Photo Credit: Our very own Jess Wild
Noah Cates says, “I think just getting bigger, faster, and a little quicker,” when asked what he needed to improve this offseason at exit interviews. He put in the work this Summer and it’s quite evident in his play. For his efforts, Cates looks like a mini Sean Couturier on the ice.
“He’s a coach’s dream.” – Head Coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms Ian Laperrière said following a Flyers first pre-season tilt
“He does everything right,” Laperrière continued. “He doesn’t cheat. He plays the right way and coachable. How can you not like a guy like that? I don’t know Torts much but I know every coach likes players like that. His brother is playing great too. Jackson, I wouldn’t but him out of the race either. He came in camp in tip-top shape and came in camp to make the team. I’m sure they trained together. They’re tight. They’re always together and it’s fun to watch. Noah is a pleasure to just see what he does, the little things that you don’t see, a super goal by beating a guy one-on-one or score a great goal. He does the little things that coaches like.”
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Getting bigger, stronger, faster are common goals for young prospects to make it at the next level. For Cates, he had one heck of a showing in a small sample size to think he could at the very least compete in the Fall for a full-time spot with the Flyers out of Training Camp. His line of Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost became the Flyers most consistent line during the latter parts of last season. Fast forward to this season and Cates has continued where he left off last season.
“It was obviously big going into the summer, and next training camp, knowing what to expect and what the pace is like, and different things like that was I think kind of the question mark,” Cates said when asked if gaining this NHL experience was helpful. “What I was focused on was the pace of the game. Definitely didn’t think I was out of place, but I think I could improve this summer and get to playing a little faster. Be able to generate a little more.”
He has skated well, is confident and poised with the big club. It almost is reminiscent of the Sean Couturier, just without the offensive niche just yet, that’s it just yet as Cates is riding a four game point streak (1g,3a). In addition, Cates now ranks seventh among NHL rookies in points (26), and ninth in goals (9) this season. He really is starting to figure things out on the offensive side, even so much so John Tortorella had this to say about Cates following the game on Tuesday night against the Edmonton Oilers:
“He doesn’t surprise me anymore. He continues to get better.” – John Tortorella
Cates creates turnovers in the neutral zone by suffocating his opponents, and sealing their gaps. This is a highly underrated area of his game. Throughout his collegiate career he was very good at forcing turnovers in the neutral zone, thus creating an odd man rust the other way. He has taken nothing for granted, and is relishing the moment.
The young 24-year-old in Cates logs an average of 17:36 of ice time, finished with nine goals and 17 assists in 59 games played at the NHL level, to include one power play goal, registered 74 hits, forced 41 takeaways, and has blocked 49 shots in a small sample size with the Flyers this season. Not a bad start to his NHL career by any means, “I think that’s a big part of my game,” Cates said in response if the team needs to get harder to play against. “It’s little things. It’s stopping on pucks, having a good stick. Being physical. Not blowing guys up. Just kind of little things that you don’t like when players do to you, you’ve got to do to them. I think that’s a huge part of my game. Just the kind of things that I need to bring to the table on stopping those pucks and little stick details.”
One of the main reasons he is an NHL caliber player, and should be considered as such is his skating. He skates very well, and that also gives him a physical edge to his game. Cates impressed in his short stint with the Flyers, and this should give him momentum to continue to make the right impressions to the coaching staff. If he continues at this pace, he could very well wind up being a Sean Couturier 2.0
