The NHL is one of the best leagues at getting representation from countries across the world — especially in recent years. Over the course of their history, the Philadelphia Flyers have had over a dozen of them have ties to the team. Of the 15 different countries represented in Orange and Black, which players have the most points for their individual nation? Which current players could change history?
Canada: Bobby Clarke (1,210 Points)
For Canada, it really couldn’t be anyone else than Bobby Clarke. Pretty much since the start of the team’s history in 1967-68, he’s had a role. And, when he played, he was essentially the perfect player. He had the longevity of the likes of Claude Giroux and the peak abilities of someone like Eric Lindros. If that wasn’t enough, he had the playoff peak of someone like Danny (literally nicknamed ‘Mr. Playoffs’) Briere.
Related: Bobby Clarke: The Ultimate Philadelphia Flyer
Winning three Hart Trophies from 1973-1976, that was probably the best stretch in team history. In said stretch, he won the only two Stanley Cups the Flyers have in their history. Representing his country well, he helped lead Canada to a win in the 1972 Summit Series against the Soviet Union and the 1976 Canada Cup.
Overall, Clarke finished with 358 goals and 852 assists for 1,210 points in 1,144 games. It’s safe to say it’ll take a few decades for this one to be broken unless of course Sean Couturier (492 points) or Travis Konecny (378 points) play with the Flyers until they’re about 50. If Giroux wasn’t even able to come within 300 points of him (900 points), maybe his totals are unbeatable.
United States: John LeClair (643 Points)
Still with the greats, John LeClair’s stats really don’t do him enough justice. Traded to the Flyers in the deal that sent Mark Recchi to the Montreal Canadiens, he proved to be the perfect linemate for Lindros and he scored like it was no problem during the dead puck era.
From 1995-1998, a three-season span, LeClair had 50 goals in each of them. Before and since then, no American-born player has ever done that. Just so we’re clear, scoring goals back then was not easy. In a version of the NHL centered around defense, he was out there trying to make things a bit more exciting. Both he and Lindros were sensational, but it’s the former that probably deserves some more credit.
Internationally, LeClair had six goals in six games with Team USA in the 2002 Winter Olympics, losing in the Gold Medal Game to Canada. When he was a bit younger, he had 16 total points in 14 total games at the U20 World Junior Championship (WJC) tournament.
In total, LeClair had 333 goals, 310 assists, and 643 points for the Flyers in 649 contests. It’s a serious possibility that Joel Farabee could pass him, though. He is only 23 and has over 170 points with the Orange and Black already. Having the best season of his career in 2023-24, it’s not unrealistic to say he could pass the Vermont native by the early 2030s.
By that time, Farabee would only be around 30 years of age, so a big extension down the line could make him the highest American scorer for the team. If he scores 60 points a season for the next eight seasons, he’d be past LeClair. Assuming he stays healthy, it might even be sooner than that. It could come down to the wire as long as the youngster continues to progress.
Czechia: Jakub Voracek (604 Points)
Still in the elite category, one of the more recent Flyers in Jakub Voracek finds himself here. The Kladno native spanned from a good NHL player to one of the best in the league in his prime with the Flyers. Acquired by the Orange and Black in part of the deal that sent forward Jeff Carter to the Columbus Blue Jackets, he wasn’t really supposed to play as long as he did (2011-2021) with the Flyers and be as successful as he was, but he’s 10th in all-time Flyer points regardless.
Voracek was one of the best playmakers in team history, and he put up a lot of those points in an era where scoring was low much like LeClair. While he was putting up good numbers with the Blue Jackets up until he was 21 years of age and then came over to the Flyers, playing 727 contests for any team is unprecedented, no matter how good of a player you are. For him, he was able to both break out and stay healthy enough to compile solid point totals.
Voracek has experience in all kinds of tournaments, highlighted by winning gold at the 2010 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Championship, essentially making him a legend in Czechia lore. He had two points at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey, 44 total in 54 contests at all of the World Championship tournaments he’s competed in, and two points in the 2014 Winter Olympics.
So, with that being said, the next Czech to try and break his records won’t have an easy time. His 177 goals and 427 assists for 604 points are pretty good marks, so the next man up would have to be both a star and potentially play upwards of 10 seasons with Philadelphia to have a chance. Voracek’s records will be safe for quite a bit.
Sweden: Pelle Eklund (452 Points)
One of the few great Flyers players in the 20th century outside of North America, Pelle Eklund, was arguably even better than his point totals might suggest. The eighth-round pick of the 1983 NHL Draft is one of the biggest steals in franchise history as he instantly hit it off with Philadelphia.
