January 4th, 2021 marked the first day of the Philadelphia Flyers training camp. 41 players arrived in Voorhees, NJ to prepare for the season.
Hockey is back, and all of Philadelphia is thankful for it this Monday afternoon. The Philadelphia Flyers players began on-ice workouts at Virtua Center Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ. Splitting into two groups, 41 players opened the six-day training camp.
Flyers Group A
Forwards:
Konecny, Raffl, Hayes, Patrick, Lindblom, Giroux, Frost, Allison, Twarynski, Bunnaman, Farabee, Voracek
Defensemen:
Myers, Sanheim, Hagg, Provorov, Gostisbehere, Gustafsson, Friedman, Braun
Goaltenders:
Elliott, Hart
Flyers Group B
Forwards:
Andreoff, Couturier, Laughton, van Riemsdyk, Sandin, Foerster, Morin, Aube-Kubel, Willman
Defensemen:
Bigras, Wotherspoon, Prosser, Pouliot, Zamula, Wylie
Goaltenders:
Sandstrom, Lyon, Ross
Flyers’ Injury Bug
A few players were bit by the injury bug, unavailable for the first day of training camp. Tanner Laczynski (recovering from core muscle surgery,) Kirill Ustimenko (who underwent surgery to repair torn labrum,) and Isaac Ratcliffe (recovering from a fractured rib) are the few players currently battling injuries. Zayde Wisdom was able to skate in the morning but could not participate in drills and scrimmages. No reason was given for Wisdom’s precaution, but Alain Vigneault expects him to participate Tuesday.
Nolan Patrick Cleared For Contact
The top storyline headed into day one was a decision surrounding Patrick’s health. As I touched on earlier, Vigneault did note he’s clear for contact. Everything that Flyers fans wished for is taking shape for Patrick. Back in October, Patrick scrimmaged in a scrimmage hosted by Ryan White. Three months later, it sounds like he’ll be ready to dress against the Penguins in eight days.
Patrick cleared for contact provides clarity for Philadelphia’s lineup. He’ll likely take on the third line center role during the 2020-2021 season. As he gets reintroduced to actual NHL hockey, expect him to begin on the fourth line until ready to take on more valuable minutes. He did make some nice plays today and showed that he moves around well.
Samuel Morin Scores
Chalk this under “things that are nice to see.” Morin accounted for a rebound goal on day one of training camp. Looking at how the team split, Morin’s goal was against either Elliott or Hart. It still takes a little bit of getting used to, seeing Morin at left-wing. In addition to scoring, Morin made a great pass to open a breakaway.
Perhaps there is a little room for Morin to catch as a left-wing. The expectation of Morin to score on day one of training camp wasn’t there. After a few days, if Morin can remain consistent in scrimmages, maybe he’ll find some minutes early in the season. This experiment is wide open. It would be a feel-good story for Morin to make the 2020-2021 roster, even if on the taxi squad.
Mandatory Photo Credit: Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire
