Flyers’ 2017 Second-Rounder Isaac Ratcliffe Signs with Blues

The Philadelphia Flyers drafted Isaac Ratcliffe with the fourth pick in the second round of the 2017 draft.

The left wing from London, Ontario, was big at 6-foot-6, 200 pounds. He dealt with some injuries and his career with the Philadelphia Flyers just didn’t work out. When you’re the 35th overall pick in a draft, the team selecting you has high hopes for a productive career. The Flyers traded their 44th, 75th and 108th picks to the Coyotes to move up to 35th in the draft.

If Ratcliffe, 24, is going to have that kind of career, it could be with the St. Louis Blues.

The Blues signed Ratcliffe to a professional tryout agreement Thursday. He signed with the AHL’s Chicago Wolves in July. Ratcliffe can play with the Wolves if he doesn’t make the Blues’ roster out of training camp.

Ratcliffe played 10 games with the Flyers in the 2021-22 season. He had one goal and three assists. Ratcliffe was traded to Nashville in February for future considerations.

He played five seasons with the Phantoms. His best goal-scoring season was 2021-22, when he scored 11 goals in Lehigh Valley.

He was a goal-scorer in juniors. After a five-goal first season in juniors, he scored 28, 41 and 50 goals in three seasons with the Guelph Storm, of the Ontario Hockey League.

He scored 15 goals and 15 assists in 24 playoff games as Guelph won the OHL championship in 2019.

NHL Central Scouting had Ratcliffe ranked 15th among North American skaters in 2017. That was the draft year when the Flyers selected Nolan Patrick at No. 2 overall. Patrick was the top-ranked North American skater that year.