Flyers Prospect Update: Isaac Ratcliffe

While entering the final year of his entry-level contract is in the back of Isaac Ratcliffe's mind, his focus - as he told Inside AHL Hockey earlier this summer - is more about proving he's capable of being an NHL player.

Simply put, he hasn't been able to really show what he's capable of - even entering his third year of pro hockey this fall - due in large part to a myriad of injuries that has prevented the 6-foot-5, 203 pound forward from gaining much traction in the American Hockey League (AHL).

It really looked like Ratcliffe was starting to put it all together at the end of his rookie season with the Phantoms in 2019-20, which was ultimately cut short due to the COVID pandemic putting all of pro sports - and the world - on hold. Then-head coach Scott Gordon told media at his end-of-season press conference that Ratcliffe was the team's most improved player from start-to-finish.

Heading into the extended off-season, Ratcliffe had the experience of going through a pro season (well, 53 games into one - at least!) and knew what areas of his game needed improvement if he were to seriously push for an NHL roster spot in his second year at the pro level.

Unfortunately, that wasn't to be.

"Well, it started off with a lot of adversity," Ratcliffe recalled of his preparations for the 2020-21 season.

An injury sustained during his training for the 2020-21 season around the turn of the calendar year continued to worsen until it was revealed that he had suffered broken ribs and a punctured lung.

"It was a short season and then of course, with a long break it's tough to get going quick after spending that much time off - and having the injury as well. Coming back from that was even more adversity," Ratcliffe explained to InsideAHLHockey.com, adding, "hopefully I can get seasons like this over with early in my career and not have to worry about some of the things that I had to this year."

Still, Ratcliffe maintains his positive attitude and is looking forward to the upcoming season.

"I think overall it was a positive learning experience. I think in the long run, I'll be lucky that I had it."

It wasn't until the beginning of March, a month into the Phantoms' 2020-21 season, that Ratcliffe was able to return to game action - just a week shy of a full calendar year between his last pro game. By then, he was incredibly far behind the eight-ball in terms of conditioning and 'game-shape'.

"I wasn't really expecting for my body to take that long to get back into complete shape," Ratcliffe admitted.

Perhaps a bit surprisingly, Ratcliffe told InsideAHLHockey.com back in May that it wasn't until after the Phantoms' 16-day break due to multiple positive COVID cases among his teammates and staff in April that he felt like his game was really starting to get back on track.

"Once I did hit that stride, it was unfortunate that we didn't have too much time left," Ratcliffe said. "But, I was excited to see my game get to that level and again, I just have to keep pushing."

Just as Ratcliffe really looked to be taking over games at the AHL level and earning more ice time, he took an unsuspecting open-ice hit in the neutral zone and missed the final three games of the season.

"The injury at the start was long enough as it was and to finish off with another one was kind of the icing on the cake of the whole season," Ratcliffe described his season-ending ailment. "It was definitely tough to finish it off and watch those last three games in the stands, but now I'm just looking forward to next year and next year will be a whole new story."

Fortunately, this time, the injury he sustained in April was one he termed as minor. More importantly, it was an injury that wouldn't affect any of his summer training. As for what Ratcliffe hoped to key in on this summer?

"I mean, every summer for a big guy like myself, obviously, the skating is gonna be a big part of it," Ratcliffe replied. "And that's going to be my main focus of the summer, but different aspects of my game like puck protection and just puck handling"

With a full summer of training under his belt, his eyes are on training camp next month. To say he's coming in with a chip on his proverbial shoulder would be a massive understatement.

"I definitely haven't hit my full stride, and definitely haven't hit my full potential yet. [This] year is going to be the time to prove it."