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Earlier today, Flyers POHO Keith Jones and Flyers governor/ Comcast Spectacor CEO Dan Hilferty held a joint offseason press conference to review the 2023-24 season and discuss -- in general terms -- the hockey ops and business plan for the next year. A video of the half-hour session follows below, along with a transcript (courtesy of hockey communications coordinator Allie Samuelsson).
Dan Hilferty (DH) opening statement: Good morning, everybody. Before we take questions, I would just like to say some opening comments and then Jonesy, if you would like to say anything. I just finished my first year in my role. It’s been a privilege and continues to be a privilege to serve as chair of this great franchise. I would like to start by thanking you. I've had an opportunity to interact with, if not all of you, most of you over the course of the year. You understood that I was new in this role. I just really appreciate your passionate about what you do and your commitment to truly understanding what we're trying to do with the Flyers. You don't always agree. We don't always agree with what you say, but it's been a pleasure getting to know you.
We will talk about entering the second year of the ‘New Era of Orange.’ I feel and I think, Keith, you would agree that this first year was all about creating an environment, a culture, where we accepted nothing but the best, where excellence is what we're striving for. If you look around this practice facility and all the work that's being done now, will go on for the next year or so, it's about creating an environment where players, coaches, us in the management part, strive for excellence. That's going to continue. It’s continuing with the Wells Fargo Center. We were thrilled that Front [Office] Sports named us one of the top arenas in the country. I don't know if you've noticed. We've got billboards up about it around the city for no particular reason. We're just doing that.
I'm just really excited about where we are. Thrilled with Keith's leadership, thrilled with Danny's leadership and how the two of them work together. Thrilled with Coach Tortorella. The way the three of them can finish each other sentences, and how together, we're going to build a winner. Thank you for being here.
Dan, what makes you thrilled about how Keith Jones has done and how Danny Briere has done and are you excited about the direction so far?
DH: Here’s the way I look at it. You guys heard from Torts at the end of the year, you heard from Danny. We’re going to do this every year. It’s our way of making sure that you hear from all four of us. We wanted the dust to settle. Those guys are focused on the day-to-day hockey stuff. I just think from my perspective, I obviously come from a different industry and kind of the hallmark of my time in leadership roles has been about building teams. Building teams where complimentary skill sets, where people have an opportunity to really shine in areas where they’re really good but get the support from other leaders where they’re good.
My first impression was I think we all have healthy egos and I think these guys, obviously if you play in the NHL at the level Keith and Danny did, coach in the NHL at the level that Torts has, ego is involved. We’ve seen that. I’ve never once seen an unwillingness to share and listen to other points of view. For me that’s number one, that we’re building this culture of collaboration. I see it day in and day out. You walk in the coach's office, I’ve been fortunate enough I’m welcome in the coach's office after games, I love it because I’m learning, but just watching them interact watching the passion, watching these guys interact with the coaches, with Torts and the team and the coaching staff, and then in the locker room.
I think I attended close to 60 games this year, including home and away, and every one of those games I was fortunate to go in the locker room after: win, lose, or draw. Just the love between those players and the folks that work from the equipment management on up to the coaches, it's telling. We talked about reconnecting with the fans. For me, there's nothing more important. In another couple of weeks, these stands will be filled, and we'll be wandering our way through, just making sure, that the fans recognize that they may not always agree with us, they may not be comfortable with a signing, or trade, or whatever it might be. We're about restoring that great tradition of Flyer hockey.
Guess this kind of follows up on that but the whole concept of a ‘New Era of Orange,’ it sort of by nature acknowledges that what was happening before wasn't good enough, wasn't up to standards, some things needed to be fixed. I guess now with the benefit of a year, you know, what do you think did need to be fixed? And what kind of progress do you feel like you made in fixing those things?
DH: I think that's a really fair question. Look, here's how I view it. Anytime there's a new regime, there's a reason that there's a new regime. Folks either decide to retire or folks are asked to move on. If you look at the track record that we've had over the past decade, it's been not a great one. I felt that we needed to do three things, we needed to change the discussion around “Oh, here they go. Again, it's a losing environment,” to “What are they up to? They're not overpromising, but they're looking us in the eye and having a conversation about where we're headed.”
