Hope for the Flyers
Flyers begin a new season with new players and a hopeful outlook.
October 2015
John Sciarrone '17
With the arrival of October comes the arrival of several different autumn favorites. You have cooler weather, football, Halloween and seasonal movies to name a few. But there’s one thing out of all the activities that kick off this time of year that I most anticipate: the return of Flyers hockey. After a bit of a lull these past few seasons, there is much to look forward to in the 2015-2016 calendar year and beyond for the boys in orange and black.
Arguably the biggest offseason move GM Ron Hextall and the Flyers made was the firing of former flyer and 2 year head coach, Craig Berube, and the hiring of the former University of North Dakota head coach, Dave Hakstol. The synopsis of the transaction wasn’t that Berube had done a terrible job at all in the two years he coached the Flyers, in fact he put up a .553 winning percentage in his tenure in Philadelphia. But following a disappointing 2014-15 season in which the team missed the playoffs that left the fanbase rather disgruntled, a change in leadership was necessary. Berube posted a 75-58-28 record over two seasons with the club, including a berth in the 2013-14 NHL playoffs, but it wasn’t enough to save his job. With the addition of Dave Hakstol as the new head coach, the plan is that there will be a fresh change in all aspects of the system. To provide some background on the new head coach, Hakstol played for the University of North Dakota before playing 5 seasons in the International Hockey League and then going on to coach for North Dakota for 11 seasons. According to several of his former players, Hakstol is a good voice in the locker room and sustains a winning environment.
Another bright spot for the Flyers for the season and beyond is the core of highly touted young prospects and developed superstars the team has built through the draft and trades. With the already existent presence of star players Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek and Wayne Simmonds the future looks bright. But with the drafting of several top defensive prospects such as Sam Morin, Shayne Gostisbehere, Robert Hagg, this year's 7th overall pick Ivan Provorov and others, there is great potential. The hope is that these prospects will mesh with the likes of Giroux, Voracek and Simmonds and lead us to the promised land.
It remains to be seen how it will all work out, but there is definitely hope for the future. The fans are hungry for a cup, and it looks like there may be one on the horizon, if the plans go accordingly. But regardless, Flyers hockey has finally returned after a long summer and there is a lot to be excited about.