Prospect Profile: Tye McGinn

   

Tye McGinn

Tye McGinn might be the most NHL ready prospect the Flyers have right now. He may not have as much potential as a Scott Laughton, but he has shown that he is more than capable of playing in the NHL as a 4th liner. He was chosen by the Flyers in the 4th round of the 2010 draft, and they may have found a sleeper.

McGinn's junior career started with the Ottawa 67's in the OHL, where he played with his older brother, Jamie, who is now with the Colorado Avalanche. Tye put up 11 points in 59 games as a 17 year old. He was cut by Ottawa after one season. He then decided to take his talents to the Quebec League, where he joined the Gatineau Olympiques. McGinn was Gatineau's best player in his final two seasons with the club. He led the team in scoring in 2009-2010, putting up 62 points, finishing with 27 goals and 35 helpers. McGinn's final year in juniors as a 20 year old was injury plagued. He ended up only playing in 42 games, but still finished 2nd on the team in goals with 31. McGinn was an integral part of his team's success and chipped in 13 points in 14 games during Gatineau's 2011 playoff run.

Tye McGinn made his AHL debut on October 11, 2011 with Adirondack. McGinn had an alright first year in the AHL, posting 18 points in 63 games. But he showed vast improvement in his second professional season, where he started to find his offensive game. He scored 11 goals and added 4 assists in 33 games before getting recalled to the Flyers.

McGinn made his NHL debut on January 22 against the New Jersey Devils. He was used as a 4th liner and immediately became a fan favorite because of his willingness to play a rough and tough, grind it out type of game, something that Flyers fans love. He also showed that he was not afraid to drop the mitts and was even able to chip in a bit offensively with the big club. He was getting a solid amount of ice time, he averaged 12:43 and even got some time on the power play, and looked to be a good fit with the Flyers. But on February 25th, he sustained a broken orbital bone in a fight with Mike Brown of the Toronto Maple Leafs. He recovered but was sent back down to the American Hockey League, and would only suit up in two more games with the Flyers. He ended the season with 2 goals and 3 assists in 18 games played in the NHL.

Tye McGinn is 6'2 and 205 pounds, and he plays like it. He is a strong kid with good hockey sense and uses his big frame to get in position around the net. McGinn has a solid chance to play for the Flyers next year. He is a capable fourth line player and assuming no one else is signed this offseason, there is also a vacancy on the third line. He may be a candidate for this spot, but has to improve his offensive game. McGinn has shown flashes of offensive potential in juniors and in the AHL but has to show that he can hang in the NHL. He will likely be in competition with fellow prospect Scott Laughton for a spot on the roster. If McGinn fails to make the Flyers out of camp, there is no question that he would be at the top of their call up list.