Prospect Signings: April 2nd, 2012
-Philadelphia Flyers Sign Matthew Konan To A Three-Year Entry Level Contract
-Philadelphia Flyers Sign Matthew Mangene To A Two-Year Entry Level Contract
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Philadelphia Flyers Sign Matthew Konan To A 3-Year Entry Level Contract |
D. Matthew Konan Age: 20 Height: 6-2 Weight: 179 Drafted: Undrafted 2011-12 Statistics: Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL): 72 GP | 9 G | 45 A | 54 PTS | 73 PIM CONTRACT: Three-Year Entry-Level Contract (ELC) Important Facts: -Career WHL plus/minus is a plus-71. -Born in California, USA. -Was invited to the 2009-10 Anaheim Ducks Rookie Camp. |
Thoughts:
For the past few seasons the Philadelphia Flyers have been one of the more active teams in the undrafted free agent market and apparently this season will be no different. The latest signing they have completed is that of twenty-year old defenseman Matthew Konan. He was signed to a three-year entry level contract.
With 301 WHL games, all with the Medicine Hat Tigers, under his belt, Matthew Konan has become one of the more experienced junior players. Throughout that time, he has been a stabilizing force for the Tigers and that has culminated in an incredible career plus/minus of plus-71. What makes him such a good stable defenseman is the poise and calmness of his game. He also has a physical dimension to his play that he will utilize when the situation calls for it. He will also drop the gloves in defense of his teammates, but fighting has been mostly for that reason only. Another skill he has honed is his ability to make the first pass. He does an excellent job straddling the line between making a safe pass and a risky pass, that usually results in an effective rush up the ice. In the offensive zone he has struggled for most of his WHL career, but this past season, in his overage year, he flourished. He was able to put up a little more than double his previous career high in points and triple his previous career high in assists. Although that aspect of his game (offense production) probably won't be too noticeable at the next level, it is still encouraging to see such an improvement.
He will need some time in the AHL, probably about a little more than a year. His upside isn't huge, but he could turn out to be a solid bottom-pairing defenseman in the NHL. Next season will be pivotal for his possible success in pro-hockey.
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Philadelphia Flyers Sign Matthew Mangene To A 2-Year Entry Level Contract |
RW / D. Matthew Mangene Age: 23 Height: 5-11 Weight: 183 Drafted: Undrafted 2011-12 Statistics: University of Maine (NCAA): 40 GP | 16 G | 18 A | 34 PTS | 58 PIM CONTRACT: Two-Year Entry-Level Contract (ELC) Important Facts: -Plays both forward & defense. -Fourth most points of any Maine players. -Leads all Maine forwards in blocked shots with 18. -Named the CBS College Sports Defensive Player Of The Year. |
Thoughts:
Along with Konan, the Philadelphia Flyers also brought in another undrafted free agent today in twenty-three year old Matthew Mangene. Mangene, who just completed his junior year at the University Of Maine, was signed to a two-year entry level contract.
Matthew Mangene originally came to the University Of Maine as a defenseman, but over time he was slowly introduced to playing forward. Once he became comfortable at both positions, the University Of Maine coaches had an extremely versatile player on their hands. This season he played a very interesting role. He would start on the team's top checking line and if a defenseman had to leave the game for whatever reason, he would move back to fill in on the blue-line. That, in and of itself, is extremely valuable, but then when you consider that he was playing good hockey at both positions it makes for a great situation. As you would expect for a player that is comfortable with both playing forward and defense, he has flourished on the penalty kill and has developed into one of the best PK'ers in college hockey. He has a great set of wheels that may in fact be some of the fastest in Hockey East (at least according to the Maine athletics website). That speed has enabled him to almost always stay in position because he is able to get to where he needs to be without a problem. It has also helped him to be a very effective forechecker and back checker. He does have a decent offensive skill-set which helped him get the fourth-highest point total of any Maine player.
What makes him such an interesting player is his versatility. He can play on the PK or the PP, as a forward or as a defenseman, when his team is down by a goal or up by a goal, in any situation he is a player that could step in. If there is an in-game change that has to be made, Mangene will be able to move to that area and fill in without a problem. To top all of that off, he has a very good work-ethic.
With his work-ethic and versatility, I would be pretty surprised if he did not turn out to be an NHL player. He just has some very attractive assets in his game that will make him valuable to the Flyers.
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