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For quite some time, the Flyers have been desperate for depth and production at the center position.
While Noah Cates may not be the answer as the team’s top-line center moving forward, he has definitely given the Flyers the production they need to win games.
“Every player wants responsibility, and we’re certainly giving it to him, and he sees the doors open, as far as the minutes that he’s getting,” Flyers head coach John Tortorella said Monday night after Cates’ two-goal third period helped lead the Flyers to a 4-3 win over the Florida Panthers.
This season, Cates has nine goals and 10 assists for the Flyers in 39 games played. Cates began the year off the roster, being a healthy scratch to open the season.
“Remember, at the beginning of the year, he wasn’t playing. I had him scratched,” Tortorella said. “Any player that sees the door open, he wants to succeed, and you can’t help but pull for a guy who doesn’t say much, doesn’t talk, and he just continues to work at his game,”
Cates’ ice time became consistent starting October 26th, but even then, he still was not producing. In the first month of the season, Cates had just one point, an assist against Minnesota.
In 28 games since then, Cates has totaled 18 points. That would put him at just under a 53 (52.7) point-per-game pace. With his slow start, Cates is at a 40 (39.9) pointy-per-game pace.
Cates’ play has elevated his line—Tyson Foerster – Noah Cates – Bobby Brink—to the second line on this Flyers team.
Cates’ production has led to an increase in his on-ice time and, therefore, an increase in the Flyers bench boss’s reliance on him.
“He’s he’s in our end zone defending the leads. I have him on the ice with the goalie pulled in the neutral zone. He’s on one of the power plays. He’s leading off with the penalty killing. I’m relying on him for basically everything. He’s taken ice time from people.” Said Tortorella.
Noach Cates has become a player involved with almost everything for the Flyers this season.
Cates’ 19 points put him at ninth on this Flyers team, one shy of his linemate, Tyson Foerster. His nine goals make him seventh on the team in goals scored, and his 10 assists put him in a tie with Garnet Hathaway for 11th.
After Monday’s win, John Tortorella recognized Cates’ development, even from last season.
Tortorella said, “I mean, look at look at his second goal. Look what he did a year ago. He’s going to his backhand. He’s throwing it into the pad, right, and that’s the level of confidence the kids playing with.”
Torts was not the only one singing Cates’ praises. Postgame on Monday, forward Garnet Hathaway had plenty of good things to say about Cates.
“I could stay here probably all night and talk to you guys about Noah and just what he means to this team, the organization,” said Hathaway. “To be able to see him, you know, take a step, but to keep going to his potential. I don’t think he’s done either right like it. He plays the game the right way. And I think if he keeps doing that, he knows that’ll lead to offense.”
Hathaway ended by saying, “He’ll be he’ll be here for a long time, doing a lot of, a lot of great things.”
Cates is 25 years old (Will be 26 on 2/5/25) and will be a restricted free agent at the end of this season.
More must-reads:
- Mike Grier’s drafting propelling Sharks to certain future
- Shedeur Sanders gets new chance after Browns QB injury
- The 'MLB mascot names' quiz
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Mike Grier’s drafting propelling Sharks to certain future
The San Jose Sharks have ranked last in the NHL for two straight seasons. They’ve allowed the most goals-against (1,495) and scored the second-fewest goals-for (1,051) of the 2020s. And yet, it’s hard to imagine the Sharks’ headed towards anything other than an exciting, and profitable, future. With the help of the draft lottery, San Jose has built out a prospect pool that not only sits atop the league, but truly stands apart as well-crafted, high-performing, and set for cohesion at the NHL level. That’s a fairly easy feat to pull off for a team that’s landed talent as prolific as William Eklund, Macklin Celebrini and Will Smith. The trio have already emerged as prolific NHL scorers. Eklund reached the dazzling 40-assist mark as a 21-year-old this season. He was helped mightily along by Celebrini, who led the team in scoring with 25 goals and 63 points despite missing 12 games. That mark stands as the second-most from a Sharks rookie this century, behind Logan Couture’s 65-point rookie year. Smith ranks third on that list with 18 goals and 45 points this season. Those three will serve as the cornerstones of San Jose’s offense moving forward. Given how great the Sharks' starts have been, it’s hard to imagine the talent set to