Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
Opening day of Dev Camp at the Flyers practice facility in Voorhees New Jersey. Bright and early Tuesday morning 39 skaters took the ice in the hope of becoming part of the team’s future. This was also a chance for the Flyers brass to get a first hand look at some of the prospects chosen in the NHL draft this past weekend in Vegas. All eyes were on Jett Luchanko who was chosen 13th overall in the 1st round.
The Flyers welcomed back Cara Morey again this year to work with the team. Cara has been the head coach of Princeton University’s women’s ice hockey team since 2017. Cara won a gold medal with Canada’s under 22 women’s ice hockey team at the 2000 Nations Cup and played two seasons in the NWHL before starting her coaching career.
At one point the prospects were running a drill where they were being asked to stick handle a puck the length of the ice while keeping a second puck under the blade of their skate. So one blade on the ice doing the work, the other blade resting on a puck and pulling it along.
Skating drills are not there to make anyone feel comfortable or confident for that matter. It’s gotta feel great ending up flat on your back as Danny Briere and Keith Jones are watching to see what you’ve got. Skating coaches are not there to make you feel good they are there to push you along to the next level. And that is what development camp is all about, taking things up a notch.
This group of young players have all been chosen for a reason. Many of them are just 17 years old, and none of them was even born in the 1900’s. One player was listed as being born in 2022. Obviously a typo but seeing that does make you panic for a second.
The skill level is high and every participant should be proud to have made it this far. Some familiar faces are back and already looking stronger than they did last year. Watching players like Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, and Alex Bump you can see they’re already moving forward in their development as players. Bonk can really fire the puck. We also got another look at Carson Bjarnason between the pipes.
Camp will run through Saturday July 6th. All sessions are open to the public and admission is free. Comcast CEO and Flyers team governor Dan Hilferty was on hand this morning going through the crowd and welcoming Flyers Fans who came out get their summertime hockey fix. One thing that has greatly improved during this New Era of Orange is the connection between the team and the fans. The organization is focused on the importance of that bond for sure, it’s refreshing to say the least.
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