Photo Credit: Frankie Steskal
Wade Allison had to be helped off the ice and helped into the locker room as he exited Sunday’s rookie game with an apparent leg injury of some sort. Allison put forth a great Developmental and Rookie Camp, it’s a shame that this injury overshadows all the good that some Flyers rookies have endured through camps with the likes of Morgan Frost, Tyson Foerster, Wyatte Wylie, Egor Zamula, Linus Sandin, Kirill Ustimenko, and Samuel Ersson in particular.
“Well, I’m sure he is going to take it hard,” new Lehigh Valley Phantoms Head Coach Ian Laperrière said following the game. “No matter what. If it’s a week, two weeks, a month or two months. You put in all that work in the summer. You came in. He looked great all week. He looked great yesterday. He played the way he should be playing, in a rookie game. He only knows one way to play. Again, I really feel bad for him. Unfortunately, it’s part of the game. Injuries are part of the game, especially when you play that style of hockey. Again, I don’t know what the injury is and hopefully it’s going to be a quick one.”
“Yeah, I can’t say it enough. I feel for kids like him, just doing all that work and playing the right way. He could have come to camp. He played NHL games last year. Could have taken it easy, flowed out there but he didn’t. He played his style. He played physical, probably why he got hurt. Again, I do really feel for a kid like that.” – Phantoms Head Coach Ian Laperrière
With uncertainty surrounding Allison’s playing status still. Here are some candidates to replace Allison if he misses time due to injury.
Linus Sandin
Fresh off re-signing for another year with the Flyers. Sandin is expected to compete for a job in training camp. He gained valuable NHL experience with being recalled to the Taxi Squad for a period of time, “No, I want to give it another shot here in North America and chase my dream to play in the best league in the world,” Sandin said at developmental camp. “That’s why I’m here, to try to make the team.”
Sandin continued, “My main focus was to get faster, my speed. Of course, mobility and getting stronger as well. My main focus was to keep my feet moving. As I said earlier, it took a while and then when I felt more comfortable on the ice, I get reward. It was a lot of fun to be out there and be over here in North America.”
An area of strength in Sandin’s game is he is good with zone entries, and this is another area the Flyers have struggled with last year. Sandin potted six goals and tallied four assists in 26 games played last season for the Phantoms. Whatever the case maybe for the Flyers and Sandin. The Flyers should expect an intelligent hockey player to adapt to the North American ice quickly. Sandin provides strength and durability on the right side, and also bolsters the Right-Wing position most notably. He is a two-way Power Forward who will be an intriguing piece of the Flyers future moving forward.
Morgan Frost
Hold on Flyers fans, please let me explain why I think this would be the appropriate time to convert Frost to winger. If the Flyers want Frost to make the team outright out of camp, now would be the time to take advantage of such, as it will be hard to beat out two veteran/seasoned players with the likes of Derick Brassard and Nate Thompson down the middle.
Ian Laperrière was impressed with Frost’s physicality throughout this rookie camp, as he placed him in situations to test that out. He continued to say that he put in the work at home and got bigger and stronger, and also if he does happen to play with the Phantoms this season he will be utilized on the penalty kill.
“The difference in the last three years has been huge for me. Obviously, not playing last year was tough, but I feel re-energized. I feel stronger. I’m a little older now. I feel more confident. I think everything’s kind of come together for me.” – Morgan Frost
Frost continued, “I think just that I got stronger. I can win battles and hold my own out there. The offensive stuff can come on its own for me. I think if I can show that I can play out there against the other team’s top lines and win face-offs and be strong in the zone. I think that’s the major thing that’ll get me to the NHL and hopefully keep me in the NHL.”
One of Frost’s biggest criticisms was his strength. Well, we could put that to bed now, as Frost said he weighs 190 pounds (Frost said this last week at rookie camp). Whether or not Frost will make the Flyers outright out of camp remains to be seen, however, he indeed looks bigger in the interviews from this past week with the media.
Max Willman
Willman is a highly skilled player for played for Brown University and Boston University in the NCAA. Following his completion of college, Willman found himself playing for the Reading Royals in 2019-20, a season in which he tallied nine goals, and 16 assists in 20 games played. Willman made quite the impression on the Flyers and Phantoms top brass that he even played with Phantoms as well, tallying three goals and six assists in 24 games played before the season was halted due to the Coronavirus in 2019-20.
The young 26-year-old in Willman earned an AHL contract for the 2020-21 season with the Phantoms, and he even saw time at Flyers main training camp this past January. For those that don’t remember, Willman tallied the first goal of scrimmages following intense practices, and he tallied nine goals, and 16 assists in 30 games played for the Phantoms last season.
He has very good puck skills, has great lateral mobility and edging. Willman can make plays at high tempo, and he may not be be the fastest skater but he skates well. He clocks in at 6’0 and weighs 183 pounds. Of course, like most prospects he needs to get bigger and stronger, and could always improve their skating abilities. Willman has a heavy shot, and is dead accurate when he shoots, he can pick apart the net with the best of them. The Flyers appear to be high on him as he signed a two-year deal with the Flyers this past season, worth an AAV of $750,000 per year.
Tyson Foerster
At only 19-years-old, Foerster is starting to show maturity at such a young age on the ice. Tyson is a strong playmaker and has a shoot first mentality. Foerster was signed by the Philadelphia Flyers following the 2020 NHL Draft, as he was a first round selection, #23 overall.
After participating in Developmental Camp, and as he continues to progress through Rookie Camp. One thing has become clear. He is showing physical maturity, as a looks a bit leaner but stronger (Muscle wise), “This summer was a big summer for me,” Foerster said. “I lost some fat and I feel great coming in, I feel a lot faster than I was last year. I’m ready to go for camp.”
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He is comfortable when he is in the face-off circle on the left side, and that was made evident in Saturday’s rookie game against the New York Rangers. Foerster netted two goals in the rookie game: one on the power play and one at even strength, and I think it’s time to coin him a sniper.
Tyson feeds players extremely well and is always looking for where his target is. Foerster can bring qualities to the ice that the Flyers are lacking, but he needs his time with the Phantoms to not slow down his development. He took advantage of playing in the AHL with uncertainty surrounding the OHL last season. Tyson gained valuable professional experience, and tutelage from some veteran players like Cal O’Reilly and Garrett Wilson, whom he speaks of very highly of for helping him as he has stated to us at developmental camp a few weeks ago, but he is uncertain on where he will play, “Nothing has been made clear yet but hopefully I can stay with the Flyers,” Foerster said. “But if not, hopefully Lehigh Valley. Nothing has been made clear to me yet.”
Foerster can play in the OHL with the Barrie Colts or with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL this coming season or make the team out right out of Flyers camp. Those junior players who played in the AHL last season due to the cancellation of the OHL season are eligible to play in the AHL this coming season if the organization feels as though they should. For now he’s just focused on trying to make the Flyers out right out of camp.
