A laid-back guy, Philadelphia Flyers rookie defenseman Emil Andrae spends his summers in coastal cities in Sweden, like Jönköping and his hometown, Västervik.
“I’m a big guy for that, going on the islands,” Andrae told Philly Hockey Now. “And I have a boat back home, and a jet ski. So, we like to bust around on that thing. I love playing golf as well.”
Andrae wasn’t sure what the Jersey Shore was, but the longer he stays with the Flyers, the more likely he is to get dragged out there by one of his older teammates in the offseason.
The 22-year-old has only played a grand total of 13 games for the Flyers between last season and this season, but having recently emerged as a breakout rookie star alongside Matvei Michkov, Andrae is already seeing and feeling the love from Flyers fans.
He’s enjoyed the short time he’s spent in Philadelphia, too.
“It’s just such a big sports town. That’s what I can tell,” Andrae said. “I’ve been to the baseball game. I’ve been to the football game. I just loved it to be here.
“You can see all the fans love the sports town and all the teams here in Philly.”
Quickly establishing himself as a regular in the Flyers’ lineup, Andrae, like Michkov and a handful of other young, exciting players, will indirectly be tasked with helping bring the Orange and Black up to speed with their Philadelphian peers.
Saquon Barkley and the Philadelphia Eagles are 8-2 and have been one of the best, most competitive teams in football over the last few seasons. Since Rob Thomson took over, the Philadelphia Phillies have made the playoffs in each of the last three seasons, including a World Series appearance in 2022.
After seeing those guys in action, Andrae got a glimpse of what it takes to have success in Philly and what that success means to Philly.
But, how does he plan to help make it happen?
For Andrae, it starts with continued development and a winner’s attitude.
Emil Andrae compared to former Flyers star Kimmo Timonen
Former Flyers defenseman Kimmo Timonen, a small-but-mighty rearguard like Andrae, won the Stanley Cup as a member of the Chicago Blackhawks in his final NHL season in 2015. Before that, Timonen was the No. 2 defenseman, behind Chris Pronger, who helped guide the Flyers to the 2010 Stanley Cup Final, the franchise’s last such appearance.
Flyers fans have long compared Andrae and Timonen because of their small stature, feistiness, and offensive skillsets. Flyers GM Danny Briere, who was teammates with Timonen and played on that 2010 Flyers team, sees the similarities.
“Yeah, the way they’re built and, down the road, I could see a bit of Kimmo in him!” Briere told Philly Hockey Now of the similarities with a laugh back in June.
As someone who is only 22 years old, Andrae never saw Timonen at his peak. But he has seen Timonen play, and he has heard the comparisons.
“No, of course I’ve heard that,” Andrae said, acknowledging the comparisons to Timonen. “From what I’ve heard, I think I have some similarities in my game compared to his. It’s always nice to hear, and, you know, always trying to play with that competitiveness and little ‘fuck off’ mentality.
“I think I need that, too, because I’m a little smaller and I don’t think everybody expects me to be like that. I love to be like that and I’m going to keep being that.”
After starting his second season with the Flyers getting between 14 and 17 minutes of ice time, Andrae has already worked his way up to the top defensive pairing in the absence of Cam York.
Now paired up with Travis Sanheim, Andrae has assists in back-to-back games for the first time in his young NHL career and has amassed a whopping 48:59 of ice time across two games against the Ottawa Senators and San Jose Sharks – two games the Flyers won.
What happens to the lineup when York returns is unclear, but what is clear is that Emil Andrae has arrived, and he’s here to stay.
