In the history of the Flyers' franchise, the club has never had a player win the Calder Trophy. That's not say there have not been numerous candidates worthy of consideration, including Matt Read (24 goals, 47 points) and Sean Couturier (stellar defensive play, 13 goals, 27 points) last season.
A year ago, the Flyers got significant contributions from seven different rookies. Apart from Couturier and Read, Brayden Schenn (12 goals, 18 points), Eric Wellwood, Zac Rinaldo, defensemen Marc-Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson all established themselves as regulars in the lineup at various junctures of the 2011-12 season. The club also got 37 regular season games out of Harry Zolnierczyk, 14 from Tom Sestito, 5 from Ben Holmstrom and 4 from Brandon Manning.
The 2012-13 season figures to be a different story. While last season's rookies figure to play an important role on the NHL or AHL teams, there are no many first-year players ready to come up from the Phantoms to challenge for spots on the big club. Prospects Nick Cousins and Scott Laughton are likely to be returned to their junior teams this season, and first-season pro Marcel Noebels appears to need AHL seasoning.
In other words, don't expect to see the Flyers' first Calder winner next season. Even so, there is plenty of youth -- starting with Couturier and Schenn -- that appears well on its way to establishing itself as long-term productive players in the NHL.
Here's a chronological look at the best rookie seasons in Flyers' history (top 5 forwards, top 5 defensemen and top 5 goalies). Read, a 25-year-old rookie last season, narrowly missed the cut on my list:
Forwards
Bill Barber (Age 20, 1972-73): The future Hockey Hall of Famer was the runner-up for the Calder Trophy in his rookie season with the Flyers. After starting the season with the Richmond Robins and tearing up the AHL for 9 goals in 11 games, "Arnie" posted 30 goals and 64 points in 69 games with the big club.
Brian Propp (Age 20, 1979-80): The Flyers Hall of Fame inductee was a record-breaking scorer in the WHL prior to being selected by Philadelphia in the first round of the 1979 Draft. He earned a spot on Pat Quinn's club right out of his first training camp and found himself on the top line on opening night. Later, he formed an effective combination with Ken Linseman and Paul Holmgren known as the Rat Patrol. In total, Propp scored 34 goals and 75 points in his rookie NHL season.
Eric Lindros (Age 19, 1992-93): A November knee injury and the extraordinary rookie season posted by Teemu Selanne (76 goals, 132 points) eliminated any chance of the most highly touted rookie since Mario Lemieux winning the Calder Trophy. But Lindros quickly proved that his playing capabilities were everything they were hyped to be. Immediately stepping on the Flyers' top line, Lindros scored 41 goals and added 34 assists for 75 points in just 61 games. He also posted a career-high 147 penalty minutes.
Mikael Renberg (Age 21, 1993-94): The Flyers wanted Renberg to come over from Sweden before the 1992-93 season. Although he had always dreamed of playing in the NHL and was only making about $20,000 in his contract with Luleå HF at the time, he said no. Renberg did not feel that he was physically ready yet. The extra year at home and five extra pounds of muscle proved to be valuable. Renberg made an immediate impact on the Flyers, going on to set a team rookie scoring record (still standing) with 38 goals and 82 points. He was a Calder finalist but finished third in the voting, behind Jason Arnott and Martin Brodeur.
Simon Gagne (Age 19, 1999-2000): Gagne was a center in junior hockey, and also broke into the NHL as the center of the Flyers' second line (flanked by Mark Recchi and Renberg at the beginning of the year). He went on to earn an All-Rookie Team selection with his 20 goals and 48 points. The following season, he moved to wing.
Honorable mention--
Ron Flockhart (Age 21, 1981-82): "Flockey Hockey" was all the rage in Philly in 1981. After a cup of coffee with the big club in 1980-81, Flockhart was a sensation in his first NHL season, racking up 33 goals and 72 points in 72 games. The freewheeling young forward from Smithers, BC (home of the Watson brothers) was a one-dimensional player but no one cared as long as he kept scoring goals. Flockhart still holds the Philadelphia Flyers record for fastest two goals (8 seconds apart) by one player, set during a game against the St. Louis Blues on Dec. 6, 1981. Unfortunately, Flockhart was never able to build on his rookie season and his totals steadily declined thereafter. He lasted two-plus seasons in Philadelphia before being traded to the Penguins.
Honorable mention--
Dave Poulin (Age 25, 1983-84): The Notre Dame graduate originally planned to quit hockey and take a management training position with Procter & Gamble upon his college graduation. An invitation to play minor league hockey in Sweden convinced him to give hockey one more year and, incredibly led him to the NHL by the end of the 1982-83 season. The following year, Poulin scored 31 goals and 76 points as a rookie for the Flyers, playing outstanding two-way hockey in the process. He was on his way to a lengthy and successful hockey career. For more, see his
Heroes of the Past profile.
