Friday Forecheck: It's up to You, Cam York

There's an old hockey adage that it takes young defensemen roughly 200 games of NHL experience before they truly know the ins and outs of playing such a tough position at the sport's highest level. I don't know if that's actually true -- there's a constant learning process for young players and veterans alike and I don't think one can estimate a "magic number" where things snap into place. It varies. 

What I do know, however, is that Flyers defenseman Cam York has taken huge strides over the course of his 154-game National Hockey League career. He does many things well -- great feet, smart positioning, quick stick -- and breaks up many developing plays before they ever turn dangerous. York is so smooth that he often gets overlooked if he's not putting up points to go with it.

For example, in Tuesday night's 3-2 win against San Jose, the LEAST notable thing about York's all-around performance was that he recorded a pair of assists. Across his 30 all-situations shifts (26:07 time on ice), York played an outstanding game in all three zones. In his own zone, he blocked three shots. He triggered breakouts with crisp and accurate first passes. Up-ice, he registered five shots on goal. 

Many of the things that York does well aren't conducive to flowery descriptions. As Flyers Hall of Fame defenseman Joe Watson said, "York doesn't make spectacular plays, sliding around and sweep-checking and all that, because he routinely makes the routine play. That's more important."

Last season, York had a bit of a tumultuous campaign. Expected to make the opening night NHL roster, York had some struggles in his first camp under John Tortorella. He ended up going back to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and spending the first two months of the season in the American Hockey League. York was recalled to the Flyers on Dec. 9, 2022. 

York remained on the NHL squad for the rest of the season. A natural left-side defenseman, he was often asked to play his off-side. There were plenty of strong games along the way, but York also had his share of bumps in the road.

"I think last year was a good learning experience,:" York said on Dec. 18, 2023. "Just kind of in terms of how to process things."

Tortorella, at times, did not know last season what to make of York's "California cool" demeanor. It's a tried-and-true "Torts" coaching tactic to test how much he can push a player's buttons until he gets pushback. The Flyers' coach is a believer that confrontation is what spurs constructive working relationships moving forward. In York's case, however, the player rarely reacted much to the tough-love method. 

This season, York explained that he doesn't take things such as "hard" coaching personally. 

"He has been in the league forever," York said on January 19. “He knows what he’s doing. I think, as players ,we all trust him. We know that he has our backs. He cares about his players"

Tortorella has openly stated that he did not like what he saw on the ice from York in the latter part of 2022-23. This season, York has made his head coach believer -- even a staunch advocate. The coach even stated that he feels the Flyers' other young defensemen, such as Jamie Drysdale (now out of action due to an injury), can learn from watching York.

"I think Cam York is one of our better defenders. I think Jamie has a ways to go to learn that part of the game. Quite honestly, I'd like to see Cam teach HIM. I think [it's better when] you have a peer; two young guys in the league. With Cam York, that's where I think he's progressed, as we've gone through here. 

"Remember, at the beginning of the year,  I didn't think Cam York was a National Hockey League player. I wasn't sure, judging from his last quarter of the prior year. Cam is probably one of our better defenders," Tortorella said on Feb. 5 as the Flyers returned from the All-Star break.

More recently, there has been considerable attrition on the Flyers blueline: injuries to Drysdale, Nick Seeler, and Rasmus Ristolainen as well as the March 6 trade that sent puck-moving defenseman Sean Walker to the Colorado Avalanche.  Even York himself has been dealing for the last month with a nagging injury, although he's stayed in the lineup and has consistently played at a pretty high level. 

This season, York has mostly been back on his natural side on his blueline pairing. While he admits that he's felt more comfortable since going back to the left side (primarily alongside fellow left-handed shooting blueliner Travis Sanheim), York says that it comes down more to communication and stability. When the team was reasonably healthy on the blueline,  there was stability in the pairings.

When the Flyers selected York from the USNTDP -- in fact, as the number one defenseman on a team that had six blueliners selected by NHL clubs -- with 14th overall pick of the 2019 NHL Entry Draft, the projection was that he become a top-unit power play quarterback in the NHL. For Tortorella's part, the head coach is more impressed by what he's seen defensively from York than by his offensive skills.

"I don't know if he's going to be that [offensive-minded] guy. Maybe, but I don't think that's what he does best. I look at him, first and foremost, as a good defender for us," Tortorella said.

Even so, York has posted 25 points to date this season (9g, 15a). With 15 games remaining in the regular season, York has a realistic shot at a double-digit goal, 30-point season in his first full year in the NHL. Recently, York has activated up-ice more frequently, showing a bit more willingness to pinch deeper in the attack zone as long as he has support up high. However, with Sanheim being the more offensively adventurous member of the pairing, York has picked his opportunities selectively.

Keep in mind that York only turned 23 years old on January 5. He's still on the rise in every aspect of his game. 

When it comes time for the local print media and Flyers broadcasters to vote for the Barry Ashbee Trophy (Flyers top defenseman) of the 2023-24 season, there are three leading candidates. York is one of them, along with Sanheim and Seeler.