|
Quick Hits: Tue Presser, Huffman to PIT, Scouting Process and More |
|
|
|
|
|
Quick Hits: July 13, 2021
1) At 11 a.m. ET today, Flyers general manager Chuck Fletcher and assistant general manager will hold a press conference at the Skate Zone in Voorhees to discuss the upcoming Expansion Draft and the 2021 NHL Entry Draft. We will have a "5 Takeways" article tomorrow on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com and I will post the transcript here on HockeyBuzz.
2) The Pittsburgh Penguins have hired Kerry Huffman as a pro scout, where he will work for general manager Ron Hextall and player personnel director Chris Pryor. Huffman, 53, recently stepped down as Lehigh Valley Phantoms assistant coach.
The decision was one of Huffman's own choosing, as he was seeking a new career challenge within the game after being an NHL player, a player agent, and an AHL assistant and interim head coach. It was announced the same day as the organizational decision not to retain Scott Gordon as Phantoms' head coach. New Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere and the Flyers organization have yet to finalize a decision on one or more new assistants.
On Monday, the Penguins also announced that former Phantoms player and Flyers development coach Brett Hextall (Ron's son) has been hired for Pittsburgh's development staff. The organization has additionally hired former Phantoms player Matt Mangene as an amateur free agent scout. The 32-year-old Mangene recently retired from his active playing career after spending the 2020-21 season in Austria. An offensive defenseman and winger at the University of Maine, Mangene was signed by the Flyers as a free agent on April 2, 2012. He spent two-plus seasons with the Phantoms before he was traded to the Islanders as part of the deal that brought Andrew MacDonald to Philadelphia.
3) When Jay Greenberg wrote his vastly underrated Flyers at 50 book, he characteristically compiled far more voluminous information and anecdotes -- both on-the-record and off-the-record -- than he could ever use. Some of my favorite stories centered around the process by which certain players were scouted and ultimately drafted as well as whom else the team might have drafted instead.
For example, despite reports that the Flyers only drafted Claude Giroux with the 22nd overall pick in 2006 because the Rangers had just selected Bobby Sanguinetti, the Flyers always had Giroux ahead of Sanguinetti on their list and would have taken Giroux even if both players were available. Next up on the Flyers' internal rankings was Swedish center Patrik Berglund, and there had been some discussion as to whether to select the undersized Giroux or the 6-foot-3, 205 pound Berglund.
Ultlmately, the Flyers' scouts and assistant general manager Paul Holmgen (who oversaw scouting operations for general manager Bob Clarke, as Clarke did not particularly enjoy doing amateur scouting and preferred to delegate that particularly responsibility to his scouts, in whom he had complete trust). During their interview for that portion of the book, Jay asked Homer why Clarkie wasn't a big fan of amateur scouting trips during Flyers' schedule breaks.
With his typical dry sense of humor, Holmgren joked, "Because you can't get a f-in' tan in Moose Jaw, Jay."
Another anecdote, leading up the 1998 NHL Draft, the Flyers had Simon Gagne ranked 8th on their overall rankings pre-Draft per longtime scout Simon Nolet (Giroux was about 15th on Philly's rankings and the top remaining name when pick no. 22 came up). The Flyers were thrilled that Gagne was still on the board at No. 22 overall, and a unanimous pick in that spot.
However, earlier in the 1997-98 Draft cycle, after Nolet filed very positive reports on Gagne and the crossover scouts went to watch him for the first time, the player disappointed.
"Simon liked him. John Chapman and I saw Gagne play one night and it was real bad night for him. I talked to Nolet afterwards and said, 'Simon, this guy didn't get off the bus tonight.' Quebec lost something like 5-0 and Gagne didn't stand out at all. But Simon said, 'I'm telling you, Dennis, he can play. One of the best guys we could get this year." So I said don't worry about it and we'll catch him again. We came back later and saw what we needed to see. He was the best player on the ice. But even if we hadn't seen him again, we'd probably have been behind taking Gagne, anyway, because that's how much we trust Simon Nolet and he had a strong feeling that Gagne can play. That's where the trust comes in. You go back to give some backup to the guy, keep an open mind and give it another shot," longtime Flyers scout Dennis Patterson said to Greenberg.
3) Thank you to Zack Hill for passing this announcement along: The 2021 USA Hockey Sled Select Camp will be held July 11-16 at the Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, New Jersey. The six-day camp will feature over 60 athletes, both male and female, and will include daily practices and games. All attendees are nominated and then selected to participate by the Player Development Committee.
Each year, the sled player development camp serves to identify, train and educate the top sled hockey athletes in the United States. Players attending the camp are evaluated for possible selection to the U.S. Development Sled Hockey Team, which will compete in various national and international events in the 2021-22 season.
David Hoff (Bottineau, N.D.), head coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, and Corey Gorder (Bottineau, N.D.), assistant coach of the U.S. National Sled Hockey Team, will serve as co-head coaches for the sled select camp.
4) July 13 Flyers Alumni birthdays: Bill Collins (1943), Andreas Lilja (1975),Mika Pyörälä (1981), Sabol (1966).
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
Join the Discussion:
»