The 5-foot-10 centerman had decent success with Sweden internationally, winning a gold medal with them in the 1991 IIHF World Championship and winning silver twice in the same tournament and bronze in the 1984 Winter Olympics. In total, he had 26 points in 48 games at World Championship tournaments.
As for his time with the Flyers, he put up 15 goals and 51 assists for 66 points in his 70-game rookie campaign, finishing fifth in Calder Trophy voting in 1985-86. From there, he consistently put up a little bit under a point per game each season, finishing with 118 goals, 334 assists, and 452 points in 589 matches when all was said and done.
Even though he played a few decades ago, Eklund might be the best skater the Flyers have ever had. Fittingly donning the number ‘9’ as a Flyer, the way he glided across the ice with ease is pretty similar to the way a current Flyer and wearer of said number, Jamie Drysdale does.
So, getting into who could beat him, it’s unlikely for anyone to do it for a while. Young defender Emil Andrae could always do it, but that would have to mean he stays a Flyer for a while and puts up solid point totals. He shouldn’t be counted out, but he’d have to be one of the best defenders in franchise history to do it. Eklund is more than safe for now.
Finland: Ilkka Sinisalo (409 Points)
The third (and last) player to represent the Flyers in the 1980s on this list is Finnish winger Ilkka Sinisalo, and he was one of the best Europeans in Flyers history. The undrafted forward first debuted with the Flyers at age 23, scoring 37 points in 66 games and ending that 1981-82 campaign with a plus-18 rating. He became a pretty important player for Philadelphia rather quickly, and only continued to boost his stock.
Sinisalo rode consistent production through the 1980s and into the early 1990s before departing from the team before the 1990-91 season. He finished his time with the Flyers with 199 goals, 210 assists, and 409 points — his goals are first among non-North-American skaters.
He didn’t compete with Finland all that often internationally, but he did have eight points in six games during the 1978 U20 WJC and five in 18 contests in World Championship tournaments. Now, looking at if another Finnish player could beat him, Samu Tuomaala comes to mind. The 21-year-old could make the Flyers’ roster as soon as the 2024-25 season, and, if he does, he could be a special player. If he’s a star, it would be more than possible to achieve.
Russia: Ivan Provorov (217 Points)
In the biggest gap yet, we arrive at Russian defenseman Ivan Provorov. From 2016-23, he missed just three contests with the Orange and Black, playing a big part in his totals being so high for a defender. Drafted with the seventh-overall pick in 2015, it was one of the few times the Flyers had given a player from Russia the chance to flourish.
Provorov hasn’t been that involved internationally, playing just 18 contests and having five points in the World Championship and eight assists in seven games back in the 2016 U20 WJC. Still, he’s one of the better Russian defenders in the league both legacy-wise and with his current abilities.
Traded from the Flyers in 2023, his tenure with Philadelphia being stopped 532 games in paves the way for other Russians to pass his 65 goals and 152 assists for 217 points. This one seems like the most likely to be broken by a player currently within the organization, as Russian sensation Matvei Michkov could be a superstar by the time he enters the NHL. He’s so good that, potentially, it might take him just three healthy seasons to put himself atop the Russian leaderboard.
Austria: Michael Raffl (160 Points)
Austrian winger Michael Raffl is a fairly interesting case. He wasn’t a star player like those above him, but rather a great bottom-six option from 2013-2021 in Philadelphia. He spent 504 games as a Flyer and was a good role player in the process, keeping him around much longer than the normal player. To put into perspective how long that is, he was a Flyer for longer than Lindros (486 games).
Overall, Raffl had 81 goals and 79 assists for 160 points, just ahead of a few notable players in points such as Sami Kapanen, Daymond Langkow, R.J. Umberger, Justin Williams, and Peter Forsberg. For another undrafted free agent, that’s not too shabby.
Raffl was heavily involved internationally with Austria, scoring 11 goals and 16 points in 30 IIHF World Championship contests and tied for the points lead in the U20 WJC D1 tournament in 2008 with 13 in five games. In the 2014 Olympics, he had three points in four games. Since his nationality is fairly rare in the NHL, his Flyers records seem safe at this time.
Slovakia: Michal Handzus (146 Points)
Going back to the early 2000s, Michal Handzus was a great Flyer. Acquired from the Arizona Coyotes in 2002, he played just three seasons with Philadelphia from 2002-2006, compiling 54 goals and 92 assists for 146 points in 237 games. The Slovak was a fantastic two-way, top-six centerman for the Flyers, but his tenure was a bit short-lived. He was a valuable player in their run to the Eastern Conference Final in 2004, putting up 10 points in 18 games.
