2014 DEVELOPMENT CAMP REFLECTS NEW PHILOSOPHY
The Flyers' 2014 Development Camp at the Skate Zone in Voorhees reflects a new philosophy within the organization. Rather than opening the camp to unaffiliated invitees as well as prospects under the organizational umbrella, this year's camp exclusively features position players who have been drafted or signed by the team.
It had previously been reported that there would be a few outside invitees, including controversial Bowling Green university defenseman Ralfs Freibergs (who is attending the Winnipeg Jets' camp this week) and Rimouski Oceanic defenseman Beau Rusk. That turned out not to be the case when the roster was announced. However, with only two prospect-aged goaltenders in the farm system (2012 draftee Anthony Stolarz and 2013 selection Merrick Madsen), there are two unaffiliated goalies at the camp.
The camp features five days of on-ice work plus the annual Trial on the Isle on July 14. Having fewer players at the camp means more opportunities for individualized attention and small group sessions for organizational prospects.
The organization has always stressed that the camp is designed for young players to improve their training regimens and to be able to ask questions to former pros. Annually, the camp directors deliver a message that no one is going to earn -- or lose -- an NHL contract based on excelling or struggling in certain facets of the camp.
On the other hand, by having so many young players in attendance and including a handful with no NHL affiliation but hopes for an eventual contract offer, the older format created an underlying sense of competition. Despite what they'd been told about no contracts being at stake, many young players nevertheless treated the Development Camp like auditions for contracts or at least for invitations to training camp in September.
Last season, the organization decided to eliminate the scrimmages at the end of camp. A couple of players, including defensemen Shayne Gostisbehere and Fredric Larsson, got injured at the 2012 camp scrimmages. The Flyers decided that the risks outweighed the benefits of simulated game conditions in July.
The 2012 and 2013 camps were directed by Ian Laperriere, who is now an assistant coach at the NHL level. This year's camp will be directed by Kjell Samuelsson and John Riley, the club's Player Development coaches.
The camp roster is as follows:
Forwards (12): Brandon Alderson, Nicolas Aube-Kubel, Nick Cousins, Radel Fazleev, Tyrell Goulbourne, Kevin Goumas, Scott Laughton, Taylor Leier, Oskar Lindblom, Derek Mathers, Michael Parks, Petr Straka.
Defensemen (13): Mark Alt, Terrence Amorosa, Steven Delisle, David Drake, Mark Friedman, Shayne Gostisbehere, Robert Hägg, Maxim Lamarche, Nick Luukko, Samuel Morin, Jesper Pettersson, Travis Sanheim, Reece Willcox.
Goaltenders (4): Tony Capobianco (unaffiliated invitee), Merrick Madsen, Ryan McKay (unaffiliated invitee) Antony Stolarz.
The camp on-ice schedule at the Skate Zone is as follows, subject to change:
Thursday, July 10: Goalie session on Flyers rink (9 a.m. to noon), all attendees on Phantoms rink (2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.).
Friday, July 11: Goalie session on Flyers rink (9 a.m. to noon), Forwards session on Phantoms rink (9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.), Defensemen session on Phantoms rink (10:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.), all attendees on Phantoms rink (3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
Saturday, July 12: Goalie session on Flyers rink (9 a.m. to noon), Forwards session on Phantoms rink (9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.), Defensemen session on Phantoms rink (10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.), all attendees on Phantoms rink (3:15 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.).
Sunday, July 13: Goalie session on Flyers rink (9 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.), Forwards session on Phantoms rink (9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.), Defensemen session on Phantoms rink (10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m.), all attendees on Phantoms rink (4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m.).
Monday, July 14: Trial on the Isle (Stone Harbor, NJ).
Tuesday July 15: Goalie session on Flyers rink (9 a.m. to noon), defensemen and forwards on Phantoms rink (9 a.m. to 10:15 a.m.), All attendees on Phantoms rink (4:30 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.).
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TUESDAY QUICK HITS
* Ottawa Senators general manager Bryan Murray, the 71-year-old brother of Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach Terry Murray, publicly revealed yesterday that he is battling cancer. Best wishes go out to the entire Murray family.
* While it is impossible to accurately judge the quality of a team's Draft crop until at least three to five years have passed, at least one prominent hockey figure believes the Flyers' 2014 Draft will ultimately go down among its strongest in recent franchise history. TSN analyst Craig Button, a former NHL scouting director for the Dallas Stars and Calgary Flames general manager,
told NJ.com that his first impression of the team's 2014 selection crop would be an A grade. Button believed that each of the Flyers first four selections -- first-round pick Travis Sanheim, second-round pick Nicolas Kube-Aubel, third rounder Mark Friedman and fifth-round selection Oskar Lindblom -- have projectable NHL upsides. Button compared Sanheim to current New York Rangers' star defenseman Ryan McDonagh in his 2007 draft year.
* When news broke yesterday that Nashville Predators center Mike Fisher suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon and will be out for four to six months, speculation immediately ran rampant that the on-again/ off-again trade talks between the Predators and Flyers for Vincent Lecavalier would be rekindled. While that it certainly a possibility, it is far from a certainty that the Flyers will be able to get some salary cap relief by trading Lecavalier to the Predators. David Poile is a resourceful general manager and, despite the Fisher injury, he is also unlikely to back off his reported demand that the Flyers eat a big chunk of Lecavalier's remaining salary. Perhaps there is a compromise to be reached, perhaps not.
* Flyers Alum Birthday: Two-stint Flyers defenseman Karl Dykhuis turns 42 today. Maddeningly inconsistent during much of his time in the NHL, Dykhuis was a struggling former first round pick of the Chicago Blackhawks when the Flyers acquired him in February 1995 in exchange for Bob Wilkie.
Wilkie never cracked the Hawks' NHL roster and, in fact, never appeared in another NHL game again. Dykhuis, meanwhile, went on to become an NHL regular upon his arrival in Philly. He showed promise during the lockout-shortened 1994-95 season and arguably played the best sustained two-way hockey of his entire career during the Flyers' run to the 1995 Eastern Conference Finals. Not only did Dykhuis compile four goals and eight points in 15 playoff games that year, he also played well defensively.
Unfortunately, Dykhuis' big playoff in 1995 did not prove to be a career breakthrough. He soon reverted to his Jekyll-and-Hyde inconsistency. At his best, Dykhuis combined size, mobility and a bit of a mean streak to be a highly effective player for weeks at a time. At his worst, he was indecisive and mistake prone for stretches of multiple games. Dykhuis sometimes seemed to lose confidence in his game, and he often functioned best when paired with a poised veteran.
It was no coincidence that most of Dykhuis' best games as a Flyer came when he was paired with Petr Svoboda during his first stint. Coincidentally, the former blueline partners were traded for one another when the Flyers reacquired Dykhuis from the Tampa Bay Lightning in December of 1998. Dykhuis initially went to Tampa Bay as part of the Chris Gratton agreement in the summer of 1997. The Bolts declined to match the Flyers' offer sheet for the restricted free agent, receiving four first-round picks (1998, 1999, 2000, 2001) as compensation. The draft picks were then immediately traded back to the Flyers in exchange for Dykhuis and Mikael Renberg.
Dykhuis' second stint in Philadelphia was not as productive as the first. In October 1999, after five rough games to open the season, the Flyers placed Dykhuis on waivers. On Oct. 20, 1999, Philly traded Dykhuis to the Montreal Canadiens in a "future considerations" trade that ultimately became a cash transaction. Dykhuis remained in Montreal until the 2003-04 season.
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