Nolan Patrick, the former 2nd overall pick selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft, has unfortunately announced his retirement at the ripe age of 25 after spending 4 seasons in the league.
As Flyers fans will remember, concussions and migraines spiraled his young career that was filled with plenty of potential after being selected at the top of his draft class – behind only Nico Hischier from the New Jersey Devils.
Patrick was a tremendous junior player as he scored 56 points in 55 games in his first season with the Brandon Wheat Kings before exploding for 42 goals and 102 the following season in 2015-16. His draft season was mired with injuries, which is what brought his draft stock down a little mixed in with Hischier’s rise in the months leading up to the draft. Nevertheless, Patrick scored 20 goals and 46 points in just 33 games.
Patrick immediately made the Flyers straight out of training camp and scored 13 goals and 30 points in 73 games during his rookie campaign in 2017-18. He would also add a goal and an assist in 6 postseason games during their first round defeat to the Pittsburgh Penguins.
The following season, Patrick tallied a near-identical 13 goals and 31 points in 72 games before having to miss the entire 2019-20 season, including the playoff bubble, due to migraines. Upon his return in 2020-21, the youngster struggled to the tune of 4 goals and 9 points in 52 games, all the while clashing with then head coach Alain Vigneault.
In the ensuing summer with Chuck Fletcher trying to drastically change the culture and locker room to appease the coaching staff, Patrick was among a slew of players moved ahead of the draft. Patrick was part of the infamous three-team trade with the Vegas Golden Knights and the Nashville Predators that brought Ryan Ellis to Philadelphia, Phil Myers to Nashville, and Patrick to Vegas – to be reunited with Kelly McCrimmon.
He wound up playing just 25 games for the Golden Knights, scoring 2 goals and 7 points before being knocked out of a game on February 16th, 2022 against the Colorado Avalanche from a late hit by Nathan MacKinnon. He would play just seven more games after taking that hit.
Still under contract with the Golden Knights when they won the Stanley Cup in 2022-23, the club chose not to ask for an exemption to allow his name to be engraved on the Cup. He was not qualified however and entered unrestricted free agency in the summer.
He will remain active in the sport by acting as a skills specialist, video coach and mentor for The Power Play, which is a hockey coaching and mentorship program run by former NHL player Jayce Hawryluk.
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