We are 22 games into the OTHL season and the Philadelphia Flyers currently sit fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 12-8-2-1 record for a total of 27 points. The Flyers came into the season with high expectations after a number of moves brought megastar talent such as Niklas Lidstrom to the organization. This is the quarterly report card of the team and individual players’performance thus far.
Overall Team: The Flyers sit in the middle of the pack in the Eastern playoff standings, and before the year began they identified winning the division as the only measure of success. They do currently lead the Northeast, but the team still expects to be among the top three by the time the playoffs get underway. B-
Special Team: The biggest disappointment in possibly the entire league has been the Flyers powerplay, which boasts Super Mario, Milan Hejduk, Miroslav Satan, Nik Lidstrom and Brian Leetch, yet is 29th in percentage, with a meagre 7.6% success rate. Fortunately the penalty kill has been slightly better, closer to the middle of the pack around 82%. D
CENTRE
Mario Lemieux: He’s Super Mario, he’s the man who is supposed to bring the OTHL Cup to the City of Brotherly Love, and so far he has done nothing but been incredibly impressive. He’s been the top scorer, or tied for top spot, throughout most of the season. With 29 points in 22 games, Mario has lived up to all expectations. A+
Steve Yzerman: The Flyers “other” Future Hall of Fame centre, Stevie Y has taken more of a defensive responsibility this year, although he’s still contributing offensively. 10 points in 22 games puts him seventh in team scoring, although his -2 record is somewhat discouraging. He has spent more time killing penalties this year than he is used to, and the PK has been acceptable, but nothing more. C+
Jim Dowd: The defensive centre was inked during the off-season, lured by the prospect of playing closer to his hometown and the potential of winning a championship. With 8 points and a +3 rating in 22 games, Dowd had been everything that was asked of him. He needs to be a part of an improving penalty kill over the next quarter. B+
Claude Lapointe: Lapointe has gotten into 14 games this year and managed to post 4 points, not bad considering the extremely limited ice time he receives. His lack of aggressiveness is an issue, as he has been credited with just seven hits, something which could end up with him losing his spot as the fourth centre when the Flyers dress four down the middle.C+
Mike Richards: The man, or the kid, who is looking to steal some ice time from Lapointe and maybe even Dowd. The former Team Canada World Junior captain has broken into the OTHL and dressed for a game, although he didn’t see any ice time. He is currently getting his conditioning up to standard, but may be ready for the Flyers next game in three days. N/A
LEFT WING
Miroslav Satan: Brought in via trade during the off-season to replace both Paul Kariya and Geoff Sanderson who became unrestricted free agents, Satan has nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points in 22 games as a Flyer. He has the least goals and least impressive (but it is still impressive) of the plus/minus stats from the top line at +13. B
Mikael Renberg: Also acquired through a trade with the Hurricanes, Renberg has had a very respectable season, posting 11 points in his 22 games, also playing much more chippy than expected with 41 PIM. He is a soft player and shoots far too often for his low goal total. He has been alright, but it is widely known that the team is looking to improve its secondary scoring. B-
Eric Messier: A waiver-wire acquisition, Messier has the ability to play at both wings and defence, although he’s not particularly good at any of them. Enlisted as a defensive forward, Messier has dressed in 18 games and put up a very surprising six points. His 19 hits are far below what the team would like from him, but his +7 rating indicates he’s keeping his own zone safe during 5-on-5 play. His penalty killing needs to improve, however. B+
Radovan Somik: In 15 games the European winger has three points and a -3 rating. He has little in terms of hits, shots or penalty minutes, and is generally invisible when he gets on the ice. Is in danger of seeing his ice time dramatically reduced if he does not pick it up. D
RIGHT WING
Milan Hejduk: Second in goals(10) and points(23) on the Flyers, the Czech winger has lit the lamp and fulfilled expectations. His +20 rating is quite simply unreal and not surprisingly leads the league. He may begin to see more penalty kill action if his minutes are reduced in an effort to juggle the powerplay units or balance out scoring. A
Mark Parrish: He was having a lacklustre season offensively until a game a week ago when he was put on the top line with Mario and Miro and put up a hat trick. Unfortunately he suffered a minor injury and subsequently missed the next two games. He’s appeared in 19 of the 22 games this year and has 11 points. He has a +6 rating and is tied for the most powerplay goals with two. A-
Brian Gionta: Despite having good talent as showcased in practice, the diminutive winger has just five points in 21 games this year. His lack of offensive production is a likely byproduct of the fact that other than the three games Parrish has missed, Gionta has found himself buried on the third line and killing penalties. The good news for Gionta is that this could change around mid-season. C
Bill Muckalt: A free agent signee brought in to provide some depth, Muckalt has dressed for 12 games, and scored in only one – his first. Since then it has been all downhill when he’s been able to crack the lineup. The only thing keeping him in a few games is the equally dismal performances of Somik and Kostopolous D
Tom Kostopolous: 10 games appeared in, -2 rating, just three hits, it has been a disastrous season for winger who only manages to stick with the pro squad because of his tiny schedule. F
DEFENCE
Nik Lidstrom: Appearing in 21 games, he’s got 14 points and a league-leading among defenders +18 rating. He’s been worth the trade which sent future top-defenceman Joni Pitkanen away. The only small concern, and it is a slight one, is that he has only one goal despite directing more than forty shots on net. Thus far, he has been the best defender in the league. A+
Brian Leetch: The offensively-minded American has been a whopping disappointment. Despite the opportunity and ice-time, he has not put up the offensive stats expected of him with just seven points in 22 games and an even plus/minus rating. He has been given the most blame for the anaemic powerplay as well. C-
Jason Smith: Obtained in the same trade as Satan, Smith has been the consummate rock on the Flyers’ blueline. It’s true he has just three points in 21 games despite often appearing with the top line, but what stands out the most is the +15 rating. He has consistently stopped the opposition’s best players and leads the team with 42 hits. A
Eric Desjardins: The veteran defender rounds out the league’s best top four. Eight points in 22 games is a surprising and pleasant amount of offensive production for Desjardins at this point in his career, although his +7 is exactly what the team expected from him. With 33 hits, however, the team would like him to be more physical. B+
Richard Matvichuk: It has been a very average year for Matvichuk, who has four points and a -2 rating during the year while playing with third and fourth line talent. The most impressive part of his year is that he has just four penalty minutes, and discipline has not historically been a strong point. C+
Nathan Dempsey: The puck moving blue-liner has seven assists and eight points this year. He also leads the team with 48 PIM, which comes as a total surprise. He has been able to get some powerplay points when the team mixed up the top unit, and may be earning increased top powerplay time. B
Mattias Timander: The #7 defender has appeared in all 22 games and has one goal to show for his offensive production. But his +4 rating shows that although he has been unspectacular, he has been reliable, and that’s all the Flyers ask from their #5-7 guys. B-
GOALIES
Marty Turco: He began the year on-fire after a three game losing streak to start the year and had his GAA below 2 and save percentage above 93%. He has since cooled off considerably, but still sits with impressive stats including a 2.30 goals against average and .913 save percentage. He has a 9-7-2 record, including one shutout. He is the backbone of the Flyers, and when he struggles, the team loses. B+
Vesa Toskala: Rarely used but effective when called upon to give Turco a brief reprieve. He’s 3-1 in his four starts and has come in to relieve Turco on two occasions. 2.52 goals against and a .888 save percentage shows that despite his strong win-loss record, Turco remains the vastly superior goalie. He has, however, got the job done when called upon. B