Prospect Info: C Matthew Phillips, 166th overall

[Bounces R Way]

I say give him a shot, maybe a bit later in the season. Can't be any worse than what our natural RWers have provided so far other than Lindholm. If there ever was a better chance for smaller skill to thrive in the NHL I don't remember it.

 

[OvermanKingGainer]

Big game today (1G 4A) for Matty Phillips and he is now leading the team in scoring.

Has he earned a look at the NHL level or is he going to get destroyed up here?

Very much depends what the other four skaters out there with him are. He probably wouldn't work on a line with Ryan or/and Rieder but a line of Tkachuk - Bennett - Phillips could do some real damage.

I say give him a shot, maybe a bit later in the season. Can't be any worse than what our natural RWers have provided so far other than Lindholm.

Czarnik was excellent before he got hurt.

 

[Bounces R Way]

Czarnik was excellent before he got hurt.

Yeah he was pretty good, really unlucky time for an injury just as he seemed to be finally finding his stride. Would probably stop short of excellent though.

 

[Rubi]

Happy to see Phillips doing well in his sophomore season as a pro. Everyone loves to root for the little guy, me included. I hope he makes it very difficult for the Flames to keep him down on the farm. I also love that he's a RHS as the Flames struggle to find talented RHS players.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

Very much depends what the other four skaters out there with him are. He probably wouldn't work on a line with Ryan or/and Rieder but a line of Tkachuk - Bennett - Phillips could do some real damage.



Czarnik was excellent before he got hurt.

True on all points. I think he could work with Ryan and someone who plays bigger, could almost replicate the Mangiapane-Ryan-Hathaway line from last year. Gonna be hard though, as I doubt the Flames want more smaller wingers on the roster than there already are once Czarnik is healthy

 

[Corpus X]

So, I hope this guys nickname is "The Screwdriver" because it's apt because he drives the play and screws the other team.

 

[Nanuuk]

Its Matthew's second full season in the AHL. He finished with 38 points in 65 games last year and is on pace for 78 points in 68 games (full season). Should he attain that it would be obvious (to me at least) that he has top 6 potential. Could he make the jump in his 3rd year of pro? I'm not sure, but listening to his recent interview following his big night I believe he has a good head on his shoulders. And that might be the most important factor to make the jump.

 

[Deen]

You know around this time last year I would say our pipeline is dry, but we have a few interesting prospects that are doing quite well. Actually exciting to know we might possibly still compete at the end of the day if Gaudreau leaves (If we get value from him even better).

 

[Tkachuk Norris]

You know around this time last year I would say our pipeline is dry, but we have a few interesting prospects that are doing quite well. Actually exciting to know we might possibly still compete at the end of the day if Gaudreau leaves (If we get value from him even better).

Our blue line prospect depth is a disaster.

Some interesting forwards and goalies though. Gawdin and Phillips looking really good right now

 

[Fig]

So, I hope this guys nickname is "The Screwdriver" because it's apt because he drives the play and screws the other team.

Or Matthew the 2nd.

The Philli Cheese steak beside our Tkachuky Cheese?

 

[Corpus X]

Or Matthew the 2nd.

The Philli Cheese steak beside our Tkachuky Cheese?

If we're adding 2nds and probably 3rds to names they should also have titles. It's how the world works.

 

[Fig]

If we're adding 2nds and probably 3rds to names they should also have titles. It's how the world works.

Baron Matthew philli cheese steak the 1st?

 

[GumbyCan2]

Love, love this draft!! This was a great pick. We need a line of Mangiapagne, Phillips and Johnny.

Call them the 3-Fine Mice line.

 

[GumbyCan2]

People said them same thing about Hunter Smith. Playing a rough game doesn't mean you're going to make the NHL, most 4th liners were excellent players at lower levels, and IMO Pospisil hasn't shown that. His only good season was playing with a 1st round talent in Bobby Brink and he did it a year after most NHL calibre prospects leave the USHL.

I think Phillips will be an NHLer, I said that a few years ago and I stick by it.

Edit: Is Matthew Phillips the RHS power forward we've been looking for since Iggy?

Dreaming Big, but... probably doesn't have a huge % favoring his Powering Forward in the NHL. Would like to see it tho.

