The Philadelphia Flyers have long carried the burden of a disappointing powerplay, a chronic ailment that’s defied easy solutions and too often left the team chasing games.
Under John Tortorella, and most recently guided by assistant coach Rocky Thompson, the man-advantage unit stumbled—finishing near the bottom of the league despite possessing talent that should have produced better results.
Enter Jaroslav "Yogi" Svejkovsky—a man whose name may be unfamiliar to many Flyers fans now, but whose potential impact could ripple through the team’s DNA in the right ways. After carving out a role as a skills coach (later promoted to assistant coach) with the Vancouver Canucks, Svejkovsky looks to be joining Rick Tocchet’s staff in Philadelphia, as first reported by The Fourth Period's David Pagnotta.
And with that move comes the opportunity—some might even call it a challenge—to resuscitate the Flyers’ powerplay.
A Coach Who Knows the Craft
Svejkovsky, a former NHL forward who enjoyed stints with the Washington Capitals and Tampa Bay Lightning in the late ‘90s, knows a thing or two about offensive creativity. He’s carried that spark behind the bench, developing a reputation in Vancouver for innovative approaches and a player-first mentality. Under his guidance, the Canucks’ powerplay evolved into a more dynamic, less predictable unit—a quality that’s been missing in Philadelphia.
Under Svejkovsky, the Canucks finished in a respectable 15th place in 2024-25. While not an earth-shattering statistic, it is that middle-of-the-table place the front office is shooting for as they continue to build up the team and figure out their systems and special teams. Ambitions are high, but expectations are realistic, and Svejkovsky could be the man to help them get closer to meeting them.
He’s been described by colleagues as meticulous, but also adaptable—a coach who values structure but isn’t afraid to experiment. He encourages his players to trust their instincts and recognizes that true offensive success often means letting gifted athletes read and react rather than forcing them into static formations.
A Fresh Look at the Flyers’ Powerplay
Philadelphia’s powerplay woes haven’t just been about X’s and O’s on a whiteboard—they’ve been about confidence, predictability, and execution. Too often, the Flyers fell into the trap of telegraphed plays: static puck movement around the perimeter, a lack of inside presence, and precious few second-chance opportunities. Under Thompson, the unit rarely found rhythm; even when zone entries were successful, they often struggled to generate quality looks.
The Flyers' powerplay finished 30th after the 2024-2025 season, and while GM Danny Briere cheekily joked that they had technically seen improvements after finishing 32nd in 2023-24, it's obviously not where the organization wanted to be in the standings.
Svejkovsky’s approach in Vancouver showed a willingness to emphasize quick puck movement, deceptive angles, and constant motion to disorganize penalty killers. Instead of simply looking for the perfect cross-ice pass or the one-timer from the circle, his philosophy revolves around creating layers of threat. That means encouraging bumper players to slide into open ice, low plays behind the net to draw defenders away from the slot, and a net-front presence that’s more active than static.
His teams in Vancouver also showed an emphasis on seamless puck retrievals—when the first shot didn’t go in, the second chance was often just as dangerous. That’s the kind of blue-collar creativity the Flyers have lacked on the man advantage, where one-and-done shots have too often led to easy clears for the opposition.
More Than Just Strategy
Of course, any system lives and dies by the players who run it, and the Flyers will need buy-in from their key offensive talents—Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, and Tyson Foerster among them. Svejkovsky’s reputation as a communicator—someone who listens to his players and adapts—will be critical here. His open-door policy and collaborative style could be just what the Flyers’ offensive core needs to regain confidence and creativity.
Moreover, his arrival under Rick Tocchet’s watchful eye suggests a shared vision: a powerplay that embodies the Flyers’ new identity—relentless, dynamic, and unpredictable. Tocchet, himself an offensive-minded coach who understands the balance between structure and creativity, seems to value Svejkovsky’s fresh perspective and innovative touch.
He's notorious for utilizing different drills and holding numerous practice sessions, telling the Vancouver Canucks website, “Winning starts with intensity. The next part is about if you can actually do what you’re trying to accomplish. You get your X's and O's, you get your systems and structure in place, but then to go to the next level, you need to be very good in that structure. What I was always in love with in coaching is finding the requirements that a player needs to take the next step."
He added: “Well, this might sound crazy, but I was part of minor hockey when I was on the Giants staff and in the summers, I work with plenty of pros. There were years where I had over 1200 practices.
“So, in some ways, you do so many different drills that eventually you begin to find variations and I look at every area of the ice and how a drill can focus on a certain area of a certain skill.”
A New Chapter in a Long Story
Reviving the Flyers’ powerplay won’t happen overnight. It’s a tall order for any coach, let alone one stepping into a franchise with a fan base known for its passion and high expectations. But Yogi Svejkovsky’s blend of experience, creativity, and open-mindedness offers hope that the Flyers can finally shake their powerplay curse.
After years of fits and starts, maybe—just maybe—he’s the spark that ignites the Flyers’ man-advantage and brings some long-overdue electricity back to Philadelphia. If nothing else, his arrival feels like a fresh start, the promise of a new voice in the room with the courage to try something different. And in Philadelphia, where patience can wear thin, that might be the most important quality of all.
