Day 1 of Rookie Camp Spotlights Flyers Young Talent

By Matt Mastrogiovanni, Sports Talk Philly staff writer 

The Flyers began their annual rookie showcase Monday as many of the team's prospects took to the ice together. 

Many storylines are already unfolding as the first day wrapped up at Flyers Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ.

Young stars that lots of fans haven't seen for some time finally showed some of their skill on the ice. Most notably, second overall pick Nolan Patrick made his on-ice debut on the first day of rookie camp. Patrick was sidelined from participating in the on-ice portion of the team's rookie camp earlier this summer due to his recovery from hernia surgery. So far, it seems as if he has not disappointed. 

Patrick was one of the camp rookies who looked poised and polished early on. While many camp veterans like Sam Morin, Oskar Lindblom and Travis Sanheim were early standouts given their experience, Patrick didn't look out of place and showcased the attributes that made him a top pick in the draft with a keen hockey sense and excellent puck skills. Patrick's skating also looked smooth and the forward noted that he feels great following the surgery.

"My first skate back from when I had my first surgery, I felt the pain the first day back. My first skate back here when I skated right after development camp I had no pain at all," Patrick said. "Obviously it was done right the second time and I'm happy to be done with that. It was quite a while with that injury, but I'm happy to put it behind me now."

Among other notable players at this year's camp are Lindblom, German Rubtsov and goaltender Carter Hart. Some of the familiar faces have minimal NHL experience and are hoping to make it to the big club this season.

One notable play from the first day of camp was a nice short-side goal by Lindblom on Hart. Lindblom wasn't the only one picking spots and scoring, as the shooters had an edge on the goalies early, but Hart and Phantoms goalie Alex Lyon had strong first days once they settled in.

One fresh face that stands out at camp is forward Ivan Kosorenkov. The Russian forward impressed the Flyers brass earlier this summer and has earned an invite to the team's training camp which commences this coming Friday. The Flyers have a healthy dose of Russian and Swedish players in camp, adding a foreign flavor to their roster.

Related: Flyers Announce Roster, Schedule for Training Camp

Even after one day of rookie camp, the Flyers young talent is impressing across the board. Philadelphia has been considered the most prospect-rich organization by multiple publications as of late, which gives fans an abundance of excitement for what's to come.

Fans will really get an up-close look at that when rookie camp commences with the rookie game against the Islanders on Wednesday at Wells Fargo Center.

If all goes well with the three-day rookie camp and the full training camp, which starts on Friday, the Flyers could finally start seeing some of their deep draft work come to fruition making this upcoming season one to remember.

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