(Kevin Durso/Sports Talk Philly)
By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
Flyers Development Camp has been a gathering for fans in recent years. With the way Ron Hextall and the Flyers have drafted in recent years, prospects bring excitement.
There is no prospect that has generated more buzz than one of the newest prospects, Nolan Patrick, who was selected with the second overall pick on June 23.
Unfortunately, unlike in years past, Flyers fans won’t get their first look at Nolan Patrick at Development Camp. Patrick had surgery to repair a sports hernia 10 days before the Draft, so he will not be participating in on-ice activities, which are free and open to the public at Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees.
But even though Flyers fans won’t get a glimpse of Patrick on the ice during the camp, there are several other prospects, both new to camp and returning to camp, that should generate some buzz as well.
For one, seven of the other eight players selected in this year’s draft, including first-round pick Morgan Frost, second-round pick Isaac Ratcliffe and fourth-round pick Matthew Strome, will all be in attendance. In addition, all of the members from the 2016 NHL Draft class for the Flyers will also be present.
The notable player out of that group is first-round pick German Rubtsov. Because of his Russian contract, he could not attend Development Camp last year, so this is his first camp and therefore the first time he will take the ice at the Skate Zone.
Similar to Rubtsov, this will also be the first camp for Mikhail Vorobyov, who started to turn heads at the World Junior Championships last year and is making the transition to the North American game this season.
Notable defensive prospects Travis Sanheim and Philippe Myers will be back in attendance. So will Oskar Lindblom, the Swedish prospect that became one to watch in the Flyers pipeline.
Mike Vecchione, who made his NHL debut after signing an entry-level deal out of Union College, is also going to be in attendance. Vecchione recently re-signed with the Flyers for two years and is expected to be in the running for a fourth-line spot in training camp.
There will be only four goalies in attendance, but two of them headline the Flyers pipeline at the position. Carter Hart and Felix Sandstrom will both return to Development Camp after putting together strong seasons and having standout performances at the WJC.
With 40 prospects on the roster for camp, including Patrick, the Flyers pipeline goes far beyond just the top draft picks. And Flyers fans will have several days to get a good look at Development Camp.
