© Jeanine Leech/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

• Link copied

OCEAN CITY, N.J. — Jamie Drysdale is determined to show the Philadelphia Flyers what he’s capable of when healthy.

Throughout the entire season, the 22-year-old defenseman persevered with a sports hernia on the left side of his abdomen, which required surgery in April for repair.

He had to undergo his second significant surgery within the last two seasons, this time for a sports hernia. In the 2022-23 season, he only played eight games for the Anaheim Ducks due to a torn labrum in his left shoulder that occurred on October 28, 2022.

Drysdale revealed during the Flyers Community Caravan at Ocean City Sports and Civic Center on Wednesday that although he has been a member of the League for four years, he prefers to claim that he has only actively participated for approximately a year and a half. According to him, his true potential has not been fully recognized or acknowledged in the past few years.

Drysdale had five points (two goals, three assists) in 24 games for the Flyers, who acquired him in a trade with the Ducks for forward prospect Cutter Gauthier on Jan. 8. He never was healthy after sustaining the sports hernia in Anaheim’s season opener, when he had an assist in 22:54 of a 4-1 loss at the Vegas Golden Knights on Oct. 14.

Drysdale expressed that playing with it was not very enjoyable, but we were able to persevere and do our best.

“The doctors indicated that the situation was far from ideal and potentially worse than their initial assessment. They referred to it as a sports hernia, although it essentially boils down to a muscle tear.”

Last month at the NHL Scouting Combine, Daniel Briere, the Flyers general manager, expressed his admiration for Drysdale’s determination in playing despite what he referred to as a “remarkable injury.”

Briere mentioned that he had the desire to engage in games. Despite experiencing numerous injuries in recent years, he still wanted to partake in playing, which deserves significant recognition. Briere commended his remarkable display of character, leadership, and the manner in which he handled the situation.

This season, he is expected to be in a significantly improved position and have much more freedom to play.

According to Drysdale, he experienced a rapid recovery from the sports hernia surgery and began skating again last week. His aim is to receive complete clearance for the commencement of training camp in September.

He mentioned that he remained in Philadelphia for the majority of the time after the year. He underwent surgery and immediately began rehabilitation. He has been consistently training there, staying committed and maintaining a positive state of well-being.

Drysdale has the potential to enhance offensive plays from the defense and contribute a powerful shot during power plays, which are both aspects that the Flyers desperately require improvement in. The Flyers concluded the season ranked 27th in scoring, averaging 2.82 goals per game, and held the last position in power play effectiveness, with a mere 12.2 percent success rate.

He was selected by the Ducks with the No. 6 pick in the 2020 NHL Draft and has 50 points (10 goals, 40 assists) in 147 NHL games. But he’s only played one fully healthy NHL season, when his 32 points (four goals, 28 assists) in 81 games for the Ducks in 2021-22 were second among rookie defensemen behind Calder Trophy winner Moritz Seider of the Detroit Red Wings.

Drysdale’s teammates are equally eager to witness his potential when he is in good health, mirroring his own excitement.

“Obviously when we got him, he was probably only about 50 percent, 60 percent, he was playing through a bunch of stuff, so it’s been really nice just to see him skating in the summer,” Flyers forward Joel Farabee said Wednesday. “He’s obviously a great skater. … But when he’s really playing at 100 percent, he controls the game.

Having someone who can control the game like he does is something our defense corps has been lacking for a while. We’re extremely excited to have him on our team, whether it’s during 5-on-5 or power play situations. He’s an exceptional player, so it’s truly special to have him with us.