The two-a-day practices for the Phantoms conclude today at the SkateZone in Voorhees. Tomorrow, the team plays an exhibition game there against the Albany Devils. Thereafter, Terry Murray's team will have one practice per day on Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday.
Today's sessions run 9:00 AM to 12:30 PM and 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM. Each of the practice blocks is divided in half between Group A and Group B. The Group A blocks have drawn more spectators, because that group contains four Flyers players (Brayden Schenn, Sean Couturier, Erik Gustafsson and Marc-Andre Bourdon) while Group B has two (Zac Rinaldo and Eric Wellwood).
If I had to take a guess as to what the Phantoms opening night lineup will look like come opening night on Oct. 13, I would think that the lines and defense pairs that Murray has used the first two days of training camp will be relatively close to what the team will feature when the season opens. At this point, I don't think any of the tryout forwards will make the club because of the already-crowded numbers game that will push several players down to Trenton in the ECHL.
Over the first two days of camp, Brayden Schenn has primarily lined up at left wing on a line with Garrett Roe in the middle and Jason Akeson on right wing. I don't know if this line will stay entirely together or if Schenn will end up centering, but I think there's a good chance that Schenn and Akeson (last year's leading scorer on the club) will see a lot of time together.
Sean Couturier has primarily centered Tye McGinn and Matt Ford over the first two days. I really like the work ethic of this line. Couturier, of course, is already a fine two-way NHL player. Yesterday, Couturier was busting it on the 3-on-2 and 3-on-3 drills like he was one of the tryout guys who is just hoping to make the team. Meanwhile both Ford and McGinn are also hard workers. Ford did very well (19 goals, 31 points in 31 games) after coming over to the Phantoms in the deal that sent Kevin Marshall to the Capitals organization. McGinn has been trying to work on his skating and to bring out the power forward elements that made him a successful junior player.
The third forward line in Murray's rotation appears to be fairly well set, with Ben Holmstrom centering Eric Wellwood and Zac Rinaldo. Lots of speed on the wings, good defensive awareness and Rinaldo's feistiness.
Of the aforementioned nine players, I think seven of them are pretty much locks to play in the top nine at the start of the season. McGinn and Roe are very much in competition with some of the others at camp to earn a spot with Schenn or Couturier. Ford and Akeson will play in the top six, but Akeson is going to have to improve his defensive game to stay out of Murray's doghouse.
Tyler Brown also is a lock to make the team. Whether that will be in a fourth line or possibly a third line role remains to be seen. Brown has worked primarily on a line with rookie Andrew Johnston and Shane Harper. Meanwhile, Ian Slater has typically skated with Marcel Noebels and Mike Testwuide. Meanwhile, Harry Zolnierczyk has been on a line with Matt Mangene and Rob Bordson.
The additions of four Flyers forwards will push a corresponding number of players out of the starting lineup. The competition for the remaining roster spots is fierce.
Coming off a strong second half last season, Harper should be in decent position for a spot. Harry Z spent 37 games at the NHL level last year and will be somewhere in the mix as well. I think Testwuide could be in some trouble, and is a candidate to be traded to another organization. Johnston is trying to make a huge step up from junior A to the AHL.
Noebels still has junior eligibility if he does figure to get sufficient ice time in the AHL. The speedy Mangene would definitely have an opening-night starting spot on the Phantoms were it not for the lockout-related numbers crunch.
On the blueline, the Phantoms have used Marc-Andre Bourdon and Erik Gustafsson as a pairing in the first two days of camp. It seems very likely they'll open the season as the top defense tandem. Likewise, Brandon Manning, Danny Syvret and Oliver Lauridsen are virtual locks to make the team and occupy top-five spots in the defensive rotation.
That leaves Blake Kessel, rookie Matt Konan, tough guy Zack Fitzgerald, Cullen Eddy and Connor Goggin (the most impressive of the tryout defensemen, in my opinion) to compete for the one remaining starting job and one or two reserve spots.
In goal, I think rookie Niko Hovinen and veteran Scott Munroe will split time once the season opens, with rookie Cal Heeter opening the year in Trenton. But all three goalies will see time in the upcoming preseason games.
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FLYERS IN EUROPE UPDATES
Ruslan Fedotenko had another massive ice time game (21:28) game for HC Donbass yesterday. Donbass played Spartak played to 0-0 after OT before Spartak won via shootout. Fedotenko is still looking for his first (non-shootout) point of the KHL season.
Wayne Simmonds had an assist yesterday in a lopsided (6-2) loss by Eispiraten to the Landshut Cannibals. The Flyers' power forward has one point in two games to date.
Ilya Bryzgalov and his Pavel Datsyuk-led CSKA Moscow are in action against Evgeni Malkin and Metallurg Magnitogorsk today. It remains to be seen if Bryzgalov or Rastislav Stana (consecutive shutouts) gets the start in goal. A free
webcast of the game is available. Game time is 9 AM eastern. Live text updates will be
available here.
Jakub Voracek and HC Lev Prague will look to bounce back from a couple rough games when they take on Avtomobilist today. There is no webcast for the game but live text updates will be
available here.
Matt Read, who signed yesterday with Allsvenskan team Södertälje SK, is expected to arrive in Sweden in the latter part of this week. He could make his debut over the weekend.
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PROSPECT UPDATES
Scott Laughton was held pointless for the second straight game but teammate Colin Suellentrop recorded a pair of assists in Oshawa's 7-4 win over Brampton. Boone Jenner, Lucas Lessio and Tyler Biggs scored two goals apiece for the victorious Generals.
Nick Cousins' court date is scheduled for today. He scored a goal and added two assists in the Soo Greyhounds' 4-3 win vs. Saginaw on Saturday.
Fredric Larsson recorded his first goal and first assist of the season yesterday in a 7-3 win for the Brynäs J20 team against Mora J20. A full-game rebroadcast of the live stream is available
here for free.
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When HockeyBuzz eventually starts its Ultimate NHL Team season, here are the line combinations I plan to use for the Flyers team selected by the readers.
Bill Barber - Bobby Clarke - Reggie Leach
John LeClair - Eric Lindros - Mark Recchi
Brian Propp - Claude Giroux - Tim Kerr
Simon Gagne - Rod Brind'Amour - Rick Tocchet
Brad McCrimmon - Mark Howe
Chris Pronger - Kimmo Timonen
Jimmy Watson - Eric Desjardins
Bernie Parent
[Ron Hextall]
13th forward: Keith Primeau
7th D-man: Braydon Coburn
Injury callups to roster: Dave Poulin, Rick MacLeish, Bob Dailey, Joe Watson, Pelle Lindbergh
PP1
Kerr - Clarke - Leach
Barber - Howe
PP2
LeClair - Lindros - Propp
Pronger - Desjardins
PK1 (4-man)
Barber- Clarke
McCrimmon-Howe
PK2 (4-man)
Gagne - Brind'Amour
Pronger -Desjardins
PK 3 (3-man)
Clarke
McCrimmon-Howe
PK4 (3-man)
Brind'Amour
Pronger-Desjardins
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