The Flyers had contributions from quite a few rookies during the season. Over half of the ones who debuted scored their first NHL goal.
The Flyers would ice 10 rookies during the 2019-20 season. Not all of them would make a big impact on their team. And some were surprises to come into the lineup. Out of those 10 players, six of them scored their first goal in the league.
Carsen Twarynski- October 12th
Making the team out of camp, Carsen Twarynski was the first rookie to score a goal this season. It would turn out to be the only point he posted in during 15 games. It came during the third game of the season, against the Vancouver Canucks.
It was certainly a painful first NHL goal for Twarynski, but a first goal nonetheless. Justin Braun was able to make the pass all the way from the face-off dot in the defensive zone. Twarynski had managed to separate himself and come in on a breakaway on the left side. Right before the Canucks caught up to him, he snapped a shot that beat Jacob Markstrom.
That would be the lone point Twarysnki would grab in 15 games.
Joel Farabee- November 1st
Despite not making the team out of camp, Joel Farabee would not have to wait long to join them. He was called up before the team’s seventh game of the season. He wouldn’t score right away, though. Farabee did register a point in his second game, scoring his first NHL goal that happened during his sixth career game.
It was a very important goal for both Farabee and the team. Not only was it his first in the league, but it also tied the game during the third period. The Flyers would end up winning that game in a shootout. Farabee had scored before, but thanks to an offsides challenge, it had been taken away. But this one counted and Michael Raffl had a lot to do with it.
Farabee finished the season posting eight goals and 13 assists in 52 games.
Morgan Frost- November 19th
It’s difficult to say you should go back and watch a game that the Flyers lost handily. They were defeated 6-5 by the Florida Panthers. But it was Morgan Frost‘s debut, and he welcomed himself to the team in the second period.
Scoring in your first NHL game is exciting, but scoring a goal like this makes things even more impressive. Starting from behind the net, Frost was able to cross in front and lift the puck up on his backhand. Considering Sergei Bobrovsky is 6’2″, it’s impressive to get a shot like that over his shoulder. It helps that Frost is listed at exactly 6’0″. And has hands like that.
Frost would grab two goals and five assists in 20 total games.
David Kase: December 17th
David Kase got the opportunity to make his NHL debut this season back in December. He was only around for six games total but did grab his first career goal. It was his third game and happened to be against the team his brother, Ondrej Kase, played for at the time.
Kase got the play started as he carried the puck into the zone and sent it around to Frost. Travis Sanheim, after taking the feed from Frost, sent a pass to the middle of the ice where Kase was waiting. With his stick on the ice, he deflected the puck past John Gibson. Not a bad goaltender to grab it against.
Nicolas Aube-Kubel- December 23rd
It doesn’t matter when or how you score your first goal, it just matters that you did. That was the case for Nicolas Aube-Kubel. It was a game in which the Flyers were cruising to victory. With less than a minute to go in what turned out to be a 5-1 win, Aube-Kubel gave himself an early Christmas gift.
With the game in hand, the Flyers rewarded Aube-Kubel with some powerplay time. And he delivered. Scoring your first NHL goal against Henrik Lundqvist is quite the accomplishment. And what a snipe it was.
Aube-Kubel would collect seven goals and eight assists in 36 games this season.
Connor Bunnaman- January 13th
Connor Bunnaman was the last Flyers’ rookie to grab the first goal of his career. Despite making the team out of camp, Bunnaman wasn’t able to get on the scoresheet during his four games. He would end up heading back to the AHL, not to return until the new year. He made things count during his first game back in the league.
It was another situation where it didn’t matter how the goal happened. Bunnaman was lucky enough to have a Mark Friedman shot deflect off of his skate. It then hit off the knee of Matt Grzelcyk and into the net. That would end up being Friedman’s first point in the league as well.
Bunnaman would finish with two points in 21 games played.
The other rookies who played this season included German Rubstov, Mikhail Vorobyev, Mark Friedman and Philippe Myers. The latter three had appeared in at least one NHL game before, Myers the clear veteran of the group.
Out of the six who scored their first goal this season, Aube-Kubel was the only one who had seen time in the NHL before. But by the looks of it, the team will have some young players who have a chance to impact this team for years to come. And hopefully, some will have a chance to show what they can do in the playoffs this season.