Surprising Konecny giving Flyers a boost
Pugnacious rookie off to fast start but admits there’s still a lot to learn
Travis Konecny’s instinctual response to a recent thunderous check is the fiery sort of retribution typical of the pugnacious 5-foot10, 175-pound Philadelphia Flyers rookie. Then the 19-year-old looks up and realizes the hit came from Chris Neil, one of the NHL’s toughest customers, and he opts to pull back.
It’s the kind of lesson Konecny, a London, Ont. native, is learning in his first NHL season, while still managing to give the Flyers an unexpected boost. The 24th overall pick of the 2015 draft has rung up four goals and 12 points in his first 20 games, primarily playing alongside Jakub Voracek and Sean Couturier on Philadelphia’s second line.
Few would have anticipated Konecny even being in the NHL at this point, let alone making a real dent on the league. Sarnia general manager Nick Sinclair proclaimed in September that Konecny had a chance to be major junior hockey’s best player if he returned to play for the Sting.
“For me, just the type of person I am, my goal from the start was to play in the NHL as soon as possible,” Konecny said in a recent interview. “Obviously I wasn’t being as realistic as I should have been, but I had the positive mindset.”
Konecny, rambunctious in the mould of Canadiens sparkplug Brendan Gallagher, is among the rookie leaders in hits as well as points. A 101-point scorer last season in the Ontario Hockey League, Konecny also sits second on the Flyers in even-strength production (nine points) and first among the team’s forwards in 5-on-5 points and assists per 60 minutes.
He’s still just figuring out the league. He got a real taste, for example, of how physical it is during a late October tilt against the Arizona Coyotes. Crunched multiple times by 6-foot-2, 229-pound defenceman Luke Schenn, Konecny was reminded how much bigger and stronger the competition was and how little time he had to make plays.
Konecny was draped in ice bags after that game and says he’s had to treat his body differently now that he’s playing in the NHL. Unlike junior hockey, where it was in and out of the rink, now he might spend an hour or more at the arena after a game or practice with the Flyers. More trips to the hot and cold tubs are required.
Konecny is absorbing what he can from teammates, too, including captain Claude Giroux, another smallish late first-round pick. He’s been wowed by Giroux’s efficiency and ability to outsmart opponents.
“If you ever get the chance just to watch how he uses the ice to his advantage and uses other players to his advantage to get everyone on the ice on the same page as him, it’s pretty impressive,” Konecny said.
Konecny worked with Giroux after a recent practice, doing all he could to steal the puck. His teammate shielded him off, not with his body, but stick.
It was another tip for a young player quickly finding his way in the league.