Photo Credit: Scott Audette | Credit: NHLI via Getty Images
The Flyers have played 29 games so far this season and I believe they’ve had a subpar forecheck game this season. I fully believe this was originally from the way that Vigneault had the team playing with constant dump-ins with players who didn’t have enough speed to chase it. Over the last 7 games under Yeo I’ve seen some improvements in all facets of the Flyers game but the Flyers are still very much in the process of improving the play of the team and getting consistent play out of the players. I don’t think there’s been such a massive change over the last 7 games that it would skew my numbers too heavily and it’s still worth taking a look at the Flyers forecheck rankings to this point of the season.
Total Good Forecheck Numbers:
Good forechecks is a stat I track every game when a forward makes an impactful play that hinders the other team from exiting the zone with the puck. All numbers and ice times shown are at even strength only.
- 1 – Couturier 29 – 29 games played – 15:24atoi
- 2 – Laughton 27 – 29 games played – 13:49atoi
- 3 – Van Riemsdyk 25 – 29 games played – 13:26atoi
- 4 – Konecny 21 – 29 games played – 14:53atoi
- 5 – 20 27 games played – 9:28atoi
- 6 – Atkinson 20 – 29 games played – 12:48atoi
- 7 – Brassard 18 – 18 games played – 11:28atoi
- 8 – Farabee 17 – 22 games played – 12:30atoi
- 9 – Giroux 17 – 29 games played – 14:35atoi
- 10 – Lindblom 16 – 28 games played – 12:08atoi
- 11 – Willman 14 – 12 games played – 11:19atoi
- 12 – Thompson 11 – 19 games played – 9:21atoi
- 13 – Frost 8 – 10 games played – 10:34atoi
- 14 – Aube-Kubel 5 – 10 games played – 9:44atoi
- 15 – Brown 5 – 14 games played – 9:35atoi
- 16 – Hayes 2 – 11 games played – 12:54atoi
- 17 – Cates and Bunnaman both with 0 with 6 games played between the 2 with minimal ice time in all games.
Now I’ll be showing the Flyers total good forechecks per 60 leaders, which puts every player on the same games played and ice time scale. This shows a players number on a full 60 minute basis. This is a better way to see who’s making the most impact with their time.
- 1 – Willman 6.1
- 2 – Brassard 5.2
- 3 – MaCewen 4.6
- 4 – Frost 4.5
- 5 – Aube-Kubel 4.3
- 6 – Laughton 3.9
- 7 – Van Riemsdyk 3.9
- 8 – Couturier 3.8
- 9 – Farabee 3.7
- 10 – Thompson 3.6
- 11 – Atkinson 3.3
- 12 – Konecny 2.9
- 13 – Lindblom 2.8
- 14 – Giroux 2.4
- 15 – Brown 2.2
- 16 – Hayes 0.2
Further Observations and Comments
Willman, Brassard, MaCewen, and Frost are the Flyers top forecheckers so far this season. Frost would be an obvious surprise to most but I’ve tracked every game of Frost‘s career to this point and he’s always been very good on the forecheck. I think the reasoning for this is simply speed kills. Frost is a smart player and very good skater, so even though he doesn’t have the play style that would lead you to believe he’d be good in this category he still is and it’s one of the reasons I strongly believe in Frost. I believe this is generally the same case for Brassard. You probably wouldn’t think it’s a big part of his game but he’s just a smart player with good skating which allows him to get on the other team’s defense. Willman and MaCewen are 2 more obvious players who would be at the top of the forechecking categories. In Willman‘s 12 games played he’s not only scored a couple of goals but has also led the Flyers in forechecking during that time. Willman has been a very effective 4th line player to this point. MaCewen has brought great energy and has almost played in every game for the Flyers to this point. MaCewen is just a simple hard working 4th liner and has gotten the job done. Thompson and Brown are 2 4th liners that haven’t brought an effective forecheck game. I’ve been very critical of Thompson’s play as a whole this year whereas I think Brown has made up for that with better play everywhere else. I’ve been very impressed with Van Riemsdyk’s defensive play this year and shows up 7th on the list. Hayes shows up as a distant last, Hayes has never really been a good forechecker with the Flyers but has more than made up for that with his defensive play everywhere else this year. I think everyone else on this ranking checks out.
My final comments are this, coming to nobody’s surprise is that the Flyers lack speed. There’s very few players who can make an impact on the game with their speed and it effects their game everywhere. Lastly I’m seeing improvements under Mike Yeo as head coach. Less dump-ins has helped the Flyers game in all facets, especially the forecheck game as they were never able to get the puck. Now when the Flyers are losing possession in the offensive zone I’m seeing the teams forwards acting faster to get themselves in a position to get the puck back and they aren’t just sending all the forwards at the defenseman leading to an easy out for the other team. Under Vigneault I feel like I saw 2 forwards going to the other teams defenseman every time trying to get the puck but as I mentioned the teams lack of speed didn’t really work with that. Now I think the forwards are trying to take away the other teams options, a more calculated and slower approach but not a full on trap that still has a forward in trying to disrupt things. I think this has helped the Flyers game and we’ll see what changes they continue to make.
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