A taste of pro hockey adds to ‘high expectations’ for Flyers’ prospect originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
From a young age, Cole Knuble was taught about max effort.
As the son of Mike Knuble, a hard-working former Flyer who played over 1,000 NHL games, competing was a must growing up.
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“He used to say, ‘If you have 12 eggs in your pockets, they should all be broken,'” Knuble said of his dad’s influence. “That’s what he would always tell me.
“You’re a hockey player, that’s just how it is — you battle. He preached that more than anything; it wasn’t about points, ever.”
Well, Knuble has heeded his father’s advice. He has competed and developed, putting himself in the Flyers’ pro picture. If he keeps it up, an NHL debut could be in his future.
Knuble was selected by the Flyers in the fourth round of the 2023 draft. Last season, after signing his entry-level contract in March, he played seven games for AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley, recording a goal, two assists and 15 shots. He also scored a shootout goal.
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“I thought he was one of our higher-end players and was not taking a backward step to anybody at that professional level,” Patrick Sharp, a special advisor to the Flyers’ hockey operations department, said in July. “That’s kind of impressive coming from college. We’ve got high expectations for him. The best part about Cole is he’s a great kid, comes from a great family, loves the game, he’s a good leader, he fits in well with his teammates. We can’t have enough of those guys around.”
This summer, the 22-year-old forward was one of the better players at Flyers development camp. He looked like a prospect with three years of seasoning at Notre Dame. Knuble moved well, saw the ice and was a constant threat to score.
“He’s a player, I can remember three years ago, right away, that had excellent hockey sense,” Sharp said. “He has certainly rounded out his game over the years and looks like he has improved every time we get eyes on him.”
When Knuble was drafted, his skating was a knock. He even went undrafted the year before because of it.
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“I think you can really see his maturity from when he first got here,” Flyers assistant general manager Brent Flahr said in July. “We talked in the past about his skating, his skating is why he went through the draft. He was always a good player, but I don’t see his skating as an issue at all anymore. It’s actually a strength.”
If Knuble can prove to be effective at center, his odds with the Flyers would only increase. He can play on the wing and down the middle. Center is a premium position and the Flyers have needed more talent there.
“You have that versatility, you just give yourself a better chance,” Knuble said. “I played center in college for probably most of it.”
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The Phantoms gave Knuble some looks at center. We’ll see if he can stick there this season as he enters his first full year with Lehigh Valley.
“That was definitely an adjustment, especially faceoffs,” Knuble said. “I was playing wing at the end of my season in college, so I was kind of thrown into a new league and a different position. But I’ve always been a guy that can play both and I want to have that in my toolbox.”
