Philadelphia Flyers winger Jakob Pelletier (22). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News)
When Jakob Pelletier arrived in Philadelphia, it wasn’t exactly under quiet circumstances.
The trade that brought him and Andrei Kuzmenko to the Flyers in exchange for Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee sent shockwaves through both locker rooms.
It wasn’t just a roster shuffle—it was a bold, midseason shift that came with pressure, emotions, and expectation. But if there’s one thing that defines Pelletier, it’s that he brings his energy wherever he goes.
That, and a big smile.
“It was pretty easy,” Pelletier said about integrating into a new locker room. “I think when you get traded, you’re kind of scared that people won’t like you. But the guys here, they welcomed me with open arms as soon as I got here. You can see that this group is tight, and they’re going to battle each night. It’s nice to be a part of that, for sure.”
For a guy known league-wide for his infectious enthusiasm and vocal support for teammates—whether on the bench, in the gym, or chirping on the ice—the Flyers felt like a natural fit. Even so, Pelletier's path in orange and black didn’t start smoothly. Limited ice time under head coach John Tortorella made it difficult to find his rhythm. Gone were the 17-minute nights he enjoyed in Calgary. In Philadelphia, he was fighting for every second.
“I mean, yeah, as a player, you always want to play more,” Pelletier admitted, never shying away from the hard truth. “But if I’m being honest, I don’t think in the first ten games, I showed enough for the coaches to put me on there again and again.
"Of course I was kind of mad because when I left the Flames, I was playing a lot… but you’ve always got to look back and I don’t think it was on the coaches. I think it was on me, too.”
That accountability says a lot about the 23-year-old winger, whose self-awareness runs deeper than his highlight-reel plays. He knew he wasn’t comfortable right away, knew he needed to earn trust—and to his credit, he did.
“The first month here, I don’t think I was comfortable, like, at my one hundred percent,” he said. “I think the fact that I played with [Ryan Poehling] and [Owen Tippett]—two guys that are smart with the puck—I think we complement each other. It was easy to play with them. When you play more, you feel better, you feel good.”
That late-season line gave Pelletier the opportunity he’d been waiting for, and he made good on it.
“I think I showed in the last nine, ten games that I can bring offense,” he said. “And I think me and [Tippett], we have a little chemistry going, and I think we’ve showed that in the last ten games or so.”
Philadelphia Flyers winger Jakob Pelletier (22). (Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey Games)
Suddenly, he wasn’t just surviving shifts—he was thriving in them. Pelletier’s vision, speed, and anticipation were on full display. He was slipping pucks through tight windows, jumping into the play, driving to the net. He looked like the version of himself that Calgary once hoped would blossom.
That’s the player the Flyers hope to see more of come September. And for his part, Pelletier is ready to return with a clean slate—and, ideally, a contract.
“I’m pretty excited,” he said. “I still have to sign, but I’m pretty excited to come back in September and start fresh. It’s going to be a new season and hopefully you can make it well.”
As for those contract talks?
“Not yet, no,” Pelletier said with a laugh. “I think it’s gonna happen in the next month or so.”
He knows what kind of player he can be—and he knows the Flyers see it too.
“They said, and I know, I’m a guy that can play on the fourth line or on the first line. I think I can play both sides. I can play offensively, but I can also play in my own zone. It’s the versatility of my game that I think they want to see.”
Pelletier even got a brief stint at center, which was... an adventure.
“I haven’t played center in six years! It was weird,” he laughed. “I think I was one for seven on the faceoff as well, so that was tough. I think it’s good, as a player. You can see the game from a different angle. But I’m more comfortable on the wing.”
His offseason goal is clear: get stronger. Listed at 5-foot-9, he knows that to win battles in the NHL—especially in Philly—he needs to hold his own in the tough areas.
“For me, as a smaller guy, I want to be more strong on pucks and in the corners and in front of the net,” he said. “That’s the big thing for me.”
And as for the Flames—the team that drafted him, the one he left in January?
“[With] the guys here, we watched some games because they wanted to see [Morgan Frost and Joel Farabee] play,” he said. “I watched but, at the same time, I didn’t care much.”
It’s not cold. It’s clarity.
Jakob Pelletier’s heart is in Philadelphia now. And if the last stretch of the season is any indication, he’s only just getting started.
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