HEXTALL TALKS PROSPECT DEVELOPMENT, UPDATES OFFSEASON AGENDA
Speaking to a large media gathering at the Skate Zone in Voorhees on Tuesday after, Flyers general manager
Ron Hextall provided brief updates on various remaining items on the organization's offseason to-do list and spoke in-depth about his philosophies on player development and his commitment to "make damn sure" the Flyers' cadre of prospect are ready for the demands of the NHL before they are given NHL responsibilities.
In terms of immediate items on the agenda, Hextall said:
* Negotiations on a contract extension for
Jakub Voracek have begun with the player's agent, former Flyers defenseman
Petr Svoboda. Voracek, who can become an unrestricted free agent next summer, is in the final year of a deal that carries a $4.25 million cap hit.
* There is no progress to report in negotiations with arbitration-eligible defenseman
Michael Del Zotto but the general manager said the discussions are "still amicable" between the two sides.
* The organization is still in the "research phase" in his search for a new head coach for the AHL's Lehigh Valley Phantoms but Hextall expected to have an announcement on a new coach within the next few weeks.
* The Flyers will hire a full-time goaltending development coach to supplement the work of recently hired NHL goaltending coach
Kim Dillabaugh. Said Hextall, "Once [Development Camp] week is over, we'll go through [candidates and the delegation of duties] and we'll have someone else that handles probably Lehigh, Reading and the prospects under Kim's guidance."
* With seventh overall pick
Ivan Provorov signed to an entry-level contract before the start of Development Camp, negotiations have begun to get 24th overall selection
Travis Konecny under contract.
Hextall also acknowledged something that was speculated in
yesterday's Flyers blog at HockeyBuzz: although the Flyers were not particularly concerned about the so-called KHL factor with the Russian defenseman, his nationality did play into it in terms of wanting to get him under control of the Flyers. In other words, the Flyers wanted to make sure his only thoughts were to stay in North America, even if it's for another Western Hockey League season with the Brandon Wheat Kings.
The Flyers' GM said he spoke with Provorov's agent,
Mark Guy, before the draft and got on the same page right away about the next immediate step if the Flyers were able to select Provorov.
Recalls Hextall, “I said, ‘Obviously, your guy is a Russian. Wants to sign right away?' [Guy said], ‘Yeah, wants to sign right away.’ That's all there is to it.”
Hextall said people should not read too much into the quick signing beyond that. The GM said it is not designed to send a message to the Del Zotto camp that there are alternatives -- Hextall said "there are no politics going on" in the negotiation with Del Zotto -- and it also does not mean that Provorov has an inside track to make the Flyers' opening night roster this year.
Without naming names, the general manager said that, if anything, the high NHL upsides of Provorov,
Travis Sanheim,
Sam Morin, Konecny and the other top prospects in the organization makes him "want to pull back even a little bit more" to make sure that none
are rushed into the NHL before they are ready.
Reiterating something he said last September when Morin had a strong NHL training camp but was still sent back to the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic, Hextall said that he is not wild about the idea of top prospects (including Provorov) being used sparingly in the NHL nor is he inclined to give a player a nine-game NHL trial with the intention of sending the player back to his junior team thereafter. Only when the player is ready to compete for a full-time job will he be introduced into the Flyers lineup.
"I don't want them playing seven minutes a night, and I don't want them sitting out (as a healthy scratch)," said Hextall. "I want them playing."
Hextall did leave the door open for Provorov, Sanheim, Morin and others to win an NHL job out of camp "if they knock our socks off" but hinted that it would take a camp-long performance that went even beyond what Morin did last year. In other words, it's not going to be enough to make the NHL roster if a top prospect looking like he "might" be ready to handle the challenge once established opponents dial up preseason preparation mode into regular season intensity.
Lastly, Hextall repeated the annual mantra the Flyers tell the prospects every year: the July camp is not an evaluation camp and should not be treated as such. It's called a Development Camp because it's all about tips for developing into a pro both on and off the ice. It will not be factored directly into immediate competition for NHL or even AHL jobs.
