Quick Hits: August 3, 2023
1) Prospect Pipeline: In the post-Draft, pre-training camp edition of the Prospect Pipeline podcast on the Flyers Broadcast Network, Brian Smith and I talk about the major summertime junior tournaments -- the Hlinka Gretzky tourney in Czechia and Slovakia and the World Junior Summer Showcaste -- that have been taking place this week. We also talk about Samu Tuomaala returning to North America this season, Alex Bump's performance at Development Camp and his decision to enter the NCAA transfer protocol, the development of Hunter McDonald, the signing of Alexis Gendron and the vital importance of finding future NHL contributors beyond the first round of the NHL Entry Draft. To listen to the 26-minute program,
click here.
2) Sochi Hockey Open: Highly touted Flyers 2023 first-round pick Matvei Michkov suited up for SKA St. Petersburg today for the preseason opener against Admiral Vladivostok in the Sochi Hockey Open preseason tournament. Normally a right winger, Michkov moved to the middle to center SKA's second line at 5-on-5 as well as the PP2 unit. The 18-year-old also saw a bit of penalty killing time.
Offensively, Michkov figured in both SKA tallies in a 3-2 overtime loss. He scored a first period goal and recorded an assist as his club took a lead to the first intermission. Later, in a practice shootout after Admiral prevailed on an OT power play, Michkov scoring the "winning" goal (2-1). Over the course of the actual hockey game, Michkov was involved in roughly seven scoring chances. He also forechecked effectively, including a nice takeaway on a mid-third period shift along the half boards and some extended puck protection work along the boards (no scoring chance developed on that play).
Defensively, although he's not known as a defensive stalwart, Michkov competed for the puck and worked diligently in all three zones. Especially considering he was playing center, he acquitted himself well. Michkov even got some penalty killing time. He was on the ice for Admiral's game-tying PPG in the third period (a nicely executed sequence by Admiral ending in a deep center slot goal) but the goal against was not on any particular PKer. If he's going to see more time at center, Michkov will need work on faceoffs. Not expectedly for a natural winger, the teenager struggled on draws.
3) World Junior Summer Showcase: All three participating Flyers prospects got on the scoresheet on Wednesday in USA White's 7-3 win over USA Blue in a head-to-head clash of the two American squads in the USA Hockey-hosted tournament.
Cutter Gauther (USA White) moved from center to left wing for this game and played on the top line with center Will Smith and right winger Jimmy Snuggerud. Cole Knuble, who'd been USA Blue for the squad's previous games against Sweden and Finland, switched rosters to USA White for this game. Knuble also switched positions from center to playing right wing. The incoming Notre Dame freshman was on a line with left wing Quentin Musty and center Charlie Stramel. Meanwhile, after playing the first two games with USA White, Devin Kaplan was shifted to USA Blue for this game. He played on the third line and was centered by Oliver Moore with Quinn Finley on left wing.
Gauthier, who has three goals and four points in three games played, notched a goal and an assist in Wednesday game. Knuble, who'd been pointless in the first two games, bagged a pair of goals in this match. Kaplan chipped in an assist for USA Blue to earn his first point of the exhibition tourney. Finley scored the goal after taking an outlet from Kaplan, getting behind the USA White defense and finishing it off successfully.
While the USA Blue vs USA White game was the more intriguing matchup on paper heading into Wednesday's game, Team Sweden's 3-2 win over Finland was the more exciting and better-played game of the two. Otto Stenberg, Anton Walhberg, Isac Born and Axel Sandin Pellikka stood out for the winning side. Samu Bau and Jani Nyman scored their respective first goals of the tourney for the Finnish side. Alexander Hellnemo (13 saves on 15 shots) earned the win in net while Niklas Kokko (31 saves on 34 shots) took the loss.
Today is a practice day USA White, USA Blue and Team Sweden. Team Finland has opted to take the day off. On Friday, USA Blue (1-2-0) will rematch with Sweden (2-1-0) at 1 p.m. EDT. USA White (2-1-0) will rematch with Finland (1-2-0).
As this is an exhibition tournament, there won't be a championship awarded. However, it's very much a player evaluation tourney and the final games will be the players' last opportunity to make an impression on their national team decision makers' before the starts of everyone's club team obligations for 2023-24. World Junior Championships selection camps are in December. From the Team USA perspective, Gauthier is a lock for the WJC as long as he stays healthy, while Kaplan and Knuble will battle for spots as the months progress.
4) Today in Flyers History: August 3
* 1993: The Flyers sign winger Claude Vilgrain as a free agent. Vilgrain would become the first black player to suit up for the Flyers in team history.
* 1995: The Flyers sign two-way left winger Shjon Podein as a free agent after the Edmonton Oilers did not sign him a new deal following the 1993-94 season. Podein would go on to become an effective and popular player in Philadelphia during a four-plus season stint with the Flyers.
* 1999: The Flyers sign undrafted rookie free agent Ruslan Fedotenko to an entry-level contract after the Ukrainian winger enjoyed a standout 1998-99 season in the USHL (43 goals, 77 points, 139 penalty minutes in 55 games) for the Sioux City Musketeers. Flyers amateur scout Chris Pryor (later the organization's director of player personnel and then assistant general manager) recommended the signing. Fedotenko would go on to enjoy an 863-game NHL regular season career that included two stints with the Flyers. He earned Stanley Cup rings -- and a reputation for being a player who stepped up big in the postseason -- as a member of the Tampa Bay Lightning and Pittsburgh Penguins. Some of his biggest playoff moments came at the Flyers' expense. His best Flyers playoff moment was scoring the overtime winner in a 1-0 victory over the Ottawa Senators in Game 1 of the 2001 Eastern Conference quarterfinals.
* 2005: The Flyers draw headlines across the National Hockey League by signing unrestricted free agent center Peter Forsberg to a two-year, $11.5 million contract. Forsberg went on to lead the NHL in scoring through U.S. Thanksgiving weekend in 2005 before being sidelined by a groin issue in Boston that recurred multiple times and kept him out of the lineup off and on for the rest of the regular season. Forsberg subsequently had a stellar playoff series in a losing cause against the Buffalo Sabres in the 2006 Eastern Conference quarterfinals. Electing to defer reconstructive foot surgery on both feet (which would have kept him until after Christmas 2005), new team captain Forsberg was in the lineup for opening night of the disastrous 2006-07. He struggled all year with worsening but congenital issues with his feet. Forsberg was traded to the Nashville Predators as a rental near the 2007 trade deadline. He never again played a full NHL season, attempting a pair of short-lived comebacks with the Colorado Avalanche.
* 2017: The Flyers sign 2017 first-round pick Morgan Frost and 2017 second-round pick Isaac Ratcliffe to respective entry-level contracts.
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