Alex Bump (right) watches on during the Flyers' 2024 development camp. (Photo: Megan DeRuchie, The Hockey News) [https://deweb-519a7.b-cdn.net/post-images/75719ffc-bd35-455c-9afe-5a20da09d2a4.png] Alex Bump (right) watches on during the Flyers' 2024 development camp. (Photo: Megan DeRuchie, The Hockey News) The hype train for Philadelphia Flyers [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers] prospect Alex Bump grows larger seemingly by the day, and the start of his professional career is only just around the corner. Frankly, it is hard not to be excited about Bump’s NHL potential at this point. The Flyers feel the same way, evidenced by Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr’s comments about the player during this past development camp. “A guy like Bump, for me, every year he’s been here, you see a dramatic improvement,” Flahr had said. “He looks like an NHL player to me going forward.” If that is not a ringing endorsement of a young prospect, I don’t know what is. Coming into the 2022 draft, where he was selected 133rd overall in the fifth round, Bump was regarded as a poor skater, but a player with a shoot-first mentality, heaps of skill, and the ability to be a sponge and absorb coaching on the fly. The 21-year-old didn’t blow any doors off in his first season in the NCAA last year, when he scored 14 goals, 22 assists, and 36 points in 38 games, finishing fourth in scoring for Western Michigan. But, as Flahr noted above, we saw some dramatic improvement this season. Now a sophomore, Bump improved his goal total by nine, jumping up to 23 goals in 38 games while adding 23 assists for a total of 46 points. Bump’s most recent exploits saw him score two goals, including the double-overtime-winner, against the University of Denver to pull off a massive 4-3 upset and secure the NCHC Frozen Faceoff Championship. In the 80-minute contest, Bump played 28:50, scored twice, and ripped off 12 shots on goal, earning MVP and NCHC Forward of the Year honors in the process. And for those not familiar with Denver, that is a David Carle-coached team stocked with NHL talent, headlined by defenseman Zeev Buium. In total, they have 13 players with signing rights held by NHL teams. Western Michigan has only seven such players, including Bump. Winnipeg prospect Zachary Nehring is the only forward of that group drafted higher than the fifth round. Bump and Western Michigan now set their sights on the upcoming NCAA Regionals and, potentially, a place in the Frozen Four. And when that is all said and done, he’ll soon be getting a call from the Flyers, asking him to sign a piece of paper. At the pro level, expect Bump to have an impact akin to that of Jason Zucker, a six-time 20-goal-scorer and former 30-goal-scorer. Zucker, of course, was drafted by the Minnesota Wild in 2010, when Flahr was an assistant general manager under Chuck Fletcher. Like Bump, Zucker is an average-sixed winger with a shooter’s mentality and the capability of playing defensive minutes with a coach’s trust. In Minnesota, Zucker was teammates [https://www.eliteprospects.com/team/63/minnesota-wild/2017-2018?tab=stats] with current Flyers defenseman Nick Seeler, Lehigh Valley defenseman Louie Belpedio, and Flyers development coach Chris Stewart. They played with the veteran forward during that 2016-17 season when Zucker scored a career-high 33 goals, 31 assists, and 64 points to finish third on the Wild in scoring, even despite averaging just 16:58 of ice time. The Flyers need that kind of production from a middle-six winger in the worst way, and Bump is looking like he can bring it. As for a contract, expect the Flyers to resolve that in the offseason. If they were to sign Bump to an entry-level contract now, he would burn a year of the deal, regardless of how many games he plays and where. The likeliest path forward would be for Bump to sign an amateur tryout with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to potentially play in the Calder Cup playoffs alongside Jett Luchanko and others [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/latest-news/report-jett-luchanko-alex-ciernik-to-join-phantoms-this-week]. From there, the Flyers and Bump can agree to an entry-level contract in the summer. Bump’s 22nd birthday comes on Nov. 20, which is beyond the Sept. 15 cut-off date. This makes him eligible to sign a three-year entry-level contract, rather than a two-year deal if his birthday was two months earlier. Flyers fans can expect Bump to battle with Nikita Grebenkin [https://thehockeynews.com/nhl/philadelphia-flyers/players/nikita-grebenkin-talks-readiness-for-flyers-future-in-new-interview] and Samu Tuomaala for an NHL roster spot as soon as next season.
