Training camp is right around the corner, and the Flyers have amassed a sizable group to fill out their rosters. It’s a lot to parse through — it’s 33 players in the forward group alone — but we’re here with the answers to any instances from looking at the roster and saying… who?
The locks
As it stands, there are 11 forwards on this training camp roster who we can comfortably pencil in as locks to make the final roster, given the work they’ve done to establish themselves with the team in seasons past, or likewise elsewhere in the league:
Bobby Brink, Noah Cates, Sean Couturier, Nicolas Deslauriers*, Christian Dvorak, Tyson Foerster, Garnet Hathaway, Travis Konecny, Matvei Michkov, Owen Tippett, and Trevor Zegras
We could, though, get a little into the weeds at this point, debating the certainty of Deslauriers’s spot, but we’ll keep it brief — he’s done enough in his time with the Flyers that it’s hard to envision a scenario where they outright waive him to start the season and eject him from their roster entirely, but he’s also far from the point of comfortably being a lineup regular. His is a spot, in particular, is one that will face some pressure from some players down a little further in the organizational depth chart.
The lineup hopefuls
Despite the robustness of the established forward group at the NHL level, there is yet some space open for meaningful training camp battles, with some interesting names in the mix to make a push for one of the spots with the big club.
Alex Bump: Before rookie camp even began, Bump was at the top of the list of players expected to make a big push for a spot with the big club out of main camp. And it’s not a surprise why this would be the case — Bump had the opportunity to play NHL games at the end of last season after the close to his collegiate career (punctuated by a more than point per game year and a National Championship to top it off) but instead opted to play in the playoffs with the Phantoms and, despite not putting together a perfect showing, did still bring some incredibly positive flashes and overall hold up well playing against men. And between this and a standout performance in development camp and some good looks created in the Rookie Series, he’s keeping his stock steady as things are continuing to ramp up.
Nikita Grebenkin: Grebenkin’s stock, too, has been steadily on the rise. With a full season of professional hockey in North America under his belt (mostly between the Marlies and the Phantoms, but still with a handful of NHL games in there with the Leafs as well), Grebenkin’s settling into a role at this level, and building up a game that’s high-compete and largely mature. How well he was able to hold up under tight, physical defending in the Rookie Series was hugely notable, and along with the pace he was able to bring across the weekend, if he’s able to keep that rolling, it’s hard to imagine that he’s going to force a long look in camp.
Jett Luchanko: The situation with Luchanko remains a complicated one, but what will certainly be an interesting one to watch unfold. As it doesn’t look like the new AHL rule (which will allow one 19-year old on each roster) will be in effect this season, the Flyers will again have to make the tough decision on whether they’ll want to keep Luchanko around with the NHL team, or again send him back to juniors. He made it a difficult decision last time around, and his game has only continued to mature since then. The Flyers have added a bit of center depth to their mix, so they’re not in a position where they need to rush Luchanko to the NHL just so that they can ice a complete roster, but he’ll still have a chance to prove that the work he’s done over the last year to grow his game is enough to make him ready to stick at the next level. Whether the Flyers agree, we’ll see.
Rodrigo Abols: And then as a slightly more under the radar option, we have Abols. He doesn’t bring the same flash as the bigger name prospects bring into this conversation about camp battles, but he had an excellent season in the AHL last year, and looked perfectly serviceable in his NHL time last season. It isn’t hard to envision a world where the Flyers opt to take the ultra-patient approach and give the prospects a bit more cooking time in the AHL, and decide to keep Abols on the roster to offer them a bit more veteran stability.
AHL-bound
The largest contingent of this camp, though, is the group of players who, while some might be more of long shots to make the final lineup but could make these conversations interesting, will all but certainly be bound for the Phantoms to start the season.
Denver Barkey: If there’s one player, though, who’s already looking like he’s going to give it his all as these camp battles heat up, it’s Barkey. There’s certainly a lot that he has left to learn about playing the professional game and holding up against bigger and my physical defenders, but he looked little short of electric in his rookie game showing, and could well step up as one of the more exciting storylines to watch through camp.
Sawyer Boulton: Boulton also made himself noticeable as a physical presence in the rookie games, a continuation of the work he did through his first season with the Phantoms. But as a player who struggled to find a consistent role for himself down at the AHL level, his focus will be more on finding his footing and putting together a positive impression at the Phantoms’ camp.
Karsen Dorwart: Dorwart likely gets a bit of a standing boost in the depth chart from having played games with the big club at the end of last season (and showing at least some positive flashes in the process), which should at least put him in the conversation for a continued depth role with the team. That said, he’s still pretty well on the outside looking in, and it would be a steep road to grab onto one of those spots given the competition, let alone hold on to it.
