Mar 20, 2022; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Philadelphia Flyers right wing Owen Tippett (74) during warmups against the New York Islanders at Wells Fargo Center. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports
Photo Credit: Eric Hartline/USA Today Sports
Owen Tippett came to Philadelphia with some unknowns. One thing that has remained constant is his talent. Sometimes it takes prospects longer to bloom, and this was the case for a former first round pick. In some cases it’s tough getting selected in the first round, players are supposed to produce and produce right away in some cases, as opposed to a second round pick, etc., etc. where prospects are giving more leniency to succeed.
“Seeing how great of a city Philadelphia is, sports city, fans are awesome, all the history with the organization. Obviously, going into those contract talks was pretty special,” Tippett said at exit interview day. “Being able to do it for eight years is something that I was really looking forward to and it was an easy decision to go long term.”
This was the case for Tippett. He came to Philadelphia after so-so years in Florida, where he was seen as a reclamation project in the Claude Giroux deal. He hasn’t looked back since, rather Flyers Head Coach John Tortorella has unlocked some of his talent. For his efforts, he will be here for the next eight years, as he recently just signed for $6.2 million AAV, “To be a part of the group here. It’s pretty special to be here in Philly,” Tippett said
“With the fanbase we have you can see how exciting it is what we have going. There’s a lot of moving parts to it, but coming down to it this is where I want to be. This is home now.” – Owen Tippett
Good for Tippett for bringing size, speed, and a nasty wrist shot into the fold. Tippett’s confidence is finally paying dividends for the orange and black, now it’s time for the Ginger to reap some of the benefits after netting his first career hat trick this past season. If he hit the net more, just imagine how many more goals he could have, “For a while there, I thought we were starting to trend in the right direction,” Tippett said of the Power Play on exit interview day. “Overall, we weren’t nearly good enough. That’s something we need to improve obviously.”
One Flyer who’s game has grown the most from a new change of scenery, and under John Tortorella is Owen Tippett. Even so much so, he netted a career high in points and goals with 53 points and 28 goals. One can sense he is infused with confidence, and some can see the potential that made him a first round pick in the first place. Again, just imagine if he was able to hit the net more consistently, he could possibly have 30+ goals a season.
“I think getting traded here last year just gave me a new opportunity and a fresh start. It’s been great so far, and I love playing in Philly.” – Owen Tippett said during the 2022-23 season
It appears he has been Reborn in Philadelphia. The definition of “Reborn” is “Brought back to life or activity,” according to the Oxford Dictionary. In this case, he has a new lease on life after excelling here in Philadelphia, after his rocky start to his NHL career with the Florida Panthers.
It’s great to see Tippett finding his groove in the NHL. He’s always had the talent, now he has the tools. Tippett proved it with netting 20+ goals for the second time in his career.
“Tipp has a lot to learn still, but the improvement from where he was in camp – for me when I was first introduced to him and met him – to where he is now mentally, I think he’s made tremendous strides.” – John Tortorella
Torts has unlocked Tippett’s skill
The one part of Tippett’s game that has grown the most are his defensive skills. Maybe this is due to confidence, or it might be the John Tortorella effect, regardless it’s great to see him taking that next step in his game. Tortorella wants to see Tippett grow, so he is utilizing him in every situation, to include the Penalty Kill.
He just needed confidence, and the Flyers are trusting him. That goes a long way when building confidence, for a player that needed a fresh change of scenery.
“If he hits the net more, I think you see more goals,” John Tortorella said. “He steps on the ice, he’s dangerous. I think he thinks he’s a good player. I was just telling the coaches – we know he’s a good player, more importantly I think he thinks he’s a good player and he’s kind of letting it go.”
Tippett falls into the category of having drive. He finally looks like the player the Florida Panthers drafted in the first round of the 2017 NHL Draft. The talent has always been there, but his confidence at times lacked. Let’s look at what his confidence had done for him lately:
If Tippett continues to improve his game like Tortorella wants him too. He becomes that much more if a dangerous player, and a player that you build around during the rebuild like the Flyers are in. He needs to hit the net more, as stated above. In addition, Tippett needs to take the puck to the net more often. He has a good release, so Tippett tends to feed off his wrist shot, but he could score maybe five to 10 more goals if he took the puck to the net more.
Tortorella has said over and over that the team is in need of goal scoring, so enter Tippett. The young 25-year-old in Tippett stands at 6’1 and weighs 207 pounds. He likes to throw his weight around at times, has excellent speed, and really possesses an excellent wrist/snap shot. Now it’s time for Tippett to hit the net consistently, as he primes for a big 2024-25 season.
“I thought compared to last year, my game took strides,” Tippett said. “More confident and more consistent. Obviously, there’s always stuff to work on. For me, continue to round up that game, and be consistent and be a big part of this going forward. I love the group we have here and it’s a special group to be a part of. For me, it’s just doing the best I can and making sure, I make the changes and improvements I need to help this team win.”
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