VOORHEES, N.J. – Back in late autumn, when rookie defenseman Emil Andrae was here on what amounted to a 20-game trial necessitated by injuries, things were looking pretty bright.
However, as the games stacked up and opponents got a read on his method of operation, Andrae’s performances began to go sideways.
To his credit, the 23-year-old Swede did not get down on himself. He headed back to the AHL Lehigh Valley Phantoms, put in some serious ice time and worked hard at getting some of the kinks out of his game.
Recently Andrae was called back up to the Flyers and so far he’s done pretty well. In 27 overall NHL games this season, he has a goal/six points with a plus-2.
Coach John Tortorella believes Andrae has improved throughout the year but there’s still room for improvement.
He doesn’t want young players believing that because they’ve enjoyed some success for a short period time, they’ve established themselves in the NHL.
“Having four or five good games doesn’t allow you to think you’ve arrived,” Tortorella said before Friday’s practice at the Flyers Training Center. “You don’t arrive having a couple good weeks, you arrive by having a couple good years.”
One of Andrae’s best attributes is his skating speed and ability to move the puck. Unfortunately, the two don’t always match up.
“The biggest thing with Emil is first decision, go with it,” Tortorella said “Very similar to Jamie (Drysdale). But he’s a different player than Jamie. (Last game) carrying the puck, looking for another option and he gets stripped from behind, it almost cost us.
“He can move the puck. I want him to move it. I don’t want him to look for other options. I think that will quicken his game up. I’m worried about his tempo of the game. I want him to play faster. Again, it’s a player who hasn’t had a lot of reps in the National Hockey League. I think that will improve as he keeps on playing.”
Andrae said he’s aware of the situation.
“It’s a game where you need to be quick out there,” he said. “On your feet, the decision making. That’s what I’m kind of focusing on when I was down there at Lehigh. Obviously when I come back up here I’m that kind of player. That’s what I’ve been trying to focus on. Think I took a step in that direction in the last game.”
Tortorella also likes the fact that Andrae seems to play the game with a bit of abandon.
“I don’t think he’s worried about making mistakes,” the coach said. “That’s what I like about him. I don’t think he worries about that. I think if he makes a play A and it doesn’t work, he’s going to go back to play A again. Which I think is really good for a player. I want him to respect the league. I want him to understand there’s a process for him to come into this league. You can’t do some things sometimes, you have to wait your turn,
“I think he’s going through a learning process of making mistakes and thinking he can do certain things that he can’t right now. I think he has to go a process of learning what he can and cannot do.”
Andrae said the time down in Allentown has been productive.
:I think I’ve been doing better and better,” said the second-round pick (54th overall) in the 2020 NHL Draft. “After every game I feel like I’m getting more comfortable. I think when you play in the AHL, you create a couple habits that work down there but they don’t work up here.
“I just try to figure out where it is. Just try to get back to where I was when I was called up. Made a good step forward last game and hopefully keep going.”
All this moving around between the NHL and AHL has been a challenge.
“I think going into this season, the goal was to be the first call-up guy,” he said. “I thought I did a pretty good job in training camp. Some guys got injured and I got a big shot at it. I feel like I did not play as well at the end as I did at the beginning.
“So I got sent back to Lehigh Valley. Played big minutes in all situations, worked on my game. Now when I get back here it’s exciting. I just want to try to get back to where I was and help the team.”
