Philadelphia Flyers add four-time NHL All-Star to scouting staff
At some point over the recent weeks, the Philadelphia Flyers have, apparently, signed four-time NHL All-Star Dany Heatley as a professional scout. To this point, the organization has made no official announcement of the move, but Heatley is listed as a pro scout in the Flyers’ 2023-24 staff directory.
For those astutely following Flyers news coverage throughout the summer, this move should come as no surprise. Charlie O’Connor, most recently with The Athletic, reported on July 5 that Heatley’s name was brought up at the 2023 NHL Draft and that he could join the Flyers in the coming weeks. So, weeks have came and the winger seems to have begun his next chapter in professional hockey.
It is reasonable to assume that Heatley’s hiring is at least somewhat related to his connection with GM Danny Briere; the two played together for Swiss club SC Bern during the 2004-05 lockout season. Further proof of this is that, in one of many other moves, the Flyers also hired Greg Chase. Chase and Briere worked together with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, where Briere had previously served as Team President & Governor.
Heatley last played professional hockey in the 2015-16 season, when he played 46 games with the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of the German DEL. For his NHL career, Heatley finished with 869 games played, 372 goals, 419 assists, and 791 total points. In the postseason, he played in 77 games, scoring 16 goals, 47 assists, and 63 points.
Flyers revamp scouting staff
In addition to Heatley and Chase, the team has apparently added Daniel Tremblay and Mike Eastwood to their staff as well. Eastwood is listed as the Director of Pro Scouting, with Dave Brown listed directly beneath him. It would appear Brown has either stepped down or accepted a demotion to remain with the Flyers.
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Eastwood played 783 games in 13 years in the NHL, making stops with the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Phoenix Coyotes, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, and the Pittsburgh Penguins. In the last year of his career with the Pens, Eastwood played with both Mario Lemieux and Marc Bergevin – two players who would later hold front office roles at the NHL level.