Quick Hits: August 29, 2018
1) The start of Flyers' rookie camp is just 12 days away. Since the question has been asked a few times whether Flyers 2018 first-round picks Joel Farabee and Jay O'Brien will be at camp and participating in the Rookies Game on Sept. 12, some explanation is in order.
No active NCAA players are eligible to participate in NHL training camps. This is for two reasons: 1) Maintaining amateur eligibility under NCAA rules, 2) The collegiate fall semester is underway before the start of NHL camps. Note: In order to keep their NCAA eligibility, the collegiate (or college-committed) players who attend NHL Development camps in July must do so at their own expense to be compliant with NCAA rules.
As soon as a collegiate player signs an NHL entry-level contract or a minor league deal, he forfeits the rest of his NCAA hockey eligibility. Thus, the first time that we see Farabee, O'Brien, Wade Allison or Tanner Laczynski in a September camp with the Flyers will be after they are under NHL contract.
2) ESPN's John Buccigross listed Western Michigan junior Allison and Ohio State junior Laczynski among his six preseason favorites to contend for the Hobey Baker Award in 2018-19. The others: Quinn Hughes (Michigan sophomore defenseman, Canucks prospect), Ryan Kufner (Princeton senior forward, undrafted), Scott Perunovich (Minnesota-Duluth sophomore defenseman, Blues prospect), Max Veronneau (Princeton senior forward, undrafted).
Among other players not named by Buccigross who could be in the Hobey Baker mix, two o fht most prominent candidates are UMass-Amherst sophomore defenseman Cale Makar (Colorado Avalanche 2017 first-round pick) and St. Cloud State junior forward Ryan Poehling (Montreal Canadiens' 2017 first-round pick).
3) Between Boston University's Farabee, Providence College's O'Brien, Minnesota-Duluth's Noah Cates and Yale's Jack St. Ivany(all incoming freshmen), Wisconsin sophomore defenseman Wyatt Kalynuk and juniors Allison and Laczynski, it could easily be argued that the Flyers have their best-ever crop of collegiate prospects simultaneously playing at that level. Additionally, there is system depth and some upside with incoming North Dakota freshman Gavin Hain.
The jury is out on whether junior goalie Matej Tomek gets back on track after stepping back to the USHL for one season and transferring from North Dakota to Nebraska-Omaha. The Flyers own the NHL rights to Michigan senior Brendan Warren but he appears unlikely at present to be offered an NHL or AHL contract barring a huge season.
4) August 29 Flyers Alumni birthdays: Mike Murray (1966), Doug Sulliman (1959), Tim Tookey (1960).