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The 11th annual edition of the Flyers Alumni Fantasy Camp gets underway today on and around the Class of 1923 Arena at the University of Pennsylvania. Practices and tournament games start on Saturday.
As with every year, it’s my job as the Flyers Alumni Association’s content manager to keep a daily journal of camp activities and game reports. Check out the Flyers Alumni website, Facebook page, Twitter/X, and YouTube channel. We also have an Instagram page, but I’ve frankly never gotten in the habit of using it (but need to).
Games run throughout the weekend. Monday is Fantasy Cup championship and consolation game day. If there is a breaking story with the current Flyers, I’ll post it here on Hockey Hot Stove. However, since Flyers general manager Daniel Briere and president of hockey operations Keith Jones are once again among the Alumni coaches at camp, I wouldn’t expect much news. This is prime cabin/vacation season around the entire NHL,so there probably won’t be news coming from pretty much any team right now.
My daily Flyers blogs on Hockey Hot Stove will resume on Tuesday. Meanwhile, Anthony Mingioni will take you through the weekend with a new blog on how roster battles may shape up in September as long as Tyson Foerster is, in fact, ready to start the 2025-26 season on time. Yesterday, Briere passed along encouraging news about Foerster’s recovery status from an infected elbow.
Flyers Flashback: Top prospects ca. 2011
Yesterday, I happened upon an article I wrote 14 years ago looking at the Flyers top prospects of the time. Unfortunately, it’s not longer available online. However, I still have it in my email archive. It’s always fun to look back at old rankings. The story follow below.
Summer 2011: Ranking the Flyers Top Prospects
Flyers training camp is just over one month away. Summer hockey is still in full swing. The Hlinka Cup (first major event of the pre-Draft 2011-12 amateur scouting calendar) is underway. Most of the rest of the hockey world, however, is on vacation. Now is a good time to look at the top Philadelphia Flyers prospects. Rankings are my own.
- Sean Couturier (C): The Flyers 2011 first-round pick entered the 2010-11 campaign as the consensus top candidate for the first overall Draft slot in the 2011 Draft. However, a bout with mono set the Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) center back significantly in the first half of the season. The Flyers selected the 6-foot-4 pivot with the eighth overall pick of the 2011 Draft. Philly obtained the pick along with promising young NHL winger Jakub Voracek from the Columbus Blue Jackets in the Jeff Carter trade made one day prior to the Draft. A complete player, Couturier has a better than 50-50 shot at cracking the NHL immediately. The Flyers would like to see him add a little bit more muscle (he’s still on the lanky side) and first-stride explosiveness. Nevertheless, at bare minimum, head coach Peter Laviolette and general manager Paul Holmgren will take a long long at the player in camp.
- Brandon Manning (D): The undrafted defenseman took a huge leap in the WHL last season with the Chilliwack Bruins. Physical, feisty and possessing a hard shot that produced 21 goals last season and 34 tallies over the past two years, Manning will debut with the Adirondack Phantoms this coming season. Flyers scouting director Chris Pryor believes the player will challenge for an NHL spot within the next year or two. A potential NHL third-pair defenseman in the not-too-distant future.
- Eric Wellwood (LW): A speedy two-way forward with penalty killing upside, Well wood impressed in 73 games with the Phantoms last season and did not look out of place (despite limited minutes) in three NHL games with the Flyers. The 21-year-old may not have the natural finishing ability to play a top-six role in the NHL but he has a lot of potential to become a useful player on a third line or fourth line. His older brother, Kyle, plays in the NHL.
- Marcel Noebels (LW/C): The Flyers selected the big German forward (6-foot-2, 205 pounds) in the fourth round of this year’s draft. Made an immediate Western Hockey League impact this season after coming over to North America to play for the Seattle Thunderbirds. Not as advanced as current Flyers winger Andreas Nodl at the same age. However, Noebels already has 33 games of professional experience in Germany’s DEL from before his transition to North America. A potential future bottom-six NHL forward if he can round out his game.
- Ricard Blidstrand (D): A seventh-round pick last year, the big (6-foot-2, 209 pounds) and physical Swedish defenseman came over to North America this past season to play for the WHL’s Regina Pats. He needs to tighten up his positional awareness and play a simple, first-pass focused game when he has the puck. His current style of play would also be his same basic style as a pro if he eventually makes it. He’s a product of AIK in his native Stockholm.
- Nick Cousins (C): The Flyers took the feisty, playmaking Soo Greyhounds (OHL) center with the third round pick acquired from Columbus (along with Voracek and the Couturier selection). One of the prime agitators in the Ontario League: whatever he says or does on the ice, opponents seem to want to strangle him. Good ice vision but needs to improve his skating considerably and add more defensive awareness. A potential future third-line NHL center but it will be a multi-year process to get him there, according to Holmgren and Pryor. Look for him to move up in the Flyers’ prospect rankings as he gains experience. Potentially has a higher upside than Noebels but not as physically close to competing against grown men.
- Tye McGinn (LW): A late-blooming QMJHL power forward, the Flyers selected McGinn in the fourth round of last year’s Draft. Good down low in the offensive zone and scores most of his goals (31 last year in 42 games) on deflections, rebounds and scrambles. Unafraid to drop the gloves. He turned 21 on July 29. McGinn will make his pro debut for Adirondack in 2011-12. Pryor believes he could eventually play a role in the NHL.
- Brendan Ranford (LW): A late-round Flyers pick last year, the fireplug-like Kamloops Blazers (WHL) winger is fearless about getting the scoring areas. The 5-foot-9, 194-pound forward has a natural scoring touch and is a fine playmaker in his own right. A multi-year project if he’s to eventually reach the NHL but he’s very skilled with the puck on his stick.
- Colin Suellentrop (D): A mid-sized defenseman at 6-foot-1 and 205 pounds, the Flyers selected him from the Oshawa Generals of the OHL with the 116th pick of this year’s Draft. Flyers scout Dennis Patterson described him as a “sleeper pick with some moxie and tools.”
- Derek Mathers (RW): The huge (6-foot-3, 225 pound) enforcer for the OHL’s Peterborough Petes was drafted by the Flyers in the seventh round this year. There’s no question about his toughness or his willingness to mix it up with anyone. There’s also no question about what his role will be if he eventually reaches the NHL in a few years. If he does, it’ll be as a 12th or 13th forward.
Checkmates Charity Tourney
A few teams couldn’t make it to the tournament this weekend and Checkmates Charity is looking to fill a few spots. Reach out to organizers Chirping Puck below if you are interested in playing.
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