Flyers Prospect Devin Kaplan Becoming Key Player For BU

Right winger Devin Kaplan has been a player that Philadelphia Flyers fans have gotten excited about since they drafted him in the third round (69th overall) in 2022.

He is a Bridgewater, N.J., native, so he had that Eastern mentality, and an upbringing that a lot of fans could relate to.

After having a solid rookie camp, he was off to his first season with Boston University, and the hope was that he would be a big part of the team. It wasn’t going to be an All-American season, but Kaplan could carve out a nice role in his freshman season.  

He has done just that.

Kaplan is 6-foot-3, so he is going to take a few more penalties than some smaller players because he can be a target. The 204-pound forward has a tough side, so his 43 penalty minutes this season are a bit high, but that’s understandable. Some of them are good penalties. 

Devin Kaplan scores his 3rd goal of the season.

3G-3A-6P in 13 games for Devin at Boston University pic.twitter.com/xxr6tEXBER

— TLY (@TheLibertyYell) December 3, 2022

One plus is Kaplan has gotten top-line minutes this season. According to Instat, he has averaged 13:12 of ice time and over two minutes of power play time. That certainly helps him get enough opportunity to get some points, and his eight goals are a respectable number.

He’s had one multi-goal game and one two-assist game. His 19 points so far are decent. Considering he’s playing against much older players, the 19-year-old is more than holding his own.    

Needs improvement

Kaplan has been laying the body, not as much as he did in lower levels of hockey, but that will come with time. His puck battles are something he has to improve.  He’s only winning 40% of them, and even though Kaplan is tall, he still has to fill out and get stronger and that will come with a few more summers of training. 

And here's another freshman lighting the lamp in his debut … Devin Kaplan!

Watch on ESPN+: https://t.co/9PLDlvOMxq @ESPN | @hockey_east pic.twitter.com/qk0VoL0NHz

— BU Men's Hockey (@TerrierHockey) October 2, 2022

I expect Kaplan to return to Boston University next season. After that, he should go to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms and see where his game is at. At least one season is in order there.

At that point, the Philadelphia Flyers will have an idea of how far away he has developed.  I think he’s a third-line talent, with the hope of being a second liner if he exceeds expectations. Bigger players can sometimes take a bit longer to reach their potential.

Russ Cohen is a prospects expert for sportsology.com and .www.eprinkside.com. He can be heard on SiriusXM NHL Radio.

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