The Philadelphia Flyers have signed Travis Konecny, the second of their two first-round picks at this year’s draft, to a three-year, entry-level deal.
Konecny, 18, scored 29 goals and 68 points in 60 games for OHL Ottawa this season, captaining the 67’s in just his second year with the club. He also captained Canada at the 2014 Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament.
On Day 2 of the draft, he was named the inaugural winner of the “E.J. McGuire Award of Excellence,” given to the draft-eligible prospect who best exemplifies the commitment to excellence through strength of character, competitiveness and athleticism.
Expected by some to go higher than he did at the draft, Konecny was snagged by the Flyers after GM Ron Hextall traded up to the No. 24 spot to select him.
“It’s motivating,” Konecny said of his draft-day slide, per Philly.com. “When I went into the day, I wasn’t really sure where I was going to end up anyway, so it wasn’t like it was a disappointment.
“Being able to slip to 24 and come to Philadelphia was definitely not something I was upset about. It was awesome, and I was excited about it.”