PHILADELPHIA — Rocky Thompson is comfortable as the center of attention. He became used to it as a mostly minor-league brawler who racked up nearly 2,000 penalty minutes in the American Hockey League over parts of 11 seasons. His flowing, frizzy hair flopping this way and that while wildly throwing meaty fists toward an opponent’s jaw kept him employed as both an enforcer and a crowd pleaser.
So when he got up to present to the NHL Coaches’ Association in 2015 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, ahead of the entry draft there, he was at ease strolling into a room full of established NHL coaches (some of whom attended out of sheer curiosity, considering Thompson’s playing career) and talking them through various offensive-zone tactics. His presentation was so impressive he immediately became a hot coaching prospect. The OHL Windsor Spitfires essentially hired him on the spot to become their new head coach.
Nine summers and a few jobs later, Thompson made another presentation. As the Flyers assistant coach in charge of the power play, dead last in the league for each of the last three seasons (two of them under the current coaching staff), Thompson offered a room full of team personnel a detailed overview of that part of their game this summer. There were statistical models, examples of what’s gone wrong, suggestions on what could be done better and thoughts on specific personnel and how they could be utilized — all aided by visual examples.
“I was really impressed with Rocky’s presentation,” said John LeClair, hired as a special adviser to hockey operations in 2023, and who was invited to the meeting. “It was very well thought out, very professional, and it was good — really good. He brought examples that were really clear cut; you didn’t have to imagine anything.”
Another invitee, special adviser Patrick Sharp, agreed that the presentation was “very detailed. Rocky has a great understanding of what’s going on: the personnel, and how we want to attack it going forward.”
General manager Daniel Briere relayed in his 2023-24 season-ending presser that the organization was going to utilize everyone it had at its disposal to offer input on the team’s dreadful power play, which finished with just a 12.2 percent success rate last season — nearly 3 full percentage points behind 31st-ranked Columbus (15.1 percent).
Had the power play been just a smidge better last season, the Flyers would almost certainly have qualified for the playoffs.
Consequently, the power play has become a five-alarm organizational fire. It’s why guys like LeClair (118 career power-play goals), Sharp (102), Briere (106) and pro scout Dany Heatley (143) were all brought into the meeting with John Tortorella, Thompson and the coaching staff. Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones, who had a brief stretch of power-play success himself, tying for fifth in the league with 14 power-play goals in 1996-97, was also there.
Thompson’s presentation set the table. Lively and robust conversation and debate followed.
“I thought it was a great meeting,” LeClair said. “You have some pretty sharp minds in there, not just with the staff we have now with Rocky and Torts, but you add Danny and Sharpie and Dany Heatley — there’s a lot of goals there. They know the game. They understand what a player sees at certain times.”
Said Tortorella: “I’ve never done it this way. I’ve never brought other people in from other branches of the organization that’s not with the coaching staff sitting in a formal meeting. … I thought it was very productive.”
Step one, of course, is identifying what’s wrong.
Thompson has theories.
First, “we shoot from basically low-danger areas,” he said. “We never penetrate the middle of the ice. We never cross that plane. And so that (is) something that we have to do.”
Getting shots on net wasn’t the primary issue. The Flyers registered 381 shots on the power play, 15th in the NHL. That’s actually two more than the Connor McDavid-led Edmonton Oilers.
But, as Thompson suggested, too many of those shots were from low-percentage areas. According to Natural Stat Trick, the Flyers had just 6.97 expected goals per 60 minutes on the power play last season, 29th in the league. In 2022-23, they were 30th in that category (5.94).
Why was it so difficult for them to generate dangerous chances? The frequent changes to the power-play units is likely one reason. In Thompson’s view, Flyers players on the power play need to become more familiar with one another.
“It’s hard to play with guys when it’s ever-changing, like we’re rotating guys in and out. They never get comfortable playing in a position or playing with common teammates out there,” Thompson said. “You look at the best power plays in the league, and even the ones that are in the top 15, it’s the same guys that have been playing together for quite a while.”
Sharp knows that as well as anyone as part of a dangerous power play with Chicago that usually featured him, Duncan Keith, Patrick Kane, Jonathan Toews and either Brent Seabrook or Marian Hossa on the top unit. He echoed Thompson’s desire for more steady fivesomes.
“There were guys I spent a lot of time on the ice with on those power-play situations, so when we did get into big games there was some familiarity there, and (we were) very comfortable with each other,” Sharp said. “We kind of knew what we wanted to do and were all on the same page. I think that’s something we can work on in Philadelphia is identifying certain players, certain positions and having this thing grow over time.”
