Annotated Camp/Preseason Calendar
Now that September has finally rolled around, the two-week countdown is on for the start of formal activities in Voorhees. There is already a group of veteran players working out daily at the Flyers Training Center (FTC) including Cam Atkinson, Scott Laughton and post-surgery rehabbing Joel Farabee. The ranks will grow right after Labor Day weekend in the U.S. and Canada and virtually everyone should be on site ahead of the mandatory reporting date.
Here's an annotated calendar of key dates through Rookie Camp, the full NHL camp, and the preseason exhibition games leading up to opening night of the regular season.
Wed Sept 14: Rookie Camp reporting date (physicals and meetings).
Thu Sept 15: Rookie Camp -- First on-ice day (Practice time schedule TBD).
Fri Sept. 16: Rookie Series Game 1 -- Flyers Rookies vs. Rangers Rookies @ PPL Center in Allentown. Game time is set for 7:05 p.m. EDT.
Sat Sept 17: Rookie Series Game 2 -- Flyers Rookies vs. Rangers Rookies @ PPL Center. Game time is set for 5:05 p.m. EDT.
Sun Sept 18: Rookie Camp off-day (likely)
Wed Sept. 21: NHL Camp official reporting date at FTC (physicals, testing and meetings) -- no on-ice work.
Thu Sept. 22: NHL Camp on-ice work begins (practice schedule TBD). This is typically a very skating-intensive day at a fast pace. New head coach John Tortorella may also want players to get right into battle drills. Systems implementation, usually brought incrementally with specific main 5-on-5 elements (forecheck, breakouts, etc.) first and special teams a little later, often starts with off-ice meetings and video sessions before they're seen on the ice.
Fri Sept. 23: NHL Cap -- Day 2 of on-ice work (practice schedule TBD)
Sat Sept 24: Preseason Gameday. The Flyers will host the Boston Bruins at the Wells Fargo Center (7:00 p.m. game). In a typical camp, there will be a non-game group practice session in Voorhees earlier in the day.
Sun Sept 25: It would not be surprising if, after 2-3 days of practice and a game, the first off-ice day at full camp is on Sept. 25.
Tue Sept 27: Preseason Gameday. The game group will be in Buffalo for a 7:00 p.m. exhibition game against the Sabres at KeyBank Center. There's also likely to be a non-game group practice back in Voorhees.
Wed Sept 28: Preseason Gameday. The Flyers host the Washington Capitals at the Wells Fargo Center for a 7:00 p.m. EDT exhibition game. It's likely that the game roster will have large-scale changes from the previous night although there could be a few rookie hopefuls/ roster bubble veterans who play in both.
In a typical NHL preseason, at least at this stage, the majority of the NHL regulars who are locks for the opening-night roster are likelier to play only in a home game. The first road game usually has primarily a "B squad" feel although a few NHL veterans are mixed in. NHL rules require that a minimum of eight NHL veterans dress for every preseason game. However, the definition of "veteran" is rather nebulously applied.
Under the CBA, the following categories of players can satisfy the requirement.
1) Any forward or defenseman who played in 30 NHL games during the previous season. To use a Flyers example, Max Willman (41 NHL games last season) would count toward the eight-vet minimum.
2) A goaltender who either played in 30 games the previous season or dressed as a starter/backup in 50 games.
3) A first-round draft choice from the most recent year's Entry Draft. Since Cutter Gauthier is prohibited by NCAA eligibility rules from attending the Flyers' camp in September, this game roster option will not apply to Philadelphia.
4) Any player who has played 100 or more career NHL games regardless of how many he played the previous season. For example, Phantoms captain Cal O'Reilly will attend Flyers camp on a try-out basis because he's on an AHL contract rather than an NHL deal. The player, who will turn 35 on Sept. 30, has played 145 career NHL games but none in the last four seasons. For preseason game roster purposes, the Flyers could dress him to satisfy one of the eight required vet spots.
In practice, the rules are rather relaxed. For example, if the Flyers wanted to give Carter Hart a full night off and dress AHL veteran Troy Grosenick and Felix Sandström as the goalies in one of the back-to-back games, that would be OK so long as the team can otherwise get to eight "veterans". Hart is the only goalie on the Flyers' roster who meets the preseason "veteran rule" as spelled out by the CBA. However, even if Hart is the backup in a given preseason and the starter goes the distance, he'd count toward the eight-veteran minimum.
