The Flyers announced last Wednesday that they signed defensemen Logan Stephenson, Jesse Dudas, and goaltender Nicola Riopel to AHL contracts.
Dudas was at the Prospect Camp in July on a tryout basis and will finally be making the jump to the AHL, after seasons in the WHL, ECHL, IHL, and CHL leagues. Credit is deserved to Dudas for earning a contract, but he is unlikely to make the jump to the NHL. Stephenson is older than Dudas and has bounced around the AHL over the last several years. He is an adequate defenseman at the AHL level, but has earned his spot based on his leadership and locker room character. The real meat of this announcement, however, is Riopel.
Riopel was drafted by the Flyers in the 5th round of the 2009 NHL entry draft. He played phenomenally at the junior level, winning both the Jacques Plante Memorial Trophy (lowest Goals-Against-Average) and Michel Briere Memorial Trophy (player of the year) in the 2008-2009 season in the QMJHL while playing with the Moncton Wildcats. The Flyers brought him up to the Phantoms last season, but he managed a middling 3.35 GAA with a 4-6-0 record backing up goaltender Johan Backlund. Riopel was then sent back down to the Wildcats, where he helped to the team win the QMJHL championship and earn a spot in the Memorial Cup. The Wildcats were blown out early, but what’s worth noting is that Riopel’s cup statistics were virtually identical to goaltender Jacob De Serres (Brandon Wheat Kings), who the Flyers let walk this past season.
Riopel is in a tough situation with the Flyers. If he wants to earn a backup spot in the AHL, he has to outplay goaltenders Sergei Bobrovsky and Brian Stewart, or else be relegated to top goaltender in the ECHL. The main issue is that, at 21, he hasn’t shown that he’s ready for the AHL, let alone the NHL. That’s not surprising, as most goalies take longer to develop and don’t begin to hit their stride until they’re 25.
Rookie Jimmy Howard took over as the starting goaltender for the Detroit Redwings this past season, but he had to wait his turn with the Grand Rapids Griffins before being given his shot. Riopel would do well to spend more time developing, but a young goaltender with his level of talent will not likely settle for the Flyers after next season. The Flyers, oddly enough, have a glut of potential goaltenders in the wings and are not in a position to give Riopel his due.
