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Meltzer's Musings: Phantoms, Prospects, Alumni, Biosteel Camp and More

August 23, 2015, 9:12 AM ET [113 Comments]
Bill Meltzer
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • RSSArchiveCONTACT
MELTZER'S MUSINGS: AUGUST 23, 2015

1) The Lehigh Valley Phantoms' signing of veteran offensive defenseman Logan Pyett creates an increasingly crowded group of candidates for the Flyers AHL affiliates' blueline entering training camp. Assuming that neither Samuel Morin nor Shayne Gostisbehere open the 2015-16 season in the NHL with the Flyers and that Brandon Manning sticks with the big club as a seventh or eighth defenseman, the Phantoms defense currently has 10 candidates for playing time.

Morin, Gostisbehere, Robert Hägg and Mark Alt are locks for the Phantoms roster, as Manning (who is on a one-way contract this season ala Oliver Lauridsen last year) would be if he is waived by Philly, clears NHL waivers and is assigned to Allentown. Likewise, veterans Davis Drewiske and Pyett were signed to play in the AHL, not the ECHL. Additionally, the Flyers organization is high on Swiss import defensive defenseman Christian Marti, who was signed to an NHL entry-level contract on May 1.

That makes seven spots taken on the Lehigh Valley defense roster, barring injury or NHL-level callups; eight if the Flyers do not make any trades of veterans during the season and elect to carry seven rather than eight defensemen (which would squeeze out Manning). As of now, it would seem that second-year pro Jesper Pettersson is more likely to be assigned to the ECHL's Reading Royals to start the season. Nick Luukko and Maxim Lamarche are almost certainly ticketed for Reading.

The numbers game is actually a good problem to have. For the first time in ages, there is depth of genuine young NHL candidates on the Flyers' AHL farm team blueline. There is also AHL level depth in what could become a strong starting six in Lehigh Valley as the upcoming season progresses.

2) SHL: Flyers 2014 fifth-round pick Oskar Lindblom was in the lineup for Brynäs IF Gävle on Saturday in a 5-2 preseason loss to Leksands IF. Lindblom, returning for his first match since sustaining a minor lower-body injury during Team Sweden's first game at the National Team Evaluation Camp in Lake Placid earlier this month, skated left wing on the second line of a unit with Greg Scott and Jens Lööke. He did not record a point and was minus-one in the game.

Flyers 2015 third-round pick Felix Sandström backed up veteran Austrian netminder Bernhard Starkbaum for Brynäs. Starkbaum went the distance in net.

Brynäs trailed the home team 4-1 after the first period. In the middle frame, BIF generated an onslaught of pressure, outshooting Leksand by a 22-4 margin, but could not solve LIF goalie Frans Tuohimaa. Brynäs finally cut the gap to 4-2 in the opening minute of the third period on a goal by Nicholas Johnson but drew no closer. Leksand restored its three-goal cushion on a mid third period power play goal.

3) QMJHL: Playing for the second time in as many nights, Flyers 2015 fourth-round pick Samuel Dove-McFalls scored a goal amid a five-goal second period outburst for the St. John Seadogs in a 7-3 blowout win over the Moncton Wildcats on Saturday. He went 14-for-21 in the faceoff circle (including winning 14 of his first 18 draws), had four shots on goal and was credited with one hit.

4) QMJHL: In a rematch of a chippy preseason game on Friday night, the Val-d'Or Foreurs split their two-game set with a 5-2 win over the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada on Saturday. Flyers 2014 second-round pick Nicolas Aube-Kubel did not play in the second game.

5) Russian national U20 team: Flyers 2015 fourth-round pick Mikhail Vorobyov was named to the Russian roster for the Four Nations U20 tournament. The annual round robin tourney will run from Aug. 28th to 30th this year.

