Flyers Address Phantoms Roster, Make Four Depth Signings

It’s been a relatively quiet July 1st league-wide, but there have been some signings to talk about regarding the Philadelphia Flyers, including 4 depth moves by bringing in forwards Danila Klimovich, Jack Studnicka, Zach Aston-Reese and defenseman Cam Dineen.

Klimovich is a Belarusian native who was initially drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the second round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. The 23-year-old has yet to make his NHL debut but has been a mainstay for the Abbotsford Canucks in the AHL.

Over the last 5 years, Klimovich has scored 70 goals and 123 points in 281 games, including 18 goals and 34 points in 63 games this past season. He also scored a career-best 25 goals and 38 points last year.

The right-winger is expected to play a similar scoring role for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this year, who could use the offensive punch after some key departures in Philip Tomasino, Lane Pederson, and Christian Kyrou.

Studnicka, similarly to Klimovich, was drafted in the second round of his 2017 draft year by the Boston Bruins. He has played sparingly since 2019-20 with 126 career games logged in the NHL with 6 goals and 16 points to his name. Conversely, Studnicka has 266 games worth of experience in the AHL with 69 goals and 192 points.

He most recently played for the Florida Panthers this past season with 0 points in 19 games, while also collecting 12 goals and 30 points in 41 games for the Charlotte Checkers in the AHL. Expect more of the same from the Windsor, Ontario native, as he should play a favourable role with the Phantoms.

Aston-Reese is a 9-year veteran who has played for Pittsburgh, Anaheim, Toronto, Detroit, and most recently in Columbus. He has 49 goals and 102 points in 416 games with 165 PIM, 1,078 hits, and 257 blocked shots to his name.

The 31-year-old is coming off a season in which he scored 1 goal and 5 points in 27 games for the Blue Jackets, while also tallying 8 goals and 16 points in 27 games for the Cleveland Monsters in the AHL.

Aston-Reese isn’t too far off from a career-season when he notched 11 assists and 17 points in 79 games in 2024-25, but he’s more useful with his physicality and penalty killing prowess if and when he’s in the NHL lineup.

Finally, the Flyers addressed the back end with Dineen, who was a previous 3rd round pick from the 2016 draft by the Arizona Coyotes. He has spent the majority of his career in the minors between the Tucson Roadrunners and most recently the Bakersfield Condors, the AHL affiliate of the Edmonton Oilers.

Dineen has just 38 games of NHL experience with 34 of them coming in 2021-22 with the Coyotes, However, he has played 383 games in the AHL, and has accumulated 37 goals and 191 points, including 3 goals and 21 points this past year with the Condors.