Flyers Rookie Camp Preview: Goaltenders and Defensemen
The Flyers' three-day rookie camp gets underway tomorrow on the Phantoms ice at the Skate Zone in Voorhees. Next Monday, the camp concludes with a game in Arlington, VA against the Washington Capitals rookies. The Flyers' main training camp starts next Thursday at the Wells Fargo Center.
Over the next two days, I will profile all of the attendees at the rookie camp. Following are thumbnail sketches of the three goaltenders and eight defensemen at the camp. Tomorrow, I will look at the 14 forwards.
GOALTENDERS
Carsen Chubak (#67, Rookie, AHL contract): The undersized 24-year-old goalie was a Hobey Bakey nominee last season at Niagara University after overcoming a serious knee injury in his freshman season that required reconstructive surgery and hip surgery in his sophomore season. Last season, the native of Prince Albert, Sask., led the country with six shutouts. He posted a 23-7-5 record, 1.91 goals against average and a .938 save percentage. In an era in which goalies standing 6-foot-4 and taller have become highly desired, the 5-foot-11, 170-pound Chubak has to significantly outplay bigger counterparts to get noticed. He is quick moving laterally and showed a good glove hand at the collegiate hockey level. Chubak signed a minor league contract with the Phantoms in the spring. With the signing of veteran Yann Danis and presence of Cal Heeter, Chubak could end up starting in the ECHL this season.
Cal Heeter (#33, 2nd Pro Season, NHL contract): The 24-year-old is coming off a decent rookie season with the Phantoms last season. He will compete with Danis for playing time in Glens Falls this season. The Ohio State product has good size and plays an aggressive style with a high degree of self-confidence.
Anthony Stolarz (#49, Rookie, Slide-Rule Eligible NHL contract): The Flyers second-round pick in the 2012 NHL Draft took a significant step forward last season after leaving Nebraska-Omaha during his freshman season to join the OHL's London Knights. The 19-year-old Stolarz has a huge 6-foot-6 frame and above-average athleticism. Still quite raw relative to NHL goalies but is a markedly better goalie now than he was at the same time a year ago. Stolarz's NHL entry-level contract is likely to slide back to the OHL again this season. The New Jersey native has a shot at earning a backup goaltending spot for Team USA at the 2014 World Junior Championships.
DEFENSEMEN
Mark Alt (#39, Rookie, NHL contract): Acquired from the Carolina Hurricanes along with goaltender Brian Boucher in exchange for out-of-favor minor leaguer Luke Pither, defenseman Alt joined the Adirondack Phantoms for the final six games of the 2012-13 American Hockey League regular season. Alt's tryout contract with the Phantoms and NHL entry level deal with the Flyers (which kicks in next season) marked the end of the 21-year-old's collegiate career after three seasons at the University of Minnesota.
Paired with veteran defenseman Andreas Lilja, Alt impressed with his both his defensive ability and puck skills. Lilja, who will be returning to Sweden this season after compiling 580 NHL regular season games and 66 playoff matches during his career, gave Alt a glowing recommendation after their short time working together.
“I think he’s going to be something special," said Lilja to The Sartogian. "I think he’s really, really good.”
Flyers staff agree with Lilja. The organization is excited about Alt's potential, believing that he will be an NHL starting defenseman in the future -- possibly even within the next year or so. He is likely to be assigned to the Phantoms before the Flyers break camp but could play his way up rapidly. He is likely to receive significant AHL playing time in the interim.
Alt is the son of former Kansas City Chiefs offensive lineman John Alt. Mark, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 205 pounds, was a two-sport star at Cretin-Derham Hall High School, quarterbacking the football team and playing defense in ice hockey. His skills were such that he a choice between scholarship offers to play college football (including one from his father's alma mater, University of Iowa) or college hockey.
It has only been in the last three years that the younger Alt has devoted his year-round attention to ice hockey. Prior to playing his freshman season at Minnesota, Carolina drafted him in the second round (53rd overall) of the 2010 NHL Draft.