6) Several Flyers and ex-Flyers took part in the recent (Aug 17 to 20) Biosteel Hockey Camp, including Wayne Simmonds, Michael Del Zotto, unrestricted free agent goaltender Ray Emery and ex-Flyer Zac Rinaldo (now with the Boston Bruins). Simmonds, healed from the late-season leg injury that caused him to miss the final seven games of last season, captained "Team Simmonds" while Del Zotto captained "Team Del Zotto."

7) The Flyers official website has an article looking at the Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp taking place in Atlantic City this weekend. Although participation was pricey, the proceeds are going to support the work that Flyers Charities and the Flyers Alumni Association do for a variety of a charitable and community-based organizations in the Delaware Valley.

 photo Goalies.jpg
Hall of Fame goaltender and former Flyers goalie coach Bernie Parent conducts an on-ice practice session with the goalies at camp.


 photo instructors.jpg
Flyers Alumni camp instructors (L to R) Brian Propp, Doug Crossman, Dave Schultz, Todd Fedoruk, Ian Laperriere, Bob Kelly, Joe Watson, Bernie Parent and Andre Dupont.


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TODAY IN FLYERS HISTORY FROM FlyersAlumni.org: AUGUST 23

1994: The Flyers sign defenseman (later converted to forward) Dan Kordic to a two-year contract extension.

2005: The Flyers sign enforcer Riley Cote, a member of the Philadelphia Phantoms' Calder Cup championship winning 2004-05 squad, as a free agent.

Flyers Alumni birthdays

Dave Gardner was born in August 23, 1952. In his early days, Gardner was a highly touted first-round pick by the Montreal Canadiens (taken eighth overall in the 1972 NHL Draft), he was part of a prolific junior line on the Toronto Marlboros with Steve Shutt and Billy Harris. The Marlies top line was rivaled by the Kitchener Rangers' top trio of Bill Barber, Jerry Byers and Al Blanchard. All six players were taken within the top 12 picks of the 1972 NHL Draft.

The New York Islanders, selecting first overall, took Harris. The Habs, owning the fourth and eighth picks, took future NHL All-Star regular Shutt with the fourth pick. The Flyers grabbed future Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Barber with the seventh pick. The Canadiens took Gardner eighth. Blanchard, who never played in the NHL, went 10th overall to the New York Rangers. Byers, who played just 45 NHL games, was taken 12th overall by the Minnesota North Stars.

Gardner was part of a multi-generation hockey family. His father, Cal Gardner, was a star NHL center of the 1940s and 1950s whose best years came with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The elder Gardner was a two-time NHL All-Star and a two-time winner of the Cup over a 696-game NHL career. Dave's younger brother, Paul Gardner, enjoyed four 30-goal seasons in the NHL; two apiece with the Rockies and Pittsburgh Penguins.

Coming out of junior hockey, Dave Gardner's pure offensive skill was compared by some to Guy Lafleur. However, once Gardner reached reached the NHL level, he was destined to become a journeyman player. Injuries set him back several times.

Gardner lasted 350 games in the NHL, tallying 75 goals and 189 points. His best point-producing seasons were with the lowly California Seals and Cleveland Barons. Gardner played for the Canadiens, St. Louis Blues, Oakland/Cleveland and then bounced around the minor leagues before signing with the Flyers as a free agent in the summer of 1979. Flyers general manager Keith Allen and head coach Pat Quinn viewed Gardner as an organizational depth player by this point in his career.

Gardner was a robust scorer at the AHL level for the Maine Mariners, producing 55 regular season points (20 goals, 35 assists) in just 37 regular season games in 1979-80. He was called up to the Flyers for two games in March -- scoring a goal and an assist in a 4-1 win at the Spectrum against the Colorado Rockies in his Flyers debut -- before being returned to the Mariners. Gardner dressed in 12 Calder Cup playoff games for Mariners, chipping in seven points.

Following his stint with the Flyers and Maine, Gardner went to Europe to play in Switzerland for Ambri-Piotta. He played five seasons in the Swiss National League before retiring.
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