The Philadelphia Flyers have three prospects set to play in the Canadian Hockey League’s (CHL) Memorial Cup, a four-team round-robin format tournament that includes teams from three-member junior-level leagues: the Ontario Hockey League (OHL), Western Hockey League (WHL), and Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL). Forward Denver Barkey and defenseman Oliver Bonk are members of the OHL’s London Knights, while forward Alexis Gendron is on the QMJHL’s Drummondville Voltigeurs.
The Memorial Cup begins May 24 at the Dow Event Center in Saginaw, Michigan. In addition to the Knights and Voltigeurs, the tournament also features the Saginaw Spirit (OHL) and Moose Jaw Warriors (WHL). The Knights stamped their ticket to the Memorial Cup by capturing their fifth J. Ross Robertson Cup, the OHL championship, on May 15 with a sweep of the Oshawa Generals (4-0) in the finals. The Voltigeurs defeated the Baie-Comeau Drakkar (4-0) in the Gilles-Courteau Trophy (formerly the President’s Cup) Final on May 14. This was the organization’s second QMJHL championship, the first coming in 2009.
Barkey, Bonk, and Gendron had strong seasons for their teams, providing much-needed offensive firepower during their respective clubs’ postseason runs and league championship series. All three are expected to have significant impacts on how the Memorial Cup unfolds.
Denver Barkey
Drafted 95th overall in the third round of the 2023 NHL Entry Draft by the Flyers, Barkey just completed his third regular season of hockey with the Knights. The center’s total points during the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons was 74 in 114 games. This season, the Newmarket, Ontario native was an offensive force, scoring 35 goals and tallying 67 assists for 102 points in 64 games. He was tied for fourth overall in points and third in assists across the OHL during the regular season; season highlights include 31 multi-point games and a hat trick on Oct. 14 against the Sarnia Sting. This regular-season offensive productivity coupled with a plus-45 rating has Flyers fans excited to see what the 19-year-old can do against NHL competition.
After finishing the season with an impressive record of 50-14-1-3, the Knights kicked off their J. Ross Robertson Cup Playoffs on March 29 against a Flint Firebirds squad that finished the season with 30 wins in 68 games. The Knights swept the Firebirds, keeping the momentum going with a four-game sweep of the Kitchener Rangers and six-game series victory over Saginaw. In the Robertson Cup Final, the Knights piled on 31 goals as they swept Oshawa. Barkey was especially effective for London during the playoff run, posting six goals, 21 assists, and a plus-10 rating in 18 games. Over the course of the OHL playoffs, the left-shot Barkey tormented opposing blueliners and goaltenders on the way to nine multi-point postseason games, highlighted by a four-point effort in Game 2 of the Final.
Oliver Bonk
Defenseman Oliver Bonk has played parts of three seasons with London. During the 2021-22 campaign, he appeared in 10 games for the Knights, tallying three assists. Last season, the blueliner had 10 goals and 30 assists, complementing these totals with another 11 assists in 21 postseason games. Last June, he was the Flyers’ second pick in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, going 22nd overall in the first round. Oliver is the son of former longtime professional hockey player Radek Bonk, who appeared in 969 NHL games for the Ottawa Senators, Montreal Canadiens, and Nashville Predators.
Bonk is a shutdown blueliner who is also offensively minded. The native of Ottawa had a breakout 2023-24 season in terms of overall offensive contributions for his club; In 60 regular season games, he beat opposing goalies 24 times and added 43 assists to end with 67 poitns. The 19-year-old’s best performance of the 2023-24 season came on Jan. 10 when he recorded five points (two goals and three assists) against the Sting. On the way to a Robertson Cup title, the right-shooter had 16 points in 18 games with a plus-16 rating. The 6-foot-2, 176-pounder played exceptionally well in Games 1, 2, and 3 of the Final, recording multiple points in each game for a grand total of eight points.
Alexis Gendron
Over in the QMJHL, the Flyers have another forward who continues to receive well-deserved attention from hockey analysts and members of the Flyers front office. After putting up an impressive 81 points for two different QMJHL clubs last season, Alexis Gendron — who the Flyers drafted 220th overall in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft — started the season in the professional ranks with the Flyers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In 17 AHL appearances, the Quebec native had seven points. He returned to the QMJHL with his current club, Drummondville, to kick off 2024. In 16 regular season games, the 20-year-old had 10 goals and eight assists for 18 points.
The Voltigeurs finished the season with a record of 48-14-5-1. On the road to the Memorial Cup Playoffs, the team defeated the Sherbrooke Phoenix, Victoriaville Tigres, and Baie-Comeau Drakkar. In 15 postseason appearances, the left-shot forward had 11 goals, eight assists, and a plus-8 rating. A major career accomplishment came in Game 1 of the Gilles-Courteau Trophy Final when the prospect recorded a hat trick against the Drakkar. He tacked on three more assists during this series, as Drummondville swept Baie-Comeau.
The 2024 Memorial Cup
Flyers fans should keep a close eye on this tournament, especially since all three players are important members of an organization that continues to eye young talent as building blocks for future Stanley Cup runs. The opening game of the 2024 Memorial Cup will pit the hometown Spirit against the Warriors on May 24 at 7:30 PM EDT. The following afternoon at 4:00 PM EDT, two Flyers prospects will be on the opposite side from a potential future teammate in a much-anticipated matchup between the Knights and Voltigeurs.
