Raffl becomes the first NHL player on the Flyers to be loaned out to another league.
The Flyers have sent seven of their prospects overseas for the time being. They’ll now be sending an NHL player over as well. Michael Raffl will be heading to Villacher SV of the ICE Hockey League.
Raffl started his career in Austria back in 2004 for Villacher SV’s U20 team. He has also represented Austria internationally numerous times during his career. The most recent was during the 2018-19 season.
The last time Raffl participated in what was originally known as the Erste Bank Eishockey Liga was in 2010-11. And that was for Villacher SV. He posted 26 goals and 55 points in 50 games that season.
Transaction: The Flyers have loaned forward Michael Raffl to Villacher SV of the ICE Hockey League in Austria.
— Philadelphia Flyers (@NHLFlyers) November 28, 2020
Overall he played six seasons in a league that used to feature only Austrian teams. During that time, Raffl posted 67 goals and 132 points in 229 games.
He was the team’s leading goal scorer and was second in points. It was his final season in the league before he headed to Hockey Allsvenskan for two seasons. The Flyers would sign his as an undrafted free agent in May of 2013.
Raffl made his NHL debut the following season, appearing in 68 games. He posted nine goals and 22 assists. He was essentially a full-time NHler from the start as he appeared in just two games in the AHL.
During his eight season in the NHL, Raffl has collected 78 goals and 152 points.
The decision to loan Raffl out leads some to believe that a January 1st start may be less likely at this point. If the season was to start at that point, training camps would likely begin in a few weeks. While it’s certain that Raffl was already back home in Austria, would it make sense to just be loaned out now?
It is possible that Raffl grew tired of not being able to play. But it isn’t the best sign that he is being loaned out by the Flyers this close to the proposed date for next season.