One of the Flyers' young goalie prospects is headed back to his junior club.
After reducing their training camp roster by five players on Tuesday, the Philadelphia Flyers made another notable roster cut Thursday, loaning goaltender Carson Bjarnason to the Brandon Wheat Kings of the Western Hockey League.
The release of Bjarnason comes two days after the Flyers signed him to a three-year, entry-level contract.
The Flyers selected Bjarnason in the second round (No. 51 overall) of this year's draft. They traded up in order to nab the Manitoba native by sending a 2023 fifth-round pick and 2024 second-round pick to the Chicago Blackhawks.
Bjarnason put together a solid campaign in Brandon last season, posting a 21-19-5 record along with a .900 save percentage and 3.08 goals against average. The 18-year-old is expected to continue taking on a heavy workload with the Wheat Kings this season.
With Bjarnason returning to his junior club, only five goalies — Sam Ersson, Carter Hart, Nolan Maier, Cal Petersen and Felix Sandstrom — remain on the Flyers' training camp roster. There is an open competition taking place for the backup goalie spot behind Hart. Through two preseason games, Ersson and Sandstrom appear to be the frontrunners, though Petersen could also be a darkhorse candidate to compete for the job.