Flyers Prospect Update: Hart, Frost, Rubtsov, Strome All Advance to CHL Finals

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

There are just six teams in the CHL left playing hockey this season in pursuit of the Memorial Cup. Despite the stakes getting that much higher, the Flyers are still well represented.

Four Flyers prospects have advanced to the finals in their respective leagues in the CHL, putting them on the cusp of playing for the Memorial Cup.

Here is the latest Flyers Prospect Update.

German Rubtsov – Rubtsov and Acadie-Bathurst swept Victoriaville to advance to the QMJHL Finals and did so with relative ease. Titan easily claimed the first two games, 7-3 and 6-3, before edging Victoriaville, 2-1 and 4-3 in Games 3 and 4 of the series.

Rubtsov made a decent impact on the series. He picked up three assists in the first two games and scored his only goal of the series in Game 4.

Matthew Strome – The Hamilton Bulldogs kept rolling in their pursuit of a OHL title, defeating Kingston in five games to advance. It was not the best series for Matthew Strome however.

Strome got off to a hot start in the playoffs, but was held to just one point in the five-game series. Hamilton claimed big wins in Games 1 and 2, 7-1 and 6-2, but Strome was held without a point and was a minus-1 in both games. His play started to improve as the series went on, but his production dropped significantly after posting four goals and 10 assists in the first two rounds.

Morgan Frost – The top-seeded Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds got all they could handle from the Kitchener Rangers, as the series required not only seven games, but double-overtime in the deciding Game 7. A goal by Jack Kopacka four minutes into double-overtime sealed the series win for the Greyhounds.

Frost opened the series with a goal and an assist in the first two games, both wins for the Greyhounds, but struggled in two losses that evened the series after Game 4, including going minus-4 in Game 4. He had an assist in a Game 6 loss that forced Game 7.

In Game 7, Frost was one of the Greyhounds top players. He assisted on the first two goals for the Soo, then scored on the power play to give them the lead in the third. Frost didn’t factor into the game-winning goal, but he was a presence in the game after being relatively quiet throughout the series.

Carter Hart – It wasn't the prettiest series for Carter Hart against a powerful Tri-City offense, but Hart and Everett emerged victorious in six games.

Hart made 24 saves in a 3-2 win in Game 1, but allowed five goals on 27 shots in a Game 2 loss. Hart was strong in the next two games. He made 29 saves in a Game 3 win despite allowing four goals and stopped 29 of 30 shots in a Game 4 win.

Hart had a rough night in Game 5, allowing four goals on 23 shots in a 5-2 loss and made just 18 saves in a Game 6 overtime win, but the WHL Goalie of the Year is advancing to the WHL Finals.

Connor Bunnaman – Bunnaman was not one of the focal players in the scoring for Kitchener, but as the captain, he certainly provided great leadership in a series that certainly came right down to the end.

Bunnaman only scored one goal in the series, but also added two assists, including one on the game-tying goal in the final minute of the third period in Game 7 to force overtime.

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