join them. San Jose landed OHL exception-status star Michael Misa with the No. 2 pick this season, following a season where he led the OHL in scoring with 62 goals and 134 points in 65 games. It was a finish in the realm of former OHL greats like Patrick Kane, John Tavares and Steven Stamkos. Misa has long been considered a superstar in his age group, and seems to have well outgrown the junior flight with his performance this season. With a hefty frame, pro-level skating and a clear scoring knack — it seems well possible that he could push into the NHL as soon as next season. San Jose had plenty of time to watch Misa as he faced off against a string of their top prospects this season. Winger Kasper Halttunen shined through as a strong, persistent sniper sat on top of the London Knights offense. He finished the regular season with 21 goals and 41 points in 38 games, then ramped to 15 goals and 21 points in 17 playoff games en route to an OHL and Memorial Cup championship. He was physically imposing, with the boost of tons of finesse on the puck and a killer wrist-shot. Those same descriptors could apply to Quentin Musty, who scored 30 goals and 59 points in 33 games with the Sudbury Wolves across the league. San Jose also laid claim to another bruting OHL winger in Igor Chernyshov, who racked up an incredible 19 goals and 55 points in just 23 games playing opposite of Misa. All three wingers seem to offer the hefty physicality and hard shot to compliment the nimble skill of players like Celebrini and Smith. If they can’t, San Jose has plenty more productive scorers rounding out its forward pool — players like Cameron Lund, Collin Graf and Joey Muldowney. While that list, and many more, fall into place on offense — the defense already seems to sit in the hands of Sam Dickinson. He won the OHL’s Max Kaminsky ’Defense of the Year’ Trophy with a lofty 29 goals and 91 points in just 55 games this season. He was electric in all aspects, showing the physical fundamentals to dominate the defensive zone and the all-out confidence to dominate on offense. Dickinson will also have a clear path to make the NHL roster out of training camp, helped along by the recent trade of Henry Thrun. Dickinson’s presence could go long in paving the path for Shakir Mukhamadullin and Luca Cagnoni. The pair have each flirted with routine NHL ice time, though Cagnoni has earned the step headed into next season with an impressive 16 goals and 52 points in 64 AHL games this season. With none of the three firmly rooted in the NHL just yet, San Jose has brought in a trio of veterans — Dmitry Orlov, John Klingberg and Nick Leddy – to help man the ship in the short-term. The trio of defense prospects compliment each other nicely — with a mix of beefy, all-three-zones finesse in Dickinson, nimble skill in Cagnoni, and poised defense in Mukhamadullin. But they’re joined outside of the pro ranks by fellow physical, offensive-defenseman Eric Pohlkamp. Pohlkamp scored 35 points in 44 games with the University of Denver last season — and now seems well positioned to become the Pioneers’ No. 1-defender after Zeev Buium signed his entry-level deal. But the Sharks are well positioned to ramp up their blue-line over the next few years. The 2026 draft class is rife with blue-chip defensemen — including Keaton Verhoeff, Chase Reid, Daxon Rudolph and Ryan Lin. A top pick next year would likely mean another top defense prospect. Even if it doesn’t, San Jose could get another shot in 2027, with superstar defense prospect Landon DuPont already pushing himself above the rest of the pack. The group is backed by perhaps the top goalie prospect in the world in trade-acquired Yaroslav Askarov, who posted a .923 save percentage in 22 AHL games this season and seems well set on earning San Jose’s starting role soon. General manager Mike Grier has only promoted a few draft prospects to the NHL in his three years at San Jose’s helm. But many, many more have gone on to find starring roles on their teams and top scoring leaderboards. Grier has found that array of success all throughout the draft — from Celebrini at No. 1 overall, to Cagnoni and Pohlkamp in the fourth and fifth rounds. Even more exciting, he seems well set to continue landing draft steals through two exciting classes in 2026 and 2027. Plenty still hinges on the question of how all the pieces come together at the NHL level. There’s no guarantee that everything will click for 82 games of an NHL season, or how soon it will be until San Jose can pull their best prospects together. But it's on the ramp to success, with plenty of strong performances already behind it, and even more set to come as soon as next season. For all of the claims of how to rebuild, it’s the Sharks who seem to be truly defining how to grow through strong draft picks.
