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Meltzer's Musings: Are Flyers Finally Turning a Corner in D Development?

July 8, 2013, 7:17 AM ET [929 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
Are Flyers Finally Turning the Corner in Defense Development?

Much has been made of the Philadelphia Flyers' inability to draft and develop their own defenseman. Many folks, including yours truly, have criticized the organization's lack of patience in overseeing young defensemen through their learning curves and living through the inevitable growing pains that can last as long as three to five years.

The Flyers' record in drafting and developing homegrown defensemen, both historically and recently, is a tough one to defend. Even so, there rays of hope for the future and some signs that the organization has already started to take strides on the development end.

While some folks were underwhelmed with the pool of players Philadelphia chose at the 2013 NHL Draft, starting with huge but raw defenseman Samuel Morin, there is a flip side of the coin that is worth examining. The Flyers have selected eight defensemen over the last two NHL Drafts and have actually begun to build up a decent pool of potential future pros.

Start with Morin and 2013 second-round pick Robert Hägg. Both of those players have upside as future NHL defensemen even if neither one proves to be a "home run" of a pick when their development is complete. If they do get close to maximizing their potential, Morin has the ability to become a bigger, better-skating version of Luke Schenn while Hägg has the potential to develop along similar lines to ex-Flyers defenseman Kim Johnsson, a two-time winner of the Barry Ashbee Trophy during his four seasons in Philadelphia.

Among the team's pool of 2012 draftees, there were also four defensemen taken. All four are better players than they were this time a year ago, and there is an above-average chance that at least one or two could eventually work their up the North American pro ranks in years to come.

Shayne Gostisbehere is undersized but is a promising young offensive-minded blueliner with fine mobility and puck skills. Reece Willcox dressed in every game for Cornell as a true freshman defenseman, showing both a sound defensive approach for a player his age and puck-moving upside. Huge Swedish defenseman Fredric Larsson is still quite raw but bring an aggressive hitting and shot-blocking element. Larsson even saw some ice time as a net-front forward on power plays for the Brynäs J20 team last year, which was how he scored three of his four goals. Meanwhile, Valeri Vasiliev became a KHL regular starter for Spartak Moscow in the latter part of last season, dressing in the final 11 games of the season. Not bad for a player who did not turn 19 until May.

This year, after the selections of Morin and Hägg, the Flyers took a pair of American defensemen who are slated to play collegiate-track hockey in seasons to come. It is too soon to judge whether Terrance Amorosa or David Drake have any pro hockey potential. If they do, it will be many seasons from now.

On the professional development side, the Flyers organization has quietly made some strides over the last couple years. They may not have gotten many NHL games out of players who've come up through their minor league system but there have been some encouraging signs from the ones who have suited up with the big club.

I like they way the organization has brought along Erik Gustafsson slowly, even if it was partially by necessity due to his injuries and the 2012 lockout. If Gustafsson's play over the final 10 games of last season and at the World Championships was not an illusion, the 24-year-old puck moving defenseman now appears ready to compete for a full-time NHL role.

Before Marc-Andre Bourdon suffered the first of several concussions, he showed promise as a rookie at the NHL level after two-plus seasons of being brought along slowly in the minor leagues. Bourdon is now finally symptom-free from his post-concussion issues and is awaiting clearance to resume full contact. Barring setbacks, Bourdon will compete with veteran Bruno Gervais for the Flyers' seventh defense spot at training camp.

One can also look at the late-season NHL play of emergency call-up defensemen the Flyers used in their lineup last season to see the strides they made in Adirondack from the beginning of last season the end. The Phantoms' record and their AHL plus-minus ratings may not have been suggestive of that development but the fact that they were able to play NHL games without looking totally overmatched showed there had been improvement.

In two seasons, Oliver Lauridsen has gone from fringe AHL rookie to a legitimate NHL prospect. Matt Konan made slow but steady improvement last year over the course of his first pro season. Brandon Manning did not have the hoped-for standout AHL season as a second-year pro but he did recover late in the season.

Next season, Mark Alt will play his first full professional campaign. The former Carolina second round pick in 2010, who came over to the Flyers' organization in January along with Brian Boucher, was impressive in his late-season stint with the Phantoms. Alt's partner, veteran former NHL defenseman Andreas Lilja, deemed him "something special" and predicted that Alt could have a lengthy NHL career in his future. Although he is not the smoothest of skaters, Alt is a hybrid of a puck-mover and defensive defenseman who makes a good first pass and does not shy away from contact. He has a heavy righthanded shot but can work on releasing it faster and more accurately.

The Flyers' current crop of defense prospects may not be laden with potential top-pairing NHL players. In fact, there may not be anything close to a franchise defenseman on the horizon. Morin and Hägg are the best hopes for the long-term future but are just at the beginning of their learning curves.

One the flip side, there are signs that the depth of the prospect pool has improved significantly from where it was even two or three seasons ago. It may be baby steps, but at least the steps are in the right direction.

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