QUICK HITS: SEPTEMBER 2, 2016
1. Yesterday, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms announced the signing of 25-year-old center Corban Knight to an AHL contract for the 2016-17 season. Knight, who played for Dave Hakstol at the University of North Dakota, played 20 games in the NHL last season for the Florida Panthers.
Although he managed a respectable seven points for the Panthers last season (two goals, five assists) in relatively limited ice time, he is more of a serviceable bottom six role player than a scorer. Knight is a good forechecker and defensively responsible.
It is not out of the realm of possibility that Knight could play his way into an NHL two-way contract with the Flyers (ala Chris Vanvelde in 2013-14 after being initially signed to an AHL deal) at some point. However, there is a lot of competition and steep odds entering camp.
On an AHL contract, the Flyers don't have worry about waivers and don't have to use up a spot on the contract reserve list. Knight could bring some much-needed size (6-foot-2, 200 pounds) and a good all-around game to Scott Gordon's team.
2. Flyers Trivia Question: Can you name the only player in Flyers history who later went on to become an NHL referee?
3. The Flyers announced their
local broadcast schedule for the 2016-17 campaign. Overall, the Flyers will have 70 of their 82 games televised locally in the Philadelphia market (58 on Comcast SportsNet, and 12 on The Comcast Network). The remaining 12 games will be national telecasts, (nine on NBC Sports Network and three on NBC).
Additionally, the Flyers announced start time changes for five games originally scheduled for 7 p.m. that are moving to 7:30 p.m. to accommodate national broadcasts or the Philadelphia 76ers. The games are as follows: Oct. 25 vs. BUF, Nov. 27 vs. CGY, Nov. 29 vs. BOS, Mar. 7 at BUF, and Mar. 19 vs. CAR.
4. Over the Flyers official site, I wrote a 50-season history of
changes to the Flyers' uniform. The article does not include the addition/deletion of commemorative or memorial patches or the leaguewide changes in 1970-71 for all teams to wear their light colored uniforms at home and the return in 2003-04 to teams wearing their darker uniforms at home. Having grown up with the Flyers wearing white at home (I was born in 1970), I wasn't a big fan of the switch back to the pre-1970 system of dark at home and white on the road. I've long since gotten used to it, though.
5. September 2: Flyers Alumni Birthdays -- Michel Belhumeur (1949) , Paul Guay (1963), Petr Hubacek (1979), Mike Peluso (1974). Poor Belhumeur, who was selected from the Flyers by the Washington Capitals in the 1974 NHL Expansion Draft, had the misfortune of going from being blocked on the Stanley Cup champs to playing for one of the worst teams in NHL history. Over a two-season span in Washington, the beleaguered Belhumeur went 0-29-4.
6. Trivia answer: Rugged forward Kevin Maguire played briefly for the Flyers late in the 1989-90 season along with a 1990 second-round pick (Mikael Renberg) in the deal that sent tough defenseman Jay Wells to the Sabres. Later, he became an NHL referee in late 1990s to early 2000s.
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