Family meeting: Wotherspoon brothers could meet up for first time
BRIDGEPORT — The Wotherspoon brothers went outside to play road hockey back in British Columbia when they were young, the big one, Tyler, four and a half years older than the little one. Tyler would try to teach Parker skills, little things about the game.
“I’d still be a brat and whack him in the ankles right away,” Parker Woth
erspoon remembered with a little brother’s grin on Tuesday after his Bridgeport Sound Tigers practiced. “That’s probably why I’m a little smaller, because of running away.”
Later, on the phone after his Lehigh Valley Phantoms practiced in Allentown, Pa., Tyler Wotherspoon chuckled an older brother’s chuckle. “We had some battles.”
Tyler, 26, is indeed still the bigger brother, listed with 35 pounds on his 190pound little brother. They’re both listed at 6foot2 now, both grown up to be defensemen in pro hockey.
Because of their age difference and the circumstances of their careers, they’ve never played an actual game against each other. That could change this weekend when the Phantoms visit Bridgeport on Saturday and Sunday.
“It’s pretty special. I’ve always wanted to play him,” Parker said. “We’ve never really had the opportunity to play against each other, but it’s good timing.
It’s exciting.”
They came close twice in preseason games, got one warmup together, but Tyler was scratched twice. Once was in junior hockey, when Parker was 15 and just starting out in the Western Hockey League and Tyler was 19, an established WHL standout. This year, in an NHL preseason game on Long Island, the Philadelphia Flyers scratched Tyler.
So when they do meet, it’ll be in a game that counts. The parents are planning a trip in.
“It’s going to be cool. It’s been a long time waiting,” Tyler said.
“It’ll be a cool experience, not just watching his game on video but actually seeing him in person. I know he’s grown a lot as a player.”
Tyler was a secondround pick of the Calgary Flames in 2011. He played five seasons in their organization, including 30 NHL games and six more in the 2015 playoffs.
The New York Islanders drafted Parker in 2015 in the fourth round. This is his third full pro season.
Though Tyler rarely got to see Parker play in person, he could see early on that his younger brother had a chance to follow him up the ladder toward pro hockey.
“He was a young guy trying to keep up with all the older guys,” Tyler said.
“I saw that battle. I saw that compete. He’s a guy who catches on very quickly. He’s shown that in his skill.”
Parker has been a mainstay in Bridgeport the past few years, playing in the 2016 playoffs at 18 on an amateur tryout, getting penaltykill and occasional powerplay time.
Not much has gone well for the Sound Tigers through a 1521 start. But Parker Wotherspoon had a nice game Sunday against Hartford, drawing a couple of penalties and jumping into the play to create some offense at times.
“I think he had a good training camp. Moving into the year, the season, as a group, we can all be better,” Bridgeport coach Brent Thompson said.
“I think our (defensemen) need to be able to move the puck a little quicker, be a little more assertive physically in their own zone as far as defensive coverage, able to protect the middle of the ice. Spoon individually, I think some of his skills, his feet, being able to push the pace ... he’s taking steps in the right direction. He competes extremely hard.”
Parker Wotherspoon said he’s feeling more comfortable the deeper it gets into the season.
“Just trying to keep it simple in those opportunities,” he said. “When I can, jump up, but my game’s defensivefirst right now.”
His brother’s Phantoms are 3112. They’ll play WilkesBarre/Scranton on Friday while the Sound Tigers play at Syracuse.
Tyler played last year for San Antonio of the AHL under contract with the St. Louis Blues, and he joined the Flyers this season. He’d only played in the east one season of his career, when the Flames had their AHL affiliate in Glens Falls, N.Y. Even those Adirondack Flames played in the Western Conference, only meeting a handful of Eastern Conference teams.
“It’s been cool getting to know all the players out here, the different arenas, the atmospheres,” Tyler said. “Allentown’s a great city, a great facility . ... I’ve really enjoyed it. I’m happy to be here.”
And this weekend, there’ll be a bonus, a long way from road hockey back home.