The Flyers top rookie, James vanRiemsdyk,
is aiming for a Calder Trophy and maybe
the Olympics. (Neat1325)
The Flyers have had many forwards enjoy an outstanding rookie season. Even so, not once has the Calder Memorial Trophy for rookie-of-the-year found its way into the hands of a Flyer. That isn't for lack of trying though.
Mikael Renberg scored 38 goals and added 44 assists for 82 total points in 83 games played during his first NHL season back in 1993-94. Martin Brodeur would beat him out for the Calder Trophy, and Renberg would never be able to repeat the success of his first season.
The year before Renberg joined the league, Eric Lindros would have a great rookie season as well. He scored 41 goals on his way to 75 points in only 61 games. That year though, Teemu Selanne would pot 76 goals and total 132 points for his first NHL campaign. There was no way Lindros could compete.
Ron Hextall, the season he took the Flyers to the Stanley Cup Finals and won the Conn Smythe, didn't have good enough numbers during the regular season to steal the Calder from a rookie Luc Robitaille.
Bill Barber in 1972-73 seems to have been robbed by Steve Vickers. Even the great Bobby Clarke came nowhere close as goaltender Tony Esposito took it in 1969-70.
In 41 opportunities the Flyers have failed to produce a Calder Trophy winner. That all could change though this season as James vanRiemsdyk, former 2nd overall selection, is looking to enter the same discussion with recent forwards who had outstanding rookie campaigns such as Pavel Bure, Teemu Selanne, Peter Forsberg, Daniel Alfredsson, Sergei Samsonov, Chris Drury, Scott Gomez, Dany Heatley, Alexander Ovechkin, Evgeni Malkin, and Patrick Kane, who was taken only one selection before him.
Right now vanRiemsdyk is tied among rookie forwards for points with Colorado center, Ryan O'Reilly at 14. O'Reilly though has played six more games than "Riemer," who is averaging an incredible 1.27 points per game.
This summer though was a different story. While he is a key force on the Flyers so far this season, during the offseason hardly anyone expected him to even make the team. He had even been criticized for spending another season in college at the University of New Hampshire.
VanRiemsdyk is of the opinion that college helped prepare him for his break-out season.
"I just kind of wanted to do my thing, came in this year and was ready to go. Definitely going back to college a second year helped me. It kind of looks like I made the right move."
Tonight JVR will try to keep his points streak alive at home against the St. Louis Blues. Despite injuries to high end forwards Danny Briere and Simon Gagne, the Flyers still expect to compete as well as put up big numbers. Right now the Flyers are leading the entire NHL in goals scored per game with an incredible 49 goals in 13 games (3.77 GPG). Even the superstar-filled Washington Capitals can't seem to keep up. Alexander Ovechkin has obviously missed a couple of games, but considering what the Flyers have had to go through with injuries so far this season, their status as the league's top offense is all the more impressive.
Rookie James vanRiemsdyk is a big part of that, but only time will tell if he can break the Flyers' bad luck when it comes to the Calder Trophy. If he continues at this pace though, it won't be long before Team USA begins to take a bigger look at him for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
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