After Day Two of Flyers Development Camp, I'm ready to share some thoughts on the players that some of you have been asking about….
Brayden Schenn - We all know the guy has great hands, but the question is 'Can he battle?' and, so far, the answer is still yet to be determined. He got pushed around a lot yesterday in the battle drills and showed that he needs to get stronger, but he's certainly got the skills. I'll be very interested to see how he does in the scrimmages and if he's worked the rust off from the first day.
Sean Couturier - He's a sniper! He finds the back of the net more often that not with his quick release and almost pin-point accuracy…but we already knew this. Along with Schenn, the question is "Can he battle?" The fact is he's a string bean and needs to pack on more than a few pounds so he can effectively use his 6'4 frame. Even he was quick to note that the battle drills were the most challenging to him and where he said to himself, "This is not junior any more. The guys are a lot bigger and a lot stronger and I need to step up my game." As skilled as he is, I really wouldn't be surprised at all to see him head back to the Q for at least another year.
Zac Rinaldo - Zac has developed a reputation of being just a tough guy, but after watching all the stick handling drills they did today, he's definitely got some moves! He said after practice that the Flyers told him towards the end of last year that he was a more skilled hockey player than he thought he was and that he should try to focus more on that and less on fighting. According to Zac, he grew up as a top six guy, but then once he got to junior he was placed in a bottom six roll and he ran with it and started beating people up. So with the directive from the higher ups in Philly, he's focused a lot more of his time on honing his skills and you can see the growth especially in a skills oriented camp like this. If he keeps it up he could be more than just a hard-hitting, pain in the butt to play against.
Matt Read - The biggest question surrounding Matt is if he can handle an 82-game schedule. He's got skill, speed and strength, but what about stamina? That question can't be answered this week, but the good news is that he's in great shape and that's a great sign that he's been doing his best to prepare himself for the grind that's ahead.
J. T. Brown - The free agent that will head back to Minnesota-Duluth for his sophomore season as a National Champion is here on an invitation and has gotten better and better with each drill showing focus and a willingness to learn and improve upon his already impressive offensive skillet. It's interesting to note that he will also be attending the Minnesota Wild's development camp, which means nothing but great things for his development this off-season and what he can bring to the Bulldogs this season.
Oliver Lauridsen - For a guy that's 6'6, 220 he's an incredibly mobile defenseman who knows how to use his size and strength to his advantage. He said that skating was a big focus on his development growing up because he's always been a big guy and knew he needed to keep up with the smaller players and while he continues to focus on that aspect, this camp has allowed him the opportunity to learn some techniques to help develop the offensive side of his game which has been pretty non-existent thus far. He's got a great chance of making this team as a 7th defenseman come October.
Just a few more quick notes….
Erik Gustafsson has great skill, but I'm not sold on the idea that he's strong enough to take the next step just yet. He's still on the small side.
Ben Holmstrom is quietly going about his business and showing a lot of consistency so far. No flash, but definitely effective. Eager to see him in the scrimmage.
Derek Mathers is known for mixing it up, but he's got some nifty little moves up his sleeve.
Gotten a lot of questions regarding Vincent LoVerde - apparently there's a lot of love for the former RedHawk! - problem is his game is all about positioning, blocking shots, getting sticks in the lanes and punishing you along the boards…none of which can be effectively displayed in the types of offensive-minded drills they've been running so far. I'm sure he'll be better able to show off his strengths once they start scrimmaging.
Finally, I'm a big fan of Adam Phillips. I might be biased because he's a Minuteman and we all know how much I love my Beloved's from UMass, but if he could just eat all the protein shakes his body can handle and add some meat on his rather lanky bones, he could be one heck of a player. Right now, he's 6'6, but weighs just 195 pounds. He's a terrific skater and has a great shot…just needs to grow into his frame! Hope the trainers at UMass stocked up on protein bars this summer….
I also had the chance to chat with Ian Laperrier, the newly appointed Flyers Development Coach, who is in charge of this week's camp and asked him about the changes I mentioned in yesterday's blog and he said, "When they asked me to do this I said, 'Ok, but this is how I want to run it," and they let me totally change the program. Instead of bag skates and conditioning and running these kids - who aren't in playing shape because it's the summer - into the ground, I wanted to give them the tools needed to improve their individual skills and help them work on things that they may not have time to work on during the season."
"This week isn't about conditioning," he continued. "It's about learning how to do things the right way and paying attention to details. If they do something wrong, I'll blow the whistle and try it again."
Riley Cote echoed his sentiments when he said. "We want them to know the difference between simply working hard and working smart to be able to get the results you want. We want them to focus on individual skills versus the systems they practice during the season. We don't necessarily want to change them, nor do we expect to in five days, but we want to show the ways to improve and some drills they can use once they get home."
Trial on the Isle is tomorrow in Stone Harbor as the prospects are divided into groups of three with each teammate completing one leg of the triathlon - running, cycling and kayaking - and then participate in a charity softball game.
Julie
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