The Flyers’ training camp roster is certainly a robust one, and while we’ve just spent some time working our way through the most crowded section of the roster at the forward position, we’re back now to dive into the defense group, which is robust in its own right and primed to feature some equally exciting battles.
The locks
There’s a little more that’s up in the air about the defense group and how it will be constructed coming out of camp, but there is still some certainty here, and we can at least consider these five to be locks to make the roster, even if not the everyday lineup:
Jamie Drysdale, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Cam York, and Egor Zamula
Even though Zamula was left off the initial camp roster — just a clerical oversight and not some drama brewing — his regular lineup spot is the most in question. He had John Tortorella’s trust, but his play was definitely imperfect last season, and he’ll have a slight uphill battle to prove himself and lock in a consistent place in the lineup with the new coaching staff.
The lineup hopefuls
But away from that group, we can still envision two spots up for grabs (as it looks like Rasmus Ristolainen is still set to miss a good chunk of time to start the season), and it’s going to be a tight battle for them, and interesting to see what sort of thematic direction the organization takes in filling in them.
Emil Andrae: Given the time he spent with the Flyers last season and the flash that he showed he could bring — though struggled to find on a consistent basis — Andrae’s going to be given a real shot at earning a place with the big club to start the season. But he’s going to need to show them more — Briere said as much in his availability yesterday — and get closer to the player he was when he was at his best for them. It’s a tall task, but the door is still well open for him.
Dennis Gilbert: But if the Flyers wanted to go the direction of experience in making a stopgap until Ristolainen is able to return, Gilbert would be towards the top of the list. With parts of three NHL seasons under his belt, his game will be a little more mature, and he could play a reasonably dependable role at the bottom of the Flyers’ lineup until they’re either healthier or ready to cycle a prospect up into that role.
Helge Grans: This time last year, we might not have expected to be having Grans in this conversation, but the level he was able to take his game to last season and the flash he showed in a short call-up stint with the Flyers, he’s comfortably put himself in the mix for one of those spots out of camp. And, as a right-shooter, he has the leg up as a player who could a little more seamlessly slide right into the vacancy Ristolainen left.
Noah Juulsen: Like Gilbert, Juulsen was brought in to offer a bit of support as an AHL-NHL flex player. He’s played in the NHL full time for the last two seasons, and has the added benefit of familiarity to Rick Tocchet, having spent that time playing for him in Vancouver. Will that be enough to elevate his stock enough over some of these developing prospects and earn him a spot in the lineup out of camp? That will be the big question.
AHL-bound
Some of those hopefuls will eventually find themselves down with the Phantoms to start the season, and they’ll be joining an interesting mix of young players to fill out that lineup.
Oliver Bonk: This time last year, Bonk was able to force a long look for himself in training camp, but combined with his uncertain health situation — he has something lingering which kept him out for last weekend’s rookie games, and had him downgraded to a non-contact jersey in practice yesterday — and it’s hard to imagine he’ll be able to put together that same kind of camp this time around. All the same, he’s poised for a big season with the Phantoms, and a big chance to keep growing his game as he graduates up to a new level of competition.
Adam Ginning: Ginning has the experience, both at the professional level and with the age and maturity factor, where he should in theory be in the lineup hopeful group, but the fact that he was several times passed over for call-ups last season suggests that his window may have passed him by, and he’s out of the organization’s long-term plan. All the same, he’s established himself as a dependable veteran at the AHL level, and he’ll be leaned upon in a big way for that stability this season.
Hunter McDonald: McDonald has made it clear through this camp that he’s going to make his biggest push for a spot with the Flyers to start this season, but given some of the polishing that still needs to go into his game — and some discipline issues that we saw crop up in the games last weekend that he clearly still needs to continue to work through — it’s a safer bet that he’ll be starting the season down with the Phantoms, where he can continue working to get his game where it needs to be.
Ty Murchison: It’s going to be a crowded defense group down at the AHL level this season, and as a newcomer — having only gotten in for a pair of games at the end of last season after signing his ELC — and as a player with not quite the same pedigree as a fellow newcomer like Bonk, Murchison’s battle is going to be more for a regular lineup spot with the Phantoms. Sure, it benefits him to make a good impression in the NHL camp as well, but the focus for him will be impressing the Phantoms’ coaching staff, and then going from there.
Ethan Samson: Samson has been putting in some good work to grow and round out his game at the AHL level, but there’s still a lot that needs to be done to get him to a point where he’s best maximizing his raw skillset while still playing with awareness and not skating himself into trouble. It’s work that he and the coaching staff in the AHL are targeting this season, and with some positive returns, he can get himself into the conversation for a later season call-up, that being the more realistic goal.
Junior-bound
Spencer Gill: Gill has made some positive strides over the past season, and with a strong — albeit limited — showing at last month’s World Junior Summer Showcase under his belt, he’s coming into this camp with a good bit of momentum. That said, though he has the momentum and a lot to like about him as a prospect in his profile, he’s still pretty raw and a ways away from legitimately competing for a roster spot. We’ll see what he’s able to do here in camp, but he’ll end it by heading back to the QMJHL for his final season.
Austin Moline: With Moline, it’s even more of the same story — committed to play one more season in the USHL before presumably making the jump to college hockey next season, he’s still very raw and early in his development, and it seems all but a certainty that his camp stint will be a short one. He’ll get some notes from the development staff based on what he was able to do in his single rookie game showing, and whatever he gets in for during main camp, and then he’ll be on his way.
Andre Mondoux: And then for Mondoux, who’s been an invite for both development camp as well as rookie and now training camps, he’s not in a battle for an NHL roster spot, but he is in a battle for an NHL contract. Given his age (just 18 years old), he’ll be heading back to the OHL whenever his camp stint is closed, but if he’s able to make a positive impression, he might well put himself on the map to be offered an AHL contract when he comes of age, if not an entry level deal with the Flyers outright.
Luke Vlooswyk: Vlooswyk is another one who’s probably not going to be around for a terribly long run through this camp. Just drafted this summer, and still with a lot to work on in his game, he’s expected to play through two more full seasons in the WHL before he gets a sniff at professional hockey. He’ll learn what he can in this short stint, but he’ll likely be one of the earlier cuts, so he can make it back to Red Deer in time for the start of their training camp, which will be an even more important one for him.