Off-Ice Day in Training Camp

Today is the lone off-ice day in the Flyers' abbreviated training camp. The first three days of practice have been largely systems work devoted to defensive-zone responsibilities (Monday), offensive zone play (Tuesday) and the neutral zone (Wednesday), followed by scrimmages 30 minutes on Monday, 40 minutes in two halves on Tuesday, 50 minutes in two halves on Wednesday) and then a shootout practice.

The first special teams work is likely to come on Friday and continue over the weekend. One day will emphasize power play and the next will stress the PK personnel (you can instantly tell which is the emphasis based on whether all-situations players like Sean Couturier and Ivan Provorov are playing PP or PK roles on the ice).

Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault said the shootout practices will be part of the end of practice right up to opening night. With an all-divisional schedule, winning shootouts will be even more important than normal. Those skill competition bonus points could make a difference in the standings come the end of the 56-game schedule.

Following are some notes through the first three days of on-ice work:

* Nolan Patrick has looked outstanding in camp so far; confident with the puck, physically engaged, making plays. Sooner or later, we were going to get the first test where he got hit. Yesterday, it came about in accidental way and from the last player you'd want to see collide heavily with Patrick: Samuel Morin. Thankfully, Patrick got back up and, after collecting himself for a bit at the end of the bench, he got ready for his next shift and was fine thereafter. It would have been a nervous moment had it been any player, because the gargantuan Morin accidentally freight-trained his own scrimmage teammate on an attempted bodycheck, but no harm was done.

Patrick has yet to score a goal in the scrimmages, but that's meaningless right now. He's right in the thick of the play and making things happen with his skill and size. If he carries that into the season and stays healthy, he'll be just fine. Patrick scored a snazzy "reverse Forsberg" goal in Wednesday's shootout.

* Last season, for the first 20-some games, the Flyers' best line (and the only one that wasn't mixed around much) was the trio of Oskar Lindblom, Sean Couturier and Travis Konecny. They were together as a line on Day 3 of camp. I'd personally love to see them start the regular season together.

Specific to the scrimmage on Day 3, both Lindblom and Couturier were repeatedly noticeable (as one would expect) for their effectiveness on both sides of the puck. Lindblom also bagged a goal on a nicely placed shot from a tough angle in the left circle, beating Carter Hart. Konecny had his moments but was faily quiet on the day. Apart from scoring a goal on Day 2, it's been a fairly mundane camp overall for Konecny, but he's an established NHLer by this point. Despite his playoff struggles in the Bubble, there's no cause for alarm. Konecny isn't lighting it up so far in camp, but he isn't playing poorly either.

* The competitiveness and physicality of the Day 2 scrimmage was higher than the first day, and Day 3 was significantly higher than Day 2. If you had to cite one particular player who drove the competitiveness higher, it would be Claude Giroux. The Flyers' captain, apart from making things happen with the puck, also was chirping, slashing and generally getting under the skin of Team Black's players.

* I am sure he has his reasons for waiting, but I find it interesting that Vigneault has yet to pair Phil Myers with Ivan Provorov at practice through the first three days. On Wednesday, Myers was back with longtime partner Travis Sanheim while Shayne Gostisbehere got his first look up top with Provorov since former coaches Dave Hakstol and Gord Murphy split up the duo with Gostisbehere struggling early in the 2018-19 season (Provorov-Gostisbehere was a regular pairing in the second half of 2017-18).

I suspect that Myers will be with Provorov by Saturday. Vigneault has said that combos will change again late in camp. He indicated before the start of camp that Myers will get a look with Provorov before the season. On Day 1, Provorov was with Justin Braun. On Day 2, he skated with Mark Friedman. Myers was with Gostisbehere on Day 1 and Egor Zamula on Day 2.

* Erik Gustafsson played right defense on Days 1 and 3 of camp (paired with countryman and good friend Robert Hägg) and left defense and Day (paired with Braun). He was particularly active during the Day 3 scrimmage, attempting multiple stretch passes with mixed success. "Gus" scored a goal on Day 2 on a shot through some traffic. He bagged a couple shootout practice goals on Day 3. In terms of the drills, he moves the puck efficiently as advertised. Defensively, he hasn't had any major issues yet.

* Egor Zamula is a long shot to make the NHL roster given his tender age and need to gain some pro experience. Nonetheless, the fact that he was assigned to the NHL roster dominated Group A practice on Day 3 and was paired with Myers in Group B on Tuesday speaks volumes about how high the organization is on his upside.

