Center Jackson Cates makes solid NHL debut in Flyers’ loss to Rangers

When the Flyers signed center Jackson Cates, a free agent out of NCAA power Minnesota Duluth, assistant general manager Brent Flahr said he was a hard-nosed player in the Scott Laughton mold.

That means the Flyers had two “Laughtons” in the lineup Friday night against the Rangers at Madison Square Garden, where Cates made his NHL debut and Laughton centered James van Riemsdyk and Travis Konecny.

Cates said he was honored “to be compared to anyone in this league. I just try to play my own game and [be] a 200-foot player. Smart on both sides of the puck, and have that good awareness on the ice.”

Before the game, Cates said he was “just trying to stay calm, and control what I can control and play my game. That’s all I can really do. I’m really excited.”

He then went out and played well in the Flyers’ 4-1 loss, putting three shots on goal and winning five of eight faceoffs in 11:19 of ice time.

Cates, whose family attended the game, said he got “settled in” during the second period -- he had two good scoring chances in the session -- “and then I felt even better in the third. It felt nice to get my first game in and get my legs going. ... It’s a dream come true and it only happens once.”

A Minnesota native, Cates had never been to Madison Square Garden before Friday.

“I’ll never forget this day,” he said. “Playing at MSG for my first game and [seeing] how fast and skilled this league is and how good the Rangers are.”

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The Flyers recently signed Cates, a 6-foot, 190-pounder, to a two-year entry-level deal with an average annual value of $925,000. The contract starts this year, and he centered Oskar Lindblom and Nic Aube-Kubel on the fourth line Friday.

“I only had one practice with the team, but I’m not too worried about that,” Cates said before the game. “I’m just excited to play my game and get to know them [his linemates] more.”

He added that he would learn from his linemates and others on the team.

“I just want to soak everything in and learn as fast as I can,” Cates said. “Just develop my game as fast as possible.”

Cates replaced Nolan Patrick, 22, who has three points in his last 36 games, and one goal in his last 18 games.

The 23-year-old Cates had 27 points (11 goals, 16 assists) in 28 games this season, and he helped the Bulldogs reach their fourth straight NCAA Frozen Four. The Minnesota native played all three seasons alongside his younger brother, Noah, a promising left winger who was drafted by the Flyers in the fifth round in 2017. Noah recently bypassed signing with the Flyers and turning pro, deciding to return to the school for his senior year.

Jackson Cates was part of Minnesota-Duluth’s national championship team in 2018-19. In 96 career games, he had 27 goals and 64 points.

“You always want a new player to enjoy his first game and go out there and do what he does best,” coach Alain Vigneault said before the opening faceoff Friday.

Based on the scouting report he had received from Flahr and GM Chuck Fletcher, Vigneault called Cates a “hard-working two-way player. We want to get a look at him.”

Cates became the fourth Flyers to make his NHL debut this year; Maksim Sushko, Tanner Laczynski, and Wade Allison were the others.

The Flyers’ next four games are against New Jersey, starting Sunday at the Wells Fargo Center. The Devils are the NHL’s youngest team, while the Rangers are the second-youngest. ... Goalie Alex Lyon was aiming for his first win Friday since Feb. 1, 2020, a 6-3 victory over visiting Colorado. Friday was his second start of the season and 12th of his career. ... Samuel Morin was again among the healthy scratches.