Flyers Sign Two-Way Forward to Extension

The Philadelphia Flyers have signed forward Noah Cates to a four-year deal with an average annual value of $4 million, the team announced Tuesday morning.

Cates, 26, scored 37 points (16 goals, 21 assists) in 78 games this season while averaging 15:33 of ice time. He ranked seventh on the team in points, fifth in goals and second in plus-minus rating with a plus-three.

A 2017 fifth-round pick by Philadelphia, Cates has 102 points (40 goals, 62 assists) in 235 NHL games.

Before making the jump to the NHL, Cates spent four seasons at the University of Minnesota-Duluth. He helped the Bulldogs win an NCAA national championship as a freshman in 2019, and make appearances in the Frozen Four in 2021 and Final Eight in 2022. The Stillwater, Minn., native scored 99 points (39 goals, 60 assists) in 139 collegiate games, and was the Bulldogs' captain in his final two seasons.

Cates has also represented the United States on the international stage twice before, first at the 2019 World Junior Championships and then again at the 2022 Winter Olympics. He helped the U.S. earn silver at the World Juniors.

The Flyers missed the playoffs for the fifth straight season, and now have a new head coach in Rick Tocchet after firing John Tortorella in late March.