For Delco prospect, getting picked by Flyers would be a dream

JIMMY MULLIN'S journey from Delaware County toddler to potential NHL draft pick did not get off to a very good start.

The son of a former Cardinal O'Hara goaltender, Mullin was "on skates at 3 and playing at 4," his mother recalled.

"I remember his first time on ice," Tracey Mullin chuckled. "He was frozen out there. He just stood there."

It was probably the last time Jimmy Mullin wasn't flying around the rink.

Mullin, 18, was born in Bryn Mawr Hospital, lived in Springfield and Glenolden and just completed his high school career at prestigious Shattuck/St. Mary's in Minnesota, where he led the Sabres with 32 goals and 72 points. He's 5-11, 165 pounds and still growing.

"If he was 6-2, he'd definitely be a high pick," said Shattuck coach Tom Ward. "When he's 25 years old, he's going to be a good player. He's a real good prospect. I can't say enough good things about the kid. We're going to miss him."

The NHL's Central Scouting Bureau has Mullin ranked 165th among domestic non-goaltending prospects heading into this weekend's draft in Los Angeles. He might go anyhwere between the fifth and seventh rounds tomorrow.

Or, he may not get drafted at all.

"I'm trying not to get too pumped," said Mullin, who will play a year in juniors before joining the powerhouse program at the University of Miami-Ohio. "I don't want to go through the whole disappointment of waiting and maybe not getting picked."

Dom Racobaldo, of Pennsauken, also just finished up his prep career at Shattuck and is still trying to decide on a college.

Mullin, 18, has tried to model his game after Claude Giroux. He reminds some of a young Mike Richards, a little undersized at this point, but definitely not afraid to get dirty.

"I try to bring a lot of energy to the offensive zone," he said. "Getting drafted is an honor for all the hard work you've put in. But the hard work starts after the draft."

Mullin has a 3-year window in which he can be selected and has had predraft interviews with a handful of teams, including the Islanders, Devils, Penguins and Capitals. Though he hasn't had a formal sitdown with the Flyers, they definitely are aware of him. Mullin played for the Little Flyers as a youngster.

After a chance conversation with J.P. Parise (Zach's father), Mullin decided to leave the Philadelphia area as a young teen for a hockey and educational opportunity at Shattuck that would change his life.

"The hardest thing was him leaving the nest," his mother said. "You know they are going to leave, but not at 14. That was heartbreaking. But to see what he has become and to get a full ride to college . . . I couldn't be prouder."

Hockey has taken him to foreign countries and given him lifelong friends. But he's never forgotten his roots.

Once, in an effort to cheer up his cousin Andrew Louden - after Louden ripped up his knee - Mullin broke an unwritten rule by bugging Shattuck teammate Ty Gretzky for an autograph from his famous father.

And talk about serendipity. Mullin was at the Wachovia Center in 1999 for Gretzky's final game in Philadelphia.

"During warmups," said Mullin, who was 7 at the time, "he flipped a puck to my dad [Jim Sr.]." Dad, a pilot who lives in Ohio, also once got a Gretzky-signed hat during a flight. It is one of his son's most cherished possessions.

A Philly kid through and through, Mullin is pumped that Jimmy Rollins is back in the Phillies lineup and can't wait to be at Great American Ballpark when the Phils visit the Reds starting Monday. He'll have his Ryan Howard jersey on. In a week or so, he'll be back in this area soaking up the sun in Sea Isle.

Maybe someday it will be Jimmy Mullin autographs that cheer kids up. And maybe the next step in his life will be getting his name called by his beloved Flyers. If not this year, maybe next.

Naturally, Mullin was all-in during the thrilling ride that nearly resulted in the first Flyers Stanley Cup title of his lifetime.

"I watched every single game," he said. "I was so distraught. Getting picked by the Flyers, that would be a dream come true." *