Oscar Eklind: Having played a depth role for the Phantoms last season and not quite popped in the way that some might have hoped to see when the initial signing was announced. But the organization offered him a vote of confidence in extending that contract this offseason, and he’s getting a chance to keep building his stock with the Phantoms. He’s almost certainly not going to be in the conversation for an NHL roster spot out of camp, but he can put himself in the conversation for a call-up later in the season, if he can keep improving his stock down on the farm team.
Jacob Gaucher: Gaucher clearly has his fans in the organization — Briere even shouted him out in his availability as someone who impressed him through rookie camp — and his stock has been hugely on the rise over the past year, as he managed to earn himself an entry level deal and NHL call-up last season. But he’s still a step behind (no pun intended) that group of players more dramatically banging down the door, but he can also put in some good work to continue to keep himself at the top of the call-up order.
Alexis Gendron: It was a huge rookie season in the AHL for Gendron, and he built on that nicely by showcasing his speed and finishing ability in the rookie games. He’s primed to have a big role with the Phantoms this season, but there’s still a good bit of rounding out of his game that needs to be done at that level before he can legitimately put himself in the conversation for an NHL job. But, all the same, he’s a fun player to watch, and here’s hoping he can showcase some of that in the preseason.
Devin Kaplan: Kaplan was able to make his NHL debut at the end of last season, but coming straight from college and still with some refining needed to go into his game, it’s going to be a little while still before Kaplan is ready to make the jump to the NHL on a full time basis. He still has to find his game at the professional level, and the first step in that finding his footing at the AHL level.
Cooper Marody: A veteran and a proven producer at the AHL level, Marody is a player who, in theory could come into camp and impress as a potential veteran depth option as a stopgap with the NHL squad, but coming off of a season that was riddled with pretty significant injuries, this camp will be more about him getting back up to game speed than fighting for a spot with the big club.
Lane Pederson: Pederson, signed as a free agent this offseason, has had stints in the NHL in his past, but has grown established as an AHL player over the past two, and that’s exactly what he was brought in to be here. A hugely impressive camp could force some difficult discussions amongst the higher ups, but the surer bet is that he begins the season fulfilling that intended role with the Phantoms.
Anthony Richard: Richard might still be in this longshot group, but only just — he showed some real flash in his time with the Flyers last season, and even though it seemed more an issue of the coaching staff at the time not favoring him so much, a new coach at the helm might take to him more, if he puts together a strong camp. Still, it’s a crowded group of wingers he’d be looking to work his way into, but the door certainly isn’t closed on him.
Massimo Rizzo: It was, all in all, something of a difficult first season in the AHL for Rizzo. He had to work around a couple of not insignificant injuries, and struggled at times with the pace of play. This season for him, rather, will become
Tucker Robertson: Aquired in a trade just a few short weeks ago, Robertson still remains something of an unknown quantity. And though he brought a few positive flashes in his introduction in last weekend’s rookie games, he’s more or less starting from square one in terms of making an impression on the coaching staff and management group, isn’t coming in with the same caché as some of the others in this group, and will likely extend that first impression process with a stint down with the Phantoms.
Samu Tuomaala: Given the level of physicality that Tuomaala brought in his rookie game showings, it’s clear that something has shifted with him, and there’s a new emphasis being placed on redefining his role, his game, so that he can find success at the next level. But that’s going to take a lot more than just throwing the body around to complete that process, but he’s going to be given the runway to do it, back down with the Phantoms.
Garrett Wilson: Wilson, on an AHL contract and a true veteran of that league, is established in the AHL and established in his role with the Phantoms, having served as their captain for the last two seasons. He’s about as close of a lock as one could be to be on their way to join the Phantoms in short order.
Zayde Wisdom: It’s a similar story for Wisdom — having not been qualified this summer but offered an AHL deal to return with the Phantoms, he’s clearly valued in some parts of the organization, but outside of the Flyers’ plans for the time being. It’s possible he earns himself another NHL contract down that line, but that won’t be won in this training camp.
Juniors-bound
Matthew Gard: Newly drafted and one of the younger players in this camp, still has a lot of developing to do. If he puts together a solid run of play, he could certainly earn himself a longer look, but he’ll be heading back to the WHL before the end of training camp to continue working on his game there.
Nathan Quinn: The same is more or less true for Quinn, but as an even rawer player who wasn’t able to crack the lineup for both of the rookie games, it feels likely that he’ll be among the first rounds of cuts. It will be interesting to see what he’s able to do in his time with the team, but it’s all but sure to be a short one.
Jack Nesbitt: Through the Rookie Series, Nesbitt has been the real standout of this group, playing big minutes on the Flyers’ top line and making some nice subtle plays to support his more mature linemates in Bump and Tuomaala. That said, Nesbitt is still very much a project, and it’s going to take at least another year of development in the OHL before he’s ready to move up to any next level.
