The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that they have sent forward Jackson Cates to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Cates was recalled from the AHL on October 14th, and will now head back to the minors after skating in three NHL games.
Cates, 25, is an undrafted player who has impressed the Flyers organization in his short tenure with the team. Last season he played mostly in the AHL, and he scored 10 points in 37 games. Those numbers don’t scream “priority call-up” on their own, but Cates’ all-around play earned him eleven NHL games last season.
This year, Cates had a strong training camp and played his way onto the roster shortly after the start of the season. He’ll head back to Lehigh Valley now and look to put together a productive stretch of games there, games that will hopefully earn him a spot back in Philadelphia. Cates is also the brother of teammate Noah Cates, who is himself hoping to latch on in Philadelphia as a full-time NHLer.
There was no corresponding move announced to fill Cates’ now-vacated roster spot, although the Flyers aren’t required to hold the full 23 allowed players on their roster. It’s definitely possible, though, that another roster move is just around the corner.