Top Flyers Prospect May Leave Organization After Season

The Philadelphia Flyers’ prospect pool could be getting thinner on defense at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season.

According to a report from Corren out of Sweden, Flyers prospect and Lehigh Valley Phantoms defenseman Adam Ginning may turn tail back to Sweden after his entry-level contract expires this summer. Ginning made a strong case to make the Flyers out of training camp and preseason but was ultimately left off in favor of Emil Andrae, who was also eventually sent to the AHL after just four games in the NHL.

Ginning, 24, made his NHL debut with the Flyers on April 11, 2023, playing 16:40 in a 4-3 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets.

The 6-foot-4 shutdown defenseman has been tipped to return to his boyhood club, Linkoping HC. Ginning last played for Linkoping in the 2019-20 season, when he scored two goals and an assist in 27 games. In 2020-21 and 2021-22, Ginning played for Farjestad BK and appeared in 101 regular season games during that time.

The Swede is currently in the middle of his second full season in Lehigh Valley; last season, Ginning scored three goals, 16 assists, and 19 points in 68 regular season games but was held off the scoresheet in three playoff games.

Ginning has scored two goals, 11 assists, and 13 points in 49 games with the Phantoms so far this season. It’s unclear what Ginning’s motivation might be for returning to Sweden, but for the Flyers, he could end up as another draft pick that got away. Ginning was drafted 50th overall in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft.

His path to the Flyers‘ roster was always complicated, having fell behind Egor Zamula and then Marc Staal in the pecking order. We’ll monitor the situation as the season goes along, but Ginning would be a big loss for this rebuilding Flyers team.