March 31, 2017
It was known that the Flyers were scouting Mike Vecchione during the NCAA Tournament and also were in the hunt to sign the Union College star. And as it turned out, Ron Hextall was able to get his man, with the Flyers announcing on Friday that they signed the 24-year-old center to an entry-level contract:
Per GM Ron Hextall, the #Flyers have signed F Mike Vecchione to an entry-level contract → https://t.co/xuiFVTyqX8 pic.twitter.com/3Z2H35KeXT
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) March 31, 2017
And Flyers fans won’t have to wait long to watch Vecchione in orange and black. According to the Courier-Post’s Dave Isaac, the Flyers will burn that final year of the entry-level deal in the last five games of the season. After that, he will become a restricted free agent:
#Flyers sign Vecchione 1-year, $925K and WILL burn that one-year with the final five games of this season: https://t.co/xWf7DqZZHz
— Dave Isaac (@davegisaac) March 31, 2017
"It's one of those things when a guy is in demand," Hextall told the Inquirer’s Sam Carchidi. "You want to get in the game or get out of the game. If you're not going to bring him right in, you're out of the game."
The other major storyline here is that Vecchione will be reunited with his former Union teammate Shayne Gostisbehere, with whom he won an NCAA title back in 2014:
.@s_ghost14 on Vecchione: "He just told me he's coming and I'm pumped." #Flyers
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) March 31, 2017
Hextall talked about his Vecchione’s strength on Friday afternoon, which is in line with his Elite Prospects profile:
A strong and speedy two-way transition winger who possesses good puck and passing skills, and is equally adept at finishing plays as he is creating them. All-in-all, an offensively minded two-way winger that can produce strong numbers due to his patience and responsibility in all three zones.
Follow Rich on Twitter: @rich_hofmann