Alt presents an intriguing package of skills. Although he is not the smoothest of skaters, he is a hybrid of a puck-mover and defensive defenseman who makes a good first pass and does not shy away from contact. He has a heavy righthanded shot but can still work on releasing it faster and more accurately.
Alt's offensive numbers in his junior season at Minnesota took a step backward from the previous year. As a sophomore, he had five goals and 22 points in 43 games. This year, he did not score a goal and had seven assists in 39 games. However, what the raw numbers don't show is that he took on bigger defensive responsibilities.
With fellow junior Nate Schmidt (now with the Hershey Bears) and sophomore Detroit Red Wings draftee Ben Marshall carrying the load offensively, Alt focused primarily on continuing to refine his all-around game. When he joined the Phantoms, Alt had one goal and one assist.
I don't know the exact answer to why Carolina suddenly gave up on their former second-round pick at age 21 when decent defense prospects are hard to come by. My best guess is that because the Flyers were doing Carolina something of a favor by accepting a cap hit on Boucher even when he was assigned to the minor leagues, Paul Holmgren asked Jim Rutherford for Alt in return.
Jared Hauf (#71, Rookie, Tryout): Hauf was a highly regarded player when he first entered the WHL from the midget hockey ranks but went unselected in the 2013 NHL Draft. The 18-year-old has played three seasons for the Seattle Thunderbirds. Hauf is a defensive-minded defenseman who is already physically mature at 6-foot-5 and 215 pounds.
Tyler Hostetter (#62, 3rd Pro Season, NHL Contract): The undersized Lititz, PA native has had trouble moving up the organizational depth chart and is entering the final season of his entry-level contract. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound defender has split his pro career to date between the ECHL and AHL, but exclusively played in the ECHL last year for the now-defunct Trenton Titans. Hostetter has shown good puck-moving ability at the ECHL level but has only dressed in 10 AHL games, playing sparingly. The 22-year-old could be loaned to Greenville in the ECHL this season.
Matt Konan (#34, 2nd Pro Season, NHL Contract): Signed last year as an undrafted WHL overager, the 22-year-old Californian battled injury early last season. He played sparingly for the Phantoms in the first few months and spent a five-game ECHL stint with Trenton to get more playing time. As the season progressed, Konan improved at a slow but steady pace for Terry Murray's Phantoms. Earned an NHL callup late in the season, when the Flyers blueline was racked with injuries. He kept things simple in his two games for the Flyers and held his own in limited ice time. Konan is likely to return to the Phantoms this season and will be playing in camp to work his way up on the callup depth chart. If he has a long-term NHL future, it will be as a no-frills third-pairing defenseman.
Maxim Lamarche (#50, Rookie, NHL Contract): The Flyers signed Lamarche this spring as an undrafted QMJHL overager. He has a big frame (6-foot-3, 218 pounds) and has worked on smoothing out his skating. Lamarche has used his body more effectively the last couple seasons and showed good first-pass ability. As a pro, he projects as a defensive defenseman. He will compete for AHL playing time this season, likely on the Phantoms' third pairing.
Colin MacDonald (#72, Rookie, Tryout): The undrafted 21-year-old was a steady if unspectacular OHL defenseman for the Plymouth Whalers, playing four seasons at that level. Despite modest point totals, the 6-foot-3, 185-pound blueliner showed some puck-moving ability and was also a competent defender at the major junior level.
Samuel Morin (#55, Rookie, Flyers 1st-Round Pick, #11 overall in 2013 Draft): Morin will go back to the QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic in the next few weeks and the Flyers hope he continues to build upon the rapid improvements he showed last season when he climbed up the Draft rankings significantly from the beginning to the end of the year. Note: For an in-depth look at Morin's upside and projected development as an NHL prospect,
click here.
Mark Nemec (#70, Rookie, Tryout): The 24-year-old,graduated the University of Maine earlier this year and had a cup of coffee with the ECHL's Orlando Solar Bears late in the season. He's another big (6-foot-4, 215 pound) and physically sturdy defensive defenseman striving to get noticed at camp.
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