Philadelphia Flyers
Flyers Call Up 2023 3rd Round Pick, Roster is Set Before Holiday Roster Freeze
The Philadelphia Flyers have called up forward Denver Barkey from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms after Egor Zamula cleared waivers and was assigned to the Phantoms.
Barkey becomes the 23rd active player on the Flyers roster, and will remain with the team through the Holiday roster freeze. That means Barkey will be with the team until at least December 28th.
In the official press release, the team says the Barkey will be available for the team for their Saturday matchup with the New York Rangers at 12:30 at Madison Square Garden – a pretty cool rookie lap if it happens.
Barkey was the 95th overall selection in 2023, a third-rounder for the Flyers. The young forward spent four years with the London Knights in the OHL, where he accumulated 89 goals and 258 points in 228 games. He wore the “C” for London in his final season.
Since then, the 20-year-old has turned pro, and in his first season with the Phantoms in 2025-26, he has 7 goals and 9 assists for 16 total points in 26 games.
The 5’10” forward has been turning heads and making plays for the Phantoms this season. His size was always a concern, as it was unclear how he’d translate to the professional game. Barkey has had no problems so far in the AHL, earning his call-up to the Flyers.
The Flyers have three games before the Holiday break. Will we see Barkey make his NHL debut?
Read More: Egor Zamula Clears Waivers, Flyers Roster at 22 Ahead of Holiday Roster Freeze
This is exciting! I’m so psyched to start seeing what some of our highly-touted prospects do with the big club.
Even if they don’t stick with the big club initially, I think it gives them experience and helps them (and the club) see what parts of their game they still need to work on.
It also allows other clubs a glimpse of what they have at the NHL level, should we have a logjam at certain positions and need to move some players.
Great move by GMDB!
Will – I have a question, and it’s about Sam Ersson.
I’ll preface this by saying that I wasn’t able to watch last night’s game, so I don’t know if he faced a ton of high danger shots and bailed the team out. But once again, he’s posting a save % below .900.
Is it time to start thinking about moving on from him and bringing one of the kids up to play backup?
Vladar has clearly outplayed him in what is admittedly a very small sample size. Perhaps the team doesn’t believe that Vladar can stay healthy or keep his play at the level he’s shown so far, but I don’t see Ersson being a long-term solution in goal for the Flyers.
I think it’s currently Kolosov and Bjarnsson with the Phantoms. Are either of those two looked at as possibly being in the future plans for the Flyers? If not them, is there anyone else in the pipeline somewhat near-term?
Ersson has gotten us a good amount of points in shootouts so I don’t want to downplay his contribution to the team, but most games he plays seem to have a goal or two that he’d like to have back.
If teams have figured Ersson out and he isn’t part of the long term plan, I guess I’m in favor of seeing what we have in the system below the NHL. I know that with goaltenders it’s not as easy to stay sharp when you’re playing backup. At the same time, I don’t think playing in the AHL is the same thing as NHL action.
Have there been any top notch goalies in the NHL that first played as an NHL backup for a while?
I know all that turned out to be more than one question and it’s a lot to unpack, but I’ve been thinking about it for a while and was wondering if the front office still has confidence in Ersson.
Mike
Mike – that is a phenomenal question.
I will say, this is the sort of thing I am looking at diving deeper into once the Olympic Break rolls around – need something to write about!
But, for now, I will say this. Ersson is a RFA at the end of the season. This will certainly be a topic of conversation as time rolls on. Do the Flyers give him another small deal to fill the gap between Kolosov and Bjarnason’s arrival? Bjanarson will almost certainly need another year in in LHV, preferably one as the No. 1, before he takes the jump. Kolosov is getting that chance now. Does Bjarnason get his chance when they are confident in a Vladar/Kolosov tandem?
As far as his play, Ersson is having one of those seasons where the numbers don’t tell the full story. He certainly is not the starter that the Flyers were hoping he’d be entering last season. With goalies, a lot comes down to the play in front of them. It’s purely coincidental, but Vladar seems to always get the better play. Not to mention, 3 of Ersson’s losses come when he’s given up two goals in regulation. Bad run support At the same time, he has a win while giving up 5.
I guess what I am trying to say is I don’t see a future where the team gives up on Ersson this season. However, what he does with the rest of the season, as well as Kolosov’s play down the stretch, will help the Flyers make their decision.
Maybe Denver Barkey will be the Flyers’ version of Johnny Hockey……may he RIP.