Photo Credit: Zack Hill
Cam York is one of the Flyers top prospects for good reason, and he is typically as decisive as they come. He had a great Developmental Camp as expected, and it’s clear he’s trying to make the Flyers in the fall even with the logjam at defense, “I still believe in myself,” Cam York said. “I think I can make a team still, but it’s a long year. It’s 82 games and the schedule is really tight. There’s going to be a lot of guys coming in and out of the lineup. If you block a shot wrong, you’re out eight games. That’s eight games that people need to fill. I didn’t look at it like ‘Dang, there goes my spot.’ I’m still confident. I still believe in myself.”
York was confident, skating well, and appears to be a confident blueliner. One of the best qualities he possesses on the offensive side of the game is his shot accuracy. He hits the net nine times out of ten, and he showed that while quarterbacking the top Power Play unit at times this past season. He was great with cycling the puck, and holding the pucks in at the blue line thus extending zone play for the Flyers.
“For me, I think the biggest point was obviously to physically grow and put a lot of work in in the gym. I felt like I did a really good job of that this past offseason. Secondly, just defensively, like being harder on guys, closing gaps a lot quicker. Things like that. I think they were the main focal points for me.” -Cam York
The best part of York’s game is his confidence. This leads to long strides skating wise, and he was able to pass the puck with ease to his defensive partner from last season in Justin Braun, which lead to clean zone exits. It just appeared that when he was on the ice he settled things down. Getting back his confidence, one could sense it as he was joining the rush up the ice, and pinching when needed, “Just keep doing what I’m doing,” Cam York said. “I’m on a good track here. I’ve had a good successful couple years here. I think to get to the next level, obviously, physically. I’m playing against men up there, so I need to become stronger.”
The young 20-year-old in York continued, “At the end of the day, it’s the same game up there. It’s not like I’m playing lacrosse. It’s still hockey. I’ve been doing it since I was a little kid. Just keep doing what I’m doing like defensively. Be really hard on guys. Don’t give guys time and space. Every time that you go out, you want to have that mentality of I’m going to shut this guy down. You want the other team to think that like, ‘Gosh, I don’t want to go up against that guy today’. It’s things like that, but I feel like I’m right there. Going to compete for a spot here in a couple weeks and give it everything I got.”
York did provide some nice plays with the man advantage this past season. For instance, York used his good instincts to keep a pucks in Flyers zone and a game in particular against the Washington Capitals. York was able to extend the Power Play on the first man advantage, which lead to a prime scoring chance. He is as good as Shayne Gostisbehere it appears at holding pucks in at the blue line. With little practice time of knowing where the team’s personnel was going to be and when, he actually did quite well in this area. York quarter backed Michigan’s top Power Play Unit last season, and that definitely helped with his comfortability in this area.
He was faster than I’ve personally seen following his first game in a Flyers sweater. For York’s efforts, him and Egor Zamula are now roommates, and believe it or not Zamula knows a bit of the English language, “He’s got really good gap control,” York said of Zamula. “He’s got a big slapshot. We’re actually roommates right now which is kind of funny. He’s a great guy off the ice. Funny guy. I’m trying to learn from him just like he’s trying to learn from me. It’s a good culture. We’re starting to build a pretty good relationship here.”
Both prospects are developing, and both are waiting patiently for their turn to shine. Either way the Flyers have no reason to rush either with a veteran presence ahead of them at the moment. York will be a good player eventually, and when it’s his time he will shine. For his efforts, York had a very good developmental camp, and hopefully the success continues into training camp.
