Craig Berube said numerous times this season that no player gave more on a daily basis than Jakub Voracek.
The irony there is that Berube was frequently Voracek’s toughest critic back when Berube was an assistant coach under Peter Laviolette.
“Chief was tough on me,” Voracek said, adding it was exactly what he needed to raise his game to an elite level and become an on-ice leader for the Flyers this season.
The 25-year-old Flyers right wing will soon pack his bags to head to the World Championships in his native Czech Republic next month.
Voracek will play with his boyhood idol Jaromir Jagr, something he says he’s been looking forward to doing, and can be proud of his individual accomplishments.
On a non-playoff club, Voracek led the Flyers in points (81) and assists (59), and was fourth overall in the NHL scoring race and second overall in assists.
“We’ve got some real good franchise players on this team,” Berube said of Voracek. “Yeah, the components are here.”
Voracek was right there the entire season with Sidney Crosby, and in the final weeks, the race flip-flopped with John Tavares moving ahead before dark horse Jamie Benn came out of nowhere to steal the title on the final weekend of the season with 87 points.
Benn’s total is the lowest Art Ross Trophy point total in a full season since Martin St. Louis had 94 points in 2003-04.
Question is, can Voracek repeat next season and give Crosby and others a run for their money again?
“I think I am capable of doing that 100 percent,” Voracek said. “Those guys are on top the last 10 years. Good for Jamie Benn [winning] the scoring title because he is a heck of a player. He was very impressive.”
Throughout the season, Voracek didn’t want to talk about the scoring race. Now that it’s over, he said he learned something about himself.
“It’s hard,” he said. “It’s been a long season. If I do it next year, maybe I can admit that I belong there [in that club]. Right now, I had one good season. It doesn’t end for me. Nothing changes. I will work hard this summer.”
There’s little question Voracek, who along with goalie Steve Mason and forward Wayne Simmonds, was a vocal leader this season in the dressing room. Simmonds said wearing the “A” for the first time as alternate captain forced him to assume that role.
Voracek took a career season in 2013-14 and built upon it to raise his game another notch. It’s been a natural progression for him since he arrived in Philadelphia four years ago.
“I’ll be 26 this summer,” he said. “Those days when I was the youngest guy on the team are gone. I’m starting to feel old now. It helps. I played over 500 games.
“Experience and confidence on and off the ice, my being around good teammates for a long time. It doesn’t happen over night.
“You need to be patient with that. I try to lead by example on the ice and off the ice. You’re learning every day.”
Voracek heads into the offseason as the Flyers' current Iron Man streak leader with 226 consecutive games played.
It’s likely the Flyers will open negotiations with his camp this summer on a new contract before he becomes a free agent next season.
His current cap hit is $4.5 million.