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Flyers Camp Battles that are Set to Ensue
Photo Credit: Zack Hill/Flyers
With the Philadelphia Flyers Training Camp set to commence on September 18th, I thought it was about time I brought you my annual article on what camp battles are set to ensue.
Now, while the Flyers roster may not have changed that much over the summer thanks to General Manager Danny Briere being able to work out deals to bring back Travis Konecny, Bobby Brink, Garnet Hathaway, defenseman Yegor Zamula, and Russian netminder Ivan Fedotov, he did decide to switch some things up by buying out veteran forward Cam Atkinson and terminating the inflated contract of Ryan Johanson in order to make room for their star prospect Matvei Michkov to be able to come over from Russia after he was granted an unexpected early release from his KHL contract with SKA St. Petersburg back in late June.
With that being said, as far as the camp goes, the roster of attendees is already pretty well set, so let’s dive in and try to break down each position to find out if we should expect any surprises to make this club’s opening night’s roster.
Centers
To start, I thought it best to begin with the position that could benefit the most from some assistance. As Briere has previously alluded to, he is not exactly happy with his core group of centers. The reason for that is despite Sean Couturier, Morgan Frost, Scott Laughton, and Ryan Poehling collectively making around $15 million of the team’s $83.5 Million salary cap last year, not one of them was able to score more than 13 goals on the season; which I guess would be fine in theory if they were all the shutdown defensively responsible two way centers that the club makes them out to be, but in reality only one of them finished last season as a plus player.
Who are some of the outliers that may be attending camp that have a chance to make the club you may be asking? Well, some familiar faces like Jon-Randall Avon and Rhett Gardner, who played the majority of the year with the Phantoms last year, will likely be in attendance. Still, if I’m being honest, neither of them overly impressed me last season.
This is the reason why the team may have decided to go out and draft the speedy center Jett Luchanko from the OHL’s Guelph Storm with their first-round pick. Not to mention, the team selecting center Denver Barkey in the third round the previous summer, which, with his success last season, is turning out to be one of the steals of the draft. But, even though you can expect both of these prospects to receive extended looks during Training Camp, they most likely will return to the OHL next season for some more seasoning before getting the chance to turn pro, possibly in the spring.
In a similar boat is Massimo Rizzo, who, after winning his second National Championship with the University of Denver, decided to turn pro and join the ranks of the Flyers. But given the fact that he is inexperienced at the pro level, I would expect that management would like to see him gain the most experience/playing time that he can, which most likely means he will spend most, if not all, of next season, playing in the AHL.
So, who does that leave us with that could make the club’s opening night roster or at least be viewed as a ligament call-up option in case the injury-prone Sean Couturier or another dot dweller on the NHL roster goes down with an injury? Well, I think it will come down to a battle between the Flyers’ newly signed 28-year-old 6’4, 205-pound Latvian-born center Rodrigo Abols. Who has a year of experience playing in the AHL before heading over to play in Sweden’s top league, the SHL, for the last four seasons. If you’re not familiar with Abols’ game, despite his size, he is not the most physical of players, but he does surprise a lot of people with his speed and his play in front of the opposition’s net.
The other name to watch as far as faceoff men go is Anthony Richard. Anthony is a 27-year-old center that the Flyers signed this off-season. Richard comes with both AHL and NHL experience and is best known for scoring a combined 55 goals and 122 points at the AHL level over the past two seasons alone. I should mention that these massive totals came despite him being called up to play a part in each of the last two seasons in the NHL with both the Bruins and Canadiens, respectfully.
Now, while neither of these players should be considered long-term answers for the Flyers, they are decent options for this season, considering the team is playing up against the cap right now. With that being said, if needed, one or both of these players should be able to help the Flyers finish out the year and get them to the off-season, where their previously mentioned talented draft picks may then be ready to take over.
Wings
The Flyers have a wealth of players in this position who shoot right-handed but are currently deficient in players who are able to shoot left-handed. This makes the fact that they let their 2022 fifth-round pick Alex Bump, who shoots left-handed and scored at a near-a-point-per-game pace for Western Michigan University last season, walk away from their Development Camp this summer without a contract in hand seem a little crazy to me.
Be that as it may, the Flyers returning locks at wing are, of course, the newly resigned $70 million man, Travis Konecny, Owen Tippett, Tyson Foerster, Joel Farabee, Garnet Hathaway, Nicolas Deslauriers, Noah Cates, and Bobby Brink.
