Luke Philp

May 2022 – Philp had his best season with 44 points in 66 games played for the Stockton Heat, including 21 goals, but he may not be qualified by Calgary and could be with a new organization next year. Otherwise he will remain with the Calgary Flames farm club next season. His NHL roster status remains in doubt. Chris Fekete

Jan 2020 – Luke Philp looked a little timid to begin his AHL career after 10 games with no points. Since then, he’s found the scoresheet quite consistently. From a stretch of mid November into early January, he’s grabbed 22 points in 21 games, including 15 goals. He isn’t scoring with a blistering slapshot or overwhelming PP time either. You’ll find him filling gaps, accelerating for deflected back-door tips or redirections as teammates find him. He’s showing that he has the IQ to read space openings and the acceleration in order to take advantage. He’s been known as a playmaker at heart and could frankly learn to shoot the puck more, but he is quite effective and has moved his name a number of notches up the depth chart. Nice find for the Calgary Flames and he could see himself in NHL games soon.  – Joel Henderson

2019 – The Calgary Flames have signed the USPORTS Men’s Hockey Player of the Year in Luke Philp. The Canmore, AB native just finished his third season for the U of Alberta; leading the league in points for the second consecutive year. He began the year missing four games but still managed to put up electric point totals of 45 points in 24 games. These included 17 PPP, 3 SHP, and 25 at 5-on-5 so it’s evident that he is well rounded and dangerous in multiple situations. The former Kootenay Ice and Red Deer Rebel from the WHL had created quite the buzz during his draft year in 2014. He played alongside then top prospect Sam Reinhart and there was concerns about size and potential benefit from quality of line mates. He’s put those questions to rest as his creative and consistent scoring put him on the radar as a Free Agent.

He has always been a pass-first forward but had quite the breakout campaign in 2018-19; leading the team in goals (21) by a considerable margin, even with a former WHL 50-goal scorer on the roster in Cole Sanford. He’s a smart player and can adapt to multiple positions which should allow for fluid development down the line. His creativity with and without the puck combined with his competitive spirit make him as worthy of an ELC as top college free agents. He has been listed as a centre by the U of A each of the past three season but it remains to be seen if he switches to the wing when he joins Stockton Heat in the fall.

As a fantasy prospect, there are many questions as to how high he can slot in the lineup and how quickly he can adapt to a tighter-checked, tighter-structured game at the pro level. He is a bit of a project still and has some prominent draft picks to leapfrog if NHL games are in his future. Watch with curiosity. – Joel Henderson