And that's what we've tried to change. The whole ‘New Era of Orange’ was about, we're going to, as much as we can, look each of you in the eye and have an honest conversation about where we are. Do the same thing with the region and the fan base to make sure we bring them around on the journey. We saw a dip in attendance. We saw on social media or whoever you run into, just not an excitement about the team. I feel that although there is critical folks out there, the truth of matter is, across the board, people feel better about where we are. They feel that the things that Keith and Danny in his role as GM have done over the course of this year, are about building for the long haul, and doing it in a way that is as transparent as possible. And that is in an environment where not everything can be transparent.
What gives you that impression? Is it getting out talking to fans? Is it an increase in ticket sales? Is it, you know, studies you guys have done? What gives you that feeling?
DH: It's all of the above, quite frankly. Ticket sales are up. We were 92 to 95 percent on renewals from last year. That's a good number. We're having great success in going out and having conversations about sponsors, about suite purchases.
I'm not knocking the New York Rangers, but I long for a day that people are so excited that not a Ranger fan can get a ticket at a home game at the Wells Fargo Center. We're not there yet but we are seeing more enthusiasm when we talk to people.
For me, look, I was in healthcare for umpteen years, and I could walk, unless it was in the business community in Philadelphia, I could walk anywhere and nobody, nobody had a clue who I was. People stop me on the street now. They just say Dan, I want to say thank you. You've got a long way to go but I'm back. I'm on board. And it's not once or twice a week. It's once or twice, three times a day. It’s a gut.
We haven't done a study but we're looking at the results of season ticket sales. Todd Glickman, our Chief Revenue Officer was here looking at the results of conversations around sponsorships from helmet namings rights to folks who want to buy more tickets. I don't know, Jonesy, from your perspective.
Keith Jones (KJ): No, I would agree with that. I do think the messaging leaving the building was something that we really wanted to concentrate on, from employees to players. We wanted it to be an environment where people felt good about what they were doing and where we were headed. I do think that that's something that has, you know, occurred over the last year.
I would echo what Hilf said: We still obviously have a long way to go. We're keeping our eye on that prize, but it does start within. I do think there's been a lot of progress made on the team coming together and the players enjoying playing here again. When we're in a position to go out and you know, get a premier player through free agency, this is going to be a destination that they want to come to again.
I do think that's part of the process here starting last year and over this season as well before we flip and start to be a team that's in a different situation after removing a lot of the money off of our cap and getting rid of some of the contracts that we had to get rid of.
DH: Getting back to both the last two questions. One of the other changes is, and I've come to find out and I saw it in the other industry I worked in, health care, where an important ingredient when you have two areas of a company that are critical to the success, those parts of the entity have to mesh, have to communicate, have to be willing to share and collaborate. What Jonesy has done, with my support and help, is really break down walls that weren't built for malicious reasons, but just happened between hockey and the business side. We’re welcome over here. And the hockey side is certainly welcome in the business offices. I think that's been a key part of our success.
KJ: Yeah. Our players feel welcome on the business side as well, you know, which is great for them. There's opportunities for them. There's a great connection that has taken place and, you know, it's really important that we continue to build that, that our players feel like they're not just playing hockey, they're playing for an organization, they're playing for the Philadelphia Flyers. That's part of the messaging that I think we wanted to get across. But you can say it, you have to show it. I do think there's been an awful lot of progress made in that situation.
When Danny was up here at the end of the season, he said that he doesn’t even know if next year playoffs are in the cards. Still a long way to go. We're still a ways away. Do you really feel that? And if so, if there is another year without a postseason, how much do you feel that might stunt the progress you've made even this year?
DH: I've been very upfront from the beginning. I come at this as a fan. Now, obviously, with the business perspective, and what we just talked about the collaboration, like the beginning of last year, I was hoping we would outperform what the projections were. I go into this next year feeling the same way. Every game, I feel like we can win. I'm always going to be that way. I'm always going to have that fan perspective. But in the role as chairman, I'm very comfortable that there's got to be a level of patience around this. I've started to study other franchises.
Mainly, as Jonesy and I talk and understand, how did Florida do it? What's the mixture of young guys, seasoned pros and the seasoned pros that create this formula that works. I'm to the point now, I'm going to continue to be a fan, I'm going to cheer for us to win every game. I'm not going to worry about the wins and losses. Yes, you want to be respectable, you want to be in a playoff hunt. I'm not going to worry it's got to be this coming year that we make the playoffs. I just want to see continued progress, the development of the younger players. We went we spent some time up in Allentown during the playoffs watching the Phantoms.
