Quick Hits: September 27, 2021
1) On today's edition of "Flyers Daily", Jason Myrtetus and I discuss the goings on in training camp through four days of practice and one scrimmage. We discuss which players have stood out so far on a daily basis -- Claude Giroux, Oskar Lindblom and Ryan Ellis being three of the most notable -- and what to look for when the six-game exhibition slate begins on Tuesday.
One segment of the program looks at Kevin Hayes' poignant press conference on Friday in which he talked about how some days have been rougher than others as he copes with the sudden passing of his brother, Jimmy, and just how much the support of people like best friend Keith Yandle, Cam Atkinson, and the hockey community as a whole has meant to him from the deepest place in his heart. Being welcomed to remain around the club and attend team meetings while recovering from abdominal muscle surgery takes on deeply personal meaning for Hayes right now and is also beneficial to team unity.
In the opening segment of the show, Jason and I discuss the Flyers Warriors hockey program. The Flyers Warriors, as defending champions from the 2019 USA Hockey Warrior Classic, are the host team for the 2021 national tournament. From Nov. 5 to 7 at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees and Hollydell Ice Arena in Sewell, NJ, the Flyers Warriors teams (Tiers 1, 2 and 3) will take on USA Hockey Warrior program-affiliated teams from across the country. An ever-growing number of NHL teams have followed the Flyers' lead in formally adopting or creating a Warrior team as an official affliate.
The Flyers Warriors now have three full rosters worth of players and, more importantly, have further expanded the off-ice services they provide to players, spouses and families including access to behavioral health services, daycare services for the kids during practice days and a full calendar of team bonding and social events run by the players and the Warrior Wives. Team members participate in charity fundraisers and have forged a very close relationship with the Flyers Alumni Association, both organizationally and in terms of personal friendships.
During the opening segment, I also make mention of the fact that the Flyers Warriors program is just one of the officially Flyers affiliated teams that run under the leadership of Brad Marsh, Rob Baer and Bob "the Hound" Kelly. They also work with the Flyers PowerPlay power wheelchair hockey program (back-to-back North American champions of the U.S. and Canada prior to the pandemic), Philadelphia Flyers Special Hockey and the NHL-affiliated Learn to Play program for younger children. To Marshy, Rob and Hound, "Hockey is for Everyone" isn't just a slogan. They live it and put it into practice every single day.
To listen to the 32-minute podcast,
click here.
2) Team Orange held off a late push from Team Black in Sunday's scrimmage at the Flyers Training Center to skate off with a 4-3 win. Maksim Sushko, Tyson Foerster (power play), Ivan Provorov (power play), Elliot Desnoyers tallied for the winning Team Orange side. Team Black's Max Willman opened the scoring in the game while goals by German Rubtsov and Cam York cut a three-goal deficit to a single goal in the second half. A full report will be posted on the Flyers official website today.
3) Morgan Frost had an uneven day on Sunday, along with his current line with Joel Farabee and James van Riemsdyk. The trio opened camp with a very strong first day of camp. Day two was nothing to write home about from a high-end highlights standpoint (apart from a JVR goal off a little shovel-pass feed from Frost). Day 3 was closer to Day 1.
On the positive side, during power play work on Sunday, Frost (rotating PP2 unit reps with Derick Brassard) bagged a goal from the slot.
On the negative side, the line collectively did not generate much offensive pressure in the scrimmage. In the second half, they had a rough shift that ended up in what ultimately proved to be the winning goal for Team Orange. The highlight clip below shows the most notable part of the sequence, Elliot Desnoyers out-competing Frost along the wall, peeling away from him and beating Frost to the net. Farabee also not have the best of shifts over the extended sequence. Both players were upset with themselves as they went back to the bench.
Overall, though, Frost has looked physically stronger and has fared better in puck battles and close quarters than he did during his rookie 2019-20 season. After practice, Alain Vigneault praised what he's seen from Frost in camp to date. The coach also discussed the line as a whole.
""I'm very happy with what I'm seeing from Frosty. Didn't know what to expect since he didn't play last year. I liked him in rookie camp. He's come here and he's continued it. You see, physically that he's confident and he’s skating well. We worked on the power play prior to the scrimmage. I liked a lot of his decisions on the ice with the puck. Joel and JvR played together last year, quite a few games with different centermen. There's some chemistry there. We'll see moving forward how those guys can do together," Vigneault said.
Vigneault said on Friday that his player assessments, roster decisions and lineup combinations will be based far more on in-game performances during the exhibition slate than on anything in practice drills or scrimmage play.
4) Tyson Foerster has not had any significant issues keeping up with the pace of the NHL camp. There's never been a question about his hands, but he's been a finishing machine in Rookie Camp and when he's in the scoring areas in NHL camp. It's actually been more surprising when he does NOT finish off a prime scoring opportunity (such as the final minute of the second Rookie Game with a chance to tie the score) or at least force the goalie to make a very difficult save than when does succeed.
""I was telling Chuck. I don't want to say surprise because surprise is not the right word. I remember him from last year when he came around Christmas with our group and I saw him skate. I'm looking at him now and there's a definite improvement in his skating, definite improvement in his puck protection. He loves to shoot the puck. That's a great quality to have, especially when you have that release. He's a young player, but we're going to give him a look. He's definitely going to get out there in the exhibition there. See what he can prove and show what he can do for us," Vigneault said.
5) The Flyers have made three roster cuts: J-R Avon, Connor McClennon and Ethan Samson. All three will head back to their junior teams. Avon, an ATO at Rookie Camp, leaves with an entry-level contract.
6) Sept 27 Flyers Alumni birthdays: Frank Bathe (1954), Blair Jones (1986), Daymond Langkow (1976).
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