But let’s be honest, who most fans are most excited to see play this season is their newly signed star prospect Matvei Michkov, who has already been seen practicing and working out at the Flyers facilities alongside fellow Russian Egor Zamula. This comes after Michkov had just had a season in the KHL where he scored 19 goals and 22 assists for a total of 41 points in 47 games played. So, it should go without saying that the 19-year-old Michkov, who was taken number seven overall in 2023, will likely be forced to learn on the Fly with Philadelphia as they would not want to take the chance of sending him to Lehigh Valley to have some goon trying to make a name for himself take a run at him.
Whose left that could fill in if needed this year, you may be asking? Well, the Flyers would have hoped that prospects like Elliot Desnoyers, Samu Toumaala, Alexis Gendron, or Zayde Wisdom would have taken a step forward in their progression last season. But to me, all of them left a lot to be desired.
So, I think it will come down to two Swedish-born players who will battle it out for the chance to make the team or at least be a formidable call-up option. One of those players is Olle Lycksell, a versatile forward who has been developing within the team’s system for some time now. Olle, who was over a point-per-game player for the Phantoms last year, scoring 39 points in 38 games played, was also fortunate enough to spend 18 games up with the Flyers last season, where he registered five points.
The other Swede. to watch is the massive 6’4, 220-pound power forward Oscar Eklind. Oscar, who is 26 years old, was signed by the Flyers this summer after a season in the SHL, where he was able to score 17 goals and 11 assists for a total of 28 points in 48 games played. He is a player who uses his size to his advantage and scores most, if not all, of his points from five feet or fewer away from the crease, with you hearing that it should come as no surprise when I tell you that Oscar is very comfortable setting up shop in front the net. His goal is to screen the opposing team’s goalie. And being that he spends so much time there, Eklind has become exceptionally versed in the art of redirecting the puck and capitalizing on a nice juicy rebound.
It’s been a long time since the Flyers were able to benefit from a player with his type of skill set. And if you think back to when the team had guys who played a similar game, like Wayne Simmonds, Scott Hartnell, Mike Knuble, and/or John LeClair, the Flyers never had a problem scoring on the power play. Because of this, I foresee the Flyers growing very fond of Eklind’s skill set. I predict that they might eventually call him up this season (yes, even before they call up Lycksell) because he could add that missing element to their league’s worst power-play unit.
Defense
There is no denying that the Flyers have spent a lot of time and resources trying to strengthen their blue line over the past couple of years. And, thanks to their efforts, they have managed to get a pretty solid group of players with whom they feel comfortable heading into this season. Those players whose names will be written in Ink to patrol the Flyers Blueline even before the first puck drop will be Travis Sanheim, Jamie Drysdale, Cam York, Rasmus Ristolainen, Nick Seeler, and the Stanley Cup-winning veteran Erik Johnson.
This leaves us with Egor Zamula as the most likely candidate to be the rotational seventh defenseman, who will come in and out of the lineup to give guys a night off.
But that is not the end of their defensive depth. The Flyers also have 2023 1st round pick Oliver Bonk in the system, who doesn’t really have anything else to prove at the junior level after scoring 67 points in 60 regular season games for the London Knights, who he ended up winning an OHL Championship with last season. And therefore, he should not be sent back down just to beat up on competition that is no longer challenging him. But I digress. Others who will be there are 2020 2nd-round pick Emil Andrae, Ronnie Attard, Adam Ginning, Helge Grans, and Hunter McDonald.
So, if the Flyers are wise, they will give Oliver Bonk the most time in camp that they can to prove himself. But, if they do decide to send him back for his last year of Juniors, then the name that stands to beat out any of the other dogs in this fight would be 28-year-old Louie Belpedio.
To me, out of all the Phantoms’ defensemen that were brought up last season to play in a few games, Belpedio looked to be the most solid. Out of the 12 games he played with Philadelphia last season, he was the only one to offer the Flyers something in all facets of the game. Offensively, Louie scored two goals and two assists during his short stint with the Flyers last season. He was also sound defensively, playing mistake-free hockey on his way to finishing as a plus player with a +6 average. Not to mention, he is the only one on the back end who managed to show off how skilled he is when it comes to the art of fist-to-cuffs.
So, to me, while Bonk looks to be undoubtedly part of this team’s future, the amount of playing time he needs to continue to develop and thrive at the NHL level is not there. So, don’t be surprised if Belpedio finds himself holding down his spot for a while.
Goaltending
With the sudden departure of Carter Hart last season, most of us thought that the team would be doomed. But lucky for us, the Flyers’ 24-year-old goalie Sam Ersson managed to step up and be a workhorse for the team down the stretch, playing in 51 games last season.
