VOORHEES, N.J. - Brek Liske arrived at Flyers Development Camp with more than a second-round draft label. The 18-year-old defenseman also showed up with a sense of humor, and by the sound of it, he’s not shy about using it.
That part came through right away during his media Zoom call at the NHL Draft, when Liske had reporters laughing with remarks about the 30-some Flyers jerseys he and his father already owned before Philadelphia even picked him 53rd overall.
There’s a reason the Flyers could end up liking that part of his game almost as much as the one he brings on the ice. Liske played a major role for Everett in the Western Hockey League this season, earning a spot on the Silvertips’ top defense pairing with Landon DuPont and helping the team reach the Memorial Cup final.
“It was awesome,” said Liske, who described DuPont as “an unreal player but a better guy. Best teammate ever.”
He added that handling the pressure of that role was part of the appeal. “Playing in front of those cameras, the spotlight.
There’s a lot of responsibility being that first pairing. I enjoy it.
It almost helps my confidence, being relied on by my coach, my team. I think it helped me play better.”
At camp, Liske said he’s comfortable being himself.
“Absolutely,” he said with a grin. “Came into camp, not necessarily a shy guy. My voice has definitely been heard.”
He expanded on that a bit more, too, saying, “I like to talk and joke around a lot,” and adding, “For better or for worse. Obviously there are no games here right now. . .I’m not always joking around, especially when games get tight.
“But at camp everyone’s been great to me. Just bein’ myself.”
The Flyers like the player, but Liske knows there’s still work ahead. He pointed to “a few technical things,” and said he wants to “get my feet a little quicker” and “Get a little more shifty. All the little nuances of the game.”
There’s also a family connection to the Flyers that goes back years. Liske said his father, Lonnie, has been a fan for as long as he can remember, drawn to the way the team played even though he lived thousands of miles from Philadelphia. That fandom was already built into the household long before Brek heard his name called.
As for the name itself, there’s no deep story behind it.
“I asked my parents,” he said. “They were like, ‘yeah, we looked in the book and found it cool. Fair enough.”
In Other News...
Briere Just Said Something Flyers Fans Really Did Not Want To Hear
Danny Briere spent part of his offseason message trying to balance optimism with patience, and that is never the easiest sell in Philadelphia. The Flyers GM pointed to recent contract extensions, the organizations young core and the emphasis on development as signs the franchise is moving in the right direction, even as the front office largely stayed away from the kind of headline-grabbing moves that can instantly change expectations.
The tricky part is that Briere also left room for the possibility that the Flyers might take a small step back this season after last years progress, which is the kind of comment that can set off alarm bells for a fan base eager for a playoff push. He did leave the door open on some familiar names in free agency, but for now the bigger takeaway is that the club seems intent on letting its young talent drive the next phase, even if that comes with a little more turbulence than some had hoped. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers May Be Protecting Their Identity With A Move Fans Wont Expect
The Flyers return to the Stanley Cup Playoffs after six years has been built as much on structure and buy-in as on star power, and that makes the front offices recent roster work worth a closer look. Philadelphia has shuffled pieces around the margins, moved on from Garnet Hathaway while retaining part of his salary, and added Noel Acciari as a depth option for the bottom of the lineup, all while trying to preserve the kind of identity that has carried this group back into the postseason picture.
Dan Vladar and Porter Martone have also become important parts of that equation, not just for what they do on the ice but for the tone they help set in a room that is starting to believe it belongs here again. Vladar has been one of the voices behind the push, while Martone has embraced a leadership role that matters for younger players coming through the system, and the next question for the Flyers is how far this chemistry can take them once the games get tighter and the margin for error disappears. [Read more 🡒]