Jay O’Brien, the Flyers first round pick in 2018 is going under the knife this offseason. The center is underwent recent hip surgery. The Flyers hope that the surgery is successful as O’Brien could be the latest first round pick of recent years to be hampered by injuries.
Flyers 2018 first rounder Jay O'Brien of Boston University recently underwent hip surgery. Expected to be ready for start of '22-23 season
— Mark Divver (@MarkDivver) June 20, 2022
O’Brien, a native of Massachusetts, burst onto the scene in 2016-17 as he played for Thayer Academy, an elite private school in Braintree, MA. In 30 games, he scored 24 goals and racked up 41 assists. He would join the Youngstown Phantoms of the USHL at the end of the season, playing in four games and collecting an assist.
He returned to Thayer for the following season, turning down a chance to play permanently for the Phantoms. He would improve on his previous years totals by scoring 43 goals and tallying 47 in 30 games. He would later suit up for the Phantoms in one game.
The Flyers would select the center in the first round of the 2018 NHL draft with high expectations for the 18 year old. He hit the college ranks, playing for the Providence Friars. Injuries, however, derailed his career. He played in only 25 games and racked up five points. O’Brien spent one year in Providence before entering the transfer portal to go to Boston University.
In the meantime, he traveled across the continent to play forPenticton of the British Columbia Hockey League. He seemed to regain some of his scoring touch, notching 25 goals and 66 points in 46 games.
Upon returning to the states, he struggled again in college. In two seasons at BU, he has played in just 40 games, scoring 16 and 22 points respectively. He also has played for the United States National Junior Team in 2019 earning a silver medal with the team; although he scored no points in seven games. He has yet to play for the Flyers in any official capacity in the minors or pros.
O’Brien could be the latest in injury prone first round picks for the Flyers. 2013 pick Sam Morin just recently retired due to injuries. Last year, the Flyers finally gave up on injury prone Nolan Patrick after a few short seasons. The Flyers can’t afford to keep losing first round picks due to injury.
O’Brien is still just 22 years old and may have all the time ahead of him. Here’s hoping for a speedy recovery.