Kevin Durso/Sports Talk Philly
The Flyers trip to Buffalo for the 2016 NHL Draft featured four picks in the first 52 overall. Despite that, there was not nearly as much fanfare surrounding the group of four — three of which are at development camp — as the two first-round picks they had a year ago.
Headlining that pairing is defenseman Ivan Provorov. After a season where he was named CHL Defenseman of the Year and helped lead the Brandon Wheat Kings to the Memorial Cup, consensus around the WHL was that Provorov's days as a junior player were over.
The NHL was calling.
As development camp began on Thursday, Provorov exuded the confidence that has brought him to the top of the junior ranks as he took the ice for the first time and spoke to the media.
"I think I improved in all areas of my game," Provorov said Thursday. "Offensively, defensively, scoring more goals, playing big minutes with Brandon; I'm going to keep growing as a player. That's my goal."
Development camp is not the place for evaluations, as Ron Hextall said earlier in the week, but there are times where the Flyers GM sounds hardened on keeping the prospects in the development stages as long as they can.
"We've got enough players on our roster to play for the Flyers this year," Hextall said on Thursday. "So we're not sitting here going Player X, Player Y has to play in the NHL. We're not going to force one of these kids now. If one of these kids, or two or three comes in and they're better than the guys we have, that's competition."
Provorov isn't going to let the idea of competing for a job hinder his progress. His goals for the summer are the same as Hextall's expectations for camp: get better.
"We'll see what happens in September," Provorov said. "I think if I have a good summer, I'll have a good chance of making the team.
"It's hard to make the NHL. It's the best league in the world and all the best players play in this league. I think if you work hard and you stay humble and try to get better every day, you will be able to make the transition at any age."
"I don't think I have a weak spot as a player, but I think you can always keep growing as a player. There is no limits. You can get better every day no matter what age you are. For me, just keep playing my two-way game, good defensively and try to create something offensively."
But for Hextall, it's all in the timing, and he won't rush the timing for any player for any reason, even if the general consensus is that he is as NHL-ready as it gets.
"Assuming we think it's the right move at the time, we'll make a roster spot for him," Hextall said. "With Provorov [last season], I know the word on the street, the speculation is he's NHL-ready — but there was not a chance. He played two games in preseason and he was okay. Went back to junior and he was a hell of a player.''
So after a season in the WHL where Provorov did just about everything he could, the Flyers may still find that the timing is not right and give the 2015 seventh overall pick another year in juniors.
"This past year, Ivan did everything we hoped he would do,'' Hextall said. "But is there more for him to do if he goes back to junior? Of course there is.''
There are just two months until the Flyers will begin training camp, and Provorov's tryout for the team will really begin. But with such a short time frame left before camp, there are no assumptions and no expectations for the Flyers top prospect to be making his way to the NHL, even if he is closing in on a debut.
Kevin Durso is an editor for Sports Talk Philly. Follow him on Twitter @Kevin_Durso.
