Ex-OHL Champion Has Impressive NHL Debut With Philadelphia Flyers

Denver Barkey turned into an outstanding OHL-caliber player with the London Knights. He morphed into exactly what Dale and Mark Hunter envisioned he would when they drafted him 16th overall in 2021. 

Barkey capped off his junior hockey career in perfect fashion. As captain for the Knights, he led them to a second consecutive OHL championship and their ever-so glory redemption, winning the 2025 Memorial Cup after losing in the tournament finals the year prior. He finished his four-year career with 258 points in 228 regular season games and another 73 playoff points (fifth-most all-time) in 53 games. His 331 combined points sit 14th all-time in London Knights history. 

There had been some skepticism regarding whether the 5-foot-9 forward could become an everyday NHL player, mainly because of his size. However, if you have ever watched Barkey, you would know that he plays like he’s the biggest player on the ice. Very few players work harder on and off the ice than he does. 

Barkey made a living getting under his opponents' skin in the OHL through his tenacious puck pursuit. He plays with a certain get-the-puck-at-all-costs type of attitude, buzzing around the ice constantly. He’s an energy-generator, and Philadelphia Flyers fans got to see that for the first time on Saturday night. 

The ex-OHLer made his NHL debut on the Flyers’ second line with Sean Couturier and Owen Tippett. He earned his call-up through his standout character trait, which has been a highlight in his early career. 

“It’s trying to be a guy that shows up every day, ready to work, prepared, and I think that translates over to my game on the ice,” Barkey said.

'It's Something I'll Never Forget': Denver Barkey Reflects On Impressive NHL DebutDenver Barkey’s first NHL game didn’t unfold in neat, cinematic beats. It was messier than that—short on notice, long on emotion, layered with nerves, familiarity, and the strange disorientation that comes with realizing your life has changed somewhere between a missed phone call and sunrise.

Funny enough, Barkey almost missed his chance. Fortunately, his restlessness before his pre-game nap for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms prompted him to check his phone, where he discovered several missed calls from Philadelphia GM Danny Briere.

The Flyers suffered a third-period collapse to the New York Rangers in Barkey’s debut, but the versatile, high-paced forward had two assists in a span of 23 seconds in the second period to register the first multi-point game of his NHL career. 

Barkey finished the game with 15:18 TOI, and his Head Coach impressed. 

"The way he played tonight, the way he competes, yeah, I'm gonna fight for him," Tocchet said. "He's a young kid. You want to make sure he has enough reps... I saw enough tonight, and that's a short sample size that he's a good little player,” said Flyers Head Coach Rick Tocchet. 

DENVER BARKEY HAS HIS FIRST TWO NHL ASSISTS JUST 23 SECONDS APART 🤩 pic.twitter.com/lp3gLDaZ8k

— NHL (@NHL) December 20, 2025

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