While this message is consistent, it is hard for young players to tone down their competitive instincts, especially when they can glance up at the balcony and see the likes of Hextall, Flyers head coach
Dave Hakstol, scouting director
Chris Pryor and team president
Paul Holmgren standing side-by-side and peering down. Meanwhile, for prospects who do not have NHL entry-level contracts in hand or least an AHL contract -- especially the smattering of undrafted invitees -- it is hard to view the July camp as anything but a chance to impress.
For the already signed players, especially one the ones who are now Development Camp veterans --
Scott Laughton, for instance, is now in his fourth and final July camp -- it is easy to take the message to heart that the camp is a development checkpoint and springboard. For other young men, it's hard not to feel like it's a bit of a competition with others beside themselves. That's just the reality, no matter how many times they are told "Don't worry about impressing us; just focus on asking questions and learning."
Hextall said the principles of Development Camp need to be followed up all year, not just for one week. That is the key to the rationale for why the Flyers have greatly expanded the Development Coach role from part-time to full-time work. It is also why there will now be a dedicated goalie development coach as well as one for defensemen (Samuelsson) and one for forwards (
John Riley).
Ultimately, it is up to the players to take advantage of their one-on-one access to the development coaches to get the most possible out of the July camp. Hextall wants to make sure the best possible resources are available at the young players' fingertips.
In the old days, even the best NHL organizations were primitive in their notions of development. They basically threw prospects in the pool and told them to sink or swim. Hextall recounted on Tuesday that at his own first pro training camp, he was clueless about offseason training. He thought he'd come to camp in the best shape of anyone and got a rude awakening when he realized that was far from the case.
During the period in which Flyers assistant coach
Ian Laperriere (previously a development coach before being promoted to working with the NHL roster) ran the Development Camp, he told the attendees that the one and only thing they could do to make an impression on the decision makers was show they were passionate about their own development: embrace mentorship, pick the brains of seasoned pros, follow the tips on nutrition and diet, pay attention to the talks about how to conduct oneself off the ice in today's social media age.
It can be tough for young men to fully understand and embrace all of these lessons -- especially the latter ones about self-discipline when there isn't someone there to blow a whistle and tell them what, when and how to do something. The Flyers do not expect perfection on the ice or angelic behavior 24/7, but they do expect genuine passion for placing a hockey career as one's overriding priority.
People such as Hextall, Laperriere and Samuelsson -- who share in common their longevity in the game -- can weed out the kids who are going through the motions from the ones who are committed. The kids who truly burn to play hockey stand out in these camps for reasons that have nothing to do with things that can be immediately measured with a stop-watch or a vertical leap bar.
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DEVELOPMENT CAMP QUICK HITS
* One of the most encouraging signs on the first day of Development Camp was the sight of
Shayne Gostisbehere showing no ill-effects from the partially torn ACL that cost him most of his rookie pro season. The second-year pro stickhandled with ease as he sped through an obstacle course during the defense prospect portion of Tuesday's session. Gostisbehere said afterwards that he is back to 100 percent physically and the hardest part of the rehab was the mental challenge of feeling isolated and away from the action. His only concession to the injury is that he now wears a knee brace (as do many players who are plus-skaters despite having knee injuries in their past).
* During his rehab from last November's injury, Gostisbehere made the lemons of missing most of his rookie season into lemonade by getting himself more physically ready to compete at the pro level. He added roughly 15 pounds of muscle and now carries about 185 pounds on his frame. Even at 5-foot-10, the 170 or so pounds he carried previously were too light to handle the trench warfare although the knee injury itself was a freak accident that could have happened to any player.
* Gostisbehere said his number one objective, beyond staying healthy enough to get a full year of pro hockey under his belt, is to continue his progress in improving his play without the puck. Former Phantoms coach
Terry Murray and development coach
Kjell Samuelsson made this area the number one area of focus to get the offensively gifted former Union College standout ready for the NHL. There were some early signs of progress, although there were some inevitable missteps. The knee injury put a halt to the process. Gostisbehere wants to pick off where he left off a year ago.
* 2014 first-round pick
Travis Sanheim reported that he has put on 14 pounds from his reporting weight last year, and now weighs 198 pounds. He has also grown an additional inch and now stands about 6-foot-4. However, the player still looks quite lanky with a lot of room to continue filling out without hurting the speed that is one of his biggest attributes.