I'm a layman learning what they're thinking about as they build this team out. I'm not getting caught up in terms of years, I just want to see that continued progress. And continued progress that positively impacts the business side in ticket sales and fan enthusiasm and sponsorships and a general feel around the region that not only do we care, we're trying to maximize the potential of the franchise.
Dan, you mentioned the word progress, you want to see continued progress. Can you maybe define what you view as progress? Because at least in terms of on ice, the team got to game 82 still having a shot at the playoffs. If you're going to make progress next year, that would seemingly imply making the playoffs. Is that what you mean? Or is it a little bit more
DH: I'm sorry, Charlie, if you misunderstood what I was trying to say. For me, it's not that. The fan in me, absolutely. Let's take a Tyson Foerster, for example. If you look at the year he had this year. I'm hoping players like that continue to impress and the next wave of young folks that these guys feel that yeah, it's gonna take time for them to get to reach their potential, but they're on the right track. They're paying attention to their training; they're fitting well in the locker room. They're the types of things that I'm talking about it.
Honestly, on the business side, I'd love for us to make the playoffs but it's not how in my role I'm measuring the success of what these three leaders are doing, led by Jonesy.
In your mind, you could envision a scenario where the team in the standings next year maybe takes a bit of a step back, but you still see clear upward progress being made organizationally.
DH: Well just look even in the division. I mean, the Devils had a down year, but one would expect that they could bounce back, right? So yes, I'm using that as one example of these potential outcomes.
Keith, Danny last April said that he didn't think the timeline was as black and white compared to maybe how it was last summer. How do you view the timeline?
KJ: Yeah, I think the one indicator on the timeline that's out there for everyone to see is the money that we have tied up right now, for players that aren't playing for our team. A lot of that is going to start to come off with a cap. I do think that if you're looking further down the line, that is where we're going to start to have some real key decisions to make. We have to get them right. There's no room for error on whatever players we add to the mix in a couple of years. Those are things that we have to pay a lot of attention to right now. And that's something that we're really focused on.
Some of that is growth from within, some of our younger players, and whoever we draft with the two first round picks we have this year, and then the multiple first round picks next year. That's going to be key. At the same time, the removal of money off the cap, the dead money, is something that we're going to be able to use to our benefit, as long as we do everything right here and make sure that this is a place that people want to play. It's really important for us to get that message out. It's important for us to continue to communicate with our fans, it's important for us to show off our fan base. Players say, 'Yeah, man, I watched the Phillies in the playoffs last night, that crowd was incredible. I'd like to experience that playing for a hockey team, like the Philadelphia Flyers.'
All of those things are part of our thinking and we're going to have to execute. It’s not gonna be easy. We threaded a needle last year. I don't think it's threading the needle; I think there's a blueprint out there that we can maximize and hit on, but we've got to do it right. I'm pretty confident that we have a group of people around with Dan’s support and Danny Briere, you know, pounding the pavement to find those type of players. I think we're going to be in a position to get things to a point where we're playing in the playoffs, not just for one year, but for multiple seasons trying to contend and win a Stanley Cup.
What's your perspective then on the season as a whole because, obviously, you went into it, expectations from the outside at least we're not very high. They got raised as it went along. And then, you know, frankly, I guess you guys sort of raised them a little bit yourselves with some of the moves made at the trade deadline. And then ultimately, it kind of collapsed there at the end.
KJ: Yes, I think in trading Sean Walker, we weren't really raising the bar. Internally, you want to push your players. I don't think you ever want to send the message to guys that have fought so hard to get the position that we were sitting in to say, hey, we're not, we're not a playoff team. I don't think the messaging should be lost in the fact that we did trade a player for a first round pick next year in a very important draft. Had Sean Walker stayed with the team, is there three points in there for us there? Yes. We’re in the playoffs. We would have battled hard; we would have been a difficult opponent for everyone. That's kind of what we established last year.
I don't think there was many teams that came in and felt like they could get an easy two points playing the Flyers. If you look at our record against the Final Four teams, or even the two teams that are playing in the Stanley Cup final, it was respectable, to say the least. I do think there's been some incredible growth in that regard. I think some of the disappointment and the losses at the end of the season is going to be something that our players carry with them. I think it's going to be valuable for them. We didn't lose to the best teams in the league. We lost to some of the worst teams in the league. It wasn't playoff teams ramping up their play and taking advantage of us. It was us overlooking the opponents that were playing. There's valuable lessons in that.
