VOORHEES, N.J. – Not long ago, plus-minus statistics were a pretty big deal in hockey, a good way to measure if a player was good at both ends of the rink.

For instance, fifth place on the NHL all-time list at plus-507 is none other than Hall of Famer Bobby Clarke, considered the greatest Flyer ever. But the advent of more sophisticated statistics have made plus-minus not as big of a deal anymore.

Still, when one notices that Noah Cates led the Flyers with a plus-26 last season, it’s an eye-opener. No one else came within 10 of him.

Cates is one of the Flyers’ best two-way players. He registered a career-high 18 goals and 47 points last season, and coach Rick Tocchet didn’t hesitate to use him late in games with the scoreboard tight.

Cates was asked if he’s proud of that plus-26 stat.

“I think it’s a stat that gets talked about a lot,” he said after a practice at the Flyers Training Center. “If you’re on the ice for more goals than you are against, it’s going to help you, it’s going to help the team.

“You have to take pride in that defensive part of your game. I think that kind of keeps me in the games, doing those little details and then adding the offense. . .kind of building each year. Slowly getting better, playing with better players, skilled wingers. If I can take care of the defensive side, get them the puck, I can really add it up.”

A year ago, the Flyers put together a flashy line of Cates, Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink. But Foerster got hurt after performing well, Brink was traded to Minnesota and Cates ended up in a mix-and-match situation.

One area you might see Cates playing a bit more this season is on the power play. It’s a sore spot with the Flyers, who have finished at or near the bottom of the NHL each the past five years.

“Our power play the past couple years hasn’t been great,” Cates said. “But we’re adding guys and if that part comes around, this team – who knows where we can get to? There are a lot of good elements to build on with my game and this team. It’s doing the right things to build myself and the team up.”

Cates suffered an injury to his right foot during the Carolina playoff series and missed the final two games. After surgery, he’s back to full health and eager to get started.

“I’m feeling a hundred percent,” he said. “Tough timing, missed a couple playoff games. Took some extra time off the ice, had a full normal summer. No restrictions.”

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Owen Tippett missed all four games against Carolina due to internal bleeding. He also dealt with a sports hernia.

“I think I had the hardest time with the timing of it all,” Tippett said. “It was something I really couldn’t mess around with and needed to take the time that it needed. It couldn’t have been worse timing. Never want to sit out, let alone in the playoffs.”

Tippett enjoyed one of his best seasons in the NHL, leading the Flyers with 28 goals. While the postseason ended on a down note, he believes he took the right course of action by sitting out those games.

“It is what it is, but there’s one thing you learn, there are some things that you can’t really control,” Tippett said. “There’s also life after hockey that you’ve got to look after. It was unfortunate with the timing and everything but I’m glad I took the time that I needed and everything is good now.”