VOORHEES, N.J. -- Emil Andrae has played 13 games in North America, all with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.
But the 21-year-old defenseman from Vastervik, Sweden, feels ready to claim a full-time spot with the Philadelphia Flyers this season.
"I'd be stupid if I don't have the goal of playing in the NHL," Andrae said at Flyers rookie camp last week. "I'm going to do as best as I can in training camp and try to prove to the coaches that I'm too good to play in the AHL."
Andrae, a second-round pick (No. 54) in the 2020 NHL Draft, had 26 points (six goals, 20 assists) in 51 games with HV 71 in the Swedish Hockey League last season, then had six points (two goals, four assists) in 10 AHL regular-season games and played in three Calder Cup Playoff games.
He made a strong impression on Lehigh Valley coach Ian Laperriere, who said Andrae made an easy adjustment to the smaller ice in North America.
He said Andrae was able to showcase his offensive skill, but what really stood out was his competitiveness.
"That's his biggest quality, he competes," Laperriere said. "He's not a big guy (5-foot-9, 181 pounds). He's thick but he's not tall. ... Moves the puck well, he's got a heck of a shot. But his biggest quality is he competes. He wants to be the guy."
And Andrae feels better equipped now to be a guy who can play in the NHL.
"My body feels better, feels stronger, feels more powerful," he said. "More explosiveness in my game. I played a couple games here and got a feel for it. I think I feel pretty prepared for it."
The offseason departures of defensemen Ivan Provorov (traded to Columbus Blue Jackets) and Tony DeAngelo (contract buyout, signed with Carolina Hurricanes) leave the opportunity during training camp for at least one of the Flyers' young defenseman prospects to earn an NHL spot.
Among those in the competition are fellow Sweden-born prospects Adam Ginning and Helge Grans.
Ginning made his NHL debut with the Flyers last season, with two hits and two blocked shots in 16:40 of ice time against the Blue Jackets on April 11. The 23-year-old had 19 points (three goals, 16 assists) in 68 AHL games and led Lehigh Valley with a plus-24 rating.
It's Ginning's size (6-3, 196) and defensive ability that have put him on the NHL radar.
"He's a guy that you really have to watch him game to game to see how effective he is," Laperriere said. "He might score one nice goal, but that's not his strength. His strength is to be in your face, poised, really good for his partner. He makes everything easier for his partner.
"So mature for his age, super nice guy, very team oriented That's another dark horse for me for this training camp. Everybody talks about the flashy names and everything, nobody talks about the fifth or six defenseman. But you need those guys, and I wouldn't be surprised if he plays quite a bit of (NHL) games in the near future."
Grans was acquired from the Los Angeles Kings as part of the three-team Provorov trade. The 21-year-old had nine points (two goals, seven assists) in 59 games with Ontario of the AHL last season, but in 2021-22 had 24 points (seven goals, 17 assists) in 56 AHL games.
"He had a heck of a year that first year for them, played great," Laperriere said. "He moves the puck, played the power play, he can shoot the puck through layers. Second year, he's not the first one, he won't be the last one, that second year is a pain for most of us. ... You get ahead of things and maybe that's what happened. I'll be able to tell you more in a month or two. But what I see right now, the first practices, he looks good, he looks sharp."
Others competing for spots on the NHL roster behind an expected top four of Cam York, Marc Staal, Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen include veterans Nick Seeler and Sean Walker, and prospects Egor Zamula and Ronnie Attard.
Andrae, though, might have the brightest future when training camp starts.
"It's a huge camp for him," Laperriere said. "I don't think [coach John Tortorella] knows much about him other than what we talked about, but he's a kid that I'm sure will make an impression on the Flyers coaching staff."
