit.

Fixed it for ya.

Ratcliffe skates well enough; better skater than Foerster. He had no problem keeping up during his 10-game NHL stint last year. His issue has been that he/org have never figured out what his actual role is or ought to be. Is he a power forward and PP netfront guy? Is he an energy-line checker who needs to hit aggressively? A 4th line grinder whose main role is to win board battles? Someone being groomed as a PKer? A shooter from the slot?

Ratcliffe was arguably the Phantoms' most effective forward in the final 5 weeks of last season (outplayed Allison, for one, during that stretch). Had a meh camp (first guy Torts soured on). Has been back on 4th line with the Phantoms and has seemingly regressed again.

Frustrating for three reasons: 1) Much more was hoped/expected. 2) The developmental vision was never really clear. 3) He may just be the nicest guy in the organization (among many) and is someone who is easy to root to see succeed.
- bmeltzer

Would disagree about his skating skills. That was his problem before he was drafted and continues to be. Hope for him he finds a 4th line role somewhere in the NHL but his skating was a red flag.

Ratcliffe skates well enough; better skater than Foerster. He had no problem keeping up during his 10-game NHL stint last year. His issue has been that he/org have never figured out what his actual role is or ought to be. Is he a power forward and PP netfront guy? Is he an energy-line checker who needs to hit aggressively? A 4th line grinder whose main role is to win board battles? Someone being groomed as a PKer? A shooter from the slot?

Ratcliffe was arguably the Phantoms' most effective forward in the final 5 weeks of last season (outplayed Allison, for one, during that stretch). Had a meh camp (first guy Torts soured on). Has been back on 4th line with the Phantoms and has seemingly regressed again.

Frustrating for three reasons: 1) Much more was hoped/expected. 2) The developmental vision was never really clear. 3) He may just be the nicest guy in the organization (among many) and is someone who is easy to root to see succeed.
- bmeltzer

Seems like in part that he is another victim of the Flyers incompetence in player development.

Ratcliffe skates well enough; better skater than Foerster. He had no problem keeping up during his 10-game NHL stint last year. His issue has been that he/org have never figured out what his actual role is or ought to be. Is he a power forward and PP netfront guy? Is he an energy-line checker who needs to hit aggressively? A 4th line grinder whose main role is to win board battles? Someone being groomed as a PKer? A shooter from the slot?

Ratcliffe was arguably the Phantoms' most effective forward in the final 5 weeks of last season (outplayed Allison, for one, during that stretch). Had a meh camp (first guy Torts soured on). Has been back on 4th line with the Phantoms and has seemingly regressed again.

Frustrating for three reasons: 1) Much more was hoped/expected. 2) The developmental vision was never really clear. 3) He may just be the nicest guy in the organization (among many) and is someone who is easy to root to see succeed.
- bmeltzer

So the Flyers have botched his development. What a surprise. No worries as Lappy will help him turn it around.

Why did Torts sour on him so quickly?

I guess Aube-Kubel still not claimed. Let's hope Bellows scopes up 23 points like Aube-Kubel last season.
- THE EVIL WITHIN

Yeah I mean NAK would easily score 23 on this roster.

"Yeah I mean NAK would easily score 23 on this roster."

That's if NAK can ever stay out of the penalty box....

Seems like in part that he is another victim of the Flyers incompetence in player development.
- MJL

The list is fairly long, regrettably.

The list is fairly long, regrettably.
- Letterkenney

It's systemic.

It's systemic.
- MJL

It's uncanny how bad they are at player development. I mean, you have to actually try to be as bad as they have been. Thank God that Gauthier is developing in college. They'd ruin him, too.

In regards to Ratcliffe, I think Bill's mostly right on that one, but it seems to me that the org has too see his skillset and then do the right things to leverage that skillset that he has. He comes in as a young prospect and in large part it's the organization that must guide him properly, not just throw him around in different roles and see what sticks.

It's systemic.
- MJL

It’s beyond maddening that they have yet to completely clean house when it comes to the hockey management and developmental departments. They all need to go!

Player development is one thing. It's another to not even know what role a player has.

