Manning Signs a One-Year Contract
The Flyers have agreed to a one-year contract with restricted free agent defenseman Brandon Manning. It is a two-way deal, paying the 23-year-old blueliner $675,000 at the NHL level.
Originally signed by the Flyers in 2011 as undrafted rookie free agent after a stellar overage junior season for the Chilliwack Bruins, Manning has primarily played in the American Hockey League during his two professional seasons to date. He has dressed in a combined 10 NHL games for the Flyers, including six games at the end of last season.
Manning was selected to the AHL All-Star Game last year (as a replacement for injured Adirondack Phantoms teammate Erik Gustafsson) but his overall season was actually a bit of a disappointment both to him and to the organization. He played better in the latter part of the season.
Statistically, Manning finished the 2012-13 AHL season with six goals, 21 points, 135 penalty minutes and a minus-28 rating in 65 games. He had two assists with the Flyers.
With Manning's signing, the Flyers are now at 49 of a maximum 50 NHL contracts. However, the contracts of center prospect Scott Laughton and goaltending prospect Anthony Stolarz are slide-rule eligible (meaning they won't count against the maximum if the players are assigned back to their OHL teams).
Manning was the Flyers' final restricted free agent to sign a contract this summer. Injured forward Eric Wellwood recently signed a minor league contract while rehabbing torn leg tendons.
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Rookie Camp Roster Set
The Flyers three-day rookie camp will run from Friday, September 6 to Sunday, Sept. 8 at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. On Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. the Flyers rookies will play the Washington Capitals rookies at the Kettler Ice Plaza in Arlington, VA.
The Flyers' camp roster is below. Unaffiliated invitees -- those who were neither drafted by the organization nor currently signed to a two-way NHL contract or an AHL contract -- are indicated in italics:
Goaltenders (3)
(67) Carsen Chubak
(33) Cal Heeter
(49) Anthony Stolarz
Defenseman (8)
(39) Mark Alt
(71) Jared Hauf
(62) Tyler Hostetter
(34) Matt Konan
(50) Maxim Lamarche
(72) Colin MacDonald
(55) Samuel Morin
(70) Mark Nemec
Forwards (14)
(64) Brandon Alderson
(56) Tyler Brown
(52) Nick Cousins
(59) Kyle Flanagan
(53) Tyrell Goulbourne
(74) Stephen Harper
(46) Andrew Johnston
(21) Scott Laughton
(58) Taylor Leier
(54) Matt Mangene
(57) Derek Mathers
(47) Marcel Noebels
(73) Andrew Ryan
(51) Petr Straka
Training camp invitees Harper and Ryan both participated in the Flyers' Development Camp in July. That is why they are pictured in Flyers jerseys on the team's official Web site. Contrary to some Twitter speculation, neither has been signed to an entry-level contract.
Of all the unaffiliated invitees, Harper is the most intriguing. Entering the 2012-13 season, he was touted as a potential first-round or second-round pick in the NHL Draft. Thereafter, Harper's stock sunk like a stone as his individual development stagnated in his second OHL season with a bad Erie club. Stagnation equals regression in the eyes of many scouts. However, he still has significant potential, and that is why he is at camp.
Left winger Ryan is coming off a successful season as a useful role player for the Memorial Cup champion Halifax Mooseheads. Last season, the 19-year-old brought some size and added two-way depth to his club's formidable lineup. He was especially good in the playoffs.
Defense invitee Hauf was a highly regarded player when he first entered the WHL from the midget hockey ranks. The 18-year-old has played three seasons for the Seattle Thunderbirds. He is a defensive-minded defenseman who is already physically mature at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds.
MacDonald, 21, was a steady if unspectacular OHL defenseman for the Plymouth Whalers. Despite modest point totals, he showed some puck-moving ability and was also a competent defender at the major junior level.
Nemec, 24, graduated the University of Maine earlier this year and had a cup of coffee with the ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears late in the season. He's another big (6-foot-4, 215 pound) and physically sturdy defensive defenseman.
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Key Season for Leier
The Flyers' decision-makers will be keeping a close eye on left winger Taylor Leier at rookie camp and throughout the 2013-14 season. Selected in the fourth round of the 2012 NHL Draft, Leier is the lone unsigned player from the organization's 2012 Draft class whose rights will be lost next June if he is not signed to an entry-level contract.
Generally speaking, the Flyers sign prospects whom they believe either have significant upside or at least a projectable pro-level role within a year of their Draft selection. If the player isn't ready for the NHL yet, the start of his contract can slide to the next season.
