IN PURSUIT OF NHL JOB
Leier prospect with Flyers
Taylor Leier got a taste of the NHL and he wants more.
“My goal right now is to stick with the big club for a full year and keep progressing as the year goes on, so I can certify myself as a regular NHL player,” says the 22-year-old Saskatoon native, who is taking part in this week’s Driving Fore Prostate Golf Classic.
The 5-foot-10, 176-pound forward — who was selected in the fourth round, 117th overall, by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2012 NHL Draft — got into six games with the Flyers last season.
He has yet to score in the NHL, but he registered 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points in 71 games last season with the Flyers’ AHL farm team, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He had 13 goals and 18 assists for 31 points in 73 games as an AHL rookie.
Leier, a former Saskatoon Bobcat and Saskatoon Contact, made his NHL debut against the Carolina Hurricanes last November.
“It was really cool,” recalls Leier. “It’s just incredible. I remember my first game in Philadelphia. I kind of looked around and thought, ‘wow, this is surreal.’ It was crazy and so special. My parents were lucky enough to be there. It’s so fast. I felt comfortable. I feel I’m ready. I’m excited to see what comes up next in my future.”
Leier once racked up 69 goals and 68 assists for 137 points with the Greater Saskatoon Hockey League’s Outlaws. He had 31 goals and 74 points in 44 games during his second, and final, season with the Contacts in the Saskatchewan Midget AAA Hockey League.
He went on to play three seasons with the Memorial Cup tournament-bound Portland Winterhawks. As team captain in his third season, Leier scored 32 goals and 79 points in 62 games. Prior to that season, he signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers.
Now, it’s all about getting bigger, stronger, faster.
“I’m a smaller guy, so just getting stronger is important,” says Leier. “For me, personally, I’ve always had to work on my skating. I think everyone can always become a better skater. It’s such an important part of the game now. It’s a fast, creative, skilled game and it’s turning into more of that each and every year. You look at a team like the Penguins who won the Cup. Those guys are fast, arguably the fastest in the NHL. They didn’t have overly big guys who scored and won it for them.”
Leier is a solid, two-way player who feels just as comfortable killing penalties, or in a shutdown role, as he is on the glory-seeking power play.
“I love doing both,” he says. “I love playing in D zone as much as the O zone but obviously the O zone is a lot more fun. In hockey, the D zone is just as important, if not more important, than the O zone. It’s of great value for young players to develop that into their game and play on the defensive side of the puck. You’ll always get more opportunities if you play on the defensive side of the puck. I take pride in that.”