Flyers Rookie Camp Is Here, Who Should We Be Watching?
Well for better or for worse, Flyers hockey is right around the corner. Today marks the start of Flyers rookie camp and there are some big implications for some as a few players will be fighting for an opening night roster spot.
While most of the guys who will be attending camp will not be in the opening night lineup, guys like Bobby Brink, Tyson Foerster, Elliott Desnoyers, Emil Andrae, and Helge Grans will be trying to make their cases.
The guys listed above are the ones who will have a legitimate chance at being in the lineup when October 12th rolls around.
Foerster is more than likely a lock for opening night and he is the only one who really has his spot penciled in. Brink has a lot to prove coming off an injury and an average year with the Phantoms. Desnoyers played a few games last season but was not very impressive but maybe he makes some big strides to earn a spot.
On the backend the Flyers are pretty set with their six defenseman but, Emil Andrae has some high upside and could make it hard for Torts not to give him a look. Helge Grans was acquired in the Provorov trade and will be looking to make an impression on his new team. He hasn’t shown too much so far in his career but, you never know a change of scenery could be just what he needed.
Now, for some of the guys to keep an eye on that don’t really have a chance at making the team but we’d like to see them impress.
First up on our list, Oliver Bonk.
Bonk was selected in the first round of this years draft and the Flyers really need him to turn into something. We already know he is going back to Juniors but it would be really nice to see flashes of greatness from one of our first round picks, especially as a right handed defenseman. If the Flyers can have a homegrown talent in the system that can fill a need it would be huge for the future.
Next up, Carson Bjarnason.
The Flyers have high hopes for this kid as they traded up in the draft to get him in the 2nd round. With the future of Carter Hart and Ivan Fedotov up in the air, having Bjarnason come in and look like he could be a legit number one goaltender would be perfect for the Flyers future.
Finally, another guy I am looking forward to seeing what he can do is Samu Tuomaala.
The 20 year old was a 2nd round pick back in 2021 and put up some solid numbers last season in Finland. He has some great speed and a great shot. Having him develop into a solid player who can create speed through the neutral zone and isn’t afraid to let it rip could be great for the Flyers.
With the rebuild still in motion it is important that these guys develop into something. I know that’s obvious but the Flyers really need some of these draft picks to hit if they want to have any sort of sustained success in the future. I know we are all excited about Matvei Michkov but he won’t be able to do everything himself when he gets here. If the Flyers can have a solid farm system to go along with a young core we could have a sizable window to win not just one but a few Stanley Cups.
I know that is wishful thinking, but hey we are in a “New Era of Orange” so it’s okay to be excited about the Flyers future. With that being said, theres a lot of uncertainty heading into this Flyers season and most people think they are going to be pretty bad. I for one am not sure they are going to be as bad as people think, but I’ll save that for another article.
Let’s just enjoy the fact that hockey is almost back and see what we get out of rookie camp and training camp.
You can check out the full rookie camp roster and schedule here
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-Walsh