Flyers sign Hunter McDonald to two-year extension
The Philadelphia Flyers are keeping around a young, homegrown blueliner for at least another couple of seasons.
On Tuesday, the Flyers announced that they have signed defenseman Hunter McDonald to a two-year contract extension.
The deal will carry an average annual value (AAV) of $912,500. McDonald had been a restricted free agent prior to this agreement.
McDonald, 24, played 65 games for Philadelphia’s American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate Lehigh Valley Phantoms last season, putting up no goals and six assists for six points. He also appeared in one game for the Flyers last season, in which he notched an assist.
The Fairport, New York native was initially selected by the Flyers out of the United States Hockey League (USHL) in the sixth round of the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. After getting drafted, he went on to play collegiately for Northeastern University in Boston. In the 2022-23 season for Northeastern, he had a goal and 13 assists for 14 points in 35 games. In the 2023-24 season, he managed just a goal and five assists for six points in 23 games.
After just two years in college, McDonald made his professional debut at the tail end of the 2023-24 season, registering no goals and three assists in 11 games for the Phantoms before contributing a goal and no assists in six postseason games. He then played the entirety of the 2024-25 season with Lehigh Valley, improving his offensive production to four goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 71 games.
At 6’4″ and 236 pounds, McDonald is a big-bodied, left-shooting defenseman known for his physicality and shot blocking.
The Flyers’ preseason begins on September 21 when they will play the Washington Capitals in Hershey, Pennsylvania. Their regular season will begin on September 30, when they’ll host the rival Pittsburgh Penguins.