With Slovakia at the World Championship, he had a total of 26 points in 38 contests and won a gold medal at said tournament in 2002. At the U20 WJC, he had six points in six games in 1997. He had a very good career both with the Flyers and away from them, making him one of the best players to ever represent his country.
Slovak representation is starting to gain some more traction in the NHL, exemplified by prospect Alex Ciernik who could do much better than 146 points if he develops properly. He’s a talented skater with a top-nine upside. Both he and Michkov look poised to be the new record holders for their countries.
Switzerland: Mark Streit (140 Points)
Mark Streit joined the Flyers by the time he was pretty much done with his career, but he still had some juice left in his late 30s. The Swiss defender played top-four minutes with the Flyers from 2013-2017 and was a prominent scoring member of the blue line. His worst point output was in 2016-17 when he had 21 in 49 contests with Philadelphia at the age of 39, so he deserves some praise for how long he was able to produce.
So, in total, Streit finished with 30 goals and 110 assists for 140 points in 274 games. In World Championship games, he had 42 points total in 89 games, whilst also competing in 19 Olympic contests and putting up nine points there. In 2016, he even competed in the World Cup of Hockey, although he wasn’t able to get a point. Before Roman Josi came along, he was the clear-cut greatest Swiss NHL player ever.
There’s enough representation from Switzerland in the NHL to think that his records could be broken, but it might have to be from a player the Flyers draft themselves. Until they develop such a player, Streit will remain at the top.
Ukraine: Ruslan Fedotenko (75 Points)
The only Flyer here to represent the Orange and Black during two different stints, Ruslan Fedotenko is one of the few Ukrainian players to play in the NHL. He was also one of the best. The undrafted free agent didn’t have incredible success internationally, but he did score a point at the 1996 U20 WJC and a goal at the 2002 Winter Olympics.
The winger started with the Flyers in 2000-01, putting up 36 points in his rookie season at age 22. He followed that up with 26 the next season, and he was starting to become a decent NHL player even if he regressed a bit. But the Flyers packaged him in a huge deal and sent him to the Tampa Bay Lightning so they could land defenseman Joni Pitkanen with the fourth-overall pick in the 2002 NHL Draft.
From there, Fedotenko was a consistent 30-40 point-scorer for the Lightning, winning a Stanley Cup with them in 2004 with 12 goals in that playoff run with six of them coming in the Eastern Conference Final against his former club in a series that went a full seven games.
Fedotenko returned to the Flyers in 2012-13 and was actually fairly good. He had 13 points in the 48-game-shortened season, still showing he had some gas left in the tank. That was his last season in the NHL, but it brought his total points up to 75 with Philadelphia.
Another Ukrainian could play for the Flyers and put up better totals, but it’s not the most common country for NHL hockey. Nobody is rivaling him for now.
Lithuania: Dainius Zubrus (62 Points)
Dainius Zubrus was a first-round pick by the Flyers in 1996, but he wasn’t on the team for very long. At just 18 years of age, he had 21 points in 68 matches with the Flyers and improved on that at 19 with 33 points in 69 games. But by his third season, he was in a bit of a scoring rut and the Flyers, a contender, had a deal that they couldn’t pass up. He was traded to the Canadiens along with a sixth-round pick in a deal that sent Recchi back to Philadelphia.
Zubrus was still a very young player by the time he was traded, but he had 19 goals and 43 assists for 62 points in 200 games. He played over 1,000 more after leaving the Flyers, so the deal definitely helped him in his career. Internationally, he had three points in four games in the 2004 World Cup of Hockey tournament most notably.
Zubrus is the only Lithuanian player to ever skate on NHL ice, so he might never be beaten. It would be great if more athletes from Lithuania could come to the NHL in the future, but he is by himself right now.
France: Pierre-Edouard Bellemare (34 Points)
Forward Pierre-Edouard Bellemare is the only other active NHL player here, but his story is pretty remarkable. The France native didn’t make his NHL debut until he was 29, playing in Europe from 2003-2014 and building up a fantastic hockey career there. But, in 2013-14, he caught the eye of the Flyers when he scored 20 goals and 35 points in 52 regular season games in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL), putting up an additional nine tallies and 14 points in 14 playoff games.
Bellemare was also an international wizard that season, putting up a solid eight points in eight games in the 2014 IIHF World Championship, tying him with NHL players such as Jaromir Jagr, Mikael Backlund, Cody Hodgson, Craig Smith, and Tomas Tatar just to name a few. It became evident that he was more than just some international player, and the Flyers gave him a shot.