And now with the long-awaited addition of the Flyers’ 6’8 netminder Ivan Fedotov, who has previously single handily carried Russia to an Olympic Silver Medal and won the KHL’s version of the Stanley Cup, the “Gagarin Cup”. With this addition, the Flyers once again seem to have a legitimate ONE-and ONE-A pairing in net.
As for the other goalies at Camp Cal, Petersen and his $5 million salary will likely be banished to the AHL again this season in order to lessen the financial burden on the team.
Prospect Carson Bjarnason, who management was impressed with at Development Camp, will be there as well, but don’t be shocked if he heads back to Juniors for another season.
So, I guess the real story comes down to whether the 22-year-old netminder that the team drafted back in the third round of the 2021 Draft, Alexei Kolosov, reports back to Philly as he’s being ordered to do so or not. If you didn’t hear, Kolosov was apparently unhappy with how he was treated when he came over at the end of last season, so much so that Alexei has made it known that he doesn’t wish to return despite him being contractually obligated to.
Lucky for us, Briere has a plan in action in case Kolosov is serious about his refusal to return. That plan is for Danny to invite 25-year-old netminder Eetu Makiniemi to camp on a tryout basis. Makiniemi, who was initially drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes back in 2017 in the fourth round, has played professionally in his home country of Finland in the Liiga, as well as over here in the ECHL, AHL, and NHL levels. And although he has limited NHL experience, playing in just two games last season for the San Jose Sharks, he did manage to put up some very respectable numbers during those outings with him, posting a 2.13 goals-against-average and a .906 save percentage.
So, in my mind, Makiniemi and Kolosov are the players to watch in net. Because there is not only a real possibility that if Kolosov does not return, Makiniemi could make the Phantoms roster, but that Eetu might prove to be a better call-up option than Petersen, seeing that when Cal was called up last season to play with the Flyers, he averaged an abysmal 3.90 goals-against-average and a .864 save percentage.
Well, that about sums it up. As in recent years, Training Camp for the Flyers is going to be a proving ground of sorts for some new guys who will be battling it out for their chance at either making the big club or setting themselves to be the number one call-up option moving forward at their position. But don’t count out other prospects who have been here from the pre-Briere era because they may sense that their time is running out for them to make a lasting impression and use that to fuel them to work harder and make the club. Regardless of how it all unfolds, it is bound to be entertaining! So, I would suggest you find your way up to Voorhees, NJ, come Sept. 18th and watch how it all plays out.
One USHL Rookie who will set the League on Fire This Year
Photo Credit: Andy Devlin | Hockey Canada Images
With each passing season, it seems as though the United States Hockey League (better known as the USHL) is gaining more and more esteem.
That’s because although it has stayed true to its roots of being the top-feeder league, Division One NCAA teams have come to depend on to fill their rosters. Over the last couple of years, it has managed to evolve into one of the more elite Junior leagues in the world. So much so that if you include the United States National Team Development Program (which is now a full-time affiliate), it has now been known to annually produce dozens of players that are taken in the first couple rounds of the draft.
With all that being said, it should come as no surprise to hear that even foreign-born players who have NHL aspirations are starting to migrate over to try and prove that their game is one that will translate well to the North American style of play.
This is the case of one USHL rookie named Adam Benak, who hails from Czechia and is due to join the Youngstown Phantoms this season.
Now, if you are not familiar with Adam, let me fill you in. At first glance, you’ll notice that he is a diminutive center who only stands at 5’7. But let me assure you what he lacks in size; he more than makes up for in speed and skill.
This was made evident by his play in the last two Hlinka Gretzky Cup Tournaments. While getting the rare chance to represent his Country on the world stage at just sixteen years old, Benak managed to explode onto the scene in the 23-24 tournament when he opened a lot of eyes, scoring two goals and eight assists for 10 points in only five games played, which for his efforts his team received the Silver Medal.
But with him falling short (no pun intended) of achieving a Gold Medal last year. Adam came into this year’s tournament (that was held on Aug. 5th-10th up in Edmonton) with the mindset of win or die trying because he ended up breaking the tournament’s all-time point record by scoring another four goals and seven assists that, when combined with his totals from last year adds up to an incredible 21 points!
And, to try and put into perspective just how grand that accolade is, with him operating at an over a two points-per-game pace in this tournament, it puts him in the same company as players like Matvei Michkov, Jarome Iginla, Alexander Ovechkin, Nathan Mackinnon, Rick Nash, and Tyler Seguin whom all previously made quite the name for themselves in this tournament.
