Joel Farabee is excited about the Flyers depth ahead of NHL playoffs

A regular-season pause was probably not on the bingo card for Joel Farabee’s rookie season. The silver lining is the ability to adapt to a makeshift schedule at the NHL level. If there is one takeaway from Farabee’s impressive rookie season, it’s that he’s proven to overcome obstacles. Whether that obstacle is working back to the NHL from the AHL or one as unsettling as the pandemic itself, Farabee has made his rookie season work for him. We caught up with him on Friday to have this conversation on a conference call.

A Rookie Season to Remember

“I think the biggest thing right now is just trying to get that chemistry going again.”
Joel Farabee; 7/17/20

Checking back in to practice early on in phase two was huge for Joel Farabee. Chemistry is a very important ingredient to a successful sports team. The sooner he was able to get back on the ice with Travis Konecny and Kevin Hayes, the better off Farabee would be. His use of time is paramount to establishing a relationship with a couple of the top forwards on the team.

“We were all on the same page here and it’s going to be whatever team can get back into it the quickest is probably going to win.”
Joel Farabee; 7/17/20

Before the regular season pause, the Philadelphia Flyers were the hottest team in the NHL. Getting back into the routine of playing hockey with one another means the rebuilding of team chemistry. The Flyers overall have been having a good training camp. What makes Philadelphia a dangerous playoff team is that none of their players opted-out, meaning they’ll likely rekindle their momentum when the round-robin begins. Joel Farabee’s progression in his rookie campaign will be a part of that necessary momentum.

“I think once I figured out our systems and everything like that, I was able to get into a good rhythm. I think the pause definitely helped too, kind of a reset button.”
Joel Farabee; 7/17/20

Only two games into his NHL career, Joel Farabee recorded his first point. That was an assist against the Chicago Blackhawks. His first goal was only four games later against the New Jersey Devils. As a rookie in a tried and true system, that’s the steady progression that makes an impression. Farabee made such an impression that he went from being recalled later in the season from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms to a likely valuable playoff depth forward.

“Obviously, with JvR going down, I was able to come back up. We have such good depth here. I think anyone can play. We have such a good roster. I think that’s really big for us heading into playoffs. We have a lot of good depth, a lot of good young guys. I think we will be pretty prepared once we get to Toronto.”
Joel Farabee; 7/17/20

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