In an interview with Flyers podcast Nasty Knuckles, featuring former team equipment manager Derek Settlemyre and former player Riley Cote, Bellemare shared his story in Europe and about first coming over to the NHL. He shared his positive approach to playing hockey, and, also, his decision to move to North America — it came with genuine risk. With the Flyers in what served as a tryout season of sorts, he had 12 points in 81 games in a bottom-six role, playing good defense and becoming a great depth player.
This has only continued, so much so that by the 2017 Expansion Draft the Vegas Golden Knights were all over him. Today, he’s 38 and playing pretty great two-way hockey for the Seattle Kraken. He only compiled 34 points in 237 games for the Flyers, but he never would have had an NHL career without them.
To quote his interview, he said, “I never thought that this would go onto a 10-year time in this league,” following that up with “This was not supposed to be my path”. And yet, he’s still going strong. He might not have been the longest-tenured Flyer, but he was a pretty good one.
Right now, there aren’t enough French NHL players to think someone could beat him. It might happen sometime, but it wouldn’t take too many seasons to dethrone him as long as someone gets that opportunity.
Germany: Dennis Seidenberg (20 Points)
German defenseman Dennis Seidenberg had a long career in the NHL that spanned over 800 games, but only 92 of those came with the Flyers, the team that drafted him. A sixth-round pick in 2001, playing as much as he did is pretty absurd, making him a “could have been” story for the Orange and Black. Regardless, he had six goals and 14 assists for 20 points during his time in Philadelphia.
At the World Championship, Seidenberg had 12 points in 35 total games, which is not too bad for a shutdown defender. He also played in the Olympics three times and was a representative at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey.
German representation is relatively scarce in the NHL, but there is enough talent that a player could join the Flyers and break the 20-point threshold pretty quickly. The Flyers don’t have any of their own German prospects yet, so breaking that total anytime soon would take a trade or a free-agent signing.
Latvia: Oskars Bartulis (Nine Points)
Oskars Bartulis, a third-round selection in the 2005 NHL Draft, spent his entire 66-game career with the Flyers. It took him a little bit to play, but was a part of the 2009-10 team that went to the Stanley Cup Final and scored nine points in that campaign. He contributed in those playoffs with seven games played but wasn’t the roster staple that he might have hoped he could be. Still, he was in Philadelphia for an unforgettable run.
In 2010-11, he had 13 games but no points to go along with that. After that, the depth defender never played for the Flyers again, going to Europe where he still plays to this day.
Bartulis has a goal in nine Olympic games, while he has three points in 11 games during the World Championship. There are some solid Latvian players in the NHL, but the Flyers haven’t made strides to acquire one. His point total is beatable but hasn’t been touched yet.
Norway: Patrick Thoresen (Five Points)
Norwegian forward Patrick Thoresen has all but strictly been a hockey player in Europe, but did have a short stint with the Flyers back in 2007-08. He had five points in 21 games then along with two playoff points in 14 games, so he was definitely worth the chance.
With Norway internationally, he had 49 points in 59 World Championship games and nine in 13 games during the Olympics. He is still active playing in the Eliteserien, Norway’s top hockey league, and he is second in points with 53 in 38 contests in 2023-24. Amazingly, he is doing this at 40 years of age. Perhaps he wasn’t made for the NHL, but he has been a force in Europe for decades.
Norwegian representation in the NHL is far too low for there to be confidence someone will pass him, but if more prospects from Norway come into play it is certainly possible. It would only take a full season for Thoresen to be passed, so the potential is definitely there.
Denmark: Oliver Lauridsen (Three Points)
And, to end it off, we have defenseman Oliver Lauridsen. He’s a fairly recent addition to this club so he’s fairly memorable, even if he played for the Flyers for just 16 games from 2012-2015. He played a good chunk of games in the American Hockey League (AHL) with what is now the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. During his time with the Flyers, though, he had two goals and an assist for three points. It’s not a lot, but to score in the NHL as a seventh-round pick is still a win — most don’t even touch NHL ice.
During his international career, Lauridsen has 64 games under his belt in the World Championship and seven assists along with an assist in five games during the Olympics. The 6-foot-6 defender was never supposed to be a massive offensive weapon so that production makes sense.
Lauridsen is still an active hockey player, now playing in Liiga, the top hockey league in Finland. Among defensemen, his eight points are tied for 70th in scoring in the league.
That’s a lot of players and a lot of countries, but these records are beatable. A lot of the point totals are recent, so it might not take long for some of them to be overtaken. New countries could always have representation, too.