Zamula's camp has been similar to the previous ones in which he's participated, including the pre-Bubble camp in July (which earned him a trip to Toronto with the team to play in the exhibition game win against Pittsburgh and a Black Aces spot thereafter). He is very smooth and poised for such a young defenseman. He is mobile and gets the puck to the forwards effectively with accurate first passes.

The young Russian defenseman still needs to get stronger physically (he remains rail-thin although perhaps he added a couple pounds). Like most young puck-movers, he isn't immune from the odd mistake with the puck; hanging on a little too long or getting an outlet try picked off. Overall, though, Zamula is clearly a bonafide NHL prospect and he's getting a long look with guys who will be on the NHL roster.

* Morin had a pretty good first day of camp on left wing, all things considered, and then (by his own admission) struggled on Day 2. He is still trying to get his conditioning back after missing two and three-quarters seasons; not to mention the demands of making a positional switch and learning how to play wing. On Day 3, Morin was extremely energetic and dowright ornery. He tried to hit everything in sight. Collision with Patrick notwithstanding, he connected on some and missed on others. At one earlier juncture of the Day 3 practice, Morin didn't like something Zamula did and Morin gave him a retaliatory slash before skating away.

Morin's exuberance sometimes pushes the envelope -- not just penalty wise, but hockey situation wide. He's still a bit of a risk-taker on the ice; something that his development coaches, AHL coaches Scott Gordon and Kerry Huffman and, now, his NHL coaches have worked with him on toning down a notch. Mostly, it's on the physical side of the game (not going for the big hit if it isn't there), but sometimes it's with the puck.

Morin himself is well aware himself that the simpler he plays, the better. He voluntarily recites the mantra in virtually every interview. But there are still times where he tries low-percentage plays with or without the puck. Sometimes he gets away with it, sometimes he doesn't.

Morin has had a couple of bad turnovers in the scrimmages, but he's also actually sprung a teammate on a breakaway and, in practice, put a cross-ice pass through two defenders for a point-blank chance. Morin has also made some good plays at practice, and potted rebound goals in drills on Day 1 and Day 2. He wouldn't be in the lineup to score, but he's NOT devoid of some skills.

It's been a mixed bag so far, but the player's work ethic is impeccable and his energy is infectious. As Morin himself says, he's at his best when he's a mean S.O.B. on the ice. As soon as he exits, he's smiling and bubbly. Right now especially, he's having a ball being back on the ice. He just has channel that energy a little more judiciously. In terms of the technical adjustments to wing, he can make those but it won't come overnight.

* Charlie O'Connor commented on Day 2 of camp, and I agree with him, that Morgan Frost has been excellent in drills but he was fairly invisible in the scrimmages minus an isolated play here or there (such as turning Phantoms rookie Wyatte Wylie inside out on Day 2). I'd say the same largely has applied offensively to Joel Farabee, too, but Farabee has been quietly solid (per usual) in his off-puck play. On Day 2, the trio of Frost, Farabee and James van Riemsdyk showed chemistry in the practice portion but it didn't really carry over much to the scrimmage.

The keys to Frost earning a long-term NHL callup are all tied to these areas: Is he getting regular puck touches? Is he protecting the puck well or getting taken right off it? Is he creating scoring chances? Is he playing with pace (the difference between being capable of skating fast and actually PLAYING fast)? Is his winning battles when defenders challenge? Is his off-puck game improving now that he's playing at a level where he can't expect his line to control the puck the vast majority of the time?

In drills, Frost has been making some really nice and encouraging plays. It's not just sequences like one on the first day when he deked and scored on goalie Brian Elliott at one end and then turnstiled Gostisbehere on the back end of the same rep. He's also making some subtler plays well, holding his own against checkers and making improved reads.

Frost discussed these adjustments in his media availability on Wednesday -- the transcript is below. But if he's to seriously challenge to come up to the big team early in the season and stay there, he needs to be more of a difference-maker in the remaining scrimmages. Frost's Day 3 scrimmage got off to a rocky start as he took a completely needless icing from easily a stride-and-a-half behind the red line.

Thereafter, he actually had a decent day despite not being involved in any significant scoring chances on the set up or shooting side. He had more puck touches, at least, and he battled hard and generally effectively in the defensive zone while Scott Laughton's line had possession.

Frost's most notable moment on Day 3 came as he shielded the puck and momentarily worked it past veteran NHLer Braun. A moment later, Braun plastered Frost into the boards, but the young center popped back up and had a good shift. It's not all about the scoring chances and points. These are also the kinds of things the coaches look at and want to see Frost do against NHL-grade players. Wednesday was a step forward in Frost's overall performance but it would still be ideal if he were to stand out offensively in the last scrimmages, because the skill game is his bread and butter.

