Powered by Roundtable

Philadelphia Flyers prospect Devin Kaplan has been named an alternate captain for Boston University heading into the upcoming season, and as a standout in the Flyers' 2024 Development Camp, he's looking to use some of what he learned at camp with the Terriers and continue impressing the organization.

John Mersits / USA TODAY NETWORK - Flyers Prospect Aiming For NCAA Success After Impressing In Development CampJohn Mersits / USA TODAY NETWORK - Flyers Prospect Aiming For NCAA Success After Impressing In Development Camp

Philadelphia Flyers prospect Devin Kaplan has been named an alternate captain for Boston University heading into the upcoming season, and as a standout in the Flyers' 2024 Development Camp, he's looking to use some of what he learned at camp with the Terriers and continue impressing the organization.

Kaplan had a successful campaign with Boston University last season, making it all the way to the Frozen Four of the NCAA Men's Ice Hockey Championship, where they were beat by the University of Denver (and fellow Flyers prospect Massimo Rizzo), who would eventually go on to win the entire tournament.

For Kaplan, it was not only a strong season for the team, but for his individual development as well.

"It was good to make it back to the Frozen Four," he said during Development Camp. "I think I got a little better with my power forward game, but other than that, I just got bigger, stronger, faster...Just making my presence known every time I'm out there on the ice."

After the college season ended, he was headed to the Flyers' training center in July, and admitted that there were some nerves going into an NHL team's development camp.

"First couple of days had a little bit of nerves because, you know, it's an NHL team, but it just shows you care," he said. "It definitely felt more comfortable this year, but there's always gonna be some nerves.

"I'm just soaking in all the information I can. There's a lot of good resources here, so I'm just kind of trying to absorb all the information I can to take back to school with me. I think I'm prepared for next season."

This year's camp had college players and junior hockey players intermingling on the ice, and Kaplan noticed the value of playing alongside guys with different skillsets.

"The main difference is that [in college] there's older guys because they didn't play junior [hockey] or anything like that, so they come in a little bit later," he acknowledged. "The guys in college are bigger and stronger, but the junior guys are more skilled. Mainly, [the difference is] just the speed and strength of the players."

But no matter where a prospect plays, the Flyers make sure to keep close tabs on them throughout their season.

"[Director of Player Development] Riley [Armstrong] texts us, like, every week just to check in and see how everything is going," Kaplan revealed. "John LeClair and Patrick Sharp have come out to watch me play quite a bit, so I keep in touch with them a lot...It's really cool."

The entire experience is special for Kaplan, who grew up fairly locally in Bridgewater, New Jersey—even if he did grow up as a fan of one of the Flyers' biggest rivals. 

"It's awesome," he said of being with the organization. "Growing up, I was actually a Rangers fan, but like I said when I got drafted, that's over now. It may not go over well in my household but it is what it is and I'm happy to be a Flyer."

Recent Flyers News

Comments
No comments yetThere are no comments available for this post