Let the games begin!! And here they are, your Philadelphia Flyers. It’s no secret that the Flyers have struggled offensively the past few seasons. They have sat in the middle of the pack offensively, and General Manager Ron Hextall has taken notice. For instance, the Flyers drafted 7 forwards out of 9 picks total, in this past years draft. Help is on the way in the future, as there is a stockpile of talent down on the farm. One player that may help the Flyers sooner rather than later, is Left Winger Carsen Twarynski of the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL. I was fortunate enough to interview him recently, and he is sitting back waiting his turn to play for the Flyers.
Twarynski was born on November 24, 1997, in Calgary, AB, CAN. He was drafted by the Flyers in the 3rd round of the 2016 NHL Draft. His love and passion for the sport of hockey found himself playing for the Calgary Hitmen for the 2015-16 season. Twarynski had a great season for the Hitmen and it really solidified his status for the upcoming NHL Draft. For the season, he registered 20 goals, and 25 assists for a total of 45 points in 67 games played. After a great year with the Hitmen, Twarynski believed he had to get bigger and stronger to eventually succeed at the NHL level.
“I’m definitely a physical player. I have a physical edge to my game. I’ve been trying to build my size up to be the best player I can. As long as my mobility is there, I’ll continue to get bigger and stronger. I have good puck handling skills, but right now I’m focusing on getting bigger and stronger.”
Even with his success in 2015-16 with the Hitmen, Twarynski worked hard in the off-season. He worked on his skating, and was at the gym day in and day out working on building his frame. His hard work paid off in a big way as he registered 10 goals, and 11 assists for a total of 21 points in 36 games played for the Hitmen in 2016-17. Twarynski though was shockingly dealt to the Kelowna Rockets in the WHL midway through the season. While finishing the season for the Rockets, he managed to post 7 goals, and 15 assists for a total of 22 points in 28 games played. Just how did Twarynski make it through the season with the stress of the trade?
“Sushi (Laughing). My parents. My parents have been an instrumental part to my game. I wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for them. They have sacrificed and given a lot to me. I can’t say much better things about them. Without them I wouldn’t be that type of player I am today.”
Twarynski has been accustomed to playing two different positions. He used to play both defense and wing. It wasn’t until recently that Twarynski started to play just the wing. It hasn’t been an easy transition to say the least, but he has adapted quite well to the new role.
“I don’t put more pressure on myself. I don’t need any more pressure than what I already have. If you add pressure to yourself it means sometimes your not doing good things. I want them to count on me offensive wise. It’s funny cause when I was younger I played defense and wing.”
The young prospect continues, “Now only playing wing it has been a little bit of a transition. But, I feel as though I’m succeeding at it. That’s why I’m trying to build up my size. I hope to be an NHL ready player.”
Hopefully the offensive woes that have plagued the Flyers the past few seasons will be a thing of the past in the near future. Twarynski possesses the skill and dedication a player needs to succeed at the NHL level. The young standout will stop at nothing until he fulfills his lifelong dream of making the NHL, and he leaves us with this message,
“I’m a hard-worker. I’m gonna try to do the best I can. It’s a historic franchise, so I’m gonna try to be as physical as possible, and have a good two-way part to my game. It’s a classy organization. There known for the Broad Street Bullies. I hope to bring some of that back to Philly.”
Mandatory Photo Credit: Derek Leung/Getty Images
