At some point in recent weeks, the Philadelphia Flyers, apparently, signed four-time NHL All-Star Dany Heatley as a professional scout. So far, the organization has not officially announced the move, but Heatley is listed as a pro scout in the Flyers 2023-24 staff directory.
For those who have closely followed Flyers news coverage throughout the summer, this move should come as no surprise. Charlie O’Connor, most recently with The Athletic, reported on July 5 that Heatley’s name was raised in the 2023 NHL Draft and he could join the Flyers in the coming weeks. So, the weeks came and the winger seemed to be starting his next chapter in professional hockey.
It’s reasonable to assume that Heatley’s hiring was at least partly related to his connection with GM Danny Briere; both played for Swiss club SC Bern during the 2004-05 lockout season. Further proof of this is that, in one of many other moves, the Flyers also hired Greg Chase. Chase and Briere work with the Maine Mariners of the ECHL, where Briere previously served as Team President & Governor.
Heatley last played professional hockey in the 2015-16 season, when he played 46 games with the Thomas Sabo Ice Tigers of the German DEL. For his NHL career, Heatley finished with 869 games, 372 goals, 419 assists, and 791 total points. In the postseason, he played in 77 games, scoring 16 goals. , 47 assists, and 63 points.
The flyers changed the scouting staff
In addition to Heatley and Chase, the team has apparently added Daniel Tremblay and Mike Eastwood to their staff as well. Eastwood is listed as Director of Pro Scouting, with Dave Brown listed directly below him. It appears that Brown either resigned or accepted a demotion to remain with the Flyers.
Eastwood played 783 games in 13 years in the NHL, stopping with the St. Louis Blues, Toronto Maple Leafs, Phoenix Coyotes, Winnipeg Jets, New York Rangers, Chicago Blackhawks, and Pittsburgh Penguins. In the final year of his Pens career, Eastwood played alongside Mario Lemieux and Marc Bergevin – two players who would later hold front office roles at the NHL level.