Kirill Ustimenko, or should we give him his nickname of “Usti” was primed and ready for his journey with the Flyers organization, when he signed his ELC (Entry-Level-Contract) in May of 2019. Ustimenko appeared to be happy, giddy, and carefree with the Reading Royals in 2019-20. The guy appeared to be ecstatic in his first professional season in North America, and winning will do that for a person. His eyes were like a kid at a candy store throughout his tenure with the Royals.
The former MHK Dynamo St. Petersburg product in Ustimenko, appeared to be confident, and one could see the jubilation on his face after he made save after save for the Royals this past season. It should come as no surprise he was able to adjust to the rink size, as Ustimenko registered a 1.78 GAA, and a .927 Save Percentage in 46 games played for the MHK Dynamo in 2018-19.
Ustimenko was able to adjust properly to the North American rink size, as he posted a 19-4-5 record, a 2.40 GAA, and a .919 Save Percentage in 31 games played for the Royals. Moreover, Ustimenko garnered two shutouts, and only allowed 70 goals against on 867 shots faced. For his efforts, he also managed to play in five games for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, as Chuck Fletcher traded Phantoms backup netminder J.F. Berube to the New York Rangers to pave the way for Ustimenko late in the season. That’s how well Ustimenko performed, he earned that last recall to the Phantoms before the season was shutdown due to the Coronavirus.
The young up-and-coming netminder in Ustimenko has reflexes like that of a cat. His lateral movements from post to post were smooth and faster than I personally ever witnessed from him this past season. I believe he got stronger which helped, but I also believe his skating was better, as well, and that factored in him being able to move post to post smoother than in years past. Moreover, Ustimenko tracked the puck well, and made tough saves look routine. Ustimenko really made a name for himself with the Royals, and he really showed the world why he could be a third round steal for the orange and black.
Unfortunately, Ustimenko’s season is over before it began as he had offseason surgery on his left hip to repair a torn labrum, and will be out four to five months, per Flyers’ General Manager Chuck Fletcher. Ustimenko was a probable starter for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms this season, following a fantastic first season in North America.
So what now with the Phantoms short one goalie? Alex Lyon appears to be the lead candidate for the Flyers Taxi Squad roster, as it is mandatory for all NHL teams to have three goalies on their roster, whether it happens to be on their 23 man roster or Taxi Squad roster. In the event Lyon is indeed placed on the Taxi Squad roster this would leave the Phantoms one goalie short. Who could replace Ustimenko…Roddy Ross.
Roddy Ross
Flyers young 20-year-old prospect from the Regina Pats of the WHL posted a picture of the Flyers Skate Zone on his Instagram page a few days ago. A picture that was given to me from a fellow comrade in Chris Maher shows Ross taking a picture of the Flyers Skate Zone sign in Voorhees, NJ.
This leads me to believe that Chuck Fletcher called Ross to Flyers Training Camp, given the uncertainty to the WHL (No definitive date on the start of season, or if it begins), to possibly win a job on the Taxi Squad roster or be the backup netminder for the Phantoms to Felix Sandström. He meets the age requirement for the AHL, and Ross would be a cheap internal signing with the flat-cap teams face today. The Flyers currently have approximately $2.3 million in cap space left for a cheap addition. Ross would need a contract or an Entry-Level-Contract (ELC), and that could very well happen depending on what transpires at camp.
Ross could have also been called to training camp by the Flyers top brass to fill a certain amount of spots goaltending wise for all the scrimmages that Head Coach Alain Vigneault wants to run in camp, due to no exhibition games being played this season.
Sandström has been in the area, per Fletcher for an extended period of time now in preparation of the 2020-21 season, “Felix has been here for a while now,” Fletcher said, “Everybody’s here. Everyone’s been here a bit, obviously with all the requirements. Guys have been here getting tested and working out in their player groups. Some guys have been here than others. It’s their right whenever they wanted to come in. Felix started the season in Sweden. He’s been over here a while skating and getting ready to go.”
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I just thought it was odd that the Flyers would invite Ross to camp given that it’s a shorter camp than usual, even though the Flyers can have unlimited goalies when Ross may have had access to ice where he hails from Meadow Lake, SK, CAN. Especially with Ross preparing for the WHL season with the Regina Pats.
The Flyers have not signed a goaltender, nor do they appear to be on the market for one, as Fletcher said last week there would be no more signings or trades more than likely before the season began. Could Ross win a job within the Flyers system earlier than most expected due to the shortage of goalies throughout the week? This remains to be seen, and the full training camp roster will be released Saturday afternoon.
