Owen Tippett has been one of the biggest positives amid the Flyers’ uneven start

During the Flyers’ final exhibition game against the New York Islanders on Oct. 4, winger Owen Tippett was sitting on the bench during a stoppage when he heard John Tortorella’s voice over his shoulder.

Tortorella expressed to Tippett that he wasn’t playing to his identity. He wasn’t harnessing his best traits — his shot, his strength, or his skating — to benefit the team offensively. Instead, the 23-year-old faded into the background, elevator music on a team yearning for rock ‘n’ roll.

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Message received — Tippett scored on a two-on-one in the third period and registered a team-high seven shots in the Flyers’ eventual 4-3 overtime loss.

“I got a good understanding of the way he wants me to play in that last preseason game,” Tippett told The Inquirer. “I think it’s a matter of me using my frame and taking pucks to the net and puck protection and playing down low and just using my body and feet to protect the puck and get away from guys.”

That message has stuck with Tippett through the onset of his first full season with the Flyers following his arrival in March from the Florida Panthers in the Claude Giroux trade. As a result, Tippett is off to a productive start as an integral member of the Flyers’ top six, registering six goals and four assists in 15 games for a career-best .67 point-per-game pace. Even amid the Flyers’ eight-game losing streak, Tippett has been a bright spot with three goals and five points over the last seven contests.

The points are nice, but they start with Tippett’s newfound, eye-catching confidence. He exudes it in gritty scoring areas, using his 6-foot-1, 207-pound frame to drive to the net with the puck on his stick and a defender clinging to his back for dear life. It’s evident when he’s flying down the wing, prepared to beat a goalie clean from the circle with his quick release.

“He’s willing to hold on to pucks,” Tortorella said. “He’s willing to take people on. He’s grown. He’s a different guy from when I first started with him in camp.”

Tortorella’s transparency provided the foundation for Tippett’s confidence. Now, the 2017 top-10 draft pick is letting his strengths shine through as he solidifies a role for himself in the NHL, a feat that eluded him while buried on the depth chart in Florida.

“You know exactly what he expects from you and I think that goes a long way with me,” Tippett said of Tortorella. “Just because I think maybe in the past, I would have had that gray area of wondering and being hesitant. But I think it’s really allowed me to just go out and play and not think so much because I know exactly what he expects and what he wants from me.”

As an assistant coach with the OHL’s Windsor Spitfires from 2015-17, Rocky Thompson learned plenty about Mississauga Steelheads winger Tippett, from his speed as blazing as his hair to his shooting ability. Tippett commanded Thompson’s attention with his knack for finding the back of the net, ranking fifth in the OHL in goals in 2016-17 (44 goals for 75 points).

So when Thompson joined the Flyers this summer as an assistant on Tortorella’s staff, his past experiences coaching against Tippett and the limited NHL tape he saw of him prompted a question: Can Tippett become something more than a one-dimensional shooter and expand his repertoire to survive in the NHL?

“Can he do that for his teammates?” Thompson asked of Tippett’s playmaking abilities. “I didn’t know. And if you would have asked me on the spot, I would have said I don’t think so, based upon what I remembered. But that’s proven and continues to look like that’s not the case.”

Just over a month into the season, Tippett has shown Thompson and the coaching staff that he possesses a playmaking upside. His keen vision — a “pleasant surprise” to Thompson — and his physicality have elevated his potential to become an impactful, bona fide NHLer.

Coming out of juniors, Tippett didn’t need to play a physical game to make an impact. That doesn’t fly in the NHL, so Tippett has worked to change his habits and adopt a willingness to engage.

“He’s so physically strong, which is good,” Thompson said. “I think his puck support has been a lot better, too. And because he is very strong on the puck, if you can get [him] more touches, then that’s going to be better, not only for himself, but for the team.”

The size factor can be a boon for the Flyers when matching Tippett up against opponents’ top lines. Naturally, if Tippett is playing with the puck, that means that the Flyers’ opponents are not, stealing away their time on the attack.

Even when he isn’t scoring himself, Tippett is utilizing his speed, vision, and puck protection to set up his teammates for success. Early in the second period against the Dallas Stars on Nov. 13, Tippett weaved his way around a defender in the neutral zone and fed Travis Konecny at the blue line. Tippett then continued to drive the net, drawing a defender and receiving the puck before sending a no-look pass to Kevin Hayes, who set up Konecny for a goal. These are the types of plays the Flyers want to see more consistently from the winger.

“He’s a young guy in this league trying to make a name for himself and build the brand that he brings to a team,” Hayes said of Tippett. “I think he’s doing that this year. He’s a big, strong, powerful kid, and he skates really hard and he shoots really hard, so I think he’s going to be an electric player in this league.”

While Tippett has ascended offensively this season, his game is far from perfect. Although Tippett has made strides in his 200-foot game, Thompson acknowledged he still has some improving to do defensively.

But most importantly at this stage in his career, Tippett has shown an ability to self-evaluate and receive coaching.

“The fact that he’s been able to make those adjustments in his game so quickly is one of the reasons why he’s having success, and I believe will continue to elevate his game, not just with the puck, but without the puck,” Thompson said. “And that [playing without the puck] can be coached.”

Tippett has admitted that he’s quiet and reserved, more comfortable staying out of the spotlight. Nonetheless, he has continued to embrace who he is on and off the ice, solidifying the confidence needed to navigate a career in the NHL.

“My motto is I’m a human first and a hockey player second,” Tippett said. “I know it’s my job, but I don’t play it to sit in the spotlight. I play it because I love it. … You’re going to have to sit back and realize where you’re at and how far you’ve come and be proud of yourself. But also, the job’s not done yet, and there’s still a lot more to be done.”

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