Owen Tippett Has Untapped Potential, Can The Flyers Unlock It?

Photo Courtesy of Yong Kim, The Philadelphia Inquirer

Owen Tippett was the major piece acquired in the Claude Giroux trade that took place a few weeks ago. Due to being a part of a package for one of the Philadelphia Flyers franchise greats there are already expectations being placed on his shoulders to produce. To this point the 23 year old right winger has 3 points in 10 games for the Flyers. That may paint the picture that he hasn’t been playing too well. However, dissecting Tippett’s performance as a Flyer so far can prove otherwise.

First off, when analyzing Tippett’s overall game he is a legitimately explosive skater for a player of his frame. Considering the Flyers lack of speed in certain facets of their play especially when moving the puck through the neutral zone, his skating prowess is a welcome addition. Along with this, the young forward is also a tenacious forechecker, regularly winning offensive zone board battles.

Tippett’s most impressive quality within his game is his wrist shot. He has a very quick and deceptive release which is a theme amongst some of the better goal scorers in the NHL. As soon as the puck reaches his stick Tippett fires it with a ton of velocity. The only negative to his quick and powerful release is the fact that it isn’t always the most accurate. One could argue that if more accuracy was present with his shot he likely would have more than 2 goals in his first 10 games as Flyer.

Another facet of Tippett’s game that is promising for his future potential production is his puck control ability. Typically, while moving into the offensive zone with the puck on his stick the winger uses his size to protect the puck and take it into the middle of the ice to create scoring opportunities. With the way Tippett consistently attempts to move the puck into these high danger scoring areas it certainly bodes well for his offensive output going into next season.

One other element to focus on demonstrating the positive impact Tippett has had for the Flyers while on the ice is the forward’s corsi-for percentage. Currently in 10 games as a Flyer, Tippett is sporting a 51.5 % corsi-for percentage (courtesy of hockey-reference.com). Essentially, this points to the fact that while Tippett has been on the ice for the Flyers they’ve controlled the puck much more often than not. This exhibits an added positive to his game as it outlines that his habits on the ice help in terms of driving play and puck possession.

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Corsi-for percentage is calculated through dividing the total of shot attempts for when a player is on the ice, by the total of shot attempts for and against while that same player is out for their shifts. Examining a 51.5 % C-F percentage in this light cements that the Flyers are usually generating more shot attempts than the opposition when Tippett is on the ice for his shifts.

Looking at the above elements of Tippett’s game and his statistical output he is undoubtedly a very talented player. He also looks to be on the verge of breaking out. The reasoning behind such a notion would be that when he is on the ice Tippett is generating scoring opportunities and so are his linemates.

Unfortunately, Tippett has been unable to convert on a large number of these scoring chances but they are still being created throughout his shifts. Simply put, when he’s been on the ice good things are happening in the offensive zone for the Flyers. If Tippett can find some more consistency with his finishing ability moving forward into next season there’s no reason to think that he can’t get close to scoring 30 goals.

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With his talent and the volume in which he’s creating scoring opportunities he looks to be a legitimate goal scoring threat for the Flyers in the future. There’s potential for Owen Tippett to be a high end goal scorer as it’s quite evident he possesses an abundance of natural talent and skill. The question is, if the Flyers will place the young winger in the correct position to succeed, develop his skills further, and unlock the scoring potential that exists within his game.