On Wednesday, Frost took a few reps at left wing, although primarily remained at center. Connor Bunnaman, who can play either position, switched off with him (most notably to start the scrimmage on their first shift). Frost is still mostly used at center, but a switch to wing at least temporarily could be his ticket to a quicker NHL arrival on more than a short-term basis. Frost also addressed that topic in his media availability. So did Vigneault.

Frost Transcript

Courtesy of the Flyers' Brian Smith, here is the transcript of Morgan Frost's media availability on Wednesday.

A lot hasn’t been decided, do you think it is more beneficial if you are on the taxi squad here or to be with the Phantoms if that was a choice?

I don’t know. That is kind of out of my hands. I am here to try to make the Flyers and if that doesn’t happen, we will see what management and coaches decide. My goal is to make the Flyers, so that is all that is on my mind right now.

Are you feeling a little stronger on the puck and puck battles in practice? It seems that way from up here and can you walk us through what your off season was like?

I think for sure. Even just having a year under my belt, just the comfortability of knowing what to expect in camp and playing with some of these guys before, I feel stronger and faster and more comfortable. The off season was good. I think I worked hard. I tried to keep my weight at a point where I liked it and just get stronger and faster. I prepared myself well for the season and I feel good out here.

Obviously, it is early, but it going to be a quick camp so it’s not that early. What is your self-evaluation of how you have performed thus for in camp?

I don’t think anything too spectacular, but I like the way I’ve competed. I think I’m moving my feet well. I think the thing for me is to just focus on some of the little details and hopefully the offense will come. I am just trying to focus on being a 200 ft player and the details that the coaches share with us before practice. I think I can do some things offensively, but if I can contribute in other ways it will give me a better chance to make the team.

I think a lot of people were surprised when Sam Morin moved to wing. At this point do you think there is an advocacy piece that you have to do to have that on the coach’s radar on your willingness to play the wing if that’s your fast track to get to the NHL?

I am comfortable with trying to play whatever position they want me to play. I think I’ve obviously played center for most of my life, but I can adapt to wing and whatever gives me a chance to play for this team, I am willing to learn and do. It doesn’t really matter to me. I am just trying to go out there and do my best and work as hard as I can and whatever position that falls under is fine with me.

A guy like Claude Giroux is such a lead by example guy. What do you see from him just as you watch him and get to be around him up close?

I think you just see how competitive he is. He is a great leader. He is good with us young guys. I’ve always loved watching him play and it is really cool to see him in person and up close and just try to learn from things he does on the ice. He is such a skilled player and at the same time, he works so hard at both ends. Like I said, he is really competitive and if I can model some parts of my game after him, I think that’s a really good thing.

So far at camp you have still been playing center and I’m sure you look at the depth chart and see the top four centers being Couturier, Hayes, Nolan Patrick and Scott Laughton. When you look at that, I’m sure you understand it’s something of a numbers game. How do you keep yourself motivated of having a chance of making the team when you see that and see it might be pretty tough?

I try not to really focus on that stuff too much. There have been different line combinations every day here. There are a lot of good centers here, but there are also a lot of good wingers, defensemen and goalies too. It is a really strong team, and like I said before, I am just trying to do whatever I can to earn a spot wherever it is at what position.

Vigneault Transcript

Below is Vigneault's assessment of what he saw he on Wednesday as well as what might be to come over the remainder of camp.

What was your first reaction when you saw Nolan go down in the scrimmage? I assume he is okay since he went back in.

I wasn’t concerned at all. That’s part of the game. We are going to see that. Everything that I have seen from Nolan so far seems good and he is good to go. Hockey is a game of contact. You are going to see it. He's fine.

It seemed like today the line combinations and pairings were a little closer to what we may see to start the season. Specifically, I am curious what your thought process was behind putting Ghost back up with Ivan and Egor with Justin Braun.

We are not skating [Thursday]. We are just bringing the guys in for an act of recovery and three video sessions. I felt that today put guys together or lines and d pairs that have played together in the past and start to see if we can see a little bit of chemistry and a little bit of good feelings. It was the same type of day- 35- 45 minute of practice. We were at 37 minutes of practice today exactly and then we had 50 minutes of scrimmage. So we increased that from 30 to 40 to 50 today. We tried to regroup lines and D pairs that have had some history just to get them a better feel. We will be different not [Thursday] but the next day after.