But that’s a bit more complicated for a team that, unlike Sharp’s Blackhawks squads, isn’t yet a Stanley Cup contender. The Flyers are a young, building team, and so many of the players on Tortorella’s roster over the last two seasons have cycled their way in and out of the coach’s good graces, resulting in frequent changes to the power-play units. Twelve Flyers had more than 100 minutes of power-play time last season, and that doesn’t even include Jamie Drysdale, who joined the club in January and spent a stretch as the top unit’s quarterback before suffering an injury in late February.
There has been hardly any time spent on special teams in training camp. Tortorella mentioned Friday that it’s something they plan on doing this week before the season opener Friday in Vancouver. But the coach did reveal that it’s going to be Drysdale and Egor Zamula running the first and second units, respectively, to start the season.
Drysdale, in particular, could be key. The defenseman’s lateral movement and playmaking ability should be able to create those seams and open up the kind of space for his teammates that Thompson’s looking for.
“When he was healthy last year — and we never really, truly saw him healthy — our power play was better and we were generating more opportunities because it is a talent that he has to be a top offensive defenseman in this league,” Thompson said. “Him being healthy, having everything good, having a great training camp so far, is going to be a huge catalyst.”
Said Tortorella: “I’m anxious to see Jamie. I want to see how Jamie handles it.”
There’s a new toy at their disposal now, too.
From his first appearance in a rookie game in Allentown last month, Matvei Michkov has been playing the flank on the power play. It’s certain that he’ll be on the top unit, at least to start the season. Michkov is potentially the kind of elite talent who can completely change a team’s power play.
“Michkov adds a skill level that we didn’t have on the flank that will allow and encourage us to try and make more plays in the middle of the ice that the top power plays do,” Thompson said.
There’s already been some visual evidence that Michkov could give the Flyers the kind of jolt they so desperately need at five-on-four.
In a preseason game Sep. 28 against Boston, Michkov scored a power-play goal in the Flyers’ 3-2 win. But more importantly, his unit — with Drysdale, Travis Konecny, Bobby Brink and Olle Lycksell — was dangerous all night. Although they scored just once on seven opportunities, the Flyers pumped 17 shots on goal on the power play. The movement of bodies and the puck all around the offensive zone was evident and impressive.
“Obviously, having a little bit more skill on the power play is going to help,” LeClair said. “If Michkov can get to a place where he’s on the power play, his puck skills can absolutely help.”
MATVEI MICHKOV OT WINNER 🤯
The kid has six points in three preseason games! pic.twitter.com/v1Mia4y7yH
— NHL (@NHL) September 29, 2024
Morgan Frost, who has spent a fair amount of time with Michkov in preseason games and practices, said: “I think he’s obviously very offensively gifted, and he wants to score, and he wants other guys to score. I think that will help the power play. I think he brings a new dynamic.”
Frost could be a beneficiary of that.
There’s a decent chance the power-play unit that played so well in that preseason game against Boston remains together for opening night, with the only difference being Frost in for Lycksell. In fact, Thompson has already said that they envision Frost as a net-front power-play guy this season.
Frost, who has five power-play goals in 229 career games, is eager to give it a shot.
“It’s actually something that I’ve wanted to do for a while,” he said. “Obviously, my type of player is not the typical net-front guy, but I think the game has changed a lot. It’s not all just about standing in front and screening the goalie. I think you want to make plays down there. I think it’s a spot where I can be creative.”
LeClair, in his prime, was a typical net-front power-play guy, frequently cleaning up the loose change after shots on goal from guys like Eric Lindros and Eric Desjardins. But, he agrees with Frost that NHL power plays have changed over the past few decades.
There’s now more of an emphasis on motion and rotation than there is just banging around for body position in front of the blue paint. Net-front players these days need to be able to make skilled plays while moving into different positions in the slot area. Konecny, for example, can rotate in there for Frost, who can pop out, in certain situations.
“Now it’s a little bit more looking for the higher slot than being right in front,” LeClair said. “Players have got to be in and out.”
Added Sharp: “I think if you look across the league, that net-front guy is not just a big body taking up space anymore. He’s got to have some skill and make plays.”
A guy, perhaps, like Frost.
“Hopefully, it’s something that I can embrace and improve at, and that would be great if I can be in that spot,” he said.
The unofficial power-play committee will reconvene throughout the season. Tortorella would prefer they get together monthly, in fact. That suggests they’ve all been instructed to keep a close eye on it as the season progresses.
Makes sense, considering how the power play has been the worst aspect of the Flyers’ game for several years.
“It’ll be a process,” Thompson said. “We’re committed to making it better.”
(Photo of Flyers assistant coach Rocky Thompson: Len Redkoles / NHLI via Getty Images)