The "Veteran Rule" has other quirks. In some circumstances, a player who no longer qualifies as an NHL rookie due to surpassing the career 25 games played threshold may not count as a veteran during the next preseason.
For instance, Jordan Weal spent the entire 2015-16 season in the NHL with the Kings (10 GP) and Flyers (4 GP) and then split the 2016-17 season between the Flyers (23 GP) and Phantoms. The 25-year-old wasn't an NHL rookie under the CBA. The Flyers pre-empted his Group 6 unrestricted free agency in the summer of 2016 by signing him to a two-year extension at a $1.75 million cap hit to stave off a competing offer from Vancouver. Nonetheless, with only 37 career NHL games at that point and 23 the immediately preceding season, he didn't count toward the preseason veteran rule.
On the flip side, current Flyers defenseman Cam York will count as a veteran any time he dresses in the preseason lineup. The 21-year-old dressed in 33 NHL games for Philadelphia last season. He's no longer a rookie for general CBA purposes and he meets the requirement of having played 30+ NHL games last season to count as a veteran during the preseason. In the meanwhile, the player attended the Flyers' Development Camp in July of this summer.
If you are interested, the preseason "veteran rule" requirements can be found in Section 15.4 of the
NHL/NHLPA Collective Bargaining Agreement.
Sat Oct 1: Preseason Gameday. The Flyers play the Bruins at TD Garden in a 1 p.m. matinee. It's the front end of a road/road back-to-back set. Roster cuts will likely start to accelerate after the b2b.
Sun Oct. 2: Preseason Gameday. The Flyers play the New York Islanders at UBS Arena in a 7:00 p.m. exhibition game.
Tue Oct 4: Preseason Gameday. In the preseason schedule finale, the Flyers will host the Islanders in a 7:00 p.m. game.
The Flyers will practice in Voorhees on subsequent days as further roster cuts are made. For players assigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, there are preseason AHL games on the docket for Oct. 7 (at Wilkes-Barre Scranton), Oct. 8 (vs. Hershey) and Oct. 12 (vs. W-B/S) before opening night in Wilkes-Barre on Oct. 15.
Mon. Oct. 10: All NHL teams must submit their opening night rosters to the NHL by 5:00 p.m. EDT. Waiver-eligible players who did not make the opening-night NHL roster must be waived by Oct. 9 so they can either clear and be sent to the AHL or be claimed by another NHL team for their opening-night roster.
Depending on how the Flyers juggle salary camp compliance once they can put Ryan Ellis on long-term injured reserve (LTIR), they may choose to open the regular season with 12 forwards and/or six defensemen rather than 13/7. The first two games of the regular season are at home. They'll need bodies in reserve for the first road trip. However, since LTIR allowance is use-or-lose and cannot be banked. the Flyers may opt to simply start out with a spare defenseman (Nick Seeler, most likely) and/or a 13th forward.
Per Capfriendy's calculations, the Flyers are presently about $2.4 million over the cap ceiling. They are one of 12 clubs in that situation, while four other clubs having less than $750,000 (NHL full-season minimum salary equivalent) of wiggle room under the ceiling based on the rosters Capfriendly posted; these will vary from the actual rosters but give a ballpark estimate of cap space heading into camp.
Before Oct. 10, teams can exceed the cap ceiling by up to 10 percent. By the opening night roster deadline, however, all teams have to either get below the cap ceiling organically or do so via LTIR allowance to exceed the ceiling by up to the cap hits of the player(s) on LTIR. Teams such as Tampa Bay and Vegas often exceed the cap ceiling by a wide amount due to players designated for LTIR.
Quick Hits: September 1, 2022
1) Speaking with veteran writer Sam Carchidi after a pre-camp workout in Voorhees. Flyers center/winger Scott Laughton
told Philly Hockey Now that he now feels 100 percent healthy again after suffering a concussion during the latter part of 2021-22. Even after his return, Laughton did not play to his expected standards over the final 13 games of the season.
If Morgan Frost fails to stake down the 3C spot out of camp, moving Laughton back to center is one of the alternative options available to John Tortorella. Meanwhile, depending on whether Joel Farabee misses the start of the regular season, Laughton could open the season on left wing (possibly on Kevin Hayes' line, as Laughton and Hayes have experience as linemates).
