In an exchange of 22-year-old forwards, the Philadelphia Flyers acquired Tucker Robertson from the Seattle Kraken on Thursday for Jon-Randall (J.R.) Avon. Both players have played at the minor league level so far in their respective young careers.
The speedy Robertson (5-foot-11, 189 pounds) spent most of the last two seasons with the AHL’s Coachella Valley Firebirds.He also saw time in the ECHL with the Kansas City Mavericks in 2023-24 before moving up the ladder full time.
The Kraken drafted Robertson in the 4th round, 123rd overall, in the 2022 NHL Entry Draft. As a member of the OHL’s Petes, he and Avon were teammates. In fact, they often played on the same line. Robertson led the club in scoring (90 points) in 2022-23 while team alternate captain Avon ranked third (60 points). The team went on to win the Ontario Hockey League championship and appear in the Memorial Cup.
The Covid pandemic prevented Avon from being drafted in 2021 due to the cancellation of the 2020-21 season. However, he impressed at the Flyers Development Camp in July 2021 as well as Rookie Camp two months later. Consequently, the Flyers signed him to an entry-level contract. Avon’s contract slid back to the Petes for the 2021-22 and 2022-23 season. He made his professional debut the next year with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
Avon showed hints of upward mobility his rookie season with the Phantoms. He chipped in 18 points in 65 regular season games and dressed in three playoff games. Most notably, Avon emerged as something of a shootout ace for the Phantoms. He started his rookie season by going 4-for-5 in shootout attempts.
Unfortunately, Avon did not display as much progress as hoped in his second campaign in Lehigh Valley. He shuttled between center and wing. Avon was unable to move up in the lineup and his production remained static. The player did not dress during the 2025 Calder Cup playoffs.
Robertson attended Development Camp with the Carolina Hurricanes at the same time Avon appeared at his first Flyers Development Camp. After a breakout OHL season with Peterborough in 2021-22, the Kraken drafted the Toronto native.
Robertson has mostly played third-line or fourth-line minutes in the American Hockey League. He chipped in 10 points (6g, 4a) in 39 regular season games for Coachella Valley in 2023-24. He appeared in one playoff game. This past season, he contributed nine points (4g, 5a) in 38 regular season matches and three Calder Cup playoff contests.
As a professional, Robertson has worked to adjust his overall game to the 200-foot-game demands, He’s said to be very coachable and have good awareness on the ice.