UPDATE 10:45 AM EDT
Flyers prospect Nick Cousins, along with Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds' teammates Andrew Fritsch and Mark Petaccio will not attend the team's training camp, which opens today. The team
released a statement from general manager Kyle Dubas, stating that the three players have not been suspended by the team but will remain away for the time being to undergo personal counseling.
Cousins faces an Oct. 1 court hearing, stemming from sexual assault charges recently filed against him by Sault Ste. Marie police following an Aug. 25 incident. Fritsch and Petaccio face the same charges.
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Barring a change in policy by the overseeing Svenska Hockeyligan, teams in Sweden's Elitserien will not be allowed to sign locked-out NHL players to temporary contracts. In the meantime, teams at the minor league Hockeyallsvenskan level are debating whether to fall in line or permit such contracts.
According to an
Expressen article yesterday, Allsvenskan clubs are divided on the issue. There is a Flyers-related connection to the story.
The article quotes Maria Andark, the general manager of Södertälje SK, as saying that her team hopes to able to sign Flyers defenseman Nicklas Grossmann and Dallas Stars center Tom Wandell in the the event of a lockout. Both players came up through the SSK junior systems and made their pro debuts with the since-relegated Elitserien team.
One of the most influential teams in Swedish hockey, Djurgårdens IF Stockholm, was relegated from Elitserien to Allsvenskan at the end of last season. DIF has already had discussions with NHL players -- specifically Patric Hörnqvist, Douglas Murray and Niklas Kronwall -- and is said to be pushing for temporary contracts to be allowed.
Hockeyallsvenkan is expected to announce a decision on Tuesday as to whether to follow the Svenska Ishockeyligan decision or go their own way.
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Former Flyers defenseman Freddy Meyer has retired as an active player at age 31 and has
accepted an assistant coaching position with the Manchester Monarchs. Manchester is a Los Angeles Kings affiliate. Ron Hextall serves as the team's general manager, and Mark Morris is its head coach.
Meyer played last season in Sweden for Modo, recording three goals and nine assists in 31 games. Unfortunately, he suffered a concussion in a game against Skellefteå AIK on Dec. 11. The player, who had several previous concussions in his career, experienced ongoing post-concussion symptoms and was unable to play again.
"It is a great honor to be the next Assistant Coach of the Manchester Monarchs and to be part of the Los Angeles Kings organization,” Meyer said in a statement released by the team. "Growing up in New Hampshire and playing youth hockey throughout New England, I look forward to returning to the Granite State and getting my coaching career started."
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