Does it diminish what our guys accomplished throughout the year? I don't think it does. Does having the 12th pick overall help us in this draft? It does. Is it something that we were hoping for as our guys were battling for the playoffs? No, but we have to make good on it now.
DH: Can I comment on something? It was fun for me where I sit, being able to watch you three guys work through trade deadline. To your point, what never lost sight of the goal was the longer-term positioning of the team. As an observer, and I appreciated that, it was it was really encouraging to watch, this is the plan and we're sticking with it. You're right, we were all sad to see Sean go. But the truth is, there's a pick that came from that and there's an opportunity to build towards the future.
Jonesy, this is a question for you. Obviously, when you took the role last summer, it was a new standalone role. It wasn't like there was a standalone President of Hockey Operations before you took it. So when that role was announced, and we asked, you know what exactly that role is, you guys did your best to explain. But there's an element where when it's a new role, you kind of create the role in time. With the years benefit, can you speak to more of the specifics of your role, of what you're actually doing?
KJ: Yeah, that's a great question. Helping Danny in any way that I can. That's the number one priority for my job. That’s balancing things through Dan and the business side of what we're doing, and then making sure that I'm there for him in any way possible to help facilitate anything I can for him.
It's worked really well. It's a partnership. I'm not his boss. The two of us work extremely well together. We were friends before and are better friends now than ever, which I think speaks to the relationship that we have. There is no ego involved from either of us. We both work extremely hard to do whatever we can for our fan base to make our team as good as we can make it. We're both focused on that. It's not about any one individual. It's about the Philadelphia Flyers.
And we're going to continue to do that. I have great confidence in him. He's a very good negotiator. He's very tough. The competitive edge that he played with, which we saw in many playoff games for the Flyers, is really represents what he stands for. And our team is in good hands with him as a general manager.
There has been a lot of chatter over the past couple of weeks and months about Matvei Michkov. First of all, does the organization have an update on that situation? Second of all, with a situation that is so fluid, how does that fit into your plans and timeline?
KJ: Yeah, it really doesn't affect it because, when we drafted him, the expectation was that he would finish his contract with SKA. We are listening, as well as reading many of your articles, and kind of following along. We have no update on it. We would welcome him with welcome arms. We absolutely love what he is going to bring to the Flyers. If that timeline is sped up, that would be wonderful, but we don’t know.
We will watch along closely -- like you guys are as well -- and when he arrives, our fanbase is going to be pretty excited about getting a highly talented player that is different than what we have right now. I think our fans are looking forward to that, for sure.
You said you made some steps this season. It sounds like you guys consider it as a successful season. How would success be defined going into next season? When we are here, a year from now, what would be a successful previous 12 months to you?
KJ: Well, you don’t want to take a step back. You want to make sure that you continue to build the culture. I think that it’s an everyday thing. You have to pay attention to it. You have to be around. It was great that Hilf was around as much as he was. Including road games, which is very unusual but very welcomed. Our players sensed that they feel like they are part of something important.
I do think that when you play for the Philadelphia Flyers, I know what that feels like. Our fans started to really kind of get a sense for what our team is all about and supported them throughout the season. Attendance was getting better, and the building was much more exciting than it had been over the last few years. We want to continue to build on that feeling, and you do that by playing well, in some cases overachieving, and playing with a chip on your shoulder by making sure that you're out there and trying to continue to push this forward and make sure you're a part of it when we turn the corner. As a player, that is something that is really important. I look forward to seeing how our players progress with what they do in the offseason.
It’s a long offseason, that is one of the benefits for a younger team that doesn't make the playoffs. You put the time in, and you can gain a lot. I do think that we have progress from our draft picks from last season, including Oliver Bonk, who had a great playoff in London. I am very excited about what he is going to bring to the table. Hunter McDonald is another player that we have talked about before getting to the American Hockey League, and demonstrating he belongs there and getting him into a position to get stronger this offseason and continue to push forward. Those types of players are going to help us as we continue to build the backend, which is critically important to us as we move into the future.