We are seven days away from the season starting. Do you believe your guys are in shape like ready to go to start the season? And if not, what do they need to improve on in the next 7 days?

I’m very pleased with how guys came to camp. This time compared to the last time we can from a shutdown or lockdown or whatever you want to call it, prior a lot of guys didn’t have places to work out, couldn’t find ice, etc. This time, because of their experience of the other lock down, guys built themselves gym at home, guys found ways even though places had shorter hours, found ways to go to gyms. They found ice time. Everybody came to camp this time in good condition. That good condition is going to pay off going forward down the road. I like the format that we have set up for the players.

I like the format that we have set up off the ice as far as conditioning and on the ice. We are on track. We are going to be like everyone else- same number of days, no exhibition. But I feel as far as the conditioning aspect, we are going to be in good shape.

I know you mentioned part of the lines and combos was putting guys back with guys they were comfortable with. Today Oskar Lindblom was up on that top line with Sean Couturier. Was that special to you to see that considering all he has gone through?

There's no doubt having Oskar back with our group is not just comforting for me, but comforting for all his teammates. I’m sure it is very comforting for Oskar. Today was really the first time that I put guys back together that have played a little bit together in the past. When Oskar stopped playing, he was playing with Coots and TK. I wanted to see that today and wasn’t disappointed.

The idea of having potentially a healthy Nolan Patrick back and Oskar back in the full, the team is obviously very good before the shut down and going into the bubble. How much of an impact do you think those two players specifically could have on this team in terms of raising the teams ceiling and expectations for the season?

Well first of all, the expectations are high. Let’s not kid ourselves. Our first goal is to get into the playoffs and then we are not in this to just win one series. We are in this to win the Stanley Cup. Four series. Sixteen games. We believe that we have a very good team. We have a Stanley Cup contending team and we can be if we play to our level and play to our potential.
With a healthy Nolan and a healthy Oskar, that adds to the talent of this group. It adds to the depth of this group. Now it is our job to take it one day at a time, one game at a time and play to our full potential. That is on me to get this group to become the best that they can be.

I remember you said you were excited about the young players that you have and that they were on the upswing. Any specific young players that you didn’t know much about that have kind of caught your eye so far?

Well, today if you noticed at camp, we tried Frosty on the left side. For me, young players -- they’re Frosty, they’re Bunny, they’re young Allison that comes into camp -- same thing that I heard about from our scouting staff, etc, etc, etc.

I feel we have quite a few young players that are on the upswing. The Phil Myers, Travis Sanheim, etc, that haven’t, in my mind, reached their full potential, are working to get there. Without getting into specifically about one, I do think there is a lot there and hopefully with this format, different type of format, those guys are still going to be able to prove themselves and work on becoming very good players for the Flyers.

In a short camp, you guys are looking to crunch in as much as possible and get people as engaged as possible in the week that you have. Is it helpful to have a guy like Claude Giroux as a leader on the team? He seemed especially engaged today battling with Justin Braun and knocking over Wyatt Wylie over the half boards one time and setting an example for everyone out there.

Claude is hungry. I believe he is highly motivated to help this team win. I believe that last year, I believe it even more this year. He has come in here very focused, a lot of energy, a lot of emotion. Obviously, that transpires to the rest of the group. Like today was a physical scrimmage. There was intensity. I thought the pace picked up. It was longer, but it will still in my mind the guys were trying to play the right way and do the right things on the ice. That’s exactly what we talked to them about doing as far as their preparation. The tone will be set by Claude Giroux, by Jake Voracek, by Provy on defense, by all these guys that are Flyers and want to win. That’s what we are trying to do.

Just wanted to ask about Jake Voracek, he said he was doing nothing at home. What did you see in him on the ice and in terms of conditioning and how he’s preparing?

You know, Jake’s been, in my estimation, he’s been fine. My understanding is he was doing more than nothing. So far, my conditioning coaches are telling me that they spent a lot of time in the gym and he is working extremely hard.

I don’t know if Jake was trying to throw you a curveball there, but my understanding there is yes everything was shut down, but he was finding ways to keep form and make sure that when he did get back here to Philly, he would be right in stride. So far, he has looked right in stride.


Note: Before Vigneault spoke, Voracek was asked what he did during the offseason, The veteran winger said "f-in' nothing," and chuckled. Voracek then clarified what he meant; with most everything closed including gyms and rinks, he trained at home and spent some time with family. He didn't travel or go far because of COVID-related restrictions.