Philadelphia Flyers Reassign Alex Bump

The Philadelphia Flyers needed to clear a roster spot after signing forward Michael Bunting to a one-year contract yesterday. They did just that, announcing they reassigned forward Alex Bump to the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Philadelphia selected Bump, 22, with the 133rd overall pick in the 2022 NHL Draft. At Prior Lake High School in the Minnesota high school circuit, Bump chose to play for the Western Michigan University Broncos during his collegiate career. It turned out to be a wise move.

Bump excelled with the Broncos, scoring 14 goals and 36 points in 38 games during his freshman campaign. Still, Western Michigan had a disappointing season within the NCHC Conference and was eliminated in the regional semifinals by Michigan State University.

The 2024-25 campaign erased any poor memories from the previous season. Bump had an even better year with the Broncos, registering 23 goals and 47 points in 42 games with a +11 rating. This time, Bump helped the Broncos finish first in the NCHC Conference and win the conference tournament championship. That wasn’t the only banner the Broncos would raise. Later in the spring, Bump helped Western Michigan defeat Boston University for the National Championship. Bump finished as the NCHC Forward of the Year and the Frozen Faceoff MVP.

Since turning pro, Bump hasn’t missed a beat. Last season, he was one of the Phantom’s most efficient forwards, scoring 11 goals and 26 points in 36 games. In 17 games with the Flyers, Bump registered five goals and nine points with a +3 rating. He also played in six playoff games for Philadelphia last year, scoring two goals and averaging 13:56 of ice time.

Unfortunately, like many of his teammates, Bump hasn’t gotten off to the best start this year. He’s gone scoreless in three games while averaging 12:08 of ice time, though he has delivered seven hits. Bump will return to the NHL at some point and should be a good offensive player for the Flyers for many years to come, but the team feels that he needs more seasoning in the AHL.