Rodrigo Abols' NHL career was almost over before it had begun. He was a 7th-round pick by the Vancouver Canucks, selected 184th overall out of a draft class of 211; the only pick from Latvia, by the way.
After playing well for the Portland Winterhawks of the WHL and the Acadie-Bathurst Titan of the QMJHL, he went to Sweden. He struggled, got dropped by the Canucks, signed by the Florida Panthers, and was dropped again. Yet, somehow, his perseverance led him to the Flyers as a 29-year-old rookie.
Despite his age, he doesn't lack professional hockey experience. After all, he's played in the Swedish League for years before getting a chance to play in the NHL. Yes, he struggled with Orebro HK in his first season, posting only a single assist in 26 games. In the years after that, he became a scoring machine. Abols scored 71 goals in four years and another 14 for Rogle BK Angelholm of the Swedish hockey league.
That's when he fell into the Flyers' lap. It was a depth signing. In case someone got hurt, he could be called up and see what he has. After all, he's 6'4" and 206 lbs. Still, other forwards got their shot first; guys like Olle Lycksell that the Flyers were still hoping would pan out.
Demoted to the AHL, Abols starred for the Phantoms. In 47 games, he scored 15 goals with 17 assists. Overall, his 32 points were good enough for fourth place on the team. It was also worth a call-up to the NHL. From there, Abols and the Flyers never looked back.
He made his debut on January 21st and scored his first goal about two weeks later in the OT loss to Utah. Overall, his stats are not the most impressive. He scored two goals with three assists in a fourth-line role, earning 9:11 minutes of ice time. Still, he took 12 blocked shots, gave out 25 hits, and won a blistering 58.4% in the faceoff circle.
There is a lot to like about Abols. He is gritty and tough. He gives everything he has while he is on the ice. He is much like the Flyers' own Nick Seeler, someone who has worked hard all his life to get to where he wants to be, working as absolutely hard as he can.
Abols was re-signed this year to an $800,000 contract. So far, the Flyers like what they see. It's up to him, now, to earn another contract from here on out. As a fourth-line center, he's doing good enough so far. Let's see what his second year in the NHL brings him.