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While the Philadelphia Flyers engaged in the first week of NHL free agency, their annual Development Camp took place at the Flyers Training Canter. Following the NHL Draft, several of their current crop of draftees, along with prospects from earlier drafts descended on the FTC in Voorhees, New Jersey.
Newly draftees Maksim Sokolovskii, Brek Liske, Martin Psohlavec, Marek Sklenicka, KJ Sauer, and Max Laatikainen joined current Flyers Porter Martone, Denver Barkey, and Alex Bump for a week of skills training from June 29 through July 2. After that, they played in a full squad scrimmage on Thursday evening, followed by a 3-on-3 tournament on Friday.
Here’s a few observations from the week.
Training Session Curiosities
The Flyers split the first three days of on-ice work into Power-Skating on the Flyers rink, while Skill sessions happened on the Phantoms rink. Forwards were separated into two groups of 11 players, while 12 defensemen made up the third group. Martone, Barkey, and Bump were leaders throughout the camp, but didn’t participate in every session after completing long seasons.
One of the more fascinating things to watch during development camp is new technology that is used to measure player performance. This year, the Flyers incorporated what’s been called “The String Test.”
A part of a new sprint component at the NHL Draft Scouting Combine, it’s used to measure three step quickness. It can be set in any range for timing, such as per-20 feet, -40 feet, and so on. The type used at the combine is designed by 1080 Motion.
“We’ve had something like it before with cameras set up,” Flyers Director of Player Development Riley Armstrong said to reporters. “We’re trying to grab the mechanics of a player’s skating. Hip, knee, ankle bend, upper body position, arm swing. Everything to try and break skating to improve that side of their game.”
“When you think of a good skater, you think of a Jamie Drysdale or an Owen Tippett. Not saying we’re going to turn them into those guys, but you can try to get them to be a little bit lower, a little more explosive.”
Additionally another “fun” element of the power-skating portion of camp was the use of frisbee throwing across the ice. While I didn’t get details on it, it did seem to force players to adjust their skating in dealing with airborne objects.
Full Squad Scrimmage
As they’ve done for previous Development Camps, the Flyers played a full team scrimmage, divided into two (2) teams. Team Briere wore orange uniforms, while Team Jones wore white. There were notable absences from the game, including Porter Martone and Barkey. After long seasons, it wasn’t a surprise that both players didn’t dress for it.
Team Briere was able to stake a lead early but Team Jones was able to force a shootout following Leo Gruba’s late goal. The crowd was “treated” to a 16 round shootout that saw a pair of goals from each side before Team Briere defenseman Matt Desiderio was able to close it out.
Scrimmage Player Performances
Maksim Sokolovskii: His massive size certainly affected forwards trying to knife into the offensive zone. Behind the net, he was able to pin big Jack Nesbitt to the boards and not release him while the puck was there. However, his awareness with the puck certainly will need development as he had the puck taken off of him by Jack Murtagh behind the net.
Martin Psohlavec: The Czech goalie opened eyes with his strong technique. He had a particularly active glove and was able to suss out the puck through traffic. The next day, he suffered an adductor strain in the three on three tournament. According to AGM Brent Flahr, he will stay for a week to get treatment.
Brek Liske: It was easy to see why the Flyers liked Liske as their first second round selection. Showed plenty of poise in all zones and made an impressive spin move in the offensive zone to get a scoring chance. He also had some moments where his aggressiveness was used against him.
Carter Amico: After missing all of last year’s development camp with a knee, Amico opened eyes with his performance. He moved the puck around well and got the primary assist on the opening goal. Flyers forward Alex Bump gave him a hard hit near the corner and he shrugged it off.
Cole Knuble– He has rounded into professional shape and looks ready for AHL duty in the fall. Knifed into the zone a few times with power moves. Later he made a great pass to Bump on a two-on-one that the latter finished off.
Jack Nesbitt– Nesbitt’s wrist shot looked alot better this year, but his skating remains a work in progress. Edge work will need to continue being refined, which hopefully will happen in the fall as he’s headed to the University of Michigan.
Christopher Duclair– Anthony’s younger brother opened some eyes with some explosive plays in the offensive zone and he used his speed to get back on defense to break up plays. Hailing from Division III powerhouse Hobart College, Duclair was a camp invite. His performance throughout camp might have put him on the organizational radar.
3-on-3 Tournament
On Friday, the Flyers split the camp into four teams for the 3-on-3 Scrimmage tournament. Each team was split into rosters of nine to ten players. It was a fun, action packed event that saw Team 2 led by Denver Barkey defeat Alex Bump’s Team 1 for the tournament championship.
3 on 3 Player Performances
Noah Powell– He showed a marked shift from being overly physical in last years camp to displaying more of his skills. He pulled off some impressive skating moves in the offensive zone and his wrist shot showed alot of deception.
Porter Martone– In a development camp setting like a three on three tournament, he looked like a condor on the ice. He swooped around in all zones, generating rushes with the puck on his stick and getting back quickly to stick check.
Denver Barkey– Wearing his brand new #86 jersey (taking his London Knights number), Barkey was dangerous throughout the tournament and scored the tying and winning goals in the championship game. He did line up to take draws during the tournament, so it stands to reason that the Flyers might continue his hybrid role this upcoming season.
Heiki Ruohonen– The Flyers’ 2024 fourth round pick Harvard product is so consistent in his own end. Always ready for puck retrievals to turn play the other way. More than a whisper of Noah Cates in his game.
Alex Ciernik– He had an underwhelming performance during the scrimmage the night before. One example saw him use his speed to get into the zone, then suddenly stop to look around, unsure what to do next. In the tournament, he scored a ton. He looked very dangerous with the puck on his stick and space to move. However, if he’s to prove he’s not a perimeter player, he’ll need to do it in Lehigh in the fall.
Devin Kaplan– Kaplan had plenty of jump and willingness to dive bomb in on the forecheck. Should be interesting to see how he develops entering the AHL in the fall.
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