Photo Credit: ottershockey.com
Throughout the course of the NHL, there certainly have been some great NHL players who have produced some very talented sons that were able to build upon their family’s lineage in this great sport. Some of the best that come to mind are Bobby, and Brett Hull, who are now in the Hall of Fame, having each scored over 600 goals, with Bobby totaling 610 and his son Brett being ranked 5th all-time with a total of 741. To Gordie and Mark Howe, who are also both in the Hall of Fame, with Gordie scoring over 800 goals and Mark being arguably the Flyers all-time best defenseman in franchise history, finishing his career with a +400 average. But this tradition still holds true today with the Tkachuk Trio. Father Keith Tkachuk played for a number of teams over the years where this gritty forward was able to put up over 500 goals and 1,000 points during his career. Now his sons Matthew and Brady are both currently staples on their respected teams where using their size gifted to them by their dad, Matthew was able to score 42 goals and 104 points for the Flames, and Brady was able to post 30 goals and 67 points for the Sens this season. This list could go on, but I think you get the point. Kids born into NHL families are raised as rink rats; they are surrounded by some of the best coaches and players in the world and grow up seeing their fathers idolized by tens of thousands of fans a night. So, it’s pretty easy to see why one of these players’ sons would want to follow in his father’s footsteps rather than a son of a sanitation worker who would want to follow his. Although the latter has proved to be an essential part of society (and when working for the right company can be very profitable), it is a considerably less enticing option come career day at school.
With that being said, despite these young prospects’ impressive pedigrees, not all become instant prodigies. For instance, both Chris and Ryan Bourque haven’t even come close to living up to their father Ray’s NHL legacy. Neither has Ryan MacInnis, the son of former St. Louis Blues legendary blue liner Al MacInnis. Who, you may remember from him winning so many of the All-Star games hardest shot competitions back in the day. Nevertheless, it may be a risk Philadelphia should be willing to take if the opportunity presents itself in this upcoming draft. Seeing that the Flyers are now being compared to the likes of the MLB’s Pittsburgh Pirates in terms of the last time, each franchise won their sports respected championship trophy (Flyers 47 years, the Pirates 42 years).
Sami Kapanen
So, without further ado, let’s look at this year’s crop of young players with some last names you may know. The first comes from a now-retired player that you Flyers fans will remember very well. Sami Kapanen. Sami was a diminutive winger with great speed who was able to post over 20 goals in a season five times during his career. Coming to the Flyers in 2002, Kapanen was already 29 years of age and was forced to play a much smaller role than he was used to playing in Carolina earlier on in his career. But this didn’t mean that he was any less noticeable. Sami quickly became a fan favorite during his five seasons playing in Philadelphia because he never took a shift off, which was why four out of the five seasons Kapanen suited up for the orange and black, they were able to make it to the playoffs. After retiring from hockey, Sami has managed to stay around the rink by becoming the majority owner of the KalPa Kuopio in his native Finland, which he still holds rights to, along with the minority owner, fellow ex-Flyer Kimmo Timonen. Along with being the owner, Kapanen has also formerly held the role of player, assistant coach, head coach, and general manager of his team at different points over the last few years. He has recently taken on a new role though, serving as the Flyers’ new European player development coach.
Konsta Kapanen
With this new job, Sami may be able to sway Chuck Fletcher (the Flyers’ general manager) to select his son Konsta in this year’s draft. Unlike his older brother Kasperi who is 6’1 and 194 pounds and currently playing for the Pittsburgh Penguins, Konsta is built more like his father. A chip off the old block, if you will. A much smaller, sleeker model that currently stands at just 5’8 and 152 pounds, but don’t let his size deceive you. Konsta is a playmaker with sniping capabilities. He possesses a hard and powerfully accurate shot; Konsta also has a high hockey IQ and never takes a shift off like his father. With that being said, Konsta was effective playing for his dad’s team at the U20 SM-sarja level this year, where he scored 17 goals and 23 assists for 40 points in just 39 games played. Konsta also played six games in Finland’s top professional league, the Liiga, where his inherited speed helped him score one goal and one assist for two points. Let’s face it, Konsta will not be a 1st round selection like his older brother was back in 2014. But he could be a 4th round pick like his father Sami was back in 1995. Despite his size, Konsta is a tremendous young talent whose family bloodlines span well beyond just his dad and his older brother. His cousin Oliver was drafted by the Montreal Canadians last year in the second round, and his uncle, great uncle, and grandfather all played this great sport at a high level in Finland. So, if Konsta continues to eat his chicken and drink his milk, maybe, just maybe, he could grow a couple of inches and one day find himself playing stateside for one of his father’s old teams.
Mike Knuble
Another retired NHL player who has a son eligible to be drafted in this year’s draft is former Flyer Mike Knuble. Mike was a big body winger who got his mail forwarded to him right in front of the opposition’s net and had perhaps some of his best years statically while playing for Philadelphia. Where over the course of four seasons, he was able to post an awe-inspiring 114 goals despite him being already well into his thirties upon joining the orange and black. For those “who don’t math well,” that’s an average of 28.5 goals a year.
