My final look at the Flyers of the Swedish Elitserien looks at former Flyer Mika Pyörälä and current prospects Mario Kempe and Simon Bertilsson.
Pyörälä was signed by the Flyers last July to add cheap offensive depth to their system and managed to win a spot on the starting roster thanks to an impressive preseason debut. As a defensive-minded forward, Pyörälä played responsibly on the ice, but had poor offensive production. He was a healthy scratch for 17 games between December and January before being assigned to the Adirondack Phantoms, where he finished the rest of the season. Based on his performance, he was not a priority re-signing for the organization and has since signed a three-year contract with Frölunda of the Elitserien.
Mario Kempe is a bit of a sore spot for the Flyers of late. The speedy right winger was rumored to be signing with the Flyers back in June, where he would start the season with the Adirondack Phantoms and add much-needed depth to the farm system. According to Euroflyers, he declined last minute to instead play for the Djurgården in the Elitserien, stating publicly that he felt he would “develop better in Elitserien than in the AHL… If I’m good enough, I’ll end up in North America eventually anyway.” There’s truth to that, but it’s disconcerting that his commitment is questionable. The Flyers will likely push to sign him after next season as they juggle their contract commitments.
Simon Bertilsson was drafted by the Flyers in the 3rd round of the 2009 NHL draft. He is considered to be a defensive-minded defenseman who plays with grit, but he currently does not possess the skills to make the jump to the AHL. I realize this sounds odd as the Elitserien has better competition, but the Phantoms currently have enough defenseman in their system who look better prepared for next season than Bertilsson. Last week, he participated in the USA National Junior Evaluation Camp for Team Sweden; he recorded no points during the camp and had an interference penalty in Sweden’s 6-3 loss to USA. If Bertilsson’s development improves next season in the Eliserien, he could join the Phantoms in 2011.