2) It's hardly unusual in the modern-day NHL for players on Stanley Cup winning teams to get a tattoo of the Cup (often incorporating the team's logo) during the off-season. Former Flyers winger Nicolas Aube-Kubel, who won the Stanley Cup with the Colorado Avalanche this past season after being claimed off waivers from the Flyers earlier in the season, got inked with a rather unique and self-deprecating version.
During the Avs' on-ice celebration of their Stanley Cup victory, Aube-Kubel took his victory lap with the trophy and skated over to place it on the ice and join teammates at center ice for the traditional team photo with the Cup. As he neared the group, Aube-Kubel took a tumble to the ice as he held the Cup, denting the trophy in the process.
This summer, Aube-Kubel added a new tattoo: It depicts a dented Stanley Cup with a portion of the Avalanche's logo swirling around it.
Aube-Kubel, who got engaged this summer to longtime girlfriend Madison Fidler, is now a member of the Toronto Maple Leafs. A potential restricted free agent, he became a UFA after the Avalanche declined to tender him a qualifying offer. On July 13, he signed a one-year, $1 million contract with Toronto.
During the 2021-22 season, Aube-Kubel fell out of favor with now-former Flyers head coach Alain Vigneault after dressing in seven games (0g, 1a, 6 PIM, -3). He was waived by the Flyers on Nov. 12 and claimed the next day by Colorado. As a member of the Avalanche, Aube-Kubel posted 11 goals, 22 points and 41 penalty minutes in 67 games played. He dressed in 14 of Colorado's 20 games in the Stanley Cup playoffs without recording a point.
3) Flyers Warriors Update: The Flyers Warriors won the 2021 USA Hockey Warrior Classic national championships at three different levels -- Tier 1, Tier 4 and Tier 7 -- last fall in a tournament held at the FTC in Voorhees.
In one of the more memorable moments of an otherwise forgettable year of hockey, the Philadelphia Flyers' American-born players were at rinkside for the Tier 1 championship game, loudly rooting on the Flyers Warriors. Some, such as Cam Atkinson, even spontaneously joined in the on-ice celebration.
It's going to be tough to top the championship sweep on home ice this year, when the 2022 USA Hockey Warrior Classic is held in Troy, Michigan (Oct. 28-30), but the Flyers Warriors are aiming to do just that. Participation in the Flyers Warriors program has now grown to the point in which the program, which is coached by Brad Marsh and Rob Baer, will send FOUR rosters to the 2022 national tourney sanctioned by USA Hockey. Competition for roster spots has grown considerably for the units competing in the higher USA Hockey Warrior program tiers. Even last year's Tier 1 roster had competition for spots.
At its root, however, Warrior hockey will always be about mutual support and service to disabled veterans off the ice as well as via healthy competition and camaraderie on the ice. Participation in Warrior Hockey has been life-changing to veterans around the country. The annual improvements in the caliber of hockey being played at the top levels is certainly positive but the ever-growing recruitment of less-experienced players (many with little to no previous organized hockey experience) is every bit as important. Off the ice, regardless of the tier in which a Flyers Warrior player practices and competes, they are a very close-knit group.
During the month of September, the Flyers Warriors are holding a fundraising drive. They are selling t-shirts with all proceeds going to support the program. The shirts cost $25 apiece and will be delivered in October. To order a shirt,
click here.
4) Today in Flyers History: September 1
* 1968: Minor league goaltender Bobby Taylor became the first free agent signed by the Flyers. He'd later go on to become Bernie Parent's backup on two Cup-winning Flyers teams and, after his play days, become a prolific broadcast color analyst (alongside Hockey Hall of Fame play-by-play announcer Gene Hart) and studio commentator for the Flyers and the Tampa Bay Lightning.
* 1972: The Flyers signed undrafted 20-year-old defenseman Jack McIlhargey as a free agent. He'd go on to have a lengthy career as an NHL enforcer, assistant coach and scout.
* 1981: The Flyers hired Bob Boucher as an assistant coach. He'd spend two seasons with the team, working under head coach Pat Quinn.
* 1989: The Flyers traded backup goaltender Wendell Young and a 1990 seventh-round Draft pick (Mika Valila) to the Pittsburgh Penguins for a 1990 third round pick. The Flyers would ultimately use the pick on Providence College defenseman Chris Therien.
5) Sept. 1 Flyers Alumni birthday: Harry Zolnierczyk (1987).
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