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Quick Hits: October 14, 2021
1) Two days after submitting their season opening roster to the NHL, the Flyers claimed 26-year-old right winger Zack MacEwen off waivers from the Vancouver Canucks. Once a high-scoring junior power forward who posted 22 goals and 52 points in 69 games during his second pro year in the AHL, MacEwen is pretty exclusively a fourth liner at the NHL level. He is strong on the walls, a good forechecker and bring size and toughness to the lower end of the lineup. He's had nine fights in 55 career NHL games, while posting six goals and nine points in limited (less than nine minute per game on average) ice time. MacEwen was originally a center.
2) In order to accommodate on the salary cap the addition of MacEwen to the roster, the Flyers have placed Kevin Hayes on long-time injured reserve. Hayes is still likely to miss the first nine or 10 games of the regular season. After he exits LTIR, the Flyers will have other decisions to make. The Flyers are also now at the 50 NHL contract maximum.
3) Claimed off waivers on Monday from the Vegas Golden Knights on Monday, center/winger Patrick Brown will join the Flyers on the ice for practice on Thursday. In a Zoom session with the media on Wednesday, Brown said he's comfortable at any forward position. He described himself as a gritty, high-energy player. As has been much reported already, Brown played four college seasons at Boston College together with Hayes. Additionally, Hayes and Brown were teammates with Cam Atkinson during their freshman year and Atkinson's final collegiate season.
4) At practice on Thursday, all eyes will looking to see whether Ryan Ellis (lower-body issue) and/or Rasmus Ristolainen (upper-body issue) practice. The Flyers had an off-ice day on Wednesday. Ellis and Ristolainen took maintenance days on Saturday, Sunday and, after a teamwide off-day on Monday on Tuesday.
5) The Lehigh Valley Phantoms ended the preseason with a 1-3-0 record following a flat performance in a 3-0 home shutout loss to Hershey at the PPL Center on Wednesday. The Phantoms went 0-for-7 on the power play and mustered a meager 14 shots for the game. Lehigh Valley thought they'd scored a power play goal on their first man advantage of the game on a shot by Isaac Ratcliffe (off a set-up by Morgan Frost and Cam York) that was called a goal on the after the shot from the left side went off the post and along the goal line. Replays showed it never crossed the line.
Entering the third period trailing 1-0 after generating very little attack in the middle frame, the Phantoms had several additional power play chances but couldn't cash in on any of them. That proved fatal as Hershey scored right after the Phantoms' sixth unsuccessful power play of the game.
The regular season will start on Sunday.
6) Current Flyers forward Wade Allison, who is out indefinitely with a right high ankle sprain suffered in the second Rookies Game against the New York Islanders, celebrates his 24th birthday today.
7) Oct. 14 Flyers Alum birthday: Happy birthday to Flyers Hall of Fame enforcer Dave "the Hammer" Schultz
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