Is Schenn poised for a breakout year?

In his three years in Philadelphia, 2007 second-overall selection James van Riemsdyk never blossomed into the star the Flyers thought he would. He’s since been shipped north of the border, but the orange and black have another youngster who could be poised to breakout soon: Brayden Schenn.

The No. 5 pick in the 2009 draft, Schenn got his first chance at extended playing time as a 20-year-old in 2011-12.

“Despite averaging 14:07 of ice time, Schenn had 12 goals in 54 regular-season games, then added three goals and nine points in 11 playoff games,” writes NHL.com’s John Kreiser, who listed Schenn among seven candidates for breakout seasons next year.

Kreiser listed Steven Stamkos, Erik Karlsson and James Neal as players who excelled after not initially exploding onto the scene. Neal notched 81 points in 80 games with Pittsburgh last year after recording just 137 points in 234 games in his first three NHL seasons.

The Flyers paid a high price to acquire Schenn, along with Wayne Simmonds, from the Kings — sending a second-round pick, Mike Richards and minor-leaguer Rob Bordson to L.A. on June 23, 2011. After spending six years in orange and black, the former Flyers captain helped the Kings capture their first Stanley Cup in franchise history last year.

So Schenn has a lot to live up to. But he has the talent to do it, and all signs point to 2012-13 being the year.

“With big brother Luke, a defenseman, now a teammate after being acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in June — and Jaromir Jagr (free agency) and James van Riemsdyk (trade) now gone — Schenn is in the perfect position to show why he was such a high pick three years ago,” Kreiser said.

Taylor Hall, No. 1 pick for the Oilers in 2010, Cody Hodgson of the Sabres and Braden Holtby of the Capitals were among the other players listed.