Cole Knuble
Mike’s son, Cole, a 5’10 174 pound right-winger like his dad, is now 17-years-old and played this past season for the Fargo Force of the United States Hockey League (USHL). This season, Cole (who likes to take up real estate in front of his opponent’s net like his old man) scored 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points. Cole makes strong outlet passes and is dominant in close, but like his father, he is not the most agile or nimble of players. However, he makes up for it with his offensive instincts and high hockey IQ. Again, Cole is still one of the younger players available in this year’s draft. Because of that, he will likely play for the Force again next season before heading to the University of Notre Dame, where he is committed to playing for the 23-24 season. He is a project prospect with a couple of years of work still to be done before ever reaching the ranks of the NHL. Therefore, it wouldn’t surprise me if Cole is taken as late as the 6th round. If this holds true with his instincts and great overall work ethic, I believe Cole to be of good value for a team that late in the draft.
Scott Niedermayer
The last former NHL player that we will talk about in this article that has a son who might hear his name called come June is defenseman Scott Niedermayer. This 18-year NHL veteran who excelled at both ends of the ice solidified his place not only in the Hockey Hall of Fame but as being named one of the 100 greatest players of all time by winning four Stanley Cups, a James Norris Memorial Trophy (given to the league’s best defenseman that year) and a Conn Smythe Trophy (for being named the playoff MVP). He achieved all this by using his innate ability to remain calm in pressure situations and his near-effortless skating ability.
Joshua Niedermayer
Growing up, Joshua (Scott’s son) has had to deal with the pressures of living up to his dad being an NHL legend, and to say that he has some big skates to fill would be a serious understatement. Still, Josh seemed to come to terms with that and settle down and play his game over the past three seasons for the British Columbia Hockey League’s (BCHL’s) Penticton Vees. This season, while playing what else defense, Niedermayer totaled four goals and 14 assists for 18 points in 43 games played during the regular season. To which he was able to score one goal and five assists for six points in 17 playoff games on the Vees road to winning their 13th league championship this year. Now, while he may not have quite the offensive prowess that his dad did back in the day when he was playing, Josh still proved to come up big for the Vees this year by providing top-line shutdown defense. Where this young blueliner will end up being drafted depends on how much a team may put into the Niedermayer name and pedigree. While Josh did excel this season, he did not play in one of Canada’s top leagues, and that could create some uncertainty about his possible ceiling and thus affect what round he will be selected in. Some so-called draft experts have him being taken as early as the third, while others have him falling to 7th, so we will just have to see.
Jordan Kyrou
The last NHL family bloodline we will talk about is not a father-son duo like the others but a pair of brothers. Throughout the NHL’s history, these kinds of sibling pairings, sometimes trios, have had impressive careers. From Jim and Joe Watson, who helped the Flyers win multiple cups. To other pairings like Derian and Kevin Hatcher, Henrik and Daniel Sedin. Then some families had multiple kids playing in the league, like the Sutters, who had six brothers in the league. The Staal family, who had three brothers that made the league, and the most recent NHL family act to hit the ice were the Hughes, who have three siblings as well. But come June, there is about to be one more family surname that will be added to that list: Kyrou. Older brother Jordan who was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the 2016 draft, had quite the breakout year this season. He scored 27 goals in 82 games, was named to his first NHL All-Star Game, and scored seven goals and nine points in 12 games this postseason before being knocked out of the playoffs by the Avalanche.
Christian Kyrou
Now, his younger brother Christian who is eighteen, is set to embark on his own journey to the NHL, thanks to him having quite the breakout season of his own playing for the Erie Otters of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) this year. Standing at 5’11 and 183 pounds, this right-hand-shot defenseman just might be the one player that the Flyers might want to trust the genetics on seeing that he scored 18 goals and 42 assists for 60 points in 68 games played this season. This year, his production not only surprised most people up in Erie but also the entire hockey community because, before this season, Christian didn’t even have a single point in the two previous seasons on the roster for the Otters. In his first season in the OHL as a 16-year-old, he only played in 21 games, and last year the OHL was closed down due to COVID. So, to say this year, Christian opened up some eyes would be an understatement, and when you pair his play with his brother’s recent success this year, you can see why Christian’s name continues to move up many expert’s mock draft boards. Don’t believe me? Just look at his shot in the video provided, and you will know just how good this kid could be one day.
So many players with familiar family names will be available for teams to select in the coming draft. Some of them may go on to build upon their family’s lineage in the NHL, and some may fail to reach the pinnacle and bring shame to the family name. But nobody ever said drafting prospects with NHL bloodlines didn’t come without risk. When it comes right down to it, general managers must treat these players as if they are any other prospect. Just because these kids were probably afforded the best coaches, played on the best teams, and had all the best equipment growing up doesn’t always equate to them living up to their father or brothers’ success. In the same token, though, sometimes it’s just in their blood, and their future success is but a forgone conclusion.
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