Weekend sessions set a vibe. More fans can watch the Philadelphia Flyers training camp after a long work week. Alain Vigneault set the tone for the weekend, announcing this nugget of information:
There’s a reason to feel that most are right in Voorhees, NJ. Despite current injuries, everyone is keeping their mind centered. Kevin Hayes watches his teammates, receiving support from the league, his teammates, and fans. Hockey, in one way or another, is keeping a tight-knit community close to heart.
The Flyers are keeping their heads up and their eyes locked on the prize.
Through the first two days, there have been a host of players that stood out. Carter Hart was the talk of day one, looking sharp. Keith Yandle and Justin Braun install confidence regarding their partnership on the third pair. Rasmus Ristolainen brings a refreshing brand of hockey, displaying his physicality yesterday. Oh, and Cam Atkinson has looked in sync with Oskar Lindblom.
Today is day three. Here’s how the groups break down for the first Saturday session of the 2021-2022 Flyers training camp, per Anthony Mingioni:
Group A
Tanner Laczynski was supposed to participate with Group A. When the session began, he wasn’t on the ice. Samu Tuomaala, JR Avon, and Maksim Sushko were, however.
For Avon, this is technically his second session of the day. He jumped at the opportunity with Group A after skating in the morning with C.
Per Jordan Hall, the lines and pairs for Group A were:
On the fourth line, Sushko rotated with Gerry Mayhew. Yesterday, Mayhew went bar down on Samuel Ersson. He was one-upped by Tuomaala today, who sniped the puck past Carter Hart. He and Avon were the last two on the ice after the session for Group A finished.
Cam Atkinson and Travis Konecny continue to have a good camp, scoring multiple times. Konecny was fluid with Claude Giroux yesterday in 2v1 drills. Atkinson has worked well with a few different forwards, which is remarkable. When Kevin Hayes returns, Atkinson has the unique quality to find synergy with just about everyone. For a team that housed one of the most miserable penalty-kill units last season, that’s magnificent.
Group B
Strangely, Matthew Strome was taking reps as a defenseman in place of Linus Hogberg. He paired with Brian Zanetti, who Ian Laperriere liked out of development camp. Here’s how the rest of the Group B lines and pairs were, per Jordan Hall:
Martin Jones and Felix Sandstrom made two juicy glove saves. Sandstrom robbed Scott Laughton, and Jones committed glove larceny on James van Riemsdyk. Laughton has been prominent throughout training camp, which makes that save by Sandstrom a little more impressive. About Jones, his former teammate, Justin Braun, mentioned that he watched his highlights with the San Jose Sharks. Most of the goals surrendered by Jones were “unstoppable.”
Laughton usually fulfills the 3C role for the Philadelphia Flyers. It seems like Derick Brassard will take on the 2C position next to Cam Atkinson, his former teammate with the Columbus Blue Jackets. As camp continues, there’s a focus on Laughton and Morgan Frost. Both are assumed to play in the Flyers’ bottom six.
Photo Credit: Alex McIntyre
