NAPHL alum Allison makes NHL debut with Flyers

Wade Allison, the rugged right winger and NAPHL alum selected by the Philadelphia Flyers in the second round of the 2016 draft, didn’t get much sleep Wednesday, knowing he was going to make his NHL debut Thursday in Pittsburgh.

After overcoming numerous injuries along the way, he had finally reached The Show.

“It’s hard to put into words,” the 6-foot-2, 205-pound Allison said before the Flyers rallied past the Penguins, 2-1, in a shootout. “I’m pretty excited, pretty nervous. We’ll see when I get out there. I’m going to work hard, do my job.”

He did just that. In 11:13 of action, including 2:05 on the power play, Allison was in the middle of several scoring chances and he finished with four shots. He was twice denied on point-blank attempts, but he looked like the hungriest visiting player on the ice.

“I was crazy nervous before the game, but as soon as you go in there and get your first shift, it’s the same game of hockey,” he said after the win. “I just tried to keep my feet moving.”

On Thursday, Allison, 23, was on a line with Nolan Patrick, 22, and Oskar Lindblom, 24. The players could represent a big part of the Flyers’ future. Before Patrick was injured in the third period and left the game, the trio had surprisingly good chemistry for never having a full practice together.

“They’re both pretty sweet players; they both make tremendous plays,” Allison said of his linemates. “They know what’s going on; they play the game right, so it was real easy for me to just slide in there and try to contribute.”

Allison played in the NAPHL during the 2013-14 season for the Omaha AAA 16U team. In 15 NAPHL games he recorded 28 points, including 19 goals and led also midget hockey with 75 goals and 152 points in 77 games that season.