The consistent Flyers, yes the consistent Flyers, are just on a tear here as of late. They are currently riding a seven game point streak (5-0-2), as the orange and black appear to be riding high in the Metropolitan Division. What are some reasons for the recent point streak? Better team defense, goaltending, and the youth evolving into a force to be reckoned with.
There is one player on the Flyers roster that has had an overall good season thus far, and shares a large part of their success…Ivan Provorov. Provorov had a bad game against the Toronto Maple Leafs, but he rebounded in a big way with a good victory against the Boston Bruins.
Provorov was born on January 13, 1997, in Yaroslavl, Russia. At age 13, Provorov left his parents, brother, and sister in Yaroslavl, Russia, for Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. The smooth-skating defenseman had big dreams of playing in the NHL someday, as he began playing for a Wilkes-Barre youth hockey team.
“Provy,” was rated as a top prospect in 2014-15, and he was selected 7th overall in the 2015 NHL Draft by the Flyers. He finally fulfilled his lifelong dream of possibly playing in the NHL. After being drafted by the Flyers, he continued playing with the Brandon Wheat Kings for the 2015-16 season. Provorov won the WHL championship with the Brandon Wheat Kings in 2015-16 and was named WHL defenseman of the year. He signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers on July 3, 2015.
The former Brandon Wheat Kings product, Provorov wanted to make a good impression on the Flyers brass in training camp, in hopes of staying up with the big club, and that’s exactly what transpired. His hard work paid off in a big way, as Provorov was added to the Flyers roster for the 2016-17 season. He made his NHL debut on October 14, 2016, against the Los Angeles Kings. Provorov recorded his first NHL point, an assist, in the same game. He scored his first NHL goal on November 23, 2016, against the Tampa Bay Lightning.
After playing against the Chicago Blackhawks on October 18, 2016, Provorov had arguably the worst game of his young career. Dennis Rasmussen was one-on-one against Provorov in the Flyers zone, but the young defenseman fell down, allowing Rasmussen a chance alone on goaltender Michal Neuvirth. Rasmussen put the puck through Neuvirth’s legs for a 2-0 Blackhawks lead. The Blackhawks would go on to win the game 7-4.
At a young age of 20, Provorov looked to be the man on the blueline for the orange and black. Proof in the pudding came after the game on November 2, 2017, against the St. Louis Blues. The orange and black defeated the Blues 2-0, as Provorov played nearly half the game amassing 27:11 in ice time. This marked his fourth consecutive game above 27 minutes in ice time. Even more impressive, Provorov was a human shield by blocking a whopping 10 shots. His nine blocked shots through two periods were a franchise record, a record that has stood since 1997.
This young man tallied 17 goals, 24 assists, was a plus 17, managed to block 169 shots, and averaged 24:09 in ice time per game. Simply put, Provorov was a warrior all season and played with one arm in game 6 against the Penguins.
Fast forward to the 2018-19 season, a season that Provorov was to be the leader the Flyers needed to stabilize a young blue line, at a young age of just 21. It was a season that Provorov would likely want to forget, as he was beaten to the puck at times, wasn’t good with his stick, made many turnovers, and unfortunately looked out of sorts. Many thought (and still think) that Provorov wasn’t healthy from a shoulder injury that occurred against the Pittsburgh Penguins in the playoffs of the previous season.
Provorov just didn’t look the same in 2018-19, but he told me in training camp that he was healthy, “I was able to train like I always do in the offseason. I was 100% by June.” Whether or not, Provorov was hurt, or just had an off-year in his contract season. He knew he needed to be better this coming season, as the Flyers don’t have another defenseman on their roster that is capable of playing 25:07 minutes per night, like Provorov, did for the orange and black last season.
This season Provorov has been good, contrary to what some may believe. The young man at the ripe age of just 22-years-old logs an average ice time of 24:13 a night, has tallied three goals and registered eight assists, has a Corsi (EV) 54.3% (Which is a career high), has 19 blocks, and has issued out 17 hits. Simply put, this young man is doing it all, as the number one defencemen of the Flyers at the age of just 22-years-old. Provorov plays top line night after night, and sometimes logs over 28 minutes a night.
“Provy” is a workhorse, as he logs a ton of minutes. He has stabilized the back-end, and this helps alleviate the pressure for a young netminder in Carter Hart. Provorov and Matt Niskanen have worked well together, as the Flyers finally have found a true number one pairing.
Make no mistake about it, Provorov has rebounded nicely this season. Every young player is entitled to have a bad game or two, and Provorov is no different. He carries the weight of the blue line on his shoulders night in and night out, and with the amount of minutes he logs mistakes are going to happen.
Here’s a player profile video of Provorov from our very own Yariv Wolok (@Ywolok):
This photo was taken at training camp by Jamey Baskow
