Rookie Defenseman Robert Hagg Doing His Part for Flyers

(Kate Frese/SB Nation)

By Jeff Quake, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

So far this season, things have been good for a respectable amount of players on the Philadelphia Flyers roster, including the top line of Claude Giroux, Sean Couturier and Jake Voracek as well as others like Shayne Gostisbehere and Ivan Provorov among others.

One of those in particular stands out, and the great news for the Flyers is that he is only a rookie. Robert Hagg, a 22-year-old rookie defenseman from Sweden, has been extremely impressive in his first season in the NHL. 

Hagg was selected 41^st overall in the 2013 NHL Draft, and has spent the last three seasons in the AHL. He had a very noticeable preseason and training camp to make Ron Hextall keep him here in Philadelphia.

Hagg is classified as "a two-way defenseman, capable of playing a pure defensive role, logging big minutes on the penalty kill, as well as contributing offensively and being valuable in power play situations," according to EliteProspects.com. "Furthermore, Hagg has good size and strength, very good vision, a heavy release and is also a mobile defenseman. Some consistency issues, although Hagg usually makes smarter plays while playing in the big league, rather than in the juniors. Lots of potential."

It’s clear that Hagg is using his size and strength to his capability. In Thursday night's 3-1 win over the Chicago Blackhawks, Hagg and pairing partner Ivan Provorov did a tremendous job shutting down the Blackhawks top line completely, a line that consists of Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane. The line was held without a point. Hagg also recorded five hits, while Provorov blocked three shots. 

"I think Provy and Hagger did a great job on their top line, frustrating them," fellow Flyers defenseman Shayne Gostisbehere said. "When you’re frustrating their top line, it’s kind of like cutting a head off of a snake and the rest of the team will fold."

Despite only having two points, both assists, in 17 games, Hagg’s game is much more crucial to the Flyers lineup than most will realize. He has already found himself on the top defensive pair for the team in the absence of Andrew MacDonald due to injury, which is impressive considering his rookie status. 

You can even make the case that Hagg has been one of Philadelphia's top defensemen, or even among the top players on the team in terms of consistency.

Only time will tell to see how the rest of Hagg’s rookie campaign will unfold, but if he keeps it up the way he is playing right now, he may very well be a dominant threat not only for the Flyers, but among NHL defensemen.