As his Flyers days wind down, JVR hits milestone, leaves impact on next foundation

Rocky Thompson remembers when the all-important confidence was ignited for Owen Tippett and Morgan Frost.

It was Dec. 11 in Tempe, Arizona.

The spark was James van Riemsdyk.

After missing 20 games with a fractured left index finger, the 33-year-old winger was in his third game back. His years of experience were prevalent that night. With van Riemsdyk playing alongside Tippett and Frost, both 23 at the time, the trio combined for 10 points (three goals, seven assists).

"They ended up having, like, a great night that night, but there was other little things that people couldn't see behind the scenes," Thompson, the Flyers' assistant coach, recalled Tuesday night. "The communication on the bench and the encouragement with the guys, just those types of things that when you're a younger player, it kind of gives you a little bit of confidence. It's so helpful.

"That's a memory of mine and it sticks out. Right around that time, you could start to see Frosty and Tip starting to elevate their game. It was a sense of confidence that I think Reemer was a big part of in helping them."

Frost had a four-point game. He entered with six points through 27 games. Tippett had a two-point night. He came in with 11 points over 23 games.

In a 22-game span from Dec. 11 to Jan. 26. Frost recorded 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) and Tippett had 15 (six goals, nine assists).

The presence of van Riemsdyk was felt.

The Flyers are hoping Tippett and Frost play important roles in the team's rebuild. In their first full NHL seasons, both have gotten better as the year has gotten longer — a positive development for an organization desperately needing more talent and scoring.

For van Riemsdyk, these are his final days in a Flyers jersey. The eight-year Flyer over two different stints will be an unrestricted free agent this summer and signing elsewhere. After surprisingly not being moved at the March 3 trade deadline, van Riemsdyk found himself scoring his 300th career NHL goal in front of Flyers fans Tuesday night at the Wells Fargo Center.

The Middletown, New Jersey native was drafted by the Flyers in 2007 and went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2010 as a rookie. Now, in his 14th NHL season, he's married and a father of two young kids.

For his milestone marker, van Riemsdyk had his dad in attendance. His mom was sick, while his wife Lauren had to watch from home with their soon-to-be 3-year-old daughter Scarlett and 1-year-old son William.

"It's always special, you always realize that stuff when you kind of get to certain milestones, where you really appreciate the support that you have to get you to this point," van Riemsdyk said of his family. "It's exciting to get it before the season ends here and I know I've got quite a few more left in me still."

Joel Farabee, another young foundation piece for the Flyers, has admired van Riemsdyk's approach.

"He's one of the better American players of all time," Farabee said Tuesday, "so it was pretty cool just to be his teammate and get to experience [his 300th goal]."

Like van Riemsdyk, Farabee is an American-born player. He was a teenager when van Riemsdyk scored a career-high 36 goals in 2017-18 with the Maple Leafs.

"I remember being at the U.S. program and he came in one day — I think he was in Toronto at the time — he came in and I got to shake his hand then," Farabee said. "I've always looked up to him and then to get to play with him, he's one of the best pros I’ve ever seen in terms of how he takes care of himself, just everything he does, really. It's been an honor to play with him and he's one of my good buddies."

The Flyers wrap up the 2022-23 season Thursday night in Chicago. Their rebuild will move forward, not without the impact of van Riemsdyk's influence.

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