It's easy to overlook Noah Cates. At 6'2", 210 lbs, he doesn't stand size-wise. He's not one of the top scorers, although his 149 points across his five seasons as a Flyer have currently placed him 73rd all time. That’s not too bad for a fifth round pick. Although, when you consider how many recent first-round picks flamed out here in the last ten years, fifth round pick being on the roster and becoming one of the key members of the team seems fitting somehow.
He's not a first-line center, although he has spent time on up there. He's drawn comparisons to Sean Couturier in the past. He's been talked about as a possible Selke Trophy candidate because he is the consummate two-way forward. With that in mind, he finished 11th place in Selke voting last season. He can play a good defensive game, but can set up a lot of plays. He's vital on the penalty kill, but if you place him in between two scoring forwards....WATCH OUT!!!
Cates has also gotten better every year. Last season, he put up career-highs with 18 goals, 29 assists, and 47 points. It is possible he could crack 20 goals and 50 points this season. This is also considering that he usually plays on the third line with a revolving door of linemates.
And that's the thing with Cates. Whomever he plays with ends up getting better. Tyson Foerster thrived with Cates as his center. Former Flyer Bobby Brink put up his best numbers with Cates as his side. Denver Barkey took over for Brink after he was traded. Matvei Michkov and Nikita Grebenkin also spent time with Cates on their lines. Before John Tortorella paired Cates up Brink and Foerster, he was paired up with Ryan Poehling and Garnet Hathaway on the fourth line. Cates showed something and began moving up. For the last two seasons, the line of Foerster-Cates-Brink was regularly called the team's most consistent line in terms of scoring and play.
With that in mind, he learned how to play center from Scott Laughton. While Cates still struggles with faceoffs (career win percentage 43.2%) he finds a way to make the players around him just a bit better. With a younger group, that has helped this team a lot. Perhaps other young stars will find themselves with Cates centering them as well.
Cates doesn't turn the puck over much. He's not afraid of laying down a big hit, but doesn't do anything stupid to earn a penalty. He is adept at feeding the puck to linemates who are waiting to find the back of the net. He has the respect of his teammates and is slowly starting to get recognition as one of the better all around players in the league. Cates could end up becoming one of those players that we really appreciate when his career is over.
Cates has had a revolving cast of lineups as the Flyers look for chemistry. He started the season with Michkov and Alex Bump on his wings. In the last two games, he has been paired up with Foerster. And now Porter Martone has joined the line.
After the the first two games, Martone has admitted that he expects more out of himself. There may be no better person for Martone to learn from and grow as a player. Maybe he’ll start rolling soon, and if he does, Foerster will be finding ways to get goals as well. And if this line gets rolling, the rest of the team should hopefully follow too.
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