Photo: Kevin Durso/Sports Talk Philly
The annual six-day period where Flyers prospects from the past several seasons take the ice is a time for the players to get better. And while from a front office perspective, it is not an evaluation period, for the fans that turn out in droves in July to watch the budding future of the Orange and Black, it is a time to see what skills are there and how far along they seem to be.
Here are a few observations from the weekend at development camp and some things to watch as the offseason progresses and training camp begins.
- Ivan Provorov sure looks close to NHL-ready. As if his skating ability, vision and offensive skillset weren’t impressive enough as an 18-year-old last year, the 19-year-old who was named the CHL Defenseman of the Year has taken it up a notch. During a drill on Sunday that was simply a drill of shooting off the rush, Provorov scored twice, connected with the post three time and hit the crossbar once. On six straight shots. Additionally, while his skating looks almost flawless, Provorov showed he is susceptible to mistakes and that he can learn from them. On a separate drill on Sunday, Provorov had to battle for positioning with a forward in front of the net. He was beat cleanly on one such attempt and caught badly out of position. The Russian defenseman showed a bit of frustration, but after taking some instruction from the Flyers coaches, his next time in front of the net was nearly perfect, as he corrected to stay with the forward on a cutting move. That kind of quick learning and an already gifted skillset are going to put Provorov in the running for a spot on the team out of camp.
- Travis Sanheim seriously bulked up in the offseason. In similar netfront and corner drills, Sanheim was active throwing his weight around and delivering some good clean body checks along the boards. Sanheim is another defenseman with solid skating ability and a good offensive skillset, but his defensive skills look much improved.
- Of the six goalies in camp, the one that may have looked the best was the newest addition, 2016 second-round pick Carter Hart. Hart looks way beyond his years in positioning and poise and did very well in the drills against shooters. His rebound control could use some work, but in a drill where the most important thing was to make the save, he was strong.
- Speaking of Flyers second rounders, they may have found two more gems in the 2016 Draft with Pascal Laberge and Wade Allison. Laberge is very calm, cool and collected and looked good on his feet and handling the puck. Allison is a fireball of emotion, very energetic, but with the skills to still put the puck in the net.
- His road to the NHL may not have a clear path like some others, but Cole Bardreau, a vet of Flyers development camp, emerged as a pure leader at camp. He was among the most vocal players in the camp and following Sunday’s group practice, spent several minutes on the ice working on deflections in front of the net while Merrick Madsen and Alex Lyon tended goal, working on screen shots. Bardreau turned in a solid season with the Phantoms in 2015-16 and is expected to be a fixture of the team in Allentown next season.
- Another player who will most likely head to Allentown is Danick Martel, and though his 5’8” size may have kept teams from drafting him, the undrafted free agent proved he could certainly score in 2015-16, picking up 22 goals for the Phantoms last season. Another very energetic player, Martel doesn’t let the lack of size phase his game. He looked experienced and poised in tight spaces on the ice and capable of making plays.
- Oskar Lindblom got a brief eight-game stint with the Phantoms last season, but also looks to have grown in the offseason. Lindblom was one of the most outwardly-excited players on the ice – he appeared to have a smile on his face the whole time – he also showed some signs of a potential scorer and good offensive abilities.
- It will be very interesting to see what kind of year Radel Fazleev has in his first season at the AHL level. The Russian forward scored 19 goals with the Calgary Hitmen last season in the WHL. The talent is there, but the Flyers may be looking for more in the sense of a two-way game and physical play. Fazleev has the energy. If he can channel it to the right areas of his game, he could prove to be a sixth-round steal for the Flyers.
- Another player who, on the surface at least, seemed impressive was 2016 fifth-round pick Linus Hogberg. He showed signs of being a good skater with potential to be a solid two-way defenseman. He’ll need work against tougher competition, but you can see why the Flyers were interested when you watch him in drills.
- We’ve been saying this almost every year since he’s been around, but 2013 first-round pick Sam Morin really does look like Chris Pronger Jr. Morin doesn’t have the offensive skill that Pronger did, but the physicality, size and general scowl are all there for the 20-year-old (who turns 21 tomorrow). The resemblance really is uncanny. Morin needs to work on some discipline issues and his skating, something he has recognized as a weakness, also needs improvement, but he has also come very far in his development already.
Kevin Durso is an editor for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
