Flyers defenseman Ronnie Attard has proved to be resilient despite some early struggles
The defenseman has had an up-and-down start to his NHL career but has stayed positive and made progress since going minus-4 in in his NHL debut.
One week into his Flyers career, Ronnie Attard has had both his fair share of highlights and mistakes. But when interim coach Mike Yeo looks at the past seven days, he sees resiliency, progress, and lessons learned.
When Attard joined the Flyers on March 30 following Western Michigan’s elimination from the NCAA Tournament, Yeo emphasized that he should go out and play his game without worrying that one mistake would make or break his chances with the NHL team. Attard made more than just one mistake in his first game and finished minus-4 against the Toronto Maple Leafs. Yet when he returned to the rink, his smile was still in place, as was his willingness to take risks.
“A lot of players, that would really — I don’t want to say destroy them, but they would go out with no confidence in the game,” Yeo said. “They’d try to play too safe. And he was the exact opposite.”
Attard rebounded and had a better performance in the Flyers’ win over the New York Rangers.
“For me, his game in New York was a really, really great response,” Yeo said. “Not just the fact that he played well against a good hockey team. I think more importantly is that he was able to bounce back from a bad game the game before, if you want to call it.”
However, Attard still hadn’t really showcased the hard shot he’s known for. But in his third game, against the Columbus Blue Jackets, he took aim at the net resulting in James van Riemsdyk’s deflection goal. While he finished minus-2, Yeo saw that game as another step forward.
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Straight from college, Attard is bound to make mistakes, especially as a defenseman. Yeo noted that the transition can be harder for defensemen than for forwards, like Noah Cates, because they’re trying to stop some of the top players in the league. He described defensemen as “the last line,” as if Attard messes up, it’s more likely to result in a scoring chance.
Sometimes teams decide it’s better for a player to adjust to professional hockey and to gain confidence in the AHL rather than the NHL. So far, the Flyers have shown no inclination that they will send Attard to the Phantoms, and Yeo said Attard will continue to get a good look as long as he continues doing what he’s doing.
“I think that he’s made progress every game since that point [his first game],” Yeo said. “So I think that’s what we’re looking for. If we reach a point where we’re not seeing any progress, then maybe that’s a different story.”
Cam in Columbus
For the first time in his career, Cam Atkinson will be walking through Columbus in colors other than the Blue Jackets’ red, white and blue. It will certainly be weird for Atkinson, who was in Columbus’s system for more than a decade, but he’ll see lots of people he knows there.
“Hopefully I’ll get happy cheers and no boos,” Atkinson joked.
Atkinson has already faced his old team twice this season, including on Tuesday, but both games were in Philadelphia. Atkinson said having gotten to see his old team at the Wells Fargo Center will hopefully help make it easier to return to the place he used to call home.
Breakaways
Martin Jones will start in goal as the Flyers face the Blue Jackets at 7 p.m. Thursday. ... Atkinson and Oskar Lindblom were not at practice, but Yeo said he expects both to be good for Thursday’s game. He said at this point in the season, they’re trying to take it easy as they hit the home stretch after a season’s worth of bumps and bruises. ... Zack MacEwen returned to practice after he left Saturday’s game with a head injury following a fight with former Flyer Wayne Simmonds. There’s no timeline for his return, but Yeo said it was a good sign. ... The team held picture day before practice Wednesday. Everyone except Ryan Ellis was present.