Sean Couturier had a sneak preview of the barrage of media attention that comes along with joining the Flyers when the team selected him eighth overall at last months draftbut even that whirlwind experience didnt set him up for what he encountered after he arrived in Philadelphia.
On Wednesday, the first day of Flyers prospect camp, Couturier didnt even have a chance to pop in his fake teeth before a pack of reporters and cameras approached him at his locker just moments after he left the ice. (He's missing most of his top front teeth because of a puck he took to the face a couple years back.)
So the lanky 18-year-old center wore a toothless grin while he was peppered with questions about where hes staying (at a hotel by Skate Zone), who hes rooming with (fellow highly touted prospect Brayden Schenn) and what its been like to be coached by Ian Laperriere (Great!).
Couturier is rather quiet, a trait that, according to Schenn, he demonstrates both in the locker room and outside of the rink. But when asked about his goals now that his tenure in the Flyers organization has officially begun, his volume didnt get in the away of his confidence.
My main goal is to make the team, Couturier said. But Im just going to have to work hard this summer and come prepared to camp and give everything Ive got. Its going to be up to the staff to decide.
Before Couturier earns a spot with the Flyers, however, hell have to overcome some hurdles. He will definitely need to put on muscle (at 6-foot-3, hes currently a little undersized at 200 pounds), and hell need to prove he deserves to play up more than some others hes competing against. The Flyers are suddenly crowded down the middle.
A self-described two-way forward who is reliable defensively, Couturier hopes to show the Flyers coaches that hes talented at controlling the puck and can find a niche setting up plays. His first chance to do so is this week at development camp, but the work will continue deep into the summer.
NHL
Im going to work hard this summer and do everything I can to make the team, Couturier said. But come September, Ill be ready for training camp. And once camp is on, just give everything, and well just see what happens.
Among the youngest invitees at the camp, which has about 40 participants, Couturier noticed immediately when he stepped out onto the ice before a large crowd of fans that hed entered a new echelon of hockey. He admitted he felt plenty of butterflies at the camps first day. But on Thursday, he began to shine, standing out during some puckhandling drills.
Its not juniors anymore, Couturier said. Its pro. Guys are a lot stronger and faster, the speeds faster. But I think it felt pretty good.
Couturier was born in Phoenix, but moved to New Brunswick, Canada, at a young age. His father played professional hockey for the Phoenix Roadrunners of the IHL, and growing up in a hockey family most certainly helped Couturier learn the discipline necessary to succeed in the sporta quality he hopes to show off to the Flyers brass while hes here this summer.
Just my work ethic, he said. Work hard, show them I have a good work ethic and that Im a good person, and just work hard every time Im out there.
The Flyers prospects will head to the shore Friday for the annual Trial on the Isle mini-triathlon event. But for Couturierwhos never participated in anything like Trial on the Islethe camps highlight came early: putting on an NHL jersey and skating out onto the ice for the first time.
It felt pretty special, Couturier said. Since Im young, I dreamed to play in the NHL one day, and now its a step closer. Theres still a lot of work left to do, but its progress, and it felt good.
E-mail Sarah Baicker at sbaicker@comcastsportsnet.com.
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