Dan, I know you spoke about the on-ice success and how that added to the culture, but there is obviously a lot of adversity off-ice as well. In your first year as a front office together, what is the value that you found in battling through all of that and still keeping the culture strong and remaining united as you guys wanted to?
DH: That is a really good question. When Brian Roberts and I agreed that I would take this role, it was, “Oh by the way... Oh by the way," and you can name the things that we are facing as they kind of unearthed themselves as the season went on. We had frank conversations about it. We dialogued continuously between business and hockey. We understood the hockey ramifications of these various things.
I will use the [Jamie] Drysdale trade as an example. When we became aware of this, these guys right away, we huddled and began to think about how we would go about it. We tried to do it in a way that, for obvious reasons, was as quiet as we could. They knew they wanted to get value, and we feel really good about the value that we got in Drysdale, but that was a challenge that I wasn't expecting, frankly. In this new role, it really solidified my feeling about these three individuals, particularly Jonesy and Danny. As Jonesy said, “no ego.” Let's talk this through. Let's make sure we are aligned with the business side, that the business side is aligned with us, and do what we need to do. It actually turned out to be a blessing in disguise.
Dan, what is the current status of the complex development plan? Is there any start date or breaking ground? Or are we still talking years?
DH: It's interesting. I have to preface it by saying that, for at least the next several seasons until 2031, the 76ers will play at Wells Fargo Center. It's my hope and dream that we, at the end of the day, stay together there. We will start the development, and I'll answer that question. Then, at the right time, build an arena together in the sports district in South Philly, where we are. This has been envisioned. This isn't new with our arrival; this has been envisioned since the days of Ed Snider. It just never got off the ground. It took down the Spectrum; then it just never got off the ground.
We're going to have a series of announcements. We've talked about phase one in the aspirational piece: the Phillies and Comcast Spectacor are committed to a partnership. We're in dialogue with the Eagles. Obviously, they're a great partner in South Philly, we would love to have them involved, but that discussion continues. Over the course of the summer, we'll start laying out announcements around the phase one, which is basically our footprint between the Wells Fargo Center and Pattison Avenue from 11th Street to Broad Street. Stay tuned this summer; they will start to come out.
Then, in terms of the Sixers, look, think of Philadelphia; it was just ranked 33rd by some Oxford-based study. 33rd best city in the world. We talk about all of our problems and issues, but the truth of the matter is it's a great place, and we're not talking about professional teams leaving Philadelphia; we're talking about professional teams having a different perspective on where they want their home to be.
This is all good. This debate is good for Philly; we have a position on it. HBSE, Josh Harris, and David Blitzer, they have a position on it. We will come to a resolution, but regardless, it's not going to stop our focus on making sure that we get the arrangement with the Phillies solidified, and we begin announcing phase one this summer and then getting started as early as the fall.
You don't feel that it is over with the Sixers still?
DH: No, I don't. I'm the eternal optimist. I really am. I just firmly believe that the government, with Mayor Parker and counsel, and the business community will do what's best for the city. I ultimately believe what's best for the city is all of us being housed in a sports district in South Philadelphia that becomes a mecca for living entertainment, watching a game. You go to someplace like The Battery in Atlanta or what they're building out by SoFi in LA. These are emerging communities.
What we're intending to do is connect them to the existing communities, footbridges over Broad Street to FDR Park, and really across Pattison Avenue so we get pedestrian traffic up and above. My point is that I'm an eternal optimist about the Sixers. We will continue to work on it, and we will see where it ends up. Regardless, this is good for Philadelphia and the region.
Touching back on the Michkov situation again, you talk about often having the kind of lens of a fan. Fans are obviously kind of wrapped up in the whole situation with him. Do you ever hit up Jonesy or Danny and say, ‘Hey, what's the latest on this guy?’ Like, how often are you kind of plugged into what's going on with his prospect?
DH: Three times a day. I say that in jest.
KJ: I don't answer his calls. (Grins)
DH: He doesn't answer my calls. Look, I'm a fan. The way I look at it is, he's still a young individual. As much fun as it would be and as good as it would be from creating that environment and getting fans excited. Yeah, I hope it happens, but we knew he's under a three-year contract. I can't be just a fan about this. I totally understand that. It's a situation where we have zero control over him, and we will continue to watch him regardless of where he plays. At some point, it will be a great thing for the Philadelphia Flyers.
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