Quick Hits: June 23, 2023
1) Yesterday, general manager Danny Briere and assistant general manager Brent Flahr held a pre-Draft press conference at FTC in Voorhees. A "Five Takeaways" article with key points, notable quotes and full video is now live on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com.
2) On the official Flyers website, Brian Smith and I have been doing a series of articles on Draft prospects this year. We've covered 17 thus far between already posted and yet-to-post articles, counting both individual profiles and combined features. Some articles are in the News section of the site and some are also in the Flyers 2023 Draft Central microsite that has been created. In the days to come before the Draft, we'll have various features to add to the coverage and all profiles should be available there as well. We're aiming for about 25 to 30 profiles by June 28.
3) The most recent article in the aforementioned series looks at three top Russian prospects (beyond Matvei Michkov), who are potential first-round picks and whose ultimate selection spot could shake up the Draft board a bit: towering and highly skilled winger Daniil But, huge and mobile defenseman Dmitri Simashev and smallish but extremely fast offensive defenseman Mikhail Gulyayev. To read the article, click here.
4) An in-depth profile of Swedish defenseman Tom Willander, whose rankings rose with a bullet in the second half of the 2022-23 season to the point where Craig Button has the blueliner in his top 10, also went live on the official site today: click here.
5) Yesterday, the Flyers hosted nearly 150 kids ages 3-9 for the club’s annual Flyers Learn to Play Ball Hockey graduation. The ceremony was held in Blackwood, NJ, at the Marge Martin Sports Complex.
Joining in the celebration were Phantoms/Flyers players Tyson Foerster, Elliot Desnoyers, D+2 prospect Alexis Gendron, Flyers Alumni Association representatives Bob Kelly and Brad Marsh, and team mascot Gritty.
In addition to clinics and scrimmages, the graduation event included Flyers inflatables, games, and giveaways for all participants. The Learn to Play ball hockey program runs under the auspices of Rob Baer, the Flyers' director of amateur and youth hockey programs.
As part of continued efforts to introduce young boys and girls throughout the region to the sport of hockey, the Philadelphia Flyers hosts the ‘Learn to Play’ Ball Hockey program for kids ages 3-9 each spring. This spring, the program introduced 400+ children to the sport across seven different locations, the largest participation in the program’s three-year history.
‘Learn to Play’, traditionally an ice hockey program, continues to make the game more accessible, convenient, and affordable for families across the Greater Philadelphia region. The six-week-long program costs just $35 and each participant receives their own Flyers-branded equipment, including a street hockey stick, ball, and reversible pinnie.