Quick Hits: July 8, 2019
1) Last week, as part of the U.S. Independence Day celebration, I wrote an article for the Flyers' official website on American Flyers of the Past, Present and (Probable) Future. Through the end of the 2018-19 NHL season, a total of 84 American players (74 skaters and 10 goaltenders) have played for the Flyers in the team's 52-season history. That places the Flyers in the top five among NHL teams dating back to the 1967-68 season. Keep in mind that American players leaguewide were quite scare prior to the 1980s.
The all-time total number is American Flyers is likely to expand rapidly with the next few years. In the 2018 NHL Draft, the Flyers selected five U.S.-born players, including Joel Farabee and Jay O'Brien in the first round, Jack St. Ivany in the fourth round, Wyatte Wylie in the fifth and Gavin Hain in the sixth. In 2019, the Flyers chose four Americans: Cam York in the first round, Bobby Brink in the second, Ronnie Attard in the third, and Bryce Brodzinski in the seventh. Other American prospects of note in the system include 2017 fifth-rounder Noah Cates and 2016 6th-rounder Tanner Laczynski (if he chooses to sign with the Flyers after his senior collegiate season at Ohio State).
2) The Flyers annual summertime Community Caravan will make a stop in Ocean City on Wednesday at the Ocean City Sports and Civic Center from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. EDT. As usual, the event will feature an inflatable rink, free games and various other activities and giveaways along with free autographs from Flyers Alumni including Brad Marsh and Bob "the Hound" Kelly. Gritty will also be on hand for the event.
3) Today in Flyers History: On July 8, 1995, the Flyers traded depth defenseman Rob Zettler to the San Zone Sharks for a 1996 fifth-round pick. The Flyers used the pick on Swedish goaltender Per-Ragnar Bergqvist. Bergqvist had been a standout for Team Sweden at the 1995-96 World Junior Championships, outplaying Team USA's Brian Boucher (the Flyers 1995 first-round pick) in a head-to-head clash. Unfortunately, after a promising start to his pro career in Sweden as the Leksands IF backup goaltender behind future NHL goalie Johan Hedberg (himself a former Flyers Draft pick), Bergqvist's career stalled and never got back on track.
4) July 8 Flyers Alumni birthday: Karl Dykhuis (1972). At his best, Dykhuis was a highly effective puck-mover who sometimes showed hints of untapped offensive upside at the pro level as well as a periodic mean streak. However, he struggled at times with confidence and decision-making, leading to somewhat inconsistent play both with and without the puck.
Acquired from the Chicago Blackhawks for Bob Wilkie and a 1997 fifth-round pick (Kyle Calder) on February 15, 1995, Dykhuis became a regular on the Flyers' rebuilt blueline. Dykhuis played arguably the best hockey of his career during the 1995 and 1996 playoffs.
After going to the Tampa Bay Lightning along with Mikael Renberg as part of the 1997 agreement for the Lightning to decline to match the Flyers' offer sheet to restricted free agent Chris Gratton, Dykhuis and Renberg returned to the Flyers the next season in separate trades. Dykhuis returned in exchange for veteran defenseman Petr Svoboda: his regular Flyers' defense partner for most of Dykhuis' first stint.
Overall, during his time with the Flyers, Dykhuis appeared in 227 regular season games (13 goals, five power play goals, 41 assists, 54 points, 211 penalty minutes, cumulative plus-21 rating). He played in 50 playoff games as a Flyer (seven goals, nine assists, 16 points, 42 penalty minutes, cumulative plus-11).
Dykhuis struggled early in the 1999-2000 season and was placed on waivers by the Flyers. He was traded to the Montreal for future considerations on October 21, 1999. He played three full and two partial seasons with the Habs before winding down his playing career in the American Hockey League and with stints playing hockey in the Netherlands and in Germany's DEL.