 

[JPeeper]

Our blue line prospect depth is a disaster.

Some interesting forwards and goalies though. Gawdin and Phillips looking really good right now

True, but 4/6 d-men going into next year will be 23 or younger. I'm not as concerned about or defence going forward as I am the forwards.

The part that worries be about our forward prospects going forward is that while 4 of them are putting up good numbers (Zav, Pelletier, Dube, Philips) they're all fairly small players. I think Dube is only 5'10 and the rest are under 5'9.

As for Philips I keep him in the AHL next year as well just so he can continue to get bigger and build his confidence.

 

[2023FriendshipTour]

Gets send down and scores 3 goals in 2 games. I am shocked the Heat are doing this well... figured they'd be brutal this year.

 

[Rubi]

Gets send down and scores 3 goals in 2 games. I am shocked the Heat are doing this well... figured they'd be brutal this year.

A number of Heat players are having outstanding seasons so far. I thought the Flames AHL cupboard was bare? Or at least thats what the consensus was among critics.

 

[Flames Fanatic]

A number of Heat players are having outstanding seasons so far. I thought the Flames AHL cupboard was bare? Or at least thats what the consensus was among critics.

A lot of AHL vet players combined with some new bloods doing very well. Gawdin, Phillips and to a lesser extent Philp have been big surprises this year. Kirkland is looking pretty good and is only 23 as well.

Biggest change is our D core isn't half walk on tryouts and ECHL guys playing above their level this year honestly.

 

[2023FriendshipTour]

Crazy we got this kid at 160th or whatever. Yamamoto went 22nd and he's about the same size and is underwhelming so far.

 

[Khrox]

I thought the Flames AHL cupboard was bare?

It is in a way. We lack any high end/high impact forwards and d on the roster. Dube is up (and was easily the best), and Phillips is the next best. I feel like where we excel is the fact that the roster is filled with guys who could easily be NHL depth/in-betweeners (which means they are still better than many AHLers, but not quite as good as the top-end guys). Robinson, Quine, Phillips, Yelesin, Lomberg, Froese, Davidson. All guys that are the kind of depth that teams use in case of injuries, and in cases like Lomberg, Davidson, Froese, and Quine, have a fair amount of NHL experience as well (Robinson has 7 games played, but the most recent was like 4 years ago). Rinaldo is a guy who is on the NHL roster right now, but if we're fully healthy is also in the AHL.

So yeah, we're bare, especially on top end talent. But we have a lot of guys capable of being that bottom 6/13th forward or third pair/7th d sitting in Stockton, and that definitely helps from both a leadership perspective, and the overall spreading of skill throughout the lineup.

 

[Qubax]

but once MEP, Zag, etc., etc., hit the AHL we'll have some more depth. A decent number of forward prospects coming next year and the year after...

 

[super6646]

Crazy we got this kid at 160th or whatever. Yamamoto went 22nd and he's about the same size and is underwhelming so far.

He’s 6 month older and scoring at a significantly better rate than yammer in the AHL. Pretty bad sign when an undersized 1st rounder isn’t even close to a ppg in their second ahl season. I think I asked a year or two ago why Yamamoto was considered a better prospect than Phillips, and I think it turns out questioning that assumption turned out to be correct.

Also, Phillips was drafted at the same position as mangiapane and fleury, so I guess we have some luck with 166 after all.

 

[Mobiandi]

Crazy we got this kid at 160th or whatever. Yamamoto went 22nd and he's about the same size and is underwhelming so far.

I have a theory that the Oilers just stat-watched Yamamoto and picked him because they saw us hit a home-run with Gaudreau and thought it would be easy

 

[Fig]

I have a theory that the Oilers just stat-watched Yamamoto and picked him because they saw us hit a home-run with Gaudreau and thought it would be easy

Actually, he was indeed quite promising, but after his first season, I recall both he and Pulujarvi has a slew of injuries that required surgery. I think it was wrist surgery+ for Yamamoto and hip surgery for Pulujarvi. I recall a few of us would have been happy with him until Valimaki fell into our laps. I’m thinking Oilers literally broke him and Pulujarvi.

 

[herashak]

>50% chance phillips hits 60pts by 25 AINEC