Photo Credits: FNG’s Rob Windfelder
Bright and early Thursday morning Philadelphia Flyers Training Camp officially got underway. The day started with a session for players from Rookie Camp who have been invited to take part in the main camp. These guys have been in the swing for a couple weeks now and the energy and excitement of the previous cam has certainly carried over.
It was interesting to watch the mix of seasoned veterans and prospect hopefuls going up against each other. The usual suspects fit right in and held their own. Players like Alex Bump, Oliver Bonk, Jett Luchanko, are not out of place what-so-ever.
Solid players like Cole Knuble and Ty Murchison also not a surprise. Maksim Sokolovskii is still fun to watch at this level. Noah Powell is still mixing things up out there, at one point taking a swipe at Travis Sanheim. Denver Barkey and Porter Martone look like the players they proved themselves to be last season. Again, no surprises there.
Matvei Michkov
This is a guy who literally started working on this upcoming season hours after the Flyers were eliminated from round 2 of the Stanley Cup Playoffs last year. Michkov was already back on the ice while breakdown day interviews were being conducted. He spent the Summer preparing for this coming season and it shows. He’s leaner, meaner, and he’s flying on his skates.
He’s was pushing it to the max out there the entire session. At one point during a skating drill he lost an edge turning a corner. Not because his skating was off but because he wants to be the fastest. He’s been working out like he’s got something to prove ever since the first day of the off season. He conducted his first ever interview in English after the session was over. Michkov is clearly all in.
Travis Konecny
TK is one of those guys who shows up to camp like somebody just shot him out of a cannon. Konecny doesn’t seem to have another gear. He just goes with maximum intensity all the time. He is a high energy relentlessly competitive hockey player and he sets a great pace for everyone at camp.
Joseph Woll
This was the first opportunity to see Flyers newest goaltender Joseph Woll. Woll came to Philadelphia during the off season in a trade with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The Flyers are in need of a reliable goaltender to play in tandem with starter Dan Vladar. It is not a stretch say that Vladar was the difference for the Flyers last season. He was voted team MVP for a reason.
Woll is expected to take a hard run at that secondary spot between the pipes. Today was a good start. He was solid to say the least.
Camp resumes first thing Friday morning. This is not only a chance to get the Flyers squad up and running but also for prospects to take their best shot at sticking with the team, making a good impression, and leaving a calling card. This keep things competitive on the ice and it’s a lot of fun to watch. The intensity level is surely higher than a regular practice session. This is a opportunity to play in the most elite hockey league on the planet. All sessions are free and open to the public.
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