Flyers Prospect Update: Strome, Rubtsov to Play for Memorial Cup

9-13-2017_FlyersvsIslanders_rookies_credKateFrese-12

(Kate Frese)

By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 

For four Flyers prospects, a chance to play for the Memorial Cup was on the line in the championship series in the OHL, WHL and QMJHL. At most, three would advance, with two Flyers prospects on opposing sides in the OHL Final.

Two Flyers prospects did advance to the Memorial Cup. Matthew Strome and the Hamilton Bulldogs are representing the OHL. German Rubtsov and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan are representing the QMJHL. For Morgan Frost, the season came to an end.

Here is the latest Flyers Prospect Update.

German Rubtsov – Rubtsov and Acadie-Bathurst needed six games against the top-seeded Blainville-Boisbriand Armada to claim the President's Cup in the QMJHL.

Rubtsov scored a goal in Game 3 of the series, a 5-2 win for Acadie-Bathurst, but had very little offensive impact in the series. Overall, Rubtsov was a minus-5 in the series.

So far in the playoffs, Rubtsov has five goals and five assists for 10 points in 19 games.

Matthew Strome – Just like Rubtsov, it took six games for Hamilton to defeat Sault Ste. Marie and win the OHL Championship.

Strome had one assist in each of the first three games of the series. In Game 4, Strome didn't record a point, but had several great chances to end the game in overtime stopped by Soo goaltender Matthew Villalta. Strome did not factor into the scoring of Games 5 or 6 either.

So far in the playoffs, Strome has four goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 20 games.

Morgan Frost – Frost's tremendous season came to a close at the hands of Strome and the Bulldogs. 

Frost made an early impact in the series with three goals and two assists in the first three games of the series, despite a pair of losses for the Greyhounds. Frost struggled in Games 4 and 5. He was a minus-4 in those two games and only had two shots on goal.

In what became the final game of Frost's season in Game 6, he had a pair of assists in helping the Soo get out to a 2-0 lead and was part of the top power-play that made it a 3-2 game after two periods. 

Frost finished the playoffs with 10 goals and 19 assists for 29 points in 24 games to follow up a regular season where he posted 42 goals and 112 points.

Carter Hart – The WHL Goaltender and Player of the Year did everything in his power to help his team advance to the Memorial Cup.

Hart opened the series against Swift Current making 34 saves in a 2-1 win for Everett. The Silvertips were on the wrong end of a pair of overtime results. Hart made 34 saves again in a 4-3 overtime loss in Game 2 and stopped 29 shots in a 3-2 overtime loss in Game 3.

Again, Hart was on the wrong end of a goaltender's duel in Game 4, making 18 saves but allowing the only goal of the game in a 1-0 loss to put Everett on the brink of elimination.

Everett rebounded for a 6-3 win in Game 5 with Hart making 21 saves in the win.

Hart and the Silvertips were not able to stave off elimination in Game 6. A pair of goals by Swift Current in the first, including one in the final second of the period, sank the Silvertips by a 3-0 final. Hart finished with 22 saves in his final WHL game.

The Memorial Cup begins on Friday, May 18, with WHL Champion Hamilton facing host Regina. The Round Robin between the four teams will take place from May 18 to May 23 with a tie-breaker game scheduled for May 24 if necessary. The Semi-final will be on Friday, May 25. The Championship Final will be on Sunday, May 27.

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