Sports: Flyers Hope Patrick Is A Building Block

By Pete Henry:

      Philadelphia got extremely lucky when it landed the number 2 overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft.  The Flyers selected center Nolan Patrick. 

    Patrick played with Ivan Provorov for the Brandon Wheat Kings.  Provorov texted Patrick after the Flyers were awarded the second pick. 

     Many scouts had Patrick rated the number one prospect ahead of Nico Hischier, who was drafted by the New Jersey Devils.  Patrick is considered a better two-way player.  At 6-2, 200, the young center is not afraid of physical play.  Patrick seems to embrace it and look for it.  Sounds like he’ll fit in perfectly in Philly. 

     Patrick has number 1 center potential.  The Flyers organization hopes he will be a cornerstone to becoming a perennial contender in the near future. 

    

    The Winnipeg native has had issues with injuries in his young career.  Patrick had surgery for a sports hernia last year.  Moreover, he played in only 33 games during the 2016-17 season due to a series of upper-body injuries.  Therefore, injuries could be a concern for Patrick, who turns 19 at the end of September. 

     “I’m 100 percent healthy now,” Patrick said. “Not many people really know what happened with my injury and stuff like that. So, for me, it was kind of just staying positive and getting through it. I’m confident I can play a full season without getting injured. I did it last year and played 110 games or something like that. And so I’m confident in my abilities.”  

     The Flyers’ brass needed to confirm in their minds that Patrick was fully recovered from his injuries and surgeries and that he would not be a future injury risk.  This is vital because as the saying goes, “availability is every bit as important as ability.”  You must have your key players on the ice in order to win championships.

     General manager Ron Hextall brought Patrick to Philadelphia to be checked out by their doctors.  Hextall stated the report was positive.

     "We had the second pick, so we gathered an awful lot of information on a very select group of players," Hextall said. "Nolan was one of them. There's some stuff out there that you wanted to prove wrong; we did. We were comfortable with the injury part of it. I believe Nolan is a really good young man, works hard, wants to be a National Hockey League player, and we couldn't be more excited to have him on board. Really big, prototypical center, those are very hard to find."  

     When Hextall was in Los Angeles, he helped build a squad that had good size.  The Kings were one of the bigger teams in the NHL when they won their two Stanley Cups.  They did it with physical play that was coupled with their ample size.  Hextall clearly wants to add some more bulk to the front line.  Another example of this is Oskar Lindblom who is virtually the same size as Patrick. 

     Lindblom will likely need some seasoning with the Phantoms but many expect him to play with the Flyers this season.  Lindblom has a reputation for scoring goals.  That sounds refreshing for a team that struggled mightily to put the puck in the net at times last season. 

     Patrick has a strong desire to play in the NHL this season.  He had a plan to put in the work.

     "Just a good summer of training, getting bigger and stronger," he said. "Everyone in the NHL can skate and they're strong players, so that's my main thing." "Just a good summer of training, getting bigger and stronger," Patrick said. "Everyone in the NHL can skate and they're strong players, so that's my main thing."

     Hextall talked about what it would take to make the roster.

     "We see a kid with a big body, extremely high hockey sense, really good skill set," Hexy said. “To go from the junior level to the NHL level is a huge jump for any player. He has a very well-rounded game. He's a big, strong guy, got a heavy stick. Plays the game the right way. He's going to see a higher pace, he's going to see bigger bodies. He's going to see it's harder to get to the net. All the little things you have to do as an NHL player. He's going to have to make that adjustment. It's not easy. He's got work to do."

     The big center is described as doing everything well while being poor at nothing.  Patrick is a good skater, he accelerates well and possesses sufficient top speed and solid mobility.  He is robust with the puck and away from the puck.  Patrick looks to pass before shooting most often but he will keep the opposition guessing with his offensive game.  He is considered to be a strong leader who makes players around him better.  Patrick is a player that doesn’t get rattled easily.  Scouts feel that he is a smart player.  "Just a good summer of training, getting bigger and stronger," he said. "Everyone in the NHL can skate and they're strong players, so that's my main thing." "Just a good summer of training, getting bigger and stronger," he said. "Everyone in the NHL can skate and they're strong players, so that's my main thing."