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Training Camp: Day 6 Report |
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Training Camp Report: January 9, 2021
On the next-to-last-day of the Flyers' abbreviated training camp before the start of the 56-game regular season, the team practiced in three groups across the session and worked in more special teams reps at the end. For undisclosed reasons, neither Shayne Gostisbehere nor Wade Allison were available to practice and neither will play in Sunday's inter-squad game at the Wells Fargo Center.
Sunday's morning skate has been moved from the Wells Fargo Center to the Skate Zone in Voorhees, as have game day skates moving forward. Saturday's groups were as follows.
GROUP A LINES
Lindblom - Couturier - Konecny
Giroux - Hayes - Farabee
van Riemsdyk - Patrick - Voracek
Provorov - Braun
Sanheim - Myers
Hägg - Gustafsson
Hart
Elliott
Power play units on Saturday were the same as they were on Friday. Morgan Frost and Travis Sanheim also continued to rotate shifts on the second unit in place of Joel Farabee.
Power play Unit 1: Provorov, Giroux, Couturier, Hayes, Konecny
Power play Unit 2: Gustafsson, Farabee, Patrick, JVR, Voracek
GROUP B LINES (note: Frost back at center)
Raffl - Laughton - Aube-Kubel
Bunnaman - Frost - Sandin
Morin - Andreoff - Twarynski
Zamula -Friedman
Wotherspoon -Prosser
Bigras - Pouliot
Lyon
Sandström
Ross
GROUP C: Foerster, Wisdom, Willman, Wylie.
Transcript: Alain Vigneault
Below is the transcription of head coach Alain Vigneault's post-practice media availability, courtesy of the Flyers' Brian Smith.
In the first year , players seem to buy into a new coach because they are trying to impress you. Do you think that makes the second year more difficult from a coach’s standpoint or is it easier because they know you and know the system?
I think when you have the right people and the right intentions, everybody is looking for direction and looking for a way to win and a plan to win. That is what me and this group is giving these players. The veterans and the younger players that are coming into their own. I think the fact that most of the guys that are back here this year have been with us before here. They understand the culture we are trying to create.
They understand the standards that we want as far as on ice, as far as off ice conditioning and as far as off ice, the way you are supposed to take care of yourself and be a true professional. I believe that we are in good shape. We have gone through all of that in the past. It probably makes it better for us at this point to get quicker to the way we want to play and to get to our system.
Do you have any update on Shayne and if you expect him to play tomorrow?
At this point, he is unavailable just like Allison. That is all I can say about players during training camp that are not at practice.
You haven’t had a lot of practice to get an impression on Erik Gustafsson but what have you seen so far or learned that maybe you hadn’t known about him?
Obviously, he's a new player to a new team and a new organization. For the most part, I have liked what I have seen. I do think as he gets more familiar with the way we want to do things, the way we approach our preparation, our expectations- coaches to players, I think the more he understands, the better he is going to play. It is hard for someone coming in to a new style of play, new emphasis on different things, but he seems like a very good young man. He is very receptive to the things I have told him and Mike Yeo who runs the D has told him. I see that he is picking it up every day and that is what he needs to do if he is going to be an effective player for us.
How important is tomorrow? It seems having that scrimmage scheduled at night helps them get into rhythm. Also, do you think the days of playing 6,7,8 preseason games, do you think these days are over?
I’ll answer your first question. I went through my prior notes in the last shortened season when I was in Vancouver. Both Mikes (Mike Yeo and Michel Therrien] went through their notes. I had talked to some other coaches from some other teams. Everybody has sort of a different approach. This here in the time we had, I thought getting what we consider is a real game is the right thing to do.
By having them skate here tomorrow, and that is what we are going to be doing throughout the season also if we do have morning skate, they are going to be here and not at Wells Fargo. This is because it is easier for testing facilities for us to get tested. So, we have to make a quick adjustment. Initially I wanted everything at Wells Fargo, but because we have to get tested everyday here it is easier. That is why we changed tomorrow. But tomorrow night will be basically the two morning skates and then they will come in at night and play a game. We will have in theory one full game where guys are playing, guys are playing the right way. For us, obviously, we have been evaluating during practice. We have been evaluating during the scrimmages.
But tomorrow is a big night. It is an important night for a lot of players. Not just about starting line-up, but where they are on our depth chart, how we feel we can utilize these guys at some point moving forward. It is important. As far as the exhibition games, I believe, in the past there has been anywhere from 8-10, I thought that was overkill. I think 6 is a great number. I think 4-6 depending on the length of the camp.
Usually a camp is 21 days. It has come from 30 to 21.
Twenty-one; I like 21. Twenty-one with 6 exhibition games when you have around 40 players, we are getting everybody a fair chance. Younger guys, guys who might play in the American league get to see where they are, and you are getting your guys also ready. Usually a veteran player likes to play around 3 games to make sure he is ready to start the season.
Just wanted to clarify about morning skates in Voorhees. Is that because of COVID testing or physical testing?
COVID testing. It is easier for us to get that done here with the company that is doing it. Initially, I wanted everything done over at Wells Fargo, but since it is going to be set up here for days between games, it is easier to get the testing and results, so we are going to be doing that this way.
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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