Stephanie White Puts Indiana Fever Players on Notice Despite Win Against Aces
The Indiana Fever’s starters turned in a strong all-around effort in Thursday’s 80-70 win over the Las Vegas Aces. The starting unit scored at least 13 points each, save for Aari McDonald, who registered nine points in 22 minutes of action. Indiana’s starters combined for 76 out of the team’s 80 points on the evening, which only means that the four other players who came off the bench accounted for just four points in the game. All that came from Sydney Colson, who went 2-of-5 in 18 minutes of playing time. Lexie Hull, Makayla Timpson and Damiris Dantas all failed to score in the win. Stephanie White Calls Out Fever's Bench Be that as it may, offense wasn’t even the biggest concern for head coach Stephanie White. In her postgame press conference, the veteran shot-caller called out Indiana’s bench for their lack of intensity on the defensive end, particularly in the first half. “Our bench has to be ready,” she said. “I felt like our bench in the second half was really good defensively. In the first half, I didn't feel that way. You got to be ready to come in and you got to be ready to guard your matchup and execute the game plan. "We have depth for a reason. We've got quality depth and we've got to be able to use it. So if fatigue is a factor in execution, then they just need to ask for a sub and I'll get them out and get them back in." It has been a bit of a busy stretch for the Fever at the midway point of the season. Thursday’s matchup against the Aces was their second game in three nights, and they will be back in action again on Sunday in a rivalry showdown against the Chicago Sky. White, however, isn’t accepting fatigue as an excuse. This is regardless of the fact that Caitlin Clark remains out with a re-aggravated groin injury. White is adamant that this roster has been built for adversity, and she didn’t hesitate to put her bench on notice after Thursday’s showing.
New report suggests Christian Wilkins release related to 'incident' with teammate
There may be more to Christian Wilkins’ recent surprise release from the Las Vegas Raiders. NFL reporter Josina Anderson reported Saturday that "some sources believe an incident involving a teammate may have factored in-part into the Raiders' fatigue and release" of Wilkins. The nature of the incident is not clear. However, many believe the Raiders had a very good reason to move on from Wilkins considering the money they had invested in him. It also suggests the Raiders saw no alternative if they went straight to a release. Wilkins was dumped by the Raiders just one year into a four-year, $110 million deal. The Raiders suggested Wilkins failed to take rehab seriously as he tries to work his way back from a foot injury. Other teams do not appear to have the same concerns about Wilkins as the Raiders did, and he should find a new landing spot fairly easily. That is one of the reasons some suspect there is more to the Raiders’ decision than they are publicly saying.
Aaron Rodgers gushes about his mystery wife in new interview
Aaron Rodgers has managed to keep the identity of his new wife a secret, but the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is certainly not hiding his feelings about her. Rodgers spoke about his wife during an interview with NFL Network at Steelers training camp this week. The 41-year-old had no problem being candid about how thankful he is to have met the mystery woman. “When you meet the right one and you’re with the right one, your whole world changes in a second. To have that person that unconditionally loves you behind the scenes, there’s no better feeling in the world,” Rodgers said. “And I’ve got the most incredible wife. I just really love her. I’m so thankful to have her by my side at the end. When you have that stability and that rock behind you at the house, you feel like you can do anything.” Rodgers first revealed in an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show” last December that he had a girlfriend named Brittani. We are unsure of the exact spelling of the woman’s name, but Rodgers specified that she was “Brittani with an ‘I’” when he brought it up. Then in April, Rodgers told “The Pat McAfee Show” that he was in a “serious relationship” and had some off-field things consuming him. He had left open the possibility of retiring at the time. Shortly after that, Rodgers was spotted wearing what appeared to be a wedding band on his left ring finger. The former MVP confirmed after signing with the Steelers that he has been married since earlier this year. Rodgers seems determined to have his wife’s identity remain a mystery, but he still wants everyone to know how important she is to his life.
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