* All five of the Flyers' top defense prospects are lefthanded shooters, which typically means the player is more comfortable playing left defense (which is the opposition's right wing but refers to which side of the ice the player is on from his perspective).
Provorov said he is equally comfortable playing either side. Morin said he's done a bit of right point work on the power play but is more comfortable on the left. Sanheim, who moved to the right side for part of the 2014-15 season and has periodically switched sides before, allowed that the left is his "naturally stronger side" but said he is comfortable with the adjustment either way.
Robert Hägg, as with many European-trained players, is OK with playing either side.
* Morin said it took him "a good two months" to feel like himself again after breaking his jaw last season. Although he tried hard to minimize weight loss and put it in many one-on-one sessions with Samuelsson at the Skate Zone while the Flyers were practicing on the other rink, it took time to regain his strength. Morin was happy with his second half of the season and felt the experience of winning a gold medal at the World Junior Championships (even in being consigned to a limited role shortly after his return from the broken jaw) and winning the QMHL championship with Rimouski were invaluable.
* Flyers 2015 third-round pick
Felix Sandström did not attend the draft in person but was following it from home with his family. The player had an idea the Flyers were interested in drafting him but no more so than at least one other team. Sandström, whose 2014-15 season was set back by a bout with mononucleosis and a hamstring pull, nevertheless became one of the youngest goaltenders to appear in an SHL game in the history of the league when he made a one-game appearance for injury-riddled Brynäs.
Sandström recently re-signed a two-year contract extension with the Brynäs organization. With
Jonas Johansson (a Buffalo Sabres third-round pick in 2014) scheduled to be loaned to Allsvenskan team Almtuna to get more playing experience against grown men, the door is open for Sandström to play regularly for the Brynäs J20 team next season and perhaps see backup duty to veteran starter
Bernhard Starkbaum on the big club.
The goaltender's best asset right now, by far, is his feet. He is a polished and fast skater with good footwork around his net. The rest needs considerable development as the norm for young goaltenders. Sandström said he feels the number one thing he needs to work on his puckhandling. On Tuesday, Dillabaugh was also working with him on arm and stick positioning around the crease and the netminder's scouting reports say his hand-work, especially on the blocker side, are works in progress.
Something else that jumps out with Sandström is his excellent athleticism. He has very fast reflexes, which can actually create a developmental hurdle for a young goaltender to not over-rely on athleticism to bail him out on mistakes. Each step up the hockey ladder means that tracking and positioning become more and more vital.
* Here's one from the odd coincidence files: Of the Flyers last eight players drafted from Swedish leagues, five have been players in the Brynäs chain: current prospects Sandström and
Oskar Lindblom and former drafted prospects
Fredric Larsson,
Joacim Eriksson and
Simon Bertilsson. The other three were current prospectgs Hägg (Modo) and
Jesper Pettersson (Linköping) plus former draftee
Ricard Blidstrand (AIK).
* With five goaltenders on the ice at once, Dillabaugh had an assistant -- Victoria Royals goalie coach
Brady Robinson, with whom Dillabaugh has worked in the past and is also Hockey Canada's western region goaltender development director in conjunction with the CHL -- working with him on the ice. Robinson is only here for Development Camp week on a freelance basis. He has not been hired as the Flyers development coach.
* From the balcony level where the press observes practice, it was hard to identify Robinson. From a distance, he actually physically resembles former Flyers goaltending coach
Jeff Reese (now with the Dallas Stars) or Swedish goaltending guru
Erik Granqvist. All three gentlemen are fairly short and have bald pates. Robinson is a bit heavier-set than the others.
* Hextall has a firm policy of not making assistant coaches -- or scouts -- available to the media but we were permitted a brief access period on Tuesday to talk to Dillabaugh about his hiring by the Flyers. Perhaps the most notable thing said during Dillabaugh's session was that he has already spoken with
Steve Mason and the two quickly hit it off and are mutually looking forward to working with one another.
Dillabaugh, who focused on the goaltender development side of coaching during his seven-year stint with the LA Kings organization, said he will not markedly adjust his approach in working with NHL-level goaltenders as opposed to prospects. Dillabaugh said that every goaltender, regardless of the level he plays, has specific things on which he can work and needs a similar mutually trusting relationship with his goaltending coach.
