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FLYERS TOP 25 IN 25: JAKUB VORACEK
Over the course of his first six seasons with the Philadelphia Flyers, Jakub Voracek has collected two Bobby Clarke Trophies (2012-13 and 2014-15) as the team's most valuable player. He also won the 2012-13 Pelle Lindbergh Memorial Trophy (most improved player), the 2013-14 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award (Class Guy) and the 2014-15 Gene Hart Memorial Award (work ethic and dedication).
On a leaguewide basis, Voracek has twice collected NHL 1st Star of the Week honors and was also a 2nd Star of the Week on one occasion. He played in his first NHL All-Star Game in 2014-15, registering six points.
Long before Voracek played his first game as a Philadelphia Flyer, he was a player of interest to the Flyers organization. Owning the second overall pick of the 2007 Draft, the Flyers considered a trade offer from the Edmonton Oilers. The Oilers held three picks in the first round (sixth, 15th and 21st) and offered two of the selections to Philly in exchange for the second pick.
The Flyers ended up standing pat. They selecting James van Riemsdyk with the second pick. The Columbus Blue Jackets, with whom Voracek would play the first three seasons of his NHL career, chose Voracek with the seventh overall pick. If the Flyers had made the trade with the Oilers, however, Voracek would have been the player of Philadelphia's greatest interest with the sixth overall pick. Edmonton chose London Knights center Sam Gagner instead. That left Voracek on the board for Columbus.
Success at the professional level did not happen overnight for Voracek, but he improved slowly but steadily. Much like assembling jigsaw puzzle, Voracek had to put the pieces together gradually but his playmaking abilities quickly became evident. Over his three seasons in Columbus, Voracek posted a combined 39 goals, 95 assists and 144 points in 241 regular season games.
On June 23, 2011, the Flyers traded Jeff Carter to Columbus in exchange for Voracek, and both the eighth overall (center Sean Couturier) and the 68th overall (Nick Cousins) selections of the 2011 NHL Draft. On the same day, the Flyers traded center Mike Richards to the Los Angeles Kings for young right winger Wayne Simmonds, top center prospect Brayden Schenn and a 2012 second-round pick (later traded to the Dallas Stars in the deal that brought defenseman Nicklas Grossmann to Philadelphia during the 2011-12 season).
Over the next four seasons, Voracek showed steady and continuous progress.
He missed only four games -- none from 2012-13 through 2014-15 - and quickly compiled 290 regular season games and 18 playoff games (four goals, 10 assists, 14 points) as a Flyer to his credit. For his regular-season career with the Flyers, Voracek posted 85 goals, 153 assists and 238 points (0.82 points per game) over his first four seasons with Philadelphia.
For most of the 2014-15 season, Voracek either led or ranked near the top in the Art Ross Trophy race as the NHL's top overall point-scorer. He ultimately tied Washington's Alex Ovechkin for fourth the league, with 81 points. Voracek's 59 assists were one behind the Capitals' Nicklas Backstrom for the league lead.
With one season remaining on his contract, the Flyers signed Voracek to a six-year extension on July 30, 2015, taking effect in the 2016-17 season.
Voracek's 2015-16 campaign did not measure up to his previous ones in Philadelphia. He also dealt with injury issues that brought his consecutive game streak to an end (Voracek missed nine regular season games).
At midseason, Voracek temporarily moved from right wing to left wing for the first significant stretch of his Philadelphia career, although he eventually returned to his more accustomed and familiar spot. Overall, Voracek produced 55 points (11 goals overall, one power play goal, 44 assists) in 73 regular season games. He had one playoff goal and did not record an assist in the Flyers' Eastern Conference Quarterfinal series with the Washington Capitals.
As a team, the Flyers made progress with a 96-point season under first-year head coach Dave Hakstol. The club waged a hard-fought six-game playoff series against the Capitals before being eliminated on home ice, 1-0, in the deciding game.
In 2016-17, Voracek had a better statistical year, producing 20 goals (the fourth 20-goal season of his Flyers career) and 61 points. However, his line struggled in five-on-five play and Voracek was dissatisfied with his career-low minus-24 rating and even more dissatisfied with the team's 88-point showing and missing the playoffs after rattling off a 10-game winning streak in late November and early December.
Voracek celebrated his 28th birthday on Aug. 15, 2017, as he prepared for his seventh season as a Flyer. A bounceback campaign from Voracek and Claude Giroux in 2017-18 would be a major boost in the Flyers' teamwide quest to return to the postseason.
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QUICK HITS: AUGUST 21, 2017
1) Former Toronto Marlies video coach and minor league player Justin Bourne authored a thought-provoking article for the Athletic on what separates NHL players from ones who struggle to advance beyond the American Hockey League. Much of it, according to Bourne, comes down to being tabbed for opportunity by a certain age, but there are also elements of decision-making and execution quickness.
From a Flyers standpoint, I could not help but think about Jordan Weal while reading Bourne's article. Weal, now 25, finally got an extended NHL audition last season and parlayed it into a $1.75 million cap hit contract for the next two seasons. On the flip side, Phantoms offensive defenseman T.J. Brennan is a player who seems to carry the permanent "quad-A" label as an impact producer in the AHL but, at age 28 with 53 NHL games played, is someone who will likely never stake down a full-time NHL job.
2) Flyers Hall of Fame defenseman Joe Watson, who is serving as one of the coaches at the Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp in Atlantic City, talked with Flyers TV on Sunday about the ongoing camp.
3) "Gostisbehere," the race horse owned by Delaware Valley resident and Flyers fan Steve Wigmore, finished third in a race at Ellis Park in Kentucky on Sunday. Although he has yet to win a race, Gostisbehere has had one place (second) and four shows (third place) among his six races to date.
4) Today in Flyers History: August 21
1968: The Flyers acquire the contract of veteran center Bob Rivard from the Pittsburgh Penguins in exchange for future considerations. The trade is eventually completed via cash transaction. Rivard spends the 1968-69 season with the AHL's Quebec Aces.
1969: The Flyers sign Gerry Meehan and Serge Bernier to contracts.
1980: The 10-season Flyers career of Bob "the Hound" Kelly comes to an end. The team trades him to the Washington Capitals in exchange for a 1982 third-round draft pick (Bill Campbell).
1991: The Flyers sign diminutive but feisty forward Al Conroy as a free agent.
1992: The Flyers sign goaltending prospect Scott Lagrand, their fourth-round (77th overall) pick in the 1988 NHL Draft, to a pro contract after three seasons at Boston College.
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