Flyers center Isaac Ratcliffe deflects the puck against the New York Islanders in a preseason game on Monday, September 17, 2018 in Philadelphia. YONG KIM / Staff Photographer
Photo Credit: Yong Kim/Philadelphia Inquirer
As for Isaac Ratcliffe, he has all the intangibles a player could ever dream of when trying to compete for a spot for the orange and black. Standing at 6’6 and weighing in at 201 pounds, while possessing an arsenal of offensive moves, he finally made his NHL debut, and he has played well in six games thus far in the NHL, “It was pretty exciting,” Ratcliffe said of his NHL Debut. “Like you said, I’ve been looking forward to this day since I was three years old. To come in on an afternoon day, obviously is a different morning than usual. Coming to the rink early and getting settled in and acting like a pro. It was super exciting.”
Last season, he looked like a shell of his former self, only scoring two goals in 22 games played with the Phantoms and just six the year before in Lehigh Valley when he played in 53 games. Even this season he looked a bit out of place at times with the Phantoms. However, that doesn’t seem to matter anymore as he has looked like he belonged with the big boys in the NHL. He bulldozed a player for the Los Angeles Kings in his NHL Debut, and has remained physical throughout. Ratcliffe wins key board battles, creates turnovers, and is using his big frame effectively. The key for Ratcliffe is being able to use his big body to his advantage, “I think he (Ratcliffe) played great,” Ristolainen said. “He’s a big boy that can skate. That’s the way to use his body and he made a lot of good plays tonight. I really enjoyed watching him.”
Those sleepless nights may no longer be necessary because Ratcliffe proved to himself that he could do it and do it well, “It’s also taking care of my body, learning how to be a pro, and coming to the rink every day,” Ratcliffe says about success in the NHL. “I need to make sure I’m doing the right things to be ready for the game. Every time I go home, I need to make sure I’m eating and sleeping right, maintaining that mindset coming back. There are still a few things I need to improve in my game, I’m not perfect, but I need to be as close to perfect as possible to keep getting opportunities.”
He is stronger and now ready to make the jump to the NHL for good. This renewed sense of confidence is reassuring by winning puck battles, board battles, creating turnovers, and he’s managing to use his big frame effectively, “I think there was a long time, two-and-a-half years, that I was trying to find my stride, it’s a confidence thing,” Ratcliffe said on playing in the NHL. “I was going into games down there not really knowing what to expect of myself each night. I couldn’t really find my own game within our systematic game.”
“Lappy helped me a lot this year, making sure I come to the rink every day, doing the right things, to prepare myself, too, on the ice, but it all started in practice,” says Ratcliffe. “I’ve been working hard every day, translating the games, and I finally got an opportunity up here when I feel I was at my peak down there. When you come out on the ice with these big guys too, everyone’s always in the right spot. It’s hard to make a mistake when everyone’s doing the right thing out there. You know where the next person is going to be, and everyone’s helping along the way, too. This game is a little bit faster, but with everyone always in the right spot, it’s hard to make a mistake.”
Ratcliffe told us at training camp that he was NHL ready, well he is making good on that promise, “I thought that was a really good first showing for Ratter there,” said Flyers’ Interim Head Coach Mike Yeo. “What you’re hoping that a young kid would come in and show you, is some of the things that he can bring. Especially with a big body like that, look at his physicality, he put that on display for us tonight.”
Yeo continued, “He’s a guy that we don’t want him to be just a run-around type player, you have to play the game and I thought that he was involved in one really good grade-A scoring chance, another scoring chance, so I thought that he fought the game well. I was happy with what we saw from him in his first game.”
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