Ranking the top 10 Flyers rookie seasons of all time

The Flyers opened up training camp this week in Voorhees, and with it officially raised the curtains on the organization’s “new era of orange.”

With it comes an acknowledgment that the team is rebuilding, and planning to play and develop the “kids,” as general manager Danny Brière recently called them, for the future. The kids include rookies like Tyson Foerster, Elliot Desnoyers, and Ronnie Attard, all of whom are hoping to break through this fall with the big club.

That got us thinking about the best rookie seasons in Flyers history. While the Orange and Black have never had a player win the Calder Trophy, they have had their fair share of impressive first-year performances. Here are our top 10.

» READ MORE: Ranking the 50 greatest Flyers

An underrated player of the Flyers teams of the late 1980s and early 1990s, Eklund burst on the scene as a 22-year-old rookie in 1985-86. The Swedish playmaker racked up 66 points, including 51 assists in 70 games, good enough to place him third in rookie scoring.

He went on to play nine seasons in Philadelphia and ranks in the top 20 on the Flyers’ all-time scoring list with 452 points.

We’ll excuse you if you had forgotten about Niinimaa given he played less than two seasons with the Flyers. But his rookie season was nonetheless impressive, as the 6-foot-1, 220-pound defenseman earned NHL All-Rookie honors after putting up 44 points in his first season following his arrival from Finland.

The Flyers traded Niinimaa to Edmonton for Dan McGillis and a draft pick the following year. He remained a steady two-way defenseman over a 10-year NHL career and was named an All-Star in 2001.

Lindbergh is one of three Flyers goalies to win the Vezina Trophy. His outstanding but brief career included an NHL All-Star nod during his rookie campaign in 1982-83. That year, Lindbergh went 23-13-3, and ranked fourth among qualified goalies in goals against average (2.99) and sixth in save percentage (.890).

Lindbergh tragically died in an automobile crash in 1985 at the age of 26.

» READ MORE: Pelle Lindbergh's spirit lives on, decades after crash

A six-time All-Star and two-time Stanley Cup champion, Barber wasted little time writing his name into Flyers lore. Barber scored 30 goals as a rookie in 1972-73, finishing second behind New York Ranger Steve Vickers in Calder Trophy voting.

The Hockey Hall of Famer went on to score at least 20 goals in all 12 of his NHL seasons — including 50 in 1975-76 — and remains the Flyers’ all-time leading scorer with 420 goals.

He was popularly known as “Boosh,” during his three separate spells with the Flyers, and Boucher’s best season was probably his first. That year, as a 23-year-old, he led the NHL in goals against average (1.91), backstopped the Flyers to the Eastern Conference finals, and was named to the league’s All-Rookie team.

Boucher, who will serve as NBC Sports Philly’s color commentator this season for Flyers games, still holds the NHL record for longest shutout streak at more than 332 minutes (5½ games), which he set in 2003-04 while with the Coyotes.

» READ MORE: NBC Sports Philadelphia replacing Keith Jones with Brian Boucher on Flyers coverage

Drafted in the first round to be a difference maker, Propp did exactly that during an 11-year stint with the Flyers to begin his career. A responsible 200-foot player, Propp tallied 34 goals and 75 points as a rookie and only improved from there.

Always a clutch performer, Propp ranks second in Flyers history with 369 goals and holds the NHL career playoff records for assists (84) and points (148) by a left winger.

Few defensemen have ever made the immediate impact that Gostisbehere did as a rookie with the Flyers in 2015-16. The game almost seemed to be too easy initially for Gostisbehere, whose 15-game point streak, a rookie record for a defenseman, captivated the NHL and made him a Philadelphia phenomenon. He finished the season with 17 goals and 46 points in 64 games (0.72 ppg) and came in second to Chicago’s Artemi Panarin for the Calder.

After a roller-coaster run in Philly, Gostisbehere, 30, has bounced around in recent seasons. The first-year Red Wing remains a productive offensive defenseman while not the superstar, Cale Makar-type some first envisioned.

» READ MORE: Former Flyer Shayne Gostisbehere eager to return to playoffs with Carolina Hurricanes

While Renberg has become synonymous with the “Legion of Doom” line he formed with Eric Lindros and John LeClair, his best season as a Flyer actually came before that line was formed. That came in 1993-94, when the Swede fired in 38 goals and posted a franchise rookie record 82 points. Renberg never cracked the 30-goal plateau again, but his rookie points record still stands.

The former All-Rookie selection finished his career in the Swedish Hockey League. Renberg later earned a master’s degree in sports and health sciences from GIH in Stockholm.

One of the most powerful and gifted athletes in NHL history, Lindros combined imposing size, explosive speed, and deft skill into one unstoppable package. After being acquired by the Flyers in 1992 from Quebec for a king’s ransom, Lindros did not disappoint as a rookie.

The “Big E” potted 41 goals and 75 points during his debut campaign, laying the foundation for what became a dominant eight-year run individually in Philly. Maybe the craziest thing is that Lindros’ 41 goals were only good enough to land him fourth in Calder Trophy voting behind Teemu Selanne, Joé Juneau, and Félix Potvin.

Lindros won the Hart Trophy as NHL MVP with the Flyers in 1994-95, but injuries, namely concussions, and a feud with the organization led to his departure in 2001. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2016 and has also reconciled with the Flyers.

» READ MORE: How the Eric Lindros trade revived the Flyers

Hextall won two trophies as a rookie, but interestingly, neither was the Calder Trophy. Instead, he won the Vezina as the league’s top goaltender and the Conn Smythe as the best player in the playoffs. In 1986-87, Hextall led all qualified NHL goaltenders in save percentage (.902) and wins (37), and ranked third in goals against average (3.01).

He was even better in the playoffs, leading the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Final while positing a .908 save percentage in 26 games. Hextall is the organization’s career wins leader with 240 and later served as the team’s general manager from 2014 to 2018.

» READ MORE: Penguins fire former Flyer Ron Hextall as general manager