Flyers GM Ron Hextall is going to face a difficult decision with his first pick from the 2015 NHL Draft. That's because Hextall is going to have to walk the fine line of if this prospect, highly regarded among the best in the Flyers system, is ready for the NHL by his standards against the assumption of an entire league that he will be making his NHL debut come October.
Ivan Provorov added another accolade to his resume, when he was named CHL Defenseman of the Year on Saturday. The award spans across the three leagues of Canadian junior hockey, the OHL, WHL and QMJHL.
Provorov just completed his second season in the WHL, scoring 21 goals and adding 52 assists for 73 points in 62 games. In the playoffs, the production was similar, as Provorov scored three goals and added 10 assists for 13 points in 21 games. He had two assists in three games at the Memorial Cup.
Provorov's junior team, the Brandon Wheat Kings, just saw their season come to an end on Thursday night when they fell in overtime to the Red Deer Rebels.
The 19-year-old defenseman could still technically return to the WHL next season. He has one season of eligibility left there before he can turn pro for good after turning 20 in January. That said, no one thinks he will be playing in Brandon next season, not even his own team.
In the days following the season's conclusion, the Wheat Kings hold an autograph session locally. They tweeted the following while Provorov and defense partner Macoy Erkamps, a 21-year-old defenseman in the Ottawa Senators system.
Gonna miss these two. #Dpartners #Roommates #BWKFamily pic.twitter.com/pOSFsy6gcG
— Brandon Wheat Kings (@bdnwheatkings) May 27, 2016
So Provorov's own team thinks that the star defenseman is NHL bound next season. Given all the honors, all the acknowledgements and all the success, Provorov seems about as ready as any of the Flyers prospect defenseman. Saturday's honor as the best defenseman in all of junior hockey only further proved that.
Kevin Durso is managing editor for Flyerdelphia. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
