Quick Hits: April 11, 2022
1) The Flyers will hold an 11 a.m. EDT practice on Monday at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees. On Tuesday, the team will visit the Washington Capitals at the Capital One Arena on Tuesday before hosting the New York Rangers at the Wells Fargo Center the next night.
2) Yesterday, the Flyers announced that Hayden Hodgson has been reassigned to the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms after dressing in Saturday's game against Anaheim with Joel Farabee unavailable due to the flu. Farabee's availability to play in Washington will become clearer based in whether he's feeling up to practicing or has been off the ice entirely for three days.
3) As expected, the Flyers have signed their top recently drafted forward prospect -- 2019 second-round pick Bobby Brink -- to an entry-level contract. The deal will begin immediately, and the first season of the three-year deal will burn as soon as he makes his impending NHL debut (standard procedure leaguewide nowadays for getting collegiate players to sign). It's been quite a weekend of Brink, who was a Hobey Baker Award finalist this season, a first-time NCAA All-American (a shoo-in for it as the nation's leading scorer), and whose University of Denver Pioneers team won the national championship on Saturday evening. One day later, he signed his first pro contract.
4) Last night, Jason Myretetus and I recorded a two-part "Ask Billy" edition of the Flyers Daily Podcast. We discussed why Saturday's game against Anaheim was basically a 60-minute microcosm of the 2021-22 Flyers season and why those sorts of schizophrenic performances need to be largely eliminated as a characteristic of the hockey team moving forward. We then turned to listener questions. In Part 1 of the Ask Billy segment, we discussed young player assessments (Owen Tippett, Cam York, Noah Cates and Morgan Frost), head coach candidates and importance of deciding first and foremost what the organization WANTS its identity to be before hiring a head coach and making roster changes in the offseason.
To listen to the podcast, click here.
5) The Lehigh Valley Phantoms dropped a virtual must-win road game on Sunday against the Bridgeport Islanders by a 4-2 count. A 42-save performance by veteran goalie Cory Schneider, along with three hit goalposts by the Phantoms -- most notably, a would-be slam dunk goal for Wade Allison that the power forward prospect put off the post rather than in the net -- loomed large in the outcome. Trailing by scores of 2-0 and 3-1 in the third period, the Phantoms twice drew back within a goal but shorthanded (Kyle McLean) and empty-net (Simon Holmström) goals ended any hope of getting points from the game. Adam Johnson and Brennan Mennell scored in a losing cause for Ian Laperriere's club. The Phantoms visit the Providence Bruins on Monday.
6) Yesterday, I took my nephew, Matthew Sherman, to the Phillies vs. A's game at Citizens Bank Park. By happenstance, I ran into Flyers Hall of Famer Joe Watson as we were walking up to the entrance gate. Joe was there with some friends visiting from British Columbia. It's been a busy last week for Joe, who did a fundraising walk at Ridley Creek Park on behalf of the Flyers Alumni's Run, Walk and Stroll for the Flyers Warriors and the Doylestown YMCA's Veterans Wellness Initiative. On Saturday, Joe and his brother, fellow Flyers Hall of Fame defenseman Jimmy Watson were the grand marshals of the annual Doo Dah Parade in Ocean City.
Jimmy and I had a great time as the Grand Marshals of the Doo Dah parade in Ocean City. Met lots of nice people and had a lot of fun.
— Joe Watson Official (@JoeWatsonHockey) April 11, 2022
Thank you, @CindyWeb94! pic.twitter.com/6gCsdESaaj
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Reminder: Flyers Alumni Walk, Run & Stroll
The Flyers Alumni's Walk/Run/Stroll event at Washington's Crossing State Park will take place on Saturday at Washington's Crossing Historic Park in Bucks County. There will be 1k, 5k, and 10k courses and an appearance by the Marbleheaders; a Revolutionary War re-enactment and education troupe geared toward family-friendly events. All proceeds benefit the Flyers Warriors program along with the YMCA of Bucks County's Veterans Wellness Initiative.
Participating Flyers Alumni at Washington's Crossing include Brad Marsh, Bob Kelly, John LeClair, Mark Howe, Paul Holmgren, Dave Schultz and more.
Can't make it to Washington's Crossing on the 23rd but want to participate some other way? One option is to participate in a virtual/remote walk (either your own, or one organized by someone else). Several Flyers Alumni who either live outside the Delaware Valley or will be traveling out of the area on the 23rd will be doing their own remote walks for the cause.
Another option: Make a donation to the event.
Fundraising is NOT required in order to participate. However, there are some pretty cool incentives for participants who also raise funds. The top level ($1,000 raised) includes a private meet-and-greet event with the Flyers Alumni in the brand-new Alumni Lounge at the Wells Fargo Center plus a pair of tickets for the April 29 season finale against the Ottawa Senators.
In order to register for the event -- and for complete details on the courses, participation options and fundraising incentives -- visit the Flyers Alumni Walk, Run, Stroll official website.