One of veteran head coach John Tortorella's signatures is his skating-intensive training camps, especially the mentally and physically grueling skating test for all camp participants on the first day of camp. Apart from testing their conditioning levels, the main objective is to push players to their limit, have them bond through the adversity, and challenge the stragglers to dig deeper in their mental reserves to finish.

Last year, by the end of the early morning session, Royals/Phantoms defenseman Mason Millman laid on the floor behind the benched from exhaustion and remained there for quite some time. Others, such Zayde Wisdom and NHL veteran Nicolas Deslauriers were only slightly better off by the end. They finished the challenge, but it was a real struggle. (By the way, I'd expect that Wisdom will be among the most improved on Day One this year, as he seemed to be in excellent condition at Rookie Camp).

Come tomorrow, pucks will hit the ice for the first time in camp. If camp holds to form, battle drills, scrimmages and end-of-practice conditioning skates will be introduced quickly into early-camp practices. Systems work will be incorporated a little later and reinforced as the herd begins to thin and there's a more manageable number of players remaining. Latter camp practices tend to be much more demanding from the technical hockey sense.

Flyers start of camp grouping/team assigments.

Note: There's a better blending this year than last. Last year at the start, there was uneven distribution of vets, NHL bubble guys, young pros prospects, and players who will soon go to juniors or are ECHL/AHL bubble players. pic.twitter.com/y3udAqrLLq

— Bill Meltzer (@billmeltzer) September 21, 2023

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