Jamie Drysdale made his Flyers debut against the Canadiens, and he's already established himself as Philly's new golden boy.

Jamie Drysdale hit the ice at the Wells Fargo Center for the first time on Jan. 10 against the Montreal Canadiens, and his debut did not disappoint. 

Fans were packed in the stands. Thousands of pairs of eyes were darting across the ice, searching for the 21-year-old defenseman during warmups. The cheers roared whenever he got the puck, and the volume increased exponentially whenever he came close to the Canadiens' goal. The wall of sound that erupted when he assisted Morgan Frost's power play goal (!) was only topped when Drysdale almost scored the overtime winner. The Flyers' newest addition had officially arrived, and Philadelphia simply couldn't get enough of him. 

Understandably, Drysdale seemed a bit overwhelmed at just how warm of a welcome he had received. Speaking on the fans' reaction to his first game, he said, "That was pretty awesome. I didn't see it coming. I haven't heard a crowd that loud. You know, it's pretty cool to play in front of them. It's awesome."

He added: "You hear that Philly's a great sports city, hockey city. You don't really know until you actually experience it."

Another new experience for him? Being awarded the Flyers' celebratory dog mask, which is presented by a teammate to who they believe was the standout player of the game. In addition to wearing the mask, the player has to bark a few times. Obviously. (Unfortunately, there still seems to be no video of Drysdale barking.) 

"I barked a couple of times, which was pretty cool," he laughed. "That's a new thing for me."

 The fans weren't the only ones thoroughly impressed with Drysdale's debut. Teammate Sean Couturier said, "He walked the line really well, really smooth. He gets guys to bite and get out of the lanes. He looks good back there. You can tell he's really mobile and has that offensive mind, sees the play really well. That was a nice setup for Frosty there."

Flyers head coach John Tortorella wasn't immune from the enthusiasm for his new blueliner: "I'm not going to jump up and down, but I am excited that we have a 21-year-old right-handed defenseman that can skate like that.

"I thought he played really well. Living in a new place, he's got so much stuff going on. I was impressed with how he handled himself...He's a bright kid."

So bright, in fact, that it only took one game for Tortorella to express that he sees Drysdale being "a candidate to be like a rover. Not a defenseman—a rover. Just because he's just on top of the ice, the way he skates." High praise indeed. 

Flyers GM Danny Briere joined in the next day on The Jeff Marek Show, saying, "He's got so much more upside. We think he can get to another level. A new system, a new team, it wasn't an easy situation, had an early trip to Philly. His life was flipped upside down in a matter of hours."

In order to make the transition to Philly a bit easier on Drysdale and his family, the Toronto native revealed that Briere offered to fly his family out to see him play his first game in orange and black. 

"Right when I got out here, they asked me if I wanted my parents out for my first game," he said. "Obviously I said yes. My parents are thrilled to be out here.

"It's a big change for all of us, not just me—my entire family. Real cool that the organization themselves took initiative to get my folks out. I know that means a lot to me, and to them." 

Drysdale will join the team on their three-game road trip, starting Jan. 12 against the Minnesota Wild.

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