Rookie oddity--
Todd Bergen (age 21, 1984-85): Bergen had one of the oddest careers in the annals of hockey history. The 6-foot-3, 185-pound forward had speed to burn and great hands. Two years after being drafted by the Flyers with the 98th overall pick of the 1982 Draft, Bergen made quite the splash in his first pro season. After posting 20 goals and 39 points in the AHL during the first half of the 1984-season, he was called up to the big club. In 14 games with the Flyers, he scored 11 goals and added 5 helpers for 16 points. In the playoffs, he dressed in 17 games and added 13 points (4 goals, 9 assists).
As talented as he was offensively, Bergen was a completely one-dimensional player. His lack of a physical game and disinterest in playing defense made him an instant dartboard for Mike Keenan. Bergen took Keenan's almost daily harangues very personally. He was also someone who didn't particularly enjoy playing hockey, anyway. A talented golfer, he announced in the summer of 1985 that he would rather quit hockey and pursue a golf career instead of playing one more day for Keenan.
In the late fall of 1985, the Flyers finally worked out a trade, sending Bergen to the Minnesota North Stars. He agreed to play for the North Stars but suffered a serious abdominal muscle tear that forced him out of action before he ever played an NHL game. He was to the AHL for conditioning, but suffered a re-injury after just 27 games. He then retired from hockey for good.
Defensemen
Tom Bladon (Age 20, 1972-73): The first homegrown offensive defenseman in club history, Bladon posted 11 goals and 42 points in his rookie season with the Flyers. He was a mainstay on the power play through both Stanley Cup years. Years later, on Dec. 11, 1977, he became the first defenseman in NHL history to register 8 points (4 goals, 4 assists) in a single-game.
Jimmy Watson (Age 21, 1973-74): After one season of minor-league hockey and a brief trial with the big club during the 1972-73 season, the younger Watson brother became an every game starter for the Flyers during their first Stanley Cup season. He showed unusual poise for such a young player. Watson went on to play in 5 NHL All-Star games in a nine-plus year career curtailed at age 30 by back injuries.
Behn Wilson (Age 20, 1978-79): Flashing skates and flying fists were Wilson's trademarks. An incurable risk-taker on the ice, Wilson succeeded big and failed big. He stepped right into the Flyers lineup, playing in all 80 games, getting 49 points (18G-31A), along with 197 PIM. Those marks set team rookie records for a defenseman. A major man favorite as a rookie, Wilson later became the target for the boobirds because of his maddening inconsistency.
Janne Niinimaa (Age 21, 1996-97): The Flyers' first pick (second round) in the 1993 Entry Draft experienced a lot of success early in his career. A member of Team Finland's gold-medal winning 1995 World Championship team and a key player on a championship Jokerit Helsinki club, Niinimaa earned an NHL All-Rookie Team selection in his first year with the Flyers. He posted 44 points during the regular season and 13 more in the playoffs. At the trade deadline the following season, the Flyers traded him to Edmonton for Dan McGillis.
Joni Pitkänen (Age 20, 2003-04): Massive expectations accompanied Pitkänen to Philadelphia after the club made him the fourth overall selection in the 2002 Entry Draft. He never quite fulfilled them. However, he did play play 71 regular season games (8 goals, 27 points, plus-15) and 15 playoff tilts as a rookie on a club that came one win away from reaching the Stanley Cup Final. He played in the AHL during the season-long NHL lockout of 2004-05. When the lockout ended, the Finn enjoyed the best season of his NHL career to date (13 goals, 46 points, plus-22 in 56 games) in a season shortened by a sports hernia. He never again played to that level in Philadelphia or his subsequent NHL stops.
Honorable Mention--
Chris Therien (Age 23, 1994-95): "Bundy" made the NHL All-Rookie team in the lockout shortened 1994-95 season. That year, he played with Garry Galley (later traded) and Dmitri Yushkevich as his primary partners. Therien's 753 regular season games played as a Flyer is the most among defensemen in club history.
Rookie oddity--
Miroslav Dvorak (Age 31, 1981-82): After a stellar international career for Team Czechoslovakia, the communist government allowed Dvorak to play in the NHL in exchange for a rather hefty transfer fee (by the standards of the era). The Flyers selected Dvorak in the 3rd round (46th overall) of the 1982 Draft. Although "Cookie" spoke virtually no English, he was immediately befriended by teammate and defense partner Brad Marsh and accepted by the rest of the club.
The beer-guzzling, chain-smoking, sartorially-challenged Dvorak was a fun-loving sort who had no idea that older players were supposed to struggle with the transition from the big-rink international game to the NHL style. He was an immediate asset to the Flyers, posting 37 points and a plus-27 rating his first season. Dvorak played three solid seasons with the Flyers before going off at age 35 to play in Germany.
