{"id":5317,"date":"2017-01-12T16:14:55","date_gmt":"2017-01-12T21:14:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonhockey.com\/?p=5317"},"modified":"2017-01-12T16:14:55","modified_gmt":"2017-01-12T21:14:55","slug":"ivan-provorov-playing-beyond-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/hockey\/2017\/01\/12\/ivan-provorov-playing-beyond-age\/","title":{"rendered":"Ivan Provorov Playing Beyond His Age"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Philadelphia Flyers knew what they were getting when they drafted defenseman Ivan Provorov<\/a><\/strong> in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. They were getting a player who was capable of playing consistent hockey in all three zones, was responsible in his own end, and could\u00a0create chaos for opposing teams.<\/p>\n

After being drafted, many scouts thought Provorov was ready to immediately jump into the NHL. GM Ron Hextall<\/a><\/strong> thought otherwise and elected to give the defenseman another year in juniors. That extra year paid off for the Flyers in the best way possible.<\/p>\n

Ivan Provorov Playing Beyond Age<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Coming into the league as a 19-year old is never an easy task. The competition is bigger, the schedule is longer, and the speed is faster. It is understandable for a rookie to take some time to adjust. The adjustment for Ivan Provorov came quickly, however.<\/p>\n

The 19-year old rookie is already the Flyers best defenseman in his first year. He leads the team in average ice time per night, upwards of 21 minutes per game.\u00a0Not only is Provorov seeing plenty of time during even strength, he is also quarterbacking the team’s second power play unit.<\/p>\n

https:\/\/twitter.com\/Kyle_Phillippi\/status\/818945195391729665<\/p>\n

The trust to play in all situations was\u00a0earned fairly quickly by Provorov. Head coach Dave Hakstol<\/strong> has admitted how much the young defenseman has progressed. “Provy is a different player with a different chair on our team.” Hakstol<\/a> recently said. “What we wanted to do early on was make sure that he had time to build that foundation and adjust and he did that fairly quickly and he keeps improving.\u201d<\/p>\n

Provorov often finds himself up against opponent’s top players. He has seen time against Patrick Kane<\/a><\/strong>, Jaromir Jagr<\/a><\/strong>, and Connor McDavid<\/a><\/strong>. He has shut down these players as well.\u00a0His most impressive moment came against Jagr when he helped hold\u00a0the veteran forward to just one shot and drew a penalty against him in a win against the Panthers in December.<\/p>\n

Hard Work Paying Off<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Hard work and determination is what helped Provorov become the player that the Flyers trust. His recent summer workout routine may have also had something to do with it.<\/p>\n

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Mikhail Sergachev+Ivan Provorov were told by their teams they're starting in the NHL. You won't believe what they did this summer. INSANE pic.twitter.com\/evQunWeEAo<\/a><\/p>\n

— Eric Engels (@EricEngels) October 10, 2016<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n