Morgan Frost made a little Flyers history with his first NHL goal
The 2017 first-round pick became the 23rd Flyer to score in his NHL debut, a list that varies from future team captains to flashes in the pan.
Despite the loss, it was an impressive opening night for Morgan Frost on Tuesday. He was involved in several scoring chances, didn’t make any glaring defensive mistakes, and even picked up a goal.
He showed enough that coach Alain Vigneault had him out there when the Flyers were down two goals in the final minutes and pulled goaltender Brian Elliott. Frost was selected as the night’s third star, the only Flyer among the three stars.
“He played a good game. There [were] a lot of good plays with the puck that he made for us,” Vigneault said afterward. “[He’s] a young player getting his first kick at the NHL. He’s obviously going to remember this game.”
With that then, a little frivolity.
Recent Flyers first-round picks
With NHL stats (all with Flyers):
Did you know?
Frost became the 24th member of the 2017 draft class to score an NHL goal. The leader is No. 1 overall pick New Jersey’s Nico Hischier with 40. Nolan Patrick, Frost’s Flyers teammate and the No. 2 pick that year, has 26 career goals. Patrick remains sidelined indefinitely with problems related to migraine headaches.
» Twitter video: Morgan Frost’s first career goal was skillful
Getting their first
How long it took notable Flyers to get their first career goals:
Did you know?
Four players who scored in their NHL debuts as Flyers went on to become team captain.
♦ Mel Bridgman (first goal, Oct. 9, 1975; team captain, 1979-81)
♦ Dave Poulin (first goal, April 2, 1983; team captain, 1984-90)
♦ Eric Lindros (first goal, Oct. 6, 1992; team captain, 1994-2000)
♦ Mike Richards (first goal, Oct. 5, 2005; team captain, 2008-11)
Flyers to score in NHL debuts
Notable
♦ Akeson’s tally was the only regular-season goal of his 15-game career. He did score twice in a playoff game the following season against Henrik Lundqvist at Madison Square Garden.
♦ Laliberte actually scored in his first two NHL games and then never scored again. He played in only 12, which includes one postseason game.
♦ Williams and Hubacek were the only two Flyers to score their first goals on the same night. It offered brief optimism in the middle of the ugly divorce between the franchise and Eric Lindros.
♦ Lindros’ goal in 1992 helped salvage a tie against Mario Lemieux, Jaromir Jagr and the two-time defending-champion Penguins.
♦ Bergen had 11 goals in 14 games in 1984-85, but played only one NHL season. Injuries and a feud with coach Mike Keenan led Bergen to hold out of training camp the following season and instead pursue a career in golf. When asked if he’d consider dealing Bergen, Flyers GM Bobby Clarke responded, “I’m not going to give him away, and everybody is trying to just steal him. But who am I supposed to trade him for, Lee Trevino?”
♦ Bergen, Adams, Poulin and Hill each scored two goals in their first NHL games.
♦ Hill’s two goals and three assists remain the NHL modern record for points in a debut. “Fred Shero had never heard of him. Keith Allen could not remember which of his scouts had found him. Bobby Clarke could not remember Hill playing in Flyer exhibition games last fall,” beat writer Jay Greenberg wrote that night. “Al Hill just appeared, that’s all, from hockey’s twilight zone wearing No. 37 and playing like Gordie Howe.”
♦ Lacroix led the Flyers in scoring for two seasons before Bobby Clarke took over. Lacroix went on to become the all-time scoring leader for the WHA, a rival league of the NHL’s in the 1970s.