With the regular season starting up in just 15 days, exhibition season is in the air and that means the Flyers faithful can get a brief look at some top prospects who are trying to make their cases for opening night roster spots. Now, it’s important to not get carried away by three preseason games, but here are some intriguing names that have impressed so far.
Standouts
09/26/16: 2-0 Loss to New Jersey Devils
1. Ivan Provorov: Flyers fans wanted to see their top defensive prospect and they got their wish and then some three nights ago, as he logged 28:48 (!!!). These were not just minutes against minor leaguers and prospects. The New Jersey Devils had multiple regulars in the line up. Travis Zajac (699 Games Played ), Mike Cammalleri (779 Games Played), Beau Bennett (129 Games Played), Jacob Josefson (238), Andy Greene (641), Ben Lovejoy (334) and Damon Severson (128). Provorov also played extended special teams time with playing 8:03 of power play time (out of the total 10 minutes) and 3:58 of penalty kill time (out of a total of eight minutes). It’s clear General Manager Ron Hextall wants to see a lot of the 7th overall pick in 2015 coming off of a very impressive 2015-16 with the Brandon Wheat Kings, scoring 21 goals and notching 73 points in just 62 games.
2. Alex Lyon: Lyon had a stellar “NHL debut.” the Yale product stopped 28 of 29 Shots against, including multiple break aways by Beau Bennett. The one goal he allowed was off of a third opportunity right in the crease. He won’t crack the NHL roster this year but will battle for playing time with Anthony Stolarz in the AHL. Flyers fans may in for a treat with the 23-year old, as in his last 63 games played in the NCAA, he was tremendous, posting a 1.63 goals against average and .938 save percentage.
9/26/16: 3-0 Loss to New York Islanders
1. Nick Cousins: Nick Cousins is not a lock to make this Flyers roster with his two-way contract and players like Jordan Weal and Colin McDonald still competing for spots. It seems like he will either take the third line center position or he will be in the AHL. Cousins showed in his first preseason game that he wants the third line pivot spot and he is ready for it. While playing against the Islanders, Cousins won 82% of his face offs (9 out of 11) and had two fights. His energy has been noticed by our very own writer, Jeff Quake as a pretty underrated player in the Flyers organization. If he continues to prove his worth in his bottom six role then he should be a lock for the third line center spot coming off of his first real taste of NHL action where he scored six goals and ten points in 36 games.
9/27/16: 4-0 Win Versus New York Islanders
1. Provorov: The Yaroslavl native had yet another great game in which he played 21:43. He had solid positioning, he finished some big checks, and made simple and smart outlet passes to get out of the Flyers defensive zone. Already having Shayne Gostisbehere from the back-end, the team slowly will be turning out more puck-movers from their farm system, and the 19-year old is no exception.
2. Steve Mason: Although the 28-year old net minder only saw 23 shots on goal, a lot of them were quality chances in which he had to make a few acrobatic saves. Mason looked like the same goalie who led the NHL in even strength save percentage in 2014-2015 at a .940 mark.
3. The Third Line: Scott Laughton, Cousins, and Dale Weise punished the Islanders all night. They were heavy on the forecheck, and brought some much needed speed to the Flyers lineup. Dale Weise also scored his first goal as a Flyer. If Cousins makes the team, look at that trio to be an energy line for head coach Dave Hakstol’s group as they try to build on their remarkable run from last season.
Roster Cuts
The Flyers also have cut down their roster to 56 players:
Conner Bunnaman 2016 4th round, 109th overall
(Will return to the OHL Kitchener Rangers)
Samuel Dove-McFalls 2015 4th Round, 96th overall
(Will return to QMJHL St. John Ice Dogs)
Carter Hart 2016 2nd Round, 42nd Overall
(Will return to WHL Everett Silvertips)
Pascal Laberge 2016 2nd Round, 36th Overall
(Will return to QMJHL Victoriaville Tigres)
Anthony Salintri 2016 6th Round, 172th Overall
(Will return to OHL Sarnia Sting)
Carsen Twarynski 2016 3rd Round, 82nd Overall
(Will return to WHL Calgary Hitmen)
Garrett McFadden
(Released from amateur try out)
Brennen Menell
(Released from amateur try out)
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