When one thinks about a Flyers prospect who plays for the Calgary Hitmen of the Western Hockey League, 2014 first-round pick Travis Sanheim is the guy that typically comes to mind. Sanheim, however, is not the only Calgary player – or 2014 draft pick for that matter – with aspirations of one day joining the Flyers.
Radel Fazleev was selected 168th overall in the 2014 draft by the Flyers and is one of the club's top-ranked left-wing prospects.
He began his career playing junior hockey in his native Russia and at just 16 years of age, he split time between Bars Kazan of the MHL and Irbis Kazan of the MHL B league where he scored a combined 17 points in 32 games.
That same year, he played for Russia's U17 team at the World Hockey Challenge and recorded three goals and four assists in six games.
Following his successful season, Fazleev was selected by Ak Bars in the first round of the 2013 KHL Draft as well as in the first round of the 2013 CHL Import Draft by Calgary of the WHL.
Fazleev decided to cross the pond and played his first season with the Calgary Hitmen in 2013-14. Despite missing a large chunk of the year with a broken wrist, he managed five goals and 20 assists for 25 points in 38 games and added an additional seven points in six playoffs games. He also took on a leadership role by being named an alternate captain of Russia's U18 team at the World Junior Championships.
NHL Central Scouting had Fazleev ranked as the 121st best North American skater leading up to the 2014 draft. The Flyers have had a consistent presence in western Canada, especially WHL scout Mark Greig, so it was no great surprise when they selected Fazleev in the sixth round.
Fazleev attended the Flyers annual development camp as well as training camp in 2014 and returned to Calgary, motivated to improve upon his first season with the club. Working closely with former Flyer and Calgary assistant coach Joel Otto, Fazleev scored 18 goals and added 33 assists for 51 points in 71 games. He scored 14 points in 17 playoffs games before Calgary was finally ousted in the WHL's Eastern Conference Final.
Fazleev's most impressive improvement has been his play in all three zones. He is learning to play a 200-foot game and use his skills to his advantage. He's cut down on the inconsistent play that sometimes plagued his earlier career and has focused on being a responsible playmaker.
GM Ron Hextall has been adamant from Day 1 that he will give his prospects the proper amount of development time needed for them to succeed at the NHL level. With that in mind, Fazleev is likely looking at two more years of junior hockey and some time in the American League before realistically having a chance to crack the Flyers lineup.
His ceiling continues to grow with each passing season and if he continues to positively hone his skills and develop at the pace the Flyers are expecting, Fazleev could become a bottom-six forward playing meaningful minutes in the NHL in a handful of years.
Zach Hopkins is a contributing writer for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @healedbyhockey.