Now, as far as what you can expect from Adam this season with the Phantoms, I predict that given the fact that guys won’t be that familiar with this elusive offensive-minded center, we could see this young man put up point totals that rival Phantoms’ legendary alumni Kyle Connor’s 14-15 campaign when he netted 34 goals and 46 assists for 80 points.
Yes, I am dead serious! Benak is an exceptional player who should hear his name being called by a team in the first round of next summer’s draft. But, of course, don’t just take my word for it; find your way up to Youngstown this season and take in a game to see if my prognostications come true.
One Underrated Flyers Free Agent Signing that Could Prove to Pay Dividends this Year.
Photo Credit: RDS.CA
There is no doubt that most Flyers fans were left feeling a little underwhelmed with the team’s free agency haul (or lack thereof) this offseason. But you have to remember General Manager Danny Briere didn’t have a lot of cap space with which to play with. Especially, if you factor in the team having to shell out a combined $7,596,429 this season to buy the underperforming Cam Atkinson and having to trade away/retain part of the salary of both forward Kevin Hayes and defensemen Anthony DeAngelo.
But that’s not all. The Flyers recently had to take on the bad contracts of both goalie Cal Peterson and center Ryan Johansen in order to gain the draft pick compensation that will help the club in the future, which now makes them responsible for the pair’s combined $9 million cap hit that they will most likely be obligated to have to bury in the minors.
Then there are, of course, the players dealing with extended injuries to factor in, whose salaries can’t be moved to the Long Term I.R. list until the start of the regular season, which obviously includes defenseman Ryan Ellis and his $6,250,000 annual cap hit that the team is still on the hook for three more seasons. And potentially, Rasmus Ristolainen (who holds a $5,100,000 AAV) that may or may not be ready to go at the start of the season after having to undergo surgery last year to repair a torn triceps tendon.
If you think about it, in total, that’s $27,946,429 out of the NHL’s allotted $88,000,000 Cap ceiling that teams are allowed to spend this season, that is virtually a wash for the Flyers right now. So, even if Briere wanted to pull off a significant acquisition on July 1st, he couldn’t because he simply did not have the money with which to do so.
So, they had to be not only tactful but frugal with their spending this off-season so as not to land themselves right back into cap purgatory. However, this does not mean that the team did not have needs. As their GM a louted to at the draft this franchise needs help down the middle of the ice. The reason? Well, the men that the team currently employs to patrol the faceoff dots here in Philadelphia are a group whose focus has become more about preventing goals than scoring them, which probably had a lot to do with the fact that the team ranked among the league’s worst in Goals Scored Per Game, and found themselves finishing dead last in the league in terms of powerplay goals scored over the previous two seasons.
But even though management is aware of this issue and has taken action to try and combat it, like when they drafted centers Denver Barkey, Jett Luchanko, Jack Berglund, and Heikki Ruohonen, not to mention trading for Massimo Rizzo the sad reality is that none of these players may be ready next season to join the Flyers; which is why I thought one of the most underrated moves made by management this year was the signing of 27-year-old center Anthony Richard.
Anthony Richard
Anthony, who was originally drafted back in the 4th round of the 2015 NHL Entry Draft by the Nashville Predators, has developed into quite the offensive threat at the AHL level over the last two seasons. For example, Anthony finished the 22-23 campaign with 30 goals and 37 assists for 67 points in 60 games played (An average of 1.12 points per game). He followed that up this last season by scoring 25 goals and 30 assists for 55 points in only 59 games played, which equates to him scoring at a rate of 0.93 points per game.
Now, while Richard may be far from the star center we were all hoping to somehow magically obtain this offseason, his immense speed and superior puck-handling skills will make him an excellent call-up option if those players above him on the depth chart continue to struggle offensively or sustain injuries.
For, I believe all this late-blooming prospect really needs now is a legitimate chance to prove himself at the NHL level. Because this team, more so than any other he had the privilege of spending NHL time with prior to this year, has the options at wing to help him succeed. Think about it: Our top nine (first three lines) projected wingers for next season are Konecny, Michkov, Tippett, Foerster, Farabee, and Brink. So, if Anthony, who is offensively minded is called upon at some point this season to come in and play with any combination of those guys previously mentioned. I don’t think it would be that far out of the realm of possibilities that he could easily surpass the 7.75 Million Dollar Man’s (Sean Couturier) 11 goals from last season.
Remember, the Flyers have three 1st round draft picks and potentially three second-round draft picks in next summer’s draft, so, again, while Anthony may not be the long-term solution that we all were hoping for this off-season, he and his nominal contract of just $775,000 could prove to be just the kind of stopgap this club needs until the newly drafted or not yet drafted reinforcements begin to show up.