Philadelphia Flyers Lock Up Ronnie Attard For Two Years

The Philadelphia Flyers are in their rebuilding era right now. Part of building for the future is ensuring that the young pieces that you believe can make an impact are signed on for the foreseeable future. The Flyers did that by signing defender Ronnie Attard to a two-year deal worth $850K annually.

Attard, a third round selection in 2019, is seen as an offensive-defender. He has had two stints with the Flyers. He first joined Philly during the 2021-22 season where he appeared in 15 games, scoring two goals with two assists. He came up as a injury replacement for two games this past season.

He spent most of this past year as part of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms squad. In 68 games, he scored 12 goals with 20 assists and an impressive +10 with just 41 penalty minutes. Previously, he had been a star player for Western Michigan University for three seasons and the Tri-City Storm on the USHL. Attard was also a member of Team USA at the Men’s Worlds this past summer.

Attard, with a good developmental camp this week and with a strong training camp, has a strong chance to make the big club this fall. Barring a trade, the Flyers will be fielding a defense that most likely consists of Cam York, Travis Sanheim, Rasmus Ristolainen, Eric Staal, Nick Seeler, and Sean Walker. Victor Mete was also signed as a depth piece as well. He could potentially take that final seventh spot. If he doesn’t, it will most likely come down to Attard, Emil Andrae, and Egor Zamula. Whomever can win that contest will earn some playing time while the others will be sent back down to Allentown to be called up if and when injuries happen.

The 24 year old doesn’t have a lot of professional experience, but has been praised for his offensive skills, especially his one-timers. He stands at 6’3″ with 210 lbs on his frame. He is big, but not bulky. He has some speed, but has needed to work on his footwork when skating. While not projected to be an elite defender, it appears that he could develop into a player who could eat 15-20 minutes of ice time and not be a liability. In short, he is the sort of young player that this team needs to develop and keep.

Attard’s deal is the third move on defense that the  Flyers have made in the last week. Staal was inked to a one-year deal last week while Mete was Wednesday afternoon. These moves will help to bolster a defensive unit that has struggled mightily over the last few seasons.