DEVELOPMENT CAMP GETS UNDERWAY
The Flyers' 2016 Development Camp gets underway today at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. On the first camp, Flyers general manager Ron Hextall and camp instructors John Riley, Kjell Samuelsson and Brady Robinson annually repeat the same mantra to the attendees.
The July camp is not an evaluation camp and should not be treated as such. It's called a Development Camp because it's all about tips for developing into a pro both on and off the ice. It will not be factored directly into immediate competition for NHL or even AHL jobs.
While this message is consistent, it is hard for young players to tone down their competitive instincts, especially when they often can glance up at the balcony and see the likes of Hextall, scouting director Chris Pryor and team president Paul Holmgren standing side-by-side and peering down.
Meanwhile, for prospects who do not have NHL entry-level contracts in hand or least an AHL contract -- especially the smattering of undrafted invitees -- it is hard to view the July camp as anything but a chance to impress.
For the already signed players, especially one the ones who are now Development Camp veterans, it is easy to take the message to heart that the camp is a development checkpoint and springboard to getting a good start on training camp preparation.
For other young men, it's hard not to feel like it's a bit of a competition with others beside themselves. That's just the reality, no matter how many times they are told "Don't worry about impressing us; just focus on asking questions and learning."
Hextall said the principles of Development Camp need to be followed up all year, not just for one week. That is the key to the rationale for why the Flyers have greatly expanded the Development Coach role from part-time to full-time work. It is why there are dedicated development coaches who work year-round with the goalie prospects (Robinson), the young defensemen (Samuelsson) and the forward hopefuls (Riley).
Ultimately, it is up to the players to take advantage of their one-on-one access to the development coaches to get the most possible out of the July camp. Hextall wants to make sure the best possible resources are available at the young players' fingertips.
In the old days, even the best NHL organizations were primitive in their notions of development. They basically threw prospects in the pool and told them to sink or swim. Last summer, Hextall recounted how, at his own first pro training camp, he was clueless about offseason training. He thought he'd come to camp in the best shape of anyone and got a rude awakening when he realized that was far from the case.
During the period in which Flyers assistant coach Ian Laperriere (previously a development coach before being promoted to working with the NHL roster) ran the Development Camp, he told the attendees that the one and only thing they could do to make an impression on the decision makers was show they were passionate about their own development: embrace mentorship, pick the brains of seasoned pros, follow the tips on nutrition and diet, pay attention to the talks about how to conduct oneself off the ice in today's social media age.
It can be tough for young men to fully understand and embrace all of these lessons -- especially the latter ones about self-discipline when there isn't someone there to blow a whistle and tell them what, when and how to do something.
The Flyers do not expect perfection on the ice or angelic behavior 24/7, but they do expect genuine passion for placing a hockey career as one's overriding priority.
People such as Hextall, Samuelsson and Laperriere -- men who have differing personalities and played different positions during their careers but who share in common their longevity in the game -- can weed out the kids who are going through the motions from the ones who are committed. It cannot be faked. The kids who truly burn to play hockey stand out in these camps for reasons that have nothing to do with things that can be immediately measured with a stop-watch or a vertical leap bar.
When one talks to Hextall or Pryor about prospects, they emphasize will almost as much as they talk about skill. One of the things that Development Camp does is that it reveals which young men play hockey because they feel they are supposed to and which ones do it because it's their passion.
Over on the Flyers' official website, I authored an in-depth, three-part Development Camp preview that doubles as a farm system update from last year and a detailed look at the Flyers' prospect development philosophy. Part 1 looks at
forwards. Part 2 covers the
defensemen. Part 3 (to be published today) discusses the
goaltenders.
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MCKEEN'S FLYERS DRAFT REVIEW
Former Montreal Canadiens scout and current McKeen's Hockey chief scout Grant McCagg and I have become friendly over the last couple years. He's a good guy and does good work.
I think that McKeen's is one of the most comprehensive publicly available outlets for pre-draft scouting information (all season leading up to the NHL Draft) and post-draft developmental followups. Personally, I have fond myself agreeing with McKeen's assessments more than the opinions put forth in
The Hockey News' in recent years, although the latter remains another must-consult read when sampling the cross-section of views on various players.
Normally, the McKeen's post-draft NHL team-by-team assessments are subscriber-only access. Grant kindly arranged for his Flyers' assessment to be accessible free of charge to my readers. To read it,
click here. Here's a spoiler: The publication gave the Flyers an "A" grade.
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REMAINING NHL FREE AGENTS
The first day or two of the NHL free agency period are always a seller's market. With the exception of a few prominent players looking for bouncebacks after down seasons -- Eric Staal being a prime example this year -- contract prices are never more inflated both in dollar figures and term than they are at the start of free agency season.
Once the initial shopping spree is done, however, the market shifts from a seller's market to a buyer's market as the players remaining on the market get increasingly worried about ensuring a contract for the next season. The most prominent remaining names this year include Jiri Hudler, Radim Vrbata, ex-Flyer player Kris Versteeg and Brandon Pirri among the available forwards.
On the restricted free agent front, the Flyers will get to work on negotiations with Brayden Schenn, Brandon Manning (who has tended to sign in the latter part of the summer, at least the last couple years) and Jordan Weal. As a routine matter, all three have filed for arbitration.
I have little doubt that Schenn will get signed to a multi-year extension and suspect based on comparable players that it will ultimately come in around the $5 million cap hit ballpark. However, there will be wrangling to get to that point and it would not be a surprise if the arbitration hearing is looming right before the deal gets done.
During his second playing stint with the Flyers, Hextall himself got his new deal with the Flyers done in the summer of 1996 on the same day that the arbitration hearing was scheduled. Actually, Hexy was frequently a "tough sign" for the Flyers during his playing days, especially before he fired the often-combative Ritch Winter as his agent and hired Steve Mountain.
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2016 FLYERS ALUMNI GOLF INVITATIONAL
The 2016 Flyers Alumni Golf Invitational will be held on July 18 at the Philadelphia Cricket Club. The event will raise money for the Flyers Alumni Association, Flyers Charities and BLOCS.
The Golf Invitational will offer a round of golf, lunch, cocktail reception and dinner program.
Subject to changes and additions, the following Flyers Alumni -- widely representing every decade of team history -- will be attending: Ray Allison, Bill Barber, Frank Bathe, Craig Berube, Brian Boucher, Jesse Boulerice, Danny Briere, Terry Carkner, Lindsay Carson, Jeff Chychrun, Bob Clarke, Bill Clement, Steve Coates, Riley Cote, Doug Crossman, Barry Dean, Eric Desjardins, Andre "Moose" Dupont, Doug Favell, Todd Fedoruk, Ross Fitzpatrick, Mark Freer, Larry Goodenough, TJ Gorence, Paul Holmgren, Ed Hospodar, Mark Howe, Kerry Huffman, Bob "the Hound" Kelly, Tim Kerr, Orest Kindrachuk, Mike Knuble, Ian Laperriere, Mitch Lamoureaux, Neil Little, Brad Marsh, Phil Myre, Bernie Parent, Dave Poulin, Brian Propp, Chris Pronger, Luke Richardson, Don Saleski, Dave "the Hammer" Schultz (attending but not golfing), Ilkka Sinisalo, Derrick Smith, and Joe Watson.
For more information,
click here.
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