Flyers Officially Sign Highly-Touted Defense Prospect

The Philadelphia Flyers are building piece by piece and brick by brick. On Monday morning, the Flyers announced that they had signed defenseman Hunter McDonald to a two-year, entry-level contract, starting with the 2024-25 season.

McDonald, 21, spent each of the last two seasons playing in the NCAA for Northeastern University, scoring two goals, 18 assists, and 20 points in 58 collegiate games. A sixth-round pick of the Flyers back in 2022, McDonald recently joined the organization on an AHL tryout with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

The Fairport, New York native has gained some notoriety amongst a small portion of the Flyers fanbase after president Keith Jones referred to McDonald as a “beast” on the PHLY Flyers podcast earlier in the year.

Despite leaving very early in his Phantoms debut with an apparent injury, McDonald has played nine AHL games so far, posting two assists and a plus-minus rating of plus-5.

With McDonald now officially brought into the fold, the Flyers have stocked their system with even more talent for the future. Denver Barkey will have his ELC kick in next season, and the recently signed Oscar Eklind will make his pro debut in North America next season, too.

Then there’s Alexei Kolosov, who just made his debut for Lehigh Valley after joining the Flyers organization from the KHL’s Dinamo Minsk a few weeks back.

Indeed, the Flyers will still need to continue to draft and sign players throughout the summer in order to further add talent for the betterment of the team, but adding McDonald, among others, is a sure step in the right direction.

Don’t forget that Massimo Rizzo is still eligible for an entry-level contract of his own, as is Bryce Brodzinski. Signing McDonald is the first step of a very busy few months for the Flyers.

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