There must have been something they saw in Ratcliffe's game that would translate to NHL. What were those specific skill(s) and develop that. Seems pretty black and white to me.

Player development is one thing. It's another to not even know what role a player has.

There must have been something they saw in Ratcliffe's game that would translate to NHL. What were those specific skill(s) and develop that. Seems pretty black and white to me.
- Pelle31Forever

There is nothing that this organization can’t screw up these days. They may well be the most inept organization in all of North America professional sports.

Player development is one thing. It's another to not even know what role a player has.

There must have been something they saw in Ratcliffe's game that would translate to NHL. What were those specific skill(s) and develop that. Seems pretty black and white to me.
- Pelle31Forever

The Flyers development M.O. is to not allow a player to be what he is but to suppress his strengths as a player until he plays the right way. Until they remake him into what they want him to be. The player will not be allowed to grow in his strengths until he becomes a complete player in other areas. Completely confusing the player and killing any confidence the player has.

There is nothing that this organization can’t screw up these days. They may well be the most inept organization in all of North America professional sports.
- BiggE

Certainly feels that way.

The Flyers development M.O. is to not allow a player to be what he is but to suppress his strengths as a player until he plays the right way. Until they remake him into what they want him to be. The player will not be allowed to grow in his strengths until he becomes a complete player in other areas. Completely confusing the player and killing any confidence the player has.
- MJL

I'd be curious to know what the Flyers' staff feels is the "right way".

The Phantoms special teams woes sound exactly like the Flyers special teams woes when Lappy was the assistant. Fletcher needs to hire a special teams coach for the Phantoms. Not that the Flyers are leading the league or anything, but this year so far their special teams look significantly better than they have over the past few seasons, and I believe the coaching of Rocky Thompson is the big reason!

Player development is one thing. It's another to not even know what role a player has.

There must have been something they saw in Ratcliffe's game that would translate to NHL. What were those specific skill(s) and develop that. Seems pretty black and white to me.
- Pelle31Forever

Seems like no other NHL team saw anything in his game that was enticing as he cleared waivers last month

Seems like no other NHL team saw anything in his game that was enticing as he cleared waivers last month
- hfc355

It's not that cut-and-dry. Waivers are unpredictable and it's a little easier sometimes to slip a play through a little earlier before the clubs are down to their final roster decisions. But you never know. Danick Martel was claimed by Tampa (who had no use for him, and he very rarely played) and veteran Chris Porter got claimed. Aube-Kubel cleared waivers in 2019; got claimed last year in-season.

Would disagree about his skating skills. That was his problem before he was drafted and continues to be. Hope for him he finds a 4th line role somewhere in the NHL but his skating was a red flag.
- hfc355

Ratcliffe isn't a speedster but he gets around OK. Rewatch his 10 games a Flyer last year. He kept up adequately with the pace. Worse skaters have had NHL careers.

It's uncanny how bad they are at player development. I mean, you have to actually try to be as bad as they have been. Thank God that Gauthier is developing in college. They'd ruin him, too.

In regards to Ratcliffe, I think Bill's mostly right on that one, but it seems to me that the org has too see his skillset and then do the right things to leverage that skillset that he has. He comes in as a young prospect and in large part it's the organization that must guide him properly, not just throw him around in different roles and see what sticks.
- Letterkenney

just curious who you think they have ruined? big issue to me is they draft lower ceiling players.

just curious who you think they have ruined? big issue to me is they draft lower ceiling players.
- hello it's me 2050

They've drafted plenty of players with natural skill and who developed exactly as hoped through their D+1 and D+2 years, as witnessed by their national teams putting them in prominent roles at the WJC (such as York captaining gold-medal winning Team USA, Frost on PP1 for Team Canada, Ersson as Sweden's starter, Farabee on USA first line in his D+1, Laczynski beating out bigger name guys for a WJC spot, Andrae in WJC at 18 and captain at 19).

That's right where NHL teams want these players a year, two years after drafting them.

It's been at the pro level, for a variety of reasons, that the development hasn't gone as hoped.