Photo Credit: Zack Hill
The Flyers received horrible news with a young-21-year-old in Nolan Patrick being diagnosed with a migraine disorder before the 2019-20 season even began. Now people have been given a sigh of relief and hope, as the young man in Patrick has been on the ice in consecutive days with his teammates. Regardless, of what some people may think, this is an encouraging sign, and it’s great to feel more optimistic for a return this season. Patrick does have a slightly tinted visor on again.
The Flyers had a string of good luck on Saturday, April 29, 2017. They moved up 11 slots to the second-overall pick in the 2017 NHL Draft and drafted a stud in Patrick. This was a life-changing turn of events for this proud franchise. Patrick was a beast in Junior hockey while playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings, as he razzled and dazzled opponents. He also torched opposing goaltenders on a nightly basis, as well.
Patrick finally had a full off-season where he could train as hard as he wants to, in order to improve his game for the 2019-20 season. He managed to improve his point totals from the year prior, as he finished the 2018-19 campaign with 31 points (13g,18a). In 2017-18 Patrick finished the year with 30 points.
Unfortunately, Patrick had a few bouts with injuries once again in 2018-19, and these injuries happened to come at the wrong time. He was finally making huge strides with his game offensively, as it was apparent Patrick was gaining confidence at the NHL level, but then an injury occurred. Moreover, 40 games before the All-Star break Patrick only tallied 9 points, post the All-Star break, he tallied 22 points. It appears that Patrick excels in the second half of the season.
Patrick does a lot of things well on the ice. His ability to shut down some of the top lines, as Patrick thinks defense first, shows he can be a solid two-way player in the NHL. He reminds me of Sean Couturier, as Patrick closes gaps on players well, much like Couturier does. Moreover, Patrick had career highs in 2018-19 in Hits (72), Takeaways (40), and Blocks (26). Patrick just needs to gain his confidence offensively.
The former Brandon Wheat King product, Patrick has great vision and gets into the open areas of the ice. One area of his game that needs improvement, however, is finishing. Yes, he has been snake bit at times with hitting posts, but Patrick has to finish the play more often. Sometimes he thinks pass first, as opposed to just shooting the puck at the net. This will come in time, but if he takes following his disorder now, watch out the Flyers could be deadly for a post season run. It took Couturier time to develop his game the way it has, and hopefully the same will follow suit with Patrick.
Fortunately, Patrick appears to be getting better, and feels good enough to participate in drills and skates. He has not had a set backs recently, according to the Flyers. Obviously, his his health has always been far more important, but Patrick is so darn talented offensively that he can breakout out anytime. He is a giddy kid, good character guy in the locker room, as he was singing Lionel Richie’s big hit, “All Night Long,” throughout the course of the season last year. Moreover, Patrick stated to me in an interview in 2017 before the Flyers drafted him, “To the fans, I’m a passionate guy. I want to win. I know they want to win. You’re getting an energy type player who works very hard. I stop at nothing, and just want to succeed.” I’ll speak for everyone, we’re just happy, and this is an encouraging sign.