The newly hired goaltending coach spoke in broad generalities about his philosophies on goaltending. Dillabaugh said that while every goaltender has unique elements to his style that are his alone to use, there are certain "platforms" that will be expected of all goaltenders in the system. He declined to discuss any specifics, saying it wasn't the right time with only a couple minutes available before he had to return to the ice.
He also did not want to discuss the increasing North American adaptation of the models that have been used by Sweden and Finland over the last 20 years -- sometimes called the "Ylönen Model" after TPS Turku's legendary
Urpo Ylönen and the process by which TPS developed an uncanny knack for developing one promising goaltender after another through coaching from any early age and seeking better and better athletes to become goaltenders. For good reads on the topic, see this
in-depth article from In the Crease magazine that mentions Hockey Canada and Robinson.
Unlike the friendly and approachable Reese, who is always willing to take or arrange to make time to answer questions about his craft with only a request that the focus be kept on the goaltenders and not the coach, Dillabaugh was unsmiling and extremely guarded. Once on the ice, however, he was very interactive and communicate with the goaltenders, which is really the only thing that matters.
Phantoms second-year goaltender
Anthony Stolarz had a bit of first-impression insight to offer on Dillabaugh, saying that two of his "platform" fundamentals seem to be an emphasis on head tracking and beginning-to-end consistency of practice reps (avoiding a drop-off near the end of a series, which is particularly common with young goaltenders).
During Hextall's media session, the Flyers general manager spoke glowingly of Dillabaugh from their time together in Los Angeles.
“I worked with Kim for years and got to know him intimately," Hextall said. "He’s one of the most intelligent guys I have ever been around. He’s a very calm and terrific teacher. He knows how hard to push guys and when to back off and when to put an arm around them. He’s a good coach."
Dillabaugh was slightly more willing to discuss his role and work flow in Los Angeles than anything to do with his methods and viewpoints.
"The majority of my time was with prospects at Manchester,” Dillabaugh said. “Last year, I did a little of scouting help amateurs for the Draft.”
Dillabaugh said that he enjoyed working closely with Kings NHL-level goaltending coach
Bill Ranford in addition to assisting the likes of
Jonathan Quick,
Jonathan Bernier and
Martin Jones along their respective paths to pro hockey.
As with Reese, Dillabaugh was quick to deflect credit for his charge's success to the hard work the goaltenders themselves put in. Specific to the workings in LA of the NHL/development coach roles he said, "Obviously, I was talking with Bill on a regular basis and helping guys (to get) there (to the NHL).”
Dillabaugh deflected to Hextall any questions about the potential addition of a goaltending development coach with the Flyers and the goaltending scouting aspect vacated with the recent decision not to retain
Neil Little as a full-time scout and part-time development assistant. Dillabaugh said those decisions would solely be up to Hextall.
* It seems more likely that the Flyers will hire a North American based goaltending development coach -- although wherever he is based, it will a job that involves a slew of travel, including trips to Sweden to check in on Sandström -- and it will be someone with whom Dillabaugh has an instant stamp of approval since they will working under him as well as reporting to Hextall. If the Flyers were to think outside the box a bit, Granqvist (who was nearly hired by the Pittsburgh Penguins a couple years ago before they decided to stay in-house) would be an outstanding choice. He is widely considered one of the best goaltending coaches in the world and has even been sought out by NHL goalies for offseason sessions; most famously by former Flyers goaltender
Ilya Bryzgalov.
* Apart from the obvious marquee players at camp -- the recent first-round and second-round picks -- keep an eye on the development of Bowling Green sophomore defensemen
Mark Friedman, Cornell senior defenseman
Reece Willcox, Calgary Hitmen forward
Radel Fazleev (already under entry-level NHL contract) and Brynäs power forward Lindblom. All of these players could have pro careers ahead of them and all are noticeably physically stronger and self-confidently assertive than they were at the start of previous camps.
* The Flyers will hold their annual Trial on the Isle all day Wednesday in Stone Harbor, NJ. On-ice sessions resume in Voorhees on Thursday.
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