Before we discuss the Flyers’ camp thus far, let’s examine the cutdowns through September 25th.
UPDATE: Flyers trim training camp roster by 14
Camp Updates
- Junior Eligible:
- Still in Flyers Camp: Jett Luchanko (F); Oliver Bonk (D).
- Returned to Juniors: Carson Bjarnason (G); Spencer Gill; Zareski (F); Sotheran (D)
- Minor Eligible;
- Assigned to AHL: Wisdom (F); Gendron (F); Samson (D); Miller (F); Capone (F); Boulton (F); Mann (D); Chouinard (D); Sedley (D)
Luchanko & Bonk Remain…For Now
The big headline after the first week of camp is Luchanko and Bonk remaining with the team following the first round of cuts.
The Flyers already have 7 NHL-ready defensemen on their roster.
Luchanko has looked good at camp—fast, creative, and not out of place. However, his future and the Flyers may be better served by having him log larger minutes in all situations back in Juniors and have a chance to play at the World Juniors.
Flyers Sign Eetu Makiniemi (G)
The Philadelphia Flyers announced today they have signed goaltender Eetu Makiniemi to a one-year, two-way contract.
Makiniemi, 25, was in camp on a professional tryout basis. Last year, Makiniemi played 16 games in the AHL (.900 save %; 3.14 GAA) to go along with 3 games in the ECHL. Makiniemi was originally drafted by the Carolina Hurricanes (2017; 4th Rd.) and has appeared in 2 NHL games back in 2022-23 for the Sharks.
This is a low-cost, depth option for the Flyers on the net. In an emergency, Makiniemi would be much more easily available for recall to the NHL ($0.775MM cap hit) compared to Cal Petersen’s ($5MM cap hit).
The Flyers likely entered the summer with other plans for Lehigh Valley but have found themselves with an Alexei Kolosov standoff, another highly-touted prospect who does not want to play for the team.
Camp Recap
DAY 1: The Rope Skate
Rope with no pucks: The ‘Rope Stake‘ as it’s known, where a rope is tied to the goals at each end. The objective for the players is to skate laps around the ice without crossing over the rope that lies in the middle.
Overall, Tortorella was pleased. Some players have a more difficult time than others. To the Flyers players’ credit, Torts thought they all came in with a business-like attitude to tackle the necessary hurdle and credit team leaders for helping the younger players through it.
DAY 2 & 3: Practices & Scrimmages
The 2nd and 3rd days of Flyers camp were complete with some practices followed by inter-squad exhibition hockey between the three (3) squads.
In pressers this week, Tortorella said they had more prospects in camp this year, which is a by-product of a blossoming system. The camp participants were, therefore, split into three (3) teams, trying to balance the NHL talent across the teams. Here were some of the key players on the Exhibition teams:
- TEAM 1: Couturier (F), Foerster (F), Konecny (F), Ristolainen (D), Zamula (D), Ersson (G).
- TEAM 2: Cates (F), Farabee (F), Frost (F), Tippett (F), Drysdale (D), Seeler (D), Johnson (D), Fedotov (G). Top prospects Michkov and Luchanko were also on Squad #2.
- Team 3: Brink (F), Delauriers (F), Hathaway (F), Laughton (F), Poehling (F), Sanheim (D), York (D), Makiniemi (G), Petersen (G)
Stars of the Week: Training Camp Edition
3rd Star
Farabee looks strong and like he’s having a lot of fun on the ice. This is a great sign for the Flyers, as he’s focusing on his play rather than the noise that he might be considered a top trade candidate.
He was third on the team in points last year with 50, and at 24, he’s got the chance to take his game to the next level. There were times last year when he was less noticeable, something that teammate Konecny had to grow through in his earlier career.
2nd Star
Morgan Frost. From the start of camp, Morgan Frost got the first crack to play with Michkov with Owen Tippett on the opposite wing. Frost has looked fast, creative and decisive in camp. The Flyers need Frost to step this year to take the next step; it appears he’s on schedule to do just that. Frost was our #1 of the 10 players we watched as we entered camp.
1st Star
Ristolainen has had a great camp, paired with Grans and Zamula in some of the scrimmages. He’s been noticeably playing in the offensive zone; perhaps a stronger, defensive-minded partner will open up his game a bit more.
An unexpected wild card for this Flyers team would be for Ristolainen to get back to posting 40 points per year, which he did four (4) times in Buffalo.
PHOTO: Eric Hartline/Imagn Images
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