Hockey won’t return to the Wells Fargo Center or Madison Square Garden tonight. The PPL Center will host two clashes between the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers rookie teams, starting tonight at 7p.
Yesterday, Ian Laperriere hinted at some of the lineups in the pair of rookie contests during the 2022 Flyers Rookie Camp. Samuel Ersson, Egor Zamula, and Ronnie Attard will not feature in tonight’s lineup. Per Jordan Hall, here is tonight’s Flyers lineup:
In the 2021 Flyers Rookie Camp, both teams split the rookie series. Wade Allison went toe-to-toe with Matt Rempe in the opener. Tyson Foerster, who will lineup with the Cates Brothers tonight, potted two goals a year ago. Ersson allowed one goal on the first shot he faced, securing a 6-3 victory.
Ersson, Zayde Wisdom, and Elliot Desnoyers addressed the media with Ian Laperriere ahead of tonight’s first rookie battle.
Wisdom and Desnoyers’ expectations for the 2022 Flyers Rookie Camp differ slightly from Ersson’s. It’s not about the position differences between the forwards and the goaltender, as clear as those are. Conditioning is a staple between all of the players ahead of camp. Laperriere and John Tortorella mutually support the same hockey philosophy. Wisdom pulled the curtain back a tad, citing what Laperriere tells him:
“I know he likes hard workers. I feel like I can provide that. He tells me all the time, ‘just work, and I’ll love you.’ It’s getting through my head now, I’m starting to understand that, and I’m excited to have him as a coach.”
Zayde Wisdom; 9/16/2022
Upon learning of Wisdom echoing his sentiments, Laperriere was proud, reiterating the following:
“That’s my message to everybody! If you want to please your coach, be a worker. I can live with mistakes, as long as the mistakes are in the structure we’ve been talking about. I don’t want to put words in Torts’ mouth; I feel like I think the same way as him.”
Ian Laperriere; 9/16/2022
Wisdom previously played on the Lehigh Valley Phantoms during the 2020-2021 season after being selected in the fourth round. He’ll return to the Phantoms for the 2022-2023 season. Desnoyers hadn’t appeared yet in Lehigh Valley but was very responsible in his role with Team Canada, helping secure gold at the 2022 IIHF World Juniors. A two-way forward, Desnoyers expanded upon the responsibility in his game, more specifically during the 2022 IIHF World Juniors:
“For me, it was to play my game, do whatever I need to do to make the team win, and show the coaches that I’m responsible in any situation in all three zones.”
Elliot Desnoyers; 9/16/2022
One must wonder how much the players would prefer the summer scheduling of the IIHF World Juniors:
“Great players that I played with, and against, really got me ready for this camp.”
Elliot Desnoyers; 9/16/2022
Foerster echoed a similar sentiment. Playing at game speed in the 2022 IIHF World Juniors conditioned Desnoyers. While conditioning is a vital concept entering camp, becoming confident presents a new set of challenges. Here is where the ideology shifts from physical to mental preparation, starting with Ersson.
Ersson wants to return healthy. A string of groin injuries hindered his ability to compete. A winless record (0-3-1) doesn’t represent Ersson. He expressed frustration at the 2022 Flyers Development Camp, which focused on becoming healthy. The vision remains unchanged:
“Getting the confidence that I know I can play a full game; that’s what I need right now, just knowing my body can handle it.”
Samuel Ersson; 9/16/2022
Ersson cites Felix Sandstrom as a teammate who helped him on the road to recovery, gaining confidence. Sandstrom was in a similar situation previously:
“Felix Sandstrom, he went through a big surgery a couple years back. I use him a lot. He’s been so helpful for me during this whole process, just knowing he’s been in a similar situation.”
Samuel Ersson; 9/16/2022
On Saturday, Ersson will take on the whole game. He’ll have all the opportunity to push his body at game speed.
(Photo by Andy Lewis/Icon Sportswire)
