Tertyshny follows in late father's footsteps at Flyers development camp

VOORHEES, N.J. --Alexander Tertyshny was one of 39 prospects who attended Philadelphia Flyers development camp at their practice facility the first week of July.

All those players represent hope for the future. But Tertyshny is something more, a link to the past that exemplifies the family atmosphere the organization has strived to create almost from its founding.

The 23-year-old is the son of Dimitri Tertyshny, who played 62 games as a 22-year-old rookie defenseman for the Flyers during the 1998-99 season.

His successful rookie season was expected to be a portent of things to come.

Sadly, that never happened; Dimitri was killed July 23, 1999, in a boating accident while attending an offseason skating camp with other Flyers prospects in Kelowna, British Columbia.

Dimitri also was an expectant father; on Jan. 3, 2000, his widow, Polina, gave birth to Alexander.

More than two decades later, Alexander was able to pull on the same jersey his father once wore.

"It's really special," he said after the first day of development camp. "It means a lot to me and means a lot to my family and my mom. It's definitely a week I'll cherish and it's definitely a week I'm looking to get a lot out of. I want to get better as a player, and I do have aspirations as a player. I've got to clean up my college career a bit, but I'm confident I can do that.

"My father, he certainly knew how to get through adversity, and I feel I'm no different."

Alexander said when he received the invitation to camp, the only person happier may have been his mother.

"He pretty much looks like Dimitri," Polina Tertyshny said. "Especially in that jersey. It made me cry, but kind of a happy cry. It's hard to explain how happy I felt. Very emotional."

Dimitri Tertyshny was a sixth-round pick (No. 132) in the 1995 NHL Draft who played three more seasons in his native Russia before coming to North America for training camp in 1998. He was expected to play in the American Hockey League but forced his way into a full-time NHL role and had 10 points (two goals, eight assists) while averaging 18:33 of ice time.

"He was such a nice, gentle person that we all really enjoyed being around," said Flyers president of hockey operations Keith Jones, a teammate of Tertyshny's. "He was one of the younger players on our team, but we all made sure that he was a big part of it. He played big minutes. He was not a passenger. He was a player, and he was going to be an outstanding National Hockey League player just based upon what he had done at such an early age."

Alexander never saw his father play, but he does have video cassettes of his NHL games and has watched them often through the years.

"I think defensively he's definitely more ahead of the game than I am," Alexander said. "But I like the puck on my stick. I feel very confident with the puck on my stick. If I took anything from my dad, it's definitely skating ability. I feel very comfortable on my edges and feel very comfortable with the puck. But defensively, I definitely want to try and catch up with him in that spot."

Polina sees more similarities, on and off the ice.

"He moves just like Dimitri," she said. "Even though he never saw his father in real life, he walks like him, he smiles like him. Even his sense of humor is amazing, just like Dimitri's. He moves pretty much like Dimitri on the ice."

Alexander grew up playing in youth leagues around Philadelphia and played two seasons on the junior team with Chelyabinsk, the team in Russia his father played for. Alexander returned to North America to play two seasons in the North American Hockey League. After he had 31 points (six goals, 25 assists) in 57 games with the Northeast Generals, he tried to secure an invitation to Flyers development camp in the summer of 2021 but was unable because of COVID-19 issues.

However, assistant general manager Brent Flahr stayed in touch, and with extra slots available, Alexander got his chance this year.

"We want to do things that provide happiness to people," Jones said. "We want it to be a really family-like atmosphere, and Alex is part of that family. A question was asked to me whether or not there was a place for him to be here and the answer was immediately yes.

"We want good feelings coming out of our building. And this is just a small example of doing the right thing."

It's apropos that Jones was on board with Alexander coming to camp. It's his second major assist for the Tertyshny family, in fact.

On Feb. 16, 1999, Jones had an assist on Dimitri Tertyshny's first NHL goal. The other assist went to John LeClair, who was on the ice with Alexander and the rest of the prospects in his role as special adviser to hockey operations.

"It's great to see him grow to the point where he's playing Division I college hockey now and he's out there holding his own with all these guys," LeClair said. "He looks great out there. I had chances to run into the kid through his life growing up, and I don't think I've ever seen that kid without a smile on his face. And he's just a really good kid and just kind of one of those people that he makes everybody feel happy."

Alexander planned to play at American International College in 2021-22 but sustained a season-ending broken right ankle during training camp. After sitting out last season as a transfer, he'll play this season at Stonehill College, a Division I program in Easton, Massachusetts.

Alexander will take things learned during development camp with him, from on-ice skills to off-ice habits. Most importantly, he's been reminded that the Flyers organization is there for him if he needs it.

"It's once a Flyer, always a Flyer," LeClair said. "That's what a lot of people say, and it's true. It's a statement that the Flyers organization always has kind of stood behind, and I think you're seeing that out there now."

It's something Alexander admits he might not have taken full advantage of when he was growing up. But now he knows better.

"They're all here to help and they're offering help beyond this camp," he said. "If you need to call, if you need anything, it's the Flyers. It's a family."