Just six games into the regular season, the Philadelphia Flyers recalled 19-year-old forward Joel Farabee from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
The Flyers have now lost four games in a row and have been outscored 16-7 in that span. The Orange and Black hope a guy like Farabee, who in four games with the Phantoms tallied four points (3 goals, 1 assist), will provide an offensive spark and help the Flyers get back on track.
Farabee, who is from Cicero, New York, was drafted 14th overall by the Flyers back in the 2018 NHL Draft. Last year with Boston University, Farabee tallied 36 points (17 goals, 19 assists) in only 37 games which led the team. He then went on to sign an entry-level contract with the Flyers and has never looked back since.
The highly talented prospect has so many tools at his disposal. For one, he’s got a terrifying shot. He wasn’t able to find the back of the net with the Flyers during the preseason, but he had plenty of chances. He just couldn’t find a way to finish. It was quite a different story in Lehigh Valley.
He’s also a solid playmaker. His vision is something to marvel at. His speed is also something to keep an eye out for. He can go from zero to a hundred real quick, making him that much more dangerous. It doesn’t stop there though.
Farabee’s defensive game is also something to praise. While it is often overlooked, it’s actually something Farabee prides himself in. Because of this strength, he’s also able to help out when down a man. As Flyers fans know, there’s always room for improvement on the penalty kill.
Either way, it’s nice to see Farabee get rewarded. He had a good camp with the Flyers but in the end, management thought it would benefit him to get some games in with the Phantoms. He went down to Lehigh Valley and didn’t waste any time proving he belonged with the Orange and Black. With the way he performed in those four games with the Phantoms, there’s no reason he shouldn’t get a shot with the Orange and Black.
Back in Europe, Flyers Head Coach Alain Vigneault had a talk with Joel Farabee regarding how he should go about handling the demotion.
“I had a good talk with Joel up in Europe about if he goes to Lehigh Valley with the right mindset, the right work ethic, the willingness to get better and get his game to where it needs to be, there’s no doubt in my mind that at some point, if he plays well there, we’ll probably see him back here.”
Alain Vigneault’s pep talk obviously had an impact on the highly talented forward. Just a little over two weeks into the Flyers regular season, Farabee has returned. It’s time to see what Joel Farabee can do at the NHL level. Buckle up everyone. It should be an exciting ride!
Photo Credit: Alex Mcintyre
