VOORHEES, N.J. — Ronnie Attard has followed Wade Allison's lead all the way to the Flyers.
Different positions, but same style.
"I bring a lot of energy, a lot of emotion into the game," Attard said Thursday. "Always show up to the rink with a smile on my face."
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Sounds a lot like Allison, who provided life to the Flyers last season with his own NHL debut. The Western Michigan winger finished with a positive 14-game audition for a team that was pretty much playing out the string on a season that became about the future.
This season has taken on the same tune. The Flyers (21-35-11) are amid one of their worst seasons in franchise history, missing the playoffs in consecutive years for the first time since the 1992-93 and 1993-94 campaigns.
Here comes Attard, a 6-foot-4, 210-pound defenseman and Western Michigan product himself. The 2019 third-round draft pick signed his entry-level contract earlier this week and is set to make his NHL debut Saturday when the Flyers host the Maple Leafs at the Wells Fargo Center (7 p.m. ET/NBCSP).
Similar to Allison, Attard gets after it and plays the game with a visible joy. The righty shot played for the Tri-City Storm, the same USHL program that Allison played for before heading to Western Michigan. Attard then attended Western Michigan and the two were teammates on the Broncos in 2019-20.
NHL
Allison, who is currently with AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley, has been helping Attard this week.
"I've been blowing Wade's phone up the last couple of days," Attard said with a laugh after his first practice. "We've been talking quite a bit here, just common questions — what to bring, what to pack, what to expect. He's been a huge help; it's been nice having that tool."
With his size and mobility, the 23-year-old brings an intriguing blend of defense and offense from the back end.
The Flyers will hope he shows signs of being a piece moving into a critical offseason and ensuing 2022-23 season.
"He's a guy that we want to get a real good look at here," Flyers interim head coach Mike Yeo said. "It's not going to be one of those situations where he goes out and makes a mistake and doesn't get back on the ice; we're going to to give him a good opportunity to play.
"I'm excited for him to play in his first game. I really liked what I saw from him in practice today as far as just the toolset that he has.
"The one game that I saw him play in college, I saw him playing off the flank, sort of where [Alex] Ovechkin would play, and he sat on that dot and he ripped about three, four real hard one-timers. I would like to see him out in that position, as well."
Attard said he's excited to officially join a "great organization" with "a lot of opportunity."
When the Flyers drafted him in June 2019, Attard was coming off of a 30-goal season in the USHL.
"I've made a lot of steps in my game since my draft year," Attard said. "I've worked a lot on my defensive game and just my ability to close on players. My foot speed is something I continue to still work on.
"Just want to be able to help defend hard in the D-zone, move the puck up to the forwards and if there's an opportunity to jump, I'll take that opportunity."
Attard said his parents Tom and Sue will be at his first game. His older sisters Jessica and Julia and some of his friends from Western Michigan might be able to join them.
"It's awesome," Cam York, a fellow 2019 pick and college product, said of seeing Attard's upcoming debut. "I was in his shoes last year. It's obviously an overwhelming time for sure — a lot of excitement, a lot of nerves — but I'm confident Ronnie's a great player. Definitely excited to have him on the squad."
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