Former Flyer and 3 time Stanley Cup champion Patrick Sharp will be joining the Philadelphia front office the club has announced.
Sharp will assume the role of Special Advisor to Hockey Operations, and will work closely with GM Daniel Briere and President of Hockey Ops Keith Jones. While the 41 year old will report directly to Briere, he’ll have a hand in helping to shape all aspects of the club’s hockey operations, with an emphasis on player development.
“In adding Patrick Sharp to our group, we are gaining an individual who has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to building an environment of winning at all levels,” said Jones. “Patrick knows what it takes to win, he understands how to convey that to our players and is a relationship maker. He will be a vital component as we continue to build the foundation of the Philadelphia Flyers.”
“I am proud to announce the addition of Patrick Sharp to our hockey operations team,” said Briere. “Patrick is a well-established veteran on-and-off the ice and his incomparable hockey knowledge will be a valuable asset to our organization and young prospects.”
Originally selected by the Flyers 95th overall in the 2001 NHL Entry Draft, the Winnipeg native went on to have a productive 16 year NHL career, amassing 620pts (287G, 333A) across 939 games.
A member of the Chicago Blackhawks dynasty from 2010-2015, Sharp earned 3 rings with the club while posting 87pts (47G, 40A) across 142 career playoff games. He also earned an Olympic gold medal with team Canada in 2014, was a Calder Cup champion in 2005, and was named All-Star Game MVP in 2011.
Since retiring in 2018, Sharp assumed a variety of studio and broadcasting roles with NBC Sports and their Chicago affiliate stations. He’s recently been serving as an advisor to the coaching staff at the University of Vermont, his alma mater. Sharp was a member of UofV for two seasons between 2000-2002, registering 53pts (25G, 28A) in the Eastern College Athletic Conference.
The veteran forward joins a Philadelphia club currently in transition. The team has already made a few offseason deals, most notably trading blue liner Ivan Provorov to Columbus, and have been actively listening to offers on goaltender Carter Hart.
The Flyers finished a disappointing 31-38-13 last season, and were well outside the playoff picture for most of the year. This led to the firing of former GM Chuck Fletcher in March, and a complete overhaul of the team’s front office.
Jones & Briere are hoping that Sharp’s championship pedigree will help turn the Flyers around, as the team currently lacks an identity heading into 2023-24. His first order of business will be helping Philadelphia prepare for the 2023 NHL Entry Draft on June 28th.
The Flyers currently hold the 7th overall pick, but have been active in trade discussions leading up to the event, leading many to speculate that they’ll be one of the busier clubs on draft day.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Anna Enriquez. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.