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FLYERS ANNOUNCE 2015 DEVELOPMENT CAMP SCHEDULE, ROSTER
The Philadelphia Flyers officially announced their 2015 Development Camp schedule and roster on Thursday. Camp runs from July 7th to 12th with all activities taking place at the Skate Zone in Voorhees, with the exception of the annual Trial on Isle (July 8th) in Stone Harbor, NJ.
Although development camp is a far more informal setting than rookie camp in September and does not feature heavy-duty practices, systems work or full-scale scrimmages, it nevertheless is a chance for prospects to work with Flyers coaches and trainers as well as bonding with each other. The camp will conclude with a 3-on-3 tournament on July 12 that is currently scheduled to start at 4:30 p.m. EDT.
The 2015 camp features arguably the most impressive array of NHL prospects the Flyers have assembled in many years. It features the likes of 2015 first-round picks
Ivan Provorov and
Travis Konecny among its first time attendees. Returning players include 2014 first-round pick
Travis Sanheim, 2013 first-round pick
Samuel Morin, Phantoms second-year players
Scott Laughton,
Shayne Gostisbehere Robert Hägg and
Anthony Stolarz as well as 2014 second-round pick
Nicolas Aube-Kubel and emerging Swedish power forward
Oskar Lindblom.
One player of note that is not listed on the roster is
Nick Cousins, although numerous other Phantoms players drafted in 2012 (Laughton, Gostisbehere and Stolarz) are returnees. Another player not attending in unsigned 2010 fifth-round pick
Michael Parks, who played the last four seasons for
Dave Hakstol at the University of North Dakota.
In addition to Provorov and Konecny, all Flyers selections in the 2015 NHL Draft with the exceptions of KHL-contracted players
Mikhail Vorobyov and
Ivan Fedotov will be in attendance. Other first time attendees include
Pavlo (Pavel) Padakin (recently signed to an AHL contract) and unaffiliated invitees
Brett McKenzie,
Luke Philp and
Casey Nelson.
McKenzie is a player whom the Flyers apparently had interest in the latter rounds of the 2015 NHL Draft but who went unselected. The North Bay Battalion (OHL) center is a defensively sound center with good size and skating ability and was ranked 157th overall by ISS and 105th by McKeen's.
Philp, who turns 20 later this month, has twice gone unselected in the NHL Draft. The undersized forward has put up good scoring stats in the WHL for three-plus seasons with Kootenay. Nelson, 22, has been a good puck-moving defenseman at the collegiate level for Minnesota State Mankato.
The full camp roster is
available in PDF format at the Flyers' official website.
The camp's on-ice schedule is as follows (times subject to change):
July 7: Goalies (8-9 a.m.), Forwards (2:00 - 3:15 p.m.), Defensemen (3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m.).
July 8: Trial on the Isle, Stone Harbor, NJ.
July 9: Goalies (8-9 a.m.), Forwards (9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.), Defensemen (10:45 a.m. - noon), Forwards (3:15 p.m. - 4:30 p.m.), Defensemen (4:45 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.).
July 10: Goalies (7:30 a.m. - 8:30 a.m.), Forwards (8:45 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.), Defensemen (10:30 a.m. - noon), Forwards (3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.), Defensemen (5:15 p.m. - 6:30 p.m).
July 11: Goalies (8-9 a.m.), Forwards (9:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m.), Defensemen (10:45 a.m. - noon), Forwards (3:45 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.), Defensemen (5:15 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.).
July 12: Goalies (7:45 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.), Forwards (9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m.), Defensemen (10:30 am to 11:45 a.m), 3-on-3 tourney with all attendees (4:30 p.m to 6:30 p.m.)
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FLYERS SCOUT HEARTY DECONSTRUCTS 2015 DRAFT FOR MCKEEN'S
If you have not already done so, the
recent interview that Flyers QMJHL and crossover scout
Todd Hearty did with McKeen's Hockey head scout and writer
Grant McCagg (himself a former amateur scout for the Montreal Canadiens) on the Flyers' selections and though process throughout the 2015 NHL Draft is a must-read. Among the nuggets of information contained within the article:
* Hearty believes that Provorov has a chance to open eyes even at his first NHL training camp in September.
* The Flyers had Konecny ranked "like 11th" in their internal ratings for the Draft. They also seriously considered
Nick Merkley if they hung on to the 29th overall pick rather than trading up to 24th -- and sacrificing the 29th and 61st picks in the process -- to take Konecny. Ultimately, they felt Konecny has higher upside because he's a superior skater.
* The Flyers had third round pick
Felix Sandström ranked second among all Draft-eligible goaltenders.
* Hearty believes that both Vorobyov and
David Kase were high-value, low-risk picks and said that the Flyers had Vorobyov ranked in second-round range and were surprised when he ultimately was still on the board for them to take in the fourth round. In regard to skating concerns for Vorobyov, Hearty said it is simply a matter of adding a little more strength. This was what happened with 2014 fifth-round draftee Lindblom, who has since added muscle and worked hard on his skating to the point where it is not longer considered a detriment.
* Hearty conceded that fourth-round pick
Samuel Dove-McFalls likely projects as a bottom-six forward if he makes it to the NHL but the organization liked his combination of size, defensive acumen and never-say-die competitiveness. The Flyers gambled that they could wait one more round on Vorobyov since there was a bit of a "KHL factor" question with him as a mid-tier prospect (a group that is more likely to remain in Russia than the most highly touted group).
* Hearty said that the organization's decision to let goaltending scout
Neil Little go three days after the draft was simply part of the hockey business and not a reflection on Little's abilities. Hearty said that Little's goaltender rankings before the draft almost annually corresponded closely to the order in which the goalies actually went over the course of the draft. Additionally, he said that the organization likes all three of the goaltenders it selected in this year's draft with Little taking the lead.
The most likely reason for Little's dismissal is that, with the (still unannounced) hiring of former LA Kings goaltending development overseer
Kim Dillabaugh as the Flyers new goaltending coach, Hextall and Dillabaugh will likely reshape the goaltending drafting and development chain with Hextall's own hire(s). Little had been the de facto developmental coach on a part-time basis in addition to full-time scouting work for the Flyers.
The well-liked Little, who is a classy, bright and hard-working type, will not be retained in any capacity by the organization next season. This would seem to be part of a bigger overall plan related to goaltender drafting and development under Hextall in conjunction with Dillabaugh's work with the NHL goaltenders.
"It's been an adventurous 24 years I was drafted here," former Phantoms/Flyers goaltender Little said via text message. "Hexy just wants to head in a different direction."
Philadelphia Flyers Blogger •NHL.com • 
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