Neil Little

Last updated
Neil Little
Neil Little (39832090314).jpg
Neil in 2002
Born (1971-12-18) December 18, 1971 (age 52)
Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada
Height 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
Weight 190 lb (86 kg; 13 st 8 lb)
Position Goaltender
Caught Left
Played forNHL
Philadelphia Flyers
AHL
Hershey Bears
Philadelphia Phantoms
IHL
Grand Rapids Griffins
ECHL
Johnstown Chiefs
SM-liiga
Espoo Blues
NHL draft 226th overall, 1991
Philadelphia Flyers
Playing career 1994–2006

Leslie Neil Little, Jr. (born December 18, 1971) is a Canadian former professional ice hockey goaltender. He was a member of the Philadelphia Flyers organization nearly his entire professional career, helping backstop the Philadelphia Phantoms to two Calder Cup championships and playing in two career National Hockey League (NHL) games with the Flyers. Until 2015, he was an amateur scout for the Flyers. [1] He is now a scout for the NHL Montreal Canadiens.

Contents

Playing career

Little played 4 seasons for R.P.I. (NCAA Div 1, ECAC) before starting a professional career.

Little has played for the Hershey Bears and Philadelphia Phantoms in the AHL, as well as playing two NHL games for the Philadelphia Flyers. He signed with the Espoo Blues in the Finnish SM-liiga for the 2005–06 season, played there until Christmas, then finished the season in Geneva, Switzerland.

On December 28, 2003, he was the "flying goalie" in a brawl between the Phantoms and the Binghamton Senators as several players from the two teams were fighting next to the Senators' net, Little skated across the rink and dove into the crowd. [2] [3]

Despite only playing two career games with the Philadelphia Flyers, Little was named as one of the Flyers goaltenders for the 2012 NHL Winter Classic Alumni game. [4]

Little is also the founder of ProHockeyLaunch.com which is an evaluation and mentorship company for up-and-coming young hockey players.

Coaching career

Following his playing career, Little was named an assistant coach/goaltending development coach for the Philadelphia Phantoms as well as a global scout for the Philadelphia Flyers, concentrating his focus on goaltenders. He spent eight seasons with the Flyers organization before spending six seasons working with the Florida Panthers. [5] Little spent the 2021–22 season working for the independent scouting firm Team 33 and was hired in the fall of 2022 by the Montreal Canadiens as a scout. [5]

Little was the assistant coach for the Princeton University men's hockey team from 2007–08 to the 2010–11 seasons.

Personal life

Little married Catherine M. Foote, DMD of Ardmore, PA in July 2013. He has four children, Nicholas, Elsie, Graysen, and Piper.

Awards and honours

AwardYear
All-ECAC Hockey Rookie Team 1990–91
All-ECAC Hockey First Team 1992–93
AHCA East Second-Team All-American 1992–93

Career statistics

Regular season and playoffs

Regular season Playoffs
Season TeamLeagueGPWLTOTLMINGA SO GAA SV% GPWLMINGASOGAASV%
1989–90 Estevan Bruins SJHL 4621194—2707——3.32—————————
1990–91 R.P.I. ECAC 18980—10327104.13.879————————
1991–92 R.P.I.ECAC2811113—15329603.76.874————————
1992–93 R.P.I.ECAC311993—18018802.93.906————————
1993–94 R.P.I.ECAC271674—157010203.36.899————————
1993–94 Hershey Bears AHL 1000—18103.23.889————————
1994–95 Johnstown Chiefs ECHL 16761—8975503.68.8963021451104.55.864
1994–95 Hershey BearsAHL19573—9196003.91.868————————
1995–96 Hershey BearsAHL4821186—268014903.34.89510160404.02.902
1996–97 Philadelphia Phantoms AHL5431127—300714502.89.90910646202011.94.935
1997–98 Philadelphia PhantomsAHL5131117—296014502.94.9032015511934832.41.927
1998–99 Grand Rapids Griffins IHL 5018215—274014433.15.894————————
1999–00 Philadelphia PhantomsAHL5126182—283014313.03.9065232981503.02.922
2000–01 Philadelphia PhantomsAHL5822274—311714822.85.90910556312312.19.926
2001–02 Philadelphia Flyers NHL 1010—60404.00.862————————
2001–02 Philadelphia PhantomsAHL3513157—20797022.02.9265232981302.62.917
2002–03 Philadelphia PhantomsAHL421894—247810342.49.907————————
2003–04 Philadelphia FlyersNHL1010—33203.61.750————————
2003–04 Philadelphia PhantomsAHL3421121—19006261.96.920————————
2004–05 Philadelphia PhantomsAHL261570—13835432.34.92121025000.001.000
2005–06 Espoo Blues FIN 371416—721008522.43.916————————
NHL totals2020—93603.86.838————————

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References

  1. ↑ Neiburg, Jeff (8 July 2015). "Flyers' new goalie coach praised by GM Ron Hextall". Philly.com. Retrieved 8 July 2015.
  2. ↑ Cohen, Al (December 28, 2003). "Phantoms Lose 5-1 To Binghamton In Brawl-Filled Game". www.sjsports.com. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Suspended animation: After fight, AHL penalties". ESPN.com. December 31, 2003. Retrieved October 30, 2023.
  4. ↑ "2012 Flyers Alumni Game Official Roster - Philadelphia Flyers - News". Philadelphiaflyers.com. 25 November 2011. Retrieved 26 January 2015.
  5. 1 2 Godin, Arpon Basu and Marc Antoine. "Basu and Godin: Apprenticeship of Canadiens' young D, inspiration for Lane Hutson and more". The Athletic. Retrieved 2022-11-08.
  6. ↑ "Peter White Hall Of Fame Induction Highlights Big Night With Phantoms". OurSports Central. 2009-04-03. Retrieved 2011-03-21.
  7. ↑ "Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Athletics - Hall of Fame" . Retrieved 2011-03-21.
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