You didn’t have to tell the fans of the Philadelphia Flyers twice. They packed the Flyers Training Center for a scrimmage between two teams full of prospects.
There is a genuine buzz of excitement surrounding the rebuild, despite the absence of Matvei Michkov and Cutter Gauthier at the 2023 Flyers Development Camp.
Last night, the Team Clarke and Team Lindros rosters were released. Team Lindros donned the orange warm-ups, and Team Clarke wore black. Adversaries for the evening, both parties represent a prospect pool becoming deeper, meaner, and more talented. At 6pm, the puck dropped in Voorhees, NJ. Which team earned bragging rights?
Five-On-Five
Carson Bjarnason started between the pipes for Team Lindros, though he warmed up for Team Clarke. Cameron Korpi occupied the crease opposite Bjarnason to begin the scrimmage. Pete Sterling was the other G available for either team during the scrimmage, causing a fluid rotation.
Jumping out to the lead, Tyson Foerster poked the puck away from Elliot Desnoyers after accepting a short pass in the defensive zone from Oliver Bonk to begin a transition to offense. Jonathan Fauchon recovered, then switched to a backhand pass to Alexis Gendron at the crease. Adam Ginning couldn’t get between Gendron and Bjarnason, as Team Clarke took a 1-0 lead.
Alex Bump put Team Lindros right back into the scrimmage. He stripped Owen McLaughlin of the puck in the defensive zone, close-quartered with Mathieu Gosselin. Bump dished to Gosselin, who created space with a pass to Desnoyers. Desnoyers took the pressure in close on Korpi but slipped the puck back to Bump for the equalizer. An effort including Bump came full circle for Team Lindros to tie the scrimmage, 1-1.
Sterling stepped in for Korpi between the pipes. He was incredible, spreading out in the crease to deny Bobby Brink on a breakaway. Team Clarke attacked hard in the offensive zone to begin, but later, Team Lindros became more dangerous.
Weathering the storm of Brink, Bump, and Desnoyers, Sterling bought Team Clarke a lead. Team Lindros outshot Team Clarke, but McLaughlin made up for his earlier turnover. He recovered a loose puck from a centering pass in the offensive zone with Bjarnason out of position. On a wrap-around, McLaughlin put Team Clarke back in the lead, 2-1.
Four-On-Four
Korpi began the four-on-four edition of the scrimmage for Team Clarke, head-to-head with Bjarnason, leading 2-1.
Jacob Gaucher increased the lead for Team Clarke. Hunter McDonald threw a shot on goal, initially saved by Bjarnason. Brendan Furry did not recover the rebound, allowing Gaucher to score. Team Clarke cashed in on their opportunities to lead 3-1.
JR Avon drew a penalty from Alexander Tertyshny, presenting a penalty shot scenario. He converted the chance on Korpi, and Team Lindros narrowed the deficit to 3-2.
Three-On-Three
Back into the game on Team Clarke, Sterling plugged into the crease with a 3-2 lead.
As Brink cut through the slot, he nearly had a clean shot on Sterling, but Devin Kaplan intervened. Gosselin freed the puck off the boards toward Sam Sedley, who scored with a backhanded shot. Deep into the scrimmage sessions, Team Lindros and Team Clarke were deadlocked, 3-3.
Soon after, Bump reared his head again. He took a puck that sailed off the boards, wide of the net from a shot by McLaughlin, and transitioned to a scoring chance on offense. Choosing his shot location wisely, Bump beat Sterling to give Team Lindros a late 4-3 lead.
Team Lindros wasn’t out of the woods yet. Three-on-three means scoring chances are a dime-a-dozen. Desnoyers had a rough sequence, unable to capture the puck from Brink. Gaucher moved the puck up ice to Ethan Samson, who shook Desnoyers and tic-tac passed to move Bjarnason out of position. Gaucher had the primary assist, and Samson scored the equalizer, 4-4.
Whether it was a requirement or not, a shootout would wrap up the 2023 Flyers Development Camp. Knotted up, 4-4, it was a requirement for bragging rights.
Shootout
In the third round of the shootout, McLaughlin tucked a shot over the stick side of Bjarnason. However, in the final round of the shootout, Samu Tuomaala fooled Sterling to put all the pressure back on Team Clarke. Bump put the shootout back in favor of Team Lindros in an extra round, meaning Fauchon had to score to keep Team Clarke alive. Bjarnason stood his ground, giving Team Lindros the shootout victory to close out the 2023 Flyers Development Camp.
Standouts
More than a few prospects made a positive impact. A few skaters who were 2023 Flyers Development Camp invites (Gosselin, Sedley, Fauchon, Gaucher) should receive a little more attention.
On Team Clarke, the defensive unit stood out largely. Helge Grans and McDonald could become a daunting tandem to face. Samson showed a ton of poise with the puck, especially on the scoring sequence with Gaucher. However, McLaughlin displayed a competitive streak that belongs in the Flyers’ system. After giving up an earlier turnover that led to a goal by Bump, McLaughlin put Team Clarke back into the thick of the plot twice, scoring in clutch situations during the five-on-five and shootout.
For Team Lindros, the forwards stacked the deck. Brink, Bump, and Desnoyers generated quality shots on goal and scoring chances. Avon and Tuomaala flashed their speed and skill, unearthing some scoring talent within the Flyers’ system. Emil Andrae impressed on defense, as did Bonk. Daniel Briere previously mentioned that the players dictate the pace of the rebuild, and if you can’t wait to see Andrae with Bonk on a defensive pair, no one in Philadelphia can blame you.
(Photo by Joshua Sarner/Icon Sportswire)
