As you surely know by now, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall is going to be patient with the organization's young prospects.
Hextall has made it abundantly clear he's not going to rush their development, which is why it comes as no surprise that the orange and black will have a remarkably similar look when they open their season in Tampa Bay on Thursday.
There are a few new faces here and there — Michal Neuvirth in net, Evgeny Medvedev on defense and Sam Gagner on offense — but the Flyers have essentially the same makeup of the team that went 33-31-18 and missed the playoffs last season.
And as we prepare for puck drop, the same issues that plagued the Flyers last season — shoddy five-on-five play, poor penalty-killing, secondary scoring woes and a suspect defense in front of Steve Mason — remain a hot talking point. Will first-year NHL head coach Dave Hakstol steer the team in the right direction? That remains to be seen.
But fret not, Flyers fans. There is hope for the future. The Flyers have stockpiled a handful of promising prospects through the draft the past few years thanks to the build-from-within philosophy Hextall has brought to the front office.
So each week of the season, we'll check in on the Flyers' youngsters currently playing in the AHL, overseas or at the junior and college levels. Let's get started!
Taylor Leier, LW, Lehigh Valley Phantoms
Like the Flyers, Lehigh Valley recently wrapped up its preseason. The Phantoms finished their exhibition schedule with a 1-2-0 record after defeating the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins, 4-3, on Sunday at the PPL Center in Allentown.
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Leier, who is expected to have a bigger role with the Phantoms in his second year as a pro, notched an assist in the preseason finale and finished with three points (two goals) in three games overall. He also found the back of the net for the Flyers in their split-squad game in Brooklyn against the New York Islanders on Sept. 21. The games didn't matter, but it was nice to see Leier find his scoring touch after injuries limited him to just 13 goals and 31 points in 73 games in the minors last season.
The Phantoms also received significant contributions from Danick Martel (two goals, one assist), Nick Cousins (one goal, two assists), Shayne Gostisbehere (two assists) and Cole Bardreau (two assists) during the preseason. With a nice mixture of experienced veterans and hungry prospects, Lehigh Valley should be fun to watch in 2015-16.
Travis Konecny, C/RW, Ottawa 67's
After turning heads at Flyers camp with his vision, proactiveness in all three zones and hard-nosed determination, Konecny continued his strong play after being returned to his junior club. The 2015 first-round pick, captain of the 67's, collected two goals in Ottawa's season-opening 5-4 loss to Peterborough on Sept. 24.
Since then, however, Konecny has fallen into a bit of a rut. He's gone scoreless in three straight and is a minus-6 in four games overall. He'll look to get back on track when the 67's host Oshawa this Friday.
Ivan Provorov, D, Brandon Wheat Kings
Provorov, the No. 7 overall pick at the 2015 NHL draft, has settled in nicely with Brandon. The dynamic defenseman has appeared in four games since being sent back to the Wheat Kings, most recently recording two assists in a 6-0 win over Regina on Saturday.
In all, he's collected four helpers to go along with a plus-5 rating this season. The 18-year-old could be in for another high-scoring campaign after finishing 2014-15 with 15 goals and 46 assists.
Travis Sanheim, D, Calgary Hitmen
The 19-year-old had a disappointing camp with the Flyers, but has responded admirably by helping Calgary to victories in four of its five WHL contests this season. Sanheim, who was selected 17th overall at the 2014 NHL draft, leads the Hitmen with six points (two power-play goals, four assists) and has a plus-6 rating in the early going.
Sanheim connected with fellow Flyers prospect Radel Fazleev for a shorthanded goal in Friday's 3-2 win over Provorov and the Wheat Kings. Fazleev, a sixth-round pick in 2014, is also off to a fast start with three goals — two shorthanded — and two assists in five games for the Hitmen.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel, C/RW, Val-d'Or Foreurs
After leaving Val-d'Or's game on Sept. 25 with an injury, Aube-Kubel was back in the Foreurs' lineup this week. The 2014 second-round pick was caught with his head down and took a vicious blindslide hit from Rimouski Oceanic's Michael Joly, who received a three-game suspension for failing to avoid contact with Aube-Kubel, who was deemed to be in a vulnerable position by league officials.
Aube-Kubel made an immediate impact in his return, posting a goal and two assists against the Chicoutimi Sageuneens on Friday. The 19-year-old had another helper in Sunday's 6-3 win and now has four goals and five assists in his first five games of the QMJHL season.
Samuel Dove-McFalls, C, Saint John Sea Dogs
Dove-McFalls has played in four of Saint John's eight games this season, earning a goal and two assists to go along with seven penalty minutes. He missed the team's latest contest, a 5-2 win on Saturday over Shawinigan, after skating in a 4-3 victory over Gatineau on Friday.
The 18-year-old, an alternate captain for the Sea Dogs, was selected by the Flyers in the fourth round this summer.