Quick Hits: July 26, 2023
1) Yesterday, the Flyers signed 2022 seventh-round pick Alexis Gendron to an entry-level contract. Gendron, 19, is coming off a breakout season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League in which he caught fire after being traded from the Blainville-Boisbriand Armada (29 GP, 22 G, 12 A, 34 points, minus-3) to the Gatineau Olympiques (34 GP, 33 G, 14 a, 47 points. plus-31). In the playoffs, Gendron added an additional 14 goals and 19 points in 13 games played.
The son of former NHL player and current Flyers amateur scout Martin Gendron, Alexis had a 30-goal season in Blainville-Boisbriand during his Draft-eligible season in 2021-22. He's a late birthday player (born Dec. 3, 2003), so he was not eligible for the 2021 Draft. He'll turn 20 this season but falls under the CHL-AHL rule. As such, if Gendron doesn't make the NHL roster out of training camp (which is unlikely), he wil play his D+2 season in the Quebec League.
2) Episode 4 of Liftoff, the Flyers' offseason docuseries, went live on YouTube yesterday evening. The segment focuses entirely on the 2023 NHL Entry Draft at Bridgestone Arena in Nashville. Most of the episode, unsurprisingly, looks at the selection of Matvei Michkov with the seventh overall pick of the first round. The remainder looks at Oliver Bonk, the selection of goaltenders with back-to-back picks in the second and third rounds, the gamble that Denver Barkey would drop to the latter part of the third round, Cole Knuble, and then the rest of the Flyers' picks. Near the end, Flyers assistant GM Brent Flahr predicts that this year's Draft crop will have a "big impact" on the organization in years to come. On PhiladelphiaFlyers.com today, I have a full recap of the program.
4) Best wishes for a happy retirement go out to Flyers alum Al Hill, who retired this offseason at the age of 68. Unselected in the NHL Amateur Draft, the British Columbia native was signed by legendary Flyers general Keith Allen as a free agent in 1976. Hill would spend most of his pro playing career (1976-77 to 1988-89) in the Flyers organization, including 221 regular season games and 51 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs in the NHL with the Flyers.
Hill was a regular starter in the bottom six for the 1979-80 Flyers team that established a North American pro sports record 35-game unbeaten streak and made a run to Game 6 of the Stanley Cup Final. However, the most famous individual moment of Hill's NHL playing career was his debut game at the Spectrum against the St. Louis Blues on Feb. 14, 1977. On that night, Hill set a still-standing NHL record with five points (two goals, three assists) in his first game in the league. He also notched a Gordie Howe Hat Trick on that night, including a fight with Bob MacMillan.
After his playing days, Hill embarked on careers in coaching and scouting. He had stints as an NHL assistant coach with the New York Rangers in 1992-93 and head coach of the AHL's Binghamton Rangers. In 1998, Hill returned to the Flyers organization as a pro scout. He spent the next 25 seasons (1998-99 to 2022-23) scouting for the team.
5) Reminder: Today is the annual Community Day at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. Stop by from 5:30pm-8pm for free public skating, hockey and skating clinics, prize raffles, the Voorhees police and fire departments, an obstacle course, the Flyers Community Caravan, Flyers Alumni, the Flyers Warriors and the opportunity to meet several current Flyers players. Cam York, Tyson Foerster and Egor Zamula will sign autographs from 6 to 7. For more information, click here.