Noah Cates is Impressing Flyers Staff

If I were to tell you that a player who has played a grand total of 16 games of NHL hockey is making waves right now for the Flyers organization, I’m sure I’d get more than my fair share of raised eyebrows. But everything coming out of the rookie camp and pre-training camp is telling us a different story. It would seem that forward Noah Cates has come to play and wants to make this roster out of camp. And for a young 23 year old former fifth round pick, this is great news.

Cates made his debut this past season. Very quickly, he showed what he can do. He scored five goals with four assists in 16 games. He also dealt out 21 hits. Not bad for the new kid on the block.

During rookie camp, Cates scored a short handed goal against the Rangers. For a team looking to improve on one of the NHL’s worst penalty killing units, that is something to take notice of. In penalty killing drills during the camp, Cates seemed to possess the best defensive field of play in comparison to the other young forwards. This is something that the Flyers could really use.

In a press conference near the end of the rookie camp, Lehigh Valley Phantoms Coach Ian Laperriere said of Cates,

"“I don’t think I’ll see him, I’ll be honest with you. He’s fun to watch. I watched him on TV last year. But just to see him, the questions he asks, his edges on the ice — they’re going to have tough decisions up here and he’s going to be one of them because he’s a hell of a player. … He’s out there, every practice he competes. He’s a little bit older than most of those kids, but still, he’s out there to prove to everybody that he belongs with the Flyers.”"

Coming from someone as respected as Laperriere, that is a big compliment. Laperriere, throughout his career, was someone who put it all out there on the ice; including sacrificing his face twice in one year as a Flyer to a puck. Such compliments don’t come lightly.

It would seem that Cates is making a big push. Coach Tortorella wants to see someone step up and make a case for being on the roster. It would appear that Cates is trying to secure a roster spot before the training camp opens.

With the Flyers over the salary cap limit right now, someone will have to be sent down. Not everyone at camp will start with the big club in Philly. As for Cates, he is hoping his 16 game audition plus his work ethic during camp will ensure he will play at Wells Fargo this year. And if he earns the spot, as well as Coach Tort’s respect, we may be in for a treat this year. Right now, Cates looks hungry and that is great news.