Goaltenders
Pete Peeters (Age 22, 1979-80): Peeters won the Hap Holmes Award as the top AHL goaltender in 1978-79, and got into five NHL games with the Flyers. An NHL rookie the next season, Peeters eventually overtook veteran Phil Myre as the Flyers' primary starting goaltender. Peeters earned a spot in the NHL All-Star Game, was in net for many of the games during the Flyers' record 35-game unbeaten streak and got the majority of the starts in the playoffs as the Flyers reached the Stanley Cup Final. He also played in the NHL All-Star game in 1980-81, but struggled badly in the second half of the season. Traded to Boston for Brad McCrimmon in the summer of 1982, he won the Vezina Trophy in his first season with the Bruins.
Pelle Lindbergh (Age 23, 1982-83): Lindbergh's immense talent was obvious during his stellar rookie years in both the AHL and NHL. As an AHL Rookie, he swept the Les Cunningham (Most Valuable Player) Hap Holmes (Best Goaltender) and Red Garrett (Rookie of the Year) Awards. Two seasons later, he took over as the Flyers' starter following the departure of Peeters. Lindbergh earned a spot in the NHL All-Star Game and post-season NHL All-Rookie Team honors. Unfortunately, a broken wrist suffered in a January exhibition game against the Soviet Union set him back in the second half. Fellow rookie Bob Froese also played very well in Lindbergh's absence.
Ron Hextall (Age 22, 1986-87): It is virtually impossible for a player to have a better rookie season than Hexy's. He won the Vezina and Conn Smythe Trophies, leading the Flyers to within one win of the Stanley Cup. His puckhandling ability and sheer pugnacity shocked the hockey world. Hextall never again had a Vezina caliber season, but he had a long and productive NHL career.
Tommy Söderström (Age 23, 1992-93): Söderström was maddeningly inconsistent throughout his brief NHL career, but when he was good, he could be very good. In his first NHL season, he ended up posting 5 shutouts. Although he split time roughly equally with fellow young goalie Dominic Roussel, many thought at the time that the happy-go-lucky Söderström would eventually be the better goalie by a significant margin. It didn't work out that way.
Brian Boucher (Age 23, 1999-2000): In his first NHL season, Boosh eventually usurped John Vanbiesbrouck and went on to backstop the Flyers to within one win of reaching the Stanley Cup Final. It was by far the best season of Boucher's NHL career: He finished the regular season was a sparkling 1.91 goals against average, .918 save percentage and four shutouts in 35 games. As a result, Boucher was named to the NHL's All-Rookie Team after the season. In the playoffs, Boucher was outstanding as well. This past spring, Boosh looked back at his rookie season in an article I wrote for
Philadelphiaflyers.com.
Honorable Mention--
Sergei Bobrovsky (Age 22, 2010-11): The Russian netminder was not initially expected to make the big club at the start of training camp, and ended up being the team's opening night starter. Despite bouts of inconsistency, the rookie free agent signing showed promise in playing 54 regular season games, winning 29, and posting a respectable .915 save percentage. He was on the wrong end of a heartbreaking 1-0 loss to Ryan Miller's Buffalo Sabres in the first game of the 2011 playoffs and then struggled early in the next game. Bobrovsky was yanked and scratched for most of the remaining games of the series. He started the fourth and final game of Boston's sweep of the Flyers in the second round.
Rookie Oddity---
Roman Cechmanek (Age 29, 2001-02): After winning five Czech championships with HC Vsetin, Cechmanek was drafted by the Flyers with the 171st overall pick of the 2001 NHL Entry Draft. He was signed to a deal that gave him the option of returning to the Czech Republic (keeping only his signing bonus) if he did not want to accept an AHL assignment.
Cechmanek wound up accepting a brief assignment to the Phantoms at the start of the season, allowing just 3 goals in 3 games. He was then called up to the NHL and wound up displacing Brian Boucher as the Flyers starter. Cechmanek played in the NHL All-Star Game and later finished as the runner up for the Vezina Trophy and third in the Hart Trophy race on the strength of his 2.01 GAA, .921 save percentage and 10 shutouts. He also won the Bobby Clarke Trophy as the Flyers' team MVP. At age 30 by the end of the season, he was too old to qualify for the Calder Trophy.
Unorthodox to the extreme, Cechmanek frequently used his mask to intentionally deflect high shots. Shooters never knew what the tall (6-foot-3 1/2) and lanky goalie was going to do, and it frequently seemed like he didn't know, either. In his three seasons in Philly, Cechmanek won two Bobby Clarke Trophies but was extremely inconsistent in the playoffs. Not a favorite of many of his teammates (or the local media), he was traded to Los Angeles after the Flyers' loss to Ottawa in the second round of the 2003 playoffs.
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