Prior to the Philadelphia Flyers starting training camp, not many people would’ve thought that Adam Ginning would have the inside track to a roster spot on October 1. However, after the rest of the blueliners battling for a spot struggled, the Swedish rearguard appears to be penciled into the opening night roster.
Veteran additions Dennis Gilbert and Noah Juulsen are here, and while they bring more NHL experience than Ginning, they’ve also had more blunders throughout the preseason.
Ginning is one of eight healthy defensemen remaining in training camp, and he’s doing all the right things to impress Rick Tocchet and the rest of the Flyers coaching staff.
“He’s been pretty steady in certain situations. I think there’s some more there for us, but there’s enough that, like, hey, this guy has a shot,” Tocchet said after practice on Tuesday. “There’s been some details from the meetings and practices that he’s doing in a game. I like that.”
Being able to learn a new system and provide a steady presence is important for anyone, but especially a younger guy trying to carve out his role in the NHL.
Tocchet specifically mentioned that Ginning has been improving over his last few preseason games.
“The last two, three games, I’m seeing these things that he’s picking up from the coaches in our meetings,” he continued. “So, for me, that’s a good thing.”
Ginning doesn’t have a ton of NHL experience, only playing in 11 games across three seasons, but he’s no stranger to the professional game. He’s now played 195 AHL games — plus 16 in the playoffs — since coming to North America in 2022.
Prior to that, he grew his game in the SHL in Sweden, where he debuted as a teenager. All in all, he played 216 games in the SHL, plus 34 more in the playoffs. So while Flyers fans may not be familiar with his game, he has over 400 games of professional experience under his belt between the SHL and AHL.
At this point in his career, the 25-year-old blueliner understands what he can be and is trying to make himself the best version of that.
“I think he’s who he is, and he’s trying to be good at that,” Tocchet said, acknowledging that the defenseman hasn’t been perfect. “It’s not just him, the game management. The one time he was up the ice, and it was a bad pass with Mich and him, and we already had a D in the play. That’s probably not the right time to have two guys go up.”
However, it’s how Ginning has responded to mistakes like that that has endeared him to Tocchet and the coaching staff.
“Those are mistakes you’re going to make, but he’s corrected them. That’s what I love,” he continued. “We’re all going to make mistakes. But I haven’t seen those mistakes the last couple of games. He’s cleaning that stuff up. So, good for him.”
