Over the course of his two-year professional career, Flyers center Tanner Laczynski saw — three times — how surgery can mend the tears that once ailed his body. But there’s no surgery that can prevent the intrusive thoughts that crept in after his body repeatedly failed to withstand the rigors of hockey.
Laczynski, 25, took the ice for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in mid-February for his first game back after a second hip surgery in less than a year. As 200-plus pound men swarmed around him, doubt naturally set in.
Holy crap. Am I going to be OK?
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With each stride, Laczynski often felt fatigued, relying on his positioning to make up for his lack of lower-body strength. But fueled by adrenaline, Laczynski powered through 28 games with the Phantoms and one game with the Flyers in a span of 66 days.
The confidence boost came after the season once Laczynski had the luxury of time to rest. Now, Laczynski is working in training camp to prove that he’s capable of contributing at the NHL level in a fourth-line center role, which is up for grabs with Patrick Brown out indefinitely (back surgery). The people that know him best, his teammates, already see a difference from last season.
“It looks effortless now,” winger Wade Allison said. “It looks like he’s doing it without restrictions now. He’s finally able to show you what he’s really capable of and to actually become the player he’s been working towards.”
After Laczynski signed his entry-level contract on March 23, 2020, following a productive, four-year career at Ohio State (48 goals and 95 assists in 138 games), it seemed like it was only a matter of time before he would take his heavy, pro-style, game to the NHL stage.
Then came the injuries.
The 2016 sixth-round pick had core muscle surgery in the offseason leading up to the abbreviated 2020 season, forcing him to miss training camp. Laczynski worked his way back to the Phantoms and a five-game audition with the Flyers, but the curtain closed on his season prematurely when he underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right hip in April 2021.
Six months later, Laczynski had the same surgery on his left hip early in training camp. The constant cycle of surgery and rehab made it hard for him to adjust to the pace of the pro game.
“Coming in, I never kind of got that because obviously I’ve been riddled with injuries,” Laczynski said. “Got here, had surgery and then I had to start playing. And then it was just a catch-up mode kind of thing where it’s like, something’s hurting, then I’ve got to fix it. Something’s hurting, and I’ve got to fix it.”
It’s a cycle that his peers are familiar with — Allison, the Flyers’ second-round pick in 2016, has also dealt with an onslaught of injuries. The duo’s injuries overlapped last season, as Laczynski recovered from his second hip surgery and Allison worked his way back from an ankle sprain.
While they rehabbed at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, Laczynski never wavered in his goal of making it back to the NHL.
“To go through that much adversity in the past two years, some kids would be down on themselves, like, ‘Why me? Why me?’” Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière said. He never had that ‘Why me?’ attitude. He just kept working and kept believing in himself.
“You can put Wade Allison in there, Morgan Frost in there, [Isaac] Ratcliffe, and those guys all went through tough injuries in the last couple of years, but they never gave up on their dream and that’s why they are where they are right now.”
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While Laczynski looks to step into a new role with the Flyers, he’s also preparing to assume another off the ice — being a father.
Laczynski remained in Allentown during the offseason not only to train with teammates, but also because his wife, Madison, is expecting their first child in mid-October.
The couple has poured over parenting books and videos in preparation for the birth of their son, but Laczynski’s loved ones have told him to throw the books away.
“You’ll just go into dad mode and kind of know what you need to do once he comes,” Laczynski explained.
Meanwhile, at training camp, Laczynski is soaking up every opportunity to learn from the Flyers veterans. Scott Laughton, who can play both wing and center like Laczynski, has been sharing his face-off tips.
In due time, Laczynski aims to be the type of player that a coach can rely on to win a big draw late in a game or to shoulder critical penalty-killing duties. But first, Laczynski is gradually building up confidence and showing he’s a faster, stronger version of his old self.
“It’s probably the best offseason I’ve had in, I don’t know how many years,” Laczynski said. “But I think just working on my speed off the ice, and then my strength and being able to be more powerful. I think that’s translated to me being able to have a more powerful stride and a little bit quicker on the ice.”
Laczynski survived the initial roster trim-down on Sept. 30 and remains in the running to make the Flyers’ roster. For Laperrière, it’s a matter of when, not if, Laczynski will carve out a full-time NHL role.
“He’s going to play in this league for a long time,” Laperrière said. I really believe that, because he plays a heavy game. There’s no cheat in his game and he’s nothing flashy, but winning teams need guys like that, that do the little things right.”
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