Alumni Spotlight Series: Owen Tippett
The Steelheads single season goal leader has established himself as one of the premier power forwards in the NHL.
After putting up a 27 goal breakout season for the Philadelphia Flyers last season Owen Tippett has picked up right where he left off, posting 28 goals and 53 points through 78 games. His efforts paid off with an 8 year, $49.6 million dollar contract he signed this past January.
“Power forwards like him, they’re tough to find – power forwards that can score and create on their own, even tougher. We think there’s more there. We think he’s going to keep improving,” Flyers general manager Daniel Briere said of Tippett.
The 25 year old was drafted fourth overall in the 2015 OHL Priority Selection Draft by the Steelheads and played 182 games for the franchise across four seasons, amassing 114 goals and 203 total points. The Peterborough native added 27 points in 33 career playoff games for Mississauga. His 44 goals in 2016-17 is still a team record, helping lead the club to their only Eastern Conference Championship in franchise history.
Tippett has no shortage of highlight reel goals this year, and he made headlines by posting the league’s top skating speed of 24.21 MPH against the Montreal Canadiens on January 10th, according to NHL Edge. The Steelheads alumnus is blossoming into a young star in the NHL, and should only improve as he enters his prime.
The Florida Panthers drafted the winger 10th overall in the 2017 NHL Entry Draft. Following a strong showing in training camp, Tippett made the opening night roster for Florida in his first season in the organization, scoring his first career NHL goal on October 26th, 2017 against the Anaheim Ducks.
He played seven games before being sent back to Mississauga, where he had another stellar season, recording 36 goals and 75 points in just 51 games. He was traded to the Saginaw Spirit in exchange for a bevy of draft picks the following season, where he reached the Western Conference Finals.
Following a couple of seasons in Florida, Tippett was involved in a blockbuster trade deadline deal, which saw him be the key piece going to Philadelphia in exchange for Claude Giroux.
In the two and a half seasons he’s spent with the Flyers, the 25 year old has 59 goals and 109 points. It’s safe to say that he’s found a home in the City of Brotherly Love.