FLYERS ANNOUNCE 2015 ROOKIE CAMP SCHEDULE AND ROSTER
The Philadelphia Flyers officially announced on Wednesday that the team's Rookie Camp will start on Sept. 14 and run for three days until veterans officially report for the start of full camp. On-ice sessions for all three days of Rookie Camp - Sept. 14, 15 and 16 -- will be held at the Skate Zone in Voorhees,NJ, starting at 9:45 a.m. EDT. As always, both rookie camp and full camp are open to the public and free to attend.
A total of 24 players are scheduled to take part in the camp. Here is the roster:
FORWARDS (12)
#73 Nicolas-Aube Kubel
#68 Cole Bardreau
#81 Samuel Dove-McFalls
#75 Radel Fazleev
#56 Tyrell Goulbourne
#80 Travis Konecny
#49 Scott Laughton
#58 Taylor Leier
#70 Danick Martel
#63 Pavel Padakin
#73 Michael Parks
#74 Luke Philp (invitee)
Defensemen (9)
# 53 Shayne Gostisbehere
#48 Robert Hägg
#54 Nick Luukko
#46 Christian Marti
#50 Samuel Morin
#61 Philippe Myers (invitee)
#59 Jesper Petttersson
#79 Ivan Provorov
#71 Travis Sanheim
Goaltenders (2)
#67 Martin Ouellette
#65 Anthony Stolarz
*********
MORIN MUSCLES UP, TRIMS BODY FAT
As he prepares to enter his first season of pro hockey, Flyers 2013 first-round pick
Samuel Morin has spent the summer working out at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. He recently
told Journal de Montreal that he has added muscle mass and reduced his body fat to just 8.8 percent.
Morin told the French-language outlet that he feels that he has started to learn one of the hardest lessons any young player faces: balancing ambition and inner competitive drive with the need for patience.
"I'm only 20 and I am aware that I need to mature before playing with adults," Morin told the Journal. "I think I have improved this aspect, but we'll see at camp. I just have to make sure I do not want too much. As we grow up, these are things you learn. I have the physical and skating to play with professionals."
He added, "I have confidence in myself, the Flyers have confidence in myself and my parents also. What people think of me, I can't worry about since the majority of the time it is negative. I try not to look at that. I have confidence in myself, and I know I can achieve my goal. "
Morin said that while he cannot control the final roster decisions that new Flyers coach
Dave Hakstol and general manager
Ron Hextall make, he hopes to make it a difficult decision on whether to send him to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms or have him start in the NHL.
In each of the past two seasons, Morin has had solid preseason showings with the Flyers. A year ago, he was a late cut in camp as the organization decided that he would benefit from an extra season of junior experience and the opportunity to play in the World Junior Championships.
The towering (6-foot-7, 228 pound) defenseman has improved steadily in each of the last three seasons -- his footwork, passing, decision-making, shooting, positioning and even discipline have taken positive steps -- although he still doesn't get much respect from his most vocal critics.
A broken jaw set Morin back last year, leading to considerable weight loss as well as interrupting his season with missed time for the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic. He made the Team Canada roster for the World Junior Championships but was consigned to a limited role.
At the QMHL level, he has shown himself to be a dominating shutdown defenseman -- ask fellow Flyers prospect
Nicolas Aube-Kubel, whose line accomplished little in the Quebec League semifinals -- but he is still a frequently nitpicked prospect among his critics. He skates quite well in a straight line, especially for such a big man.
Morin even showed jaw-dropping closing ability in an open-ice foot race in the QMJHL President's Cup Finals playoffs against speedster Anthony DuClair.
In his most impressive sequence of the game, the 6-foot-7 Morin showed off his closing ability defensively, using his long strides and underrated acceleration to catch up to Anthony Duclair -- one of the top speedsters in the league -- as the forward initially seemed to have a clean break up the left wing. Morin skated across the neutral zone, caught up to Duclair and separated him from the puck. Shortly thereafter, Morin triggered a Rimouski rush that led to a goal.
If anyone wonders what the Flyers envision for Morin as he develops over the long haul, this play is a glimpse of the type of defensive impact player the organization thinks he can someday become at the NHL level. Watch the way he covers huge swatches of ice with each and every stride:
Morin's defensive footwork and turning are improving steadily when defending rushes but that area remain a bit of a work in progress.
Although not known as an offensive defenseman, Morin makes a good first pass and has improved his point shot by leaps and bounds in the last three seasons. His wingspan and almost freakish reach work to his benefit defensively, but he is less effective when having to pull his arms in. Morin plays an aggressive physical game and is an emotional player. He had a few discipline lapses in his junior career that led to suspensions.
Apart from his size and strength, Morin's work ethic, self-confidence and burning desire to become a solid pro player all work in his favor. So does his resiliency.
In Game one of the QMJHL Finals, Morin had a terrible game and readily admitted it after the game with a pledge to be much better in Game 2. He did just that, including the aforementioned open-ice sequence.
No one is more aware than Morin of the areas where he needs improvement and he works on each and every one. Even his English language skills, for which he often apologized two years ago, have greatly improved. He still has a thick Quebecois accent but he can usually express what he wants to say
Morin is the type of player whom it is easy to root for once you interact with him. Off the ice, he always wears a smile on his face and clearly loves to be at the rink. His enthusiasm is infectious.
When speaking to Journal de Montreal, Morin made a point of thanking his coaches with Rimouski, and Flyers defenseman development coach
Kjell Samuelsson for their work with him prior to this season. He also expressed gratitude to the care he got off the ice from his billet family and for the faith the Flyers showed in drafting him 11th overall two years ago.
While having a bubbly personality does not necessarily make Morin more devoted to attaining his dreams than someone with a much quieter and more introverted demeanor --
Robert Hägg and
Travis Sanheim are both laconic and reserved, at least with the media -- Morin does not rely on simply being charismatic. He puts in the work, too.
Most young defensemen navigate a tough learning curve when they graduate to the pro ranks. Morin is unlikely to be an exception. There will be some missteps and, quite possibly, staccato progress. That's just par for the course in developing defensemen, It's the big picture that matters. Morin is a player whose long-term future is bright if he stays healthy.
*********
TODAY IN FLYERS HISTORY FROM FlyersAlumni.org: SEPTEMBER 3
1997: Tough-guy forward
Dan Kordic signs a two-year contract extension.
1999:Two-way center
Daymond Langkow signs a two-year contract extension.
Flyers Alumni Birthdays
Two Flyers Alumni share Sept. 3 birthdays: center
Gerry Meehan (born 1946) and defenseman
Matt Konan (born 1991).
Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs in a five-player trade in March 1969, center
Gerry Meehan suited up in 12 games for the 1968-69 Flyers in a 670-game NHL career. The Buffalo Sabres claimed Meehan from the Flyers in the 1970 NHL Expansion Draft. Many years later, Meehan became the Sabres general manager and vice president.
Injury issues derailed Konan's NHL hopes after the California native signed with the Flyers as a rookie free agent in 2012. However, he did get to dress in two NHL games for the injury-riddled Flyers at the tail end of the lockout-shortened 2012-13 season. He was limited to just 29 games over the next two seasons and became an unrestricted free agent on July 1, 2015.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»