From the organization's 2012 class, first-round pick Scott Laughton and second-rounder Anthony Stolarz are already under Flyers contract. Among the 2011 class, Sean Couturier went directly to the NHL. Marcel Noebels was signed to a entry-level contract the same summer he was drafted, sliding to the WHL for 2011-12 and then playing for the Phantoms and Titans last year as a pro rookie. Enforcer prospect Derek Mathers slid back to OHL through the 2012-13 season and will be a minor league rookie in the upcoming season.
If a sign-or-relinquish decision on Leier had to be made today, it would a tough call for the organization. He's currently a borderline case. Thankfully, the decision doesn't have to be made now and should become a little clearer based upon what he does in his third WHL season for the Portland Winterhawks.
Despite two significant injuries last season, Leier is coming off a season of steady progress in Portland. A dependable third-line player in his WHL rookie season, Leier became a top-six forward last season on a very deep squad that won the league championship. Encouragingly, he remained a responsible defensive player but also grew his offensive game.
Overcoming a late-summer torn abdominal muscle that knocked him out of the preseason and put him on the shelf for the month of September, Leier flirted with a point-per-game average (27 goals, 62 points in 64 games) during the regular season and then produced nine goals and 16 points in 21 playoff games.
Unfortunately, Leier was knocked out of the Memorial Cup after suffering a concussion incurred on a dirty hit by Montreal Canadiens prospect Dalton Thrower in a tournament round-robin game against Saskatoon. Leier is now fully recovered.
There is a lot to like about Leier's game. He is a plus skater who possesses decent hockey sense, knowing what to do with or without the puck. Leier is a good forechecker, keeps good stick and body positioning defensively and is capable penalty killer. He competes hard on the ice, and does not let himself get pushed around despite giving up size to many opponents.
Chris Pryor, the Flyers director of scouting, emphasized these traits as the ones that most impress the organization about Leier.
"He has developed into a versatile two-way player the last couple years that can play in various situations and roles. He's strong on his feet, has a good stick and a real good feel for the game. The winning environment in Portland has been an added bonus for his development," said Pryor.
As much as Leier improved from his rookie WHL season to his second campaign, he still has a little further to go before he can be projected as a potential NHL prospect. Basically, in order for Leier to earn a Flyers entry-level contract, he needs to show in 2012-13 that what he did last year did not represent the plateau of his abilities.
Here's why: Although Leier does many things well for a teenage player, he is not off-the-charts in any one area. For instance, while he is an above-average skater, his speed is not quite in the same category as (pre-injury) Eric Wellwood. Undersized players like the 5-foot-11, 180 pound Leier or the similar-sized Wellwood generally need to do one or two things exceptionally well to stand out enough to make it to the NHL.
Leier has a little bit of offensive upside as a potential pro but is nothing special in that regard. Being an above-average offensive player in major junior hockey is much different than being a scoring-line candidate as a pro. Leier boasts decent puck skills, has a quick shot release and is willing to venture into the "greasy" areas to pick up a few goals but his offensive skills are not currently of the quality of someone such as Matt Read.
Remember, though, this is where Leier stands as of today. If he progresses at a similar rate over the course of 2013-14 to how he improved from last summer's Flyers Development Camp to the end of the 2012-13 season, he will likely be signed with time to spare before the organization loses his rights and he'd go back in the 2014 Draft. If he stagnates, I'd put his chances at a contract at no better than 50-50.
None of the Flyers' other 2012 Draftees need to be signed by next June in order for the organization to keep their rights. That's because none are affected by the two-year signing window for all drafted CHL-affiliated players (OHL, WHL or QMJHL).
Third-round pick Shayne Gostisbehere (junior at Union College) and fifth-rounder Reece Willcox (sophomore at Cornell) are playing collegiate hockey and do not need to be signed until the end of their NCAA eligibility. Fourth-rounder Fredric Larsson was drafted out of the Brynäs Gävle system in Sweden and will be playing in the USHL in 2013-14 for the Youngstown Phantoms. Seventh-rounder Valeri Vasiliev will play in the KHL for Spartak Moscow.
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Friday Quick Hits
* Individual game tickets for Flyers games at the Wells Fargo Center this season will go on sale on Sept. 18.
* Today in Flyers History: On this date in 1995, the Flyers traded defenseman Dmitry Yushkevich to the Toronto Maple Leafs. In return,the club received the 1996 first-round pick with which the club selected forward Dainus Zubrus and the 1997 second-rounder that was used on the selection of goaltender Jean-Marc Pelletier.
* Flyers Alumi birthdays today: Jean-Guy Gendron (1934) and Vladimir Malakhov (1968)
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