COULD COUSINS MAKE A RUN AT A REGULAR NHL SPOT?

Of all forwards on Lehigh Valley Phantoms, Nick Cousins took the biggest leap forward of any Phantoms forward during the 2014-15. A summer spent working on his skating and adding muscle helped him adjust to the American Hockey League after a tough rookie season. So did a more concerted commitment to keeping his feet moving in game situations.

"It was a learning experience my first year," Cousins said on April 17. "I think this has been a good year for me but I know I can keep getting better."

Cousins led the Phantoms in scoring (56 points) and assists (34) was one goal behind the now-departed Jason Akeson for the team lead in goal scoring. Cousins, who turned 22 in the latter stages of the 2014-15 season, earned his first NHL recall in the latter stages of the campaign.

Apart from boosting his on-ice production, Cousins greatly improved his work ethic from his rookie year to his second. He practiced better. He paid much more attention to conditioning. Often knocked for his defensive play, Cousins also worked at improving his game away from the puck.

Even more than the statistical leap he took offensively, it was the work ethic improvements that impressed Flyers general manager Ron Hextall and now-former Phantoms coach Terry Murray (now an assistant coach for the Buffalo Sabres). Ultimately, the player earned his first NHL recall.

Late in the season, Cousins dressed in 11 games for the Flyers, mostly in a fourth line role. He played more effectively in his first few games than he did in the latter games, and his ice time dropped correspondingly near the end. Along the way, however, he scored a shootout goal in a road game against the Carolina Hurricanes. Cousins did not record a point in game action for the Flyers but now-former Flyers head coach Craig Berube said that he thought Cousins did well overall.

Above all, Cousins got a preview of the next steps he must to take in his development. He can still further improve his skating, discipline and 200-foot play if he is to seriously push for an NHL spot in the future but took strides across the board over the last year.

In his short career to date, Cousins has had some success during NHL preseason games. With new head coach Dave Hakstol at the helm for the Flyers and Scott Gordon taking over behind the AHL bench in Allentown, Cousins will have a fresh opportunity to prove himself worthy of being moved up to the NHL roster as a regular.

The odds are against him cracking the Flyers' opening night roster. The numbers game works against him barring injuries to veterans, and Cousins will also be in competition with 2012 first-round pick Scott Laughton among others to move up from the AHL to NHL roster. Nevertheless, the 2015-16 season will be a very important one in determining whether Cousins is destined to have a career as an NHL regular with the Flyers. If he continues to improve at the same rate he did last year, Cousins has a shot at a top nine role with the blig club.

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TODAY IN FLYERS HISTORY FROM FlyersAlumni.org

1969: The Flyers sign Andre Lacroix to a two-year contract extension.

1990: New Flyers general manager Russ Farwell announces the hiring of Ken Hitchcock and Craig Hartsburg as assistant coaches under head coach Paul Holmgren.

2000: The Flyers sign Rob Murray as a free agent.

2003: The Flyers sign Randy Jones, Mark Murphy and Mike Peluso as free agents.

2009: The Flyers sign Marc-Andre Bourdon to an entry-level contract.

ALUM BIRTHDAY

Swedish goaltender Johan Backlund was born in Skellefteå on July 24, 1981. Backlund made his NHL debut for the Flyers in a road game against the Pittsburgh Penguins on March 27, 2010. Unfortunately, suffered a groin pull and had to leave the game after the second period. Backlund's only other on-ice appearance in a Flyers uniform came in the waning minutes of Game 3 of the 2010 Eastern Conference Final against Boston.

With the Flyers trailing 3-1 late in the third period, Flyers coach Peter Laviolette sent Backlund into the net in replacement of Brian Boucher in order to give the Flyers players on the ice a brief respite while Backlund slowly put on his gloves and mask, retrieved a stick and skated out to the crease. At his first opportunity, Backlund returned to the bench for an extra attacker. The Bruins scored an empty net goal to seal a 4-1 win.

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FLYERS ALUMNI FANTASY HOCKEY CAMP



The Flyers Alumni will host a fantasy hockey camp from August 21-24 in Atlantic City, open to anyone age 21 and older. Instructors and Alumni participants will include Bernie Parent, Brian Propp, Ian Laperriere, Todd Fedoruk, Andre "Moose" Dupont, Dave "the Hammer" Schultz, Joe Watson and Bob "the Hound" Kelly.

Participation costs $3,000 apiece and you can register a spot online. Over on the Flyers' Alumni website, there is more information on camp-related activities and on-ice schedules.