One of Flyers’ Best Prospects Joins Lehigh Valley Phantoms

All signs point to Philadelphia Flyers prospect Emil Andrae signing an entry-level contract in the near future.

For the time being, however, the puck-moving Swedish defenseman has joined the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on a tryout basis, the team announced Thursday.

He will get a chance to help the Phantoms in their playoff run — and get used to the smaller North American rinks.

Drafted by the Flyers in the second round (54th overall) in 2020, Andrae recently completed his season with HV71 in the Swedish Hockey League.  In 51 games, he had 26 points (six goals, 20 assists).

The feisty 5-foot-9, 181-pound Andrae has excellent speed and edgework, so avoiding big hits is going to be a key, according to Russ Cohen, prospects expert for SiriusXM NHL Radio and a Philly Hockey Now contributor.

Andrae, 21, has been compared to former Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen. He has the ability to run a power play, and he averaged over 20 minutes a game this season in Sweden, and played in all situations..

And, yes, the Philadelphia Flyers would love it if he came close to becoming as good as Timonen, who had 571 points in 1,108 NHL games and was a four-time All-Star.

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