VOORHEES, N.J. — Two days from now, the Flyers' full training camp will get underway at Skate Zone with the veterans joining the prospects in a Friday morning session.
The veterans arrived 10 days early, except those already locked into the World Cup of Hockey. They reported to their various team camps in Canada.
“Everyone realizes how competitive camp is going to be this year,” general manager Ron Hextall said recently. "We got a lot of good players within the organization, whether on our team, last year guys at Lehigh or junior or college. It’s going to be a highly competitive camp, it really is.”
Here’s a docket of storylines to watch.
Prospect Ivan Provorov
From a standpoint of defensive prospects, the 19-year-old Russian is expected to make the roster. Privately, the Flyers have already penciled him onto their roster. He can only lose that spot at this point. Provorov’s ability level at this age is actually much higher than where Shayne Gostisbehere and Sam Morin were at the same age.
Prospect Travis Konecny
This 19-year-old forward had a very strong camp last fall and showed some flash in exhibition play. Unlike Provorov, he could return to junior and still pick up valuable learning tools, whereas Provorov is too far advanced to benefit from another year in junior. How Konecny holds up physically against bigger, veteran NHL forwards will say much about his chances to make the Flyers' roster now.
Scott Laughton and Nick Cousins
Hextall believes there are several internal competitions in this camp. Few are larger than this one. Cousins usurped Laughton’s role late last season and claimed it for himself in the playoffs. He impressed the coaching staff. Laughton admits he needs to regain his ice time and the role he had. One of these guys will win the lion’s share for the regular season. Also, with missing centers Claude Giroux and Sean Couturier at the World Cup, both these players will get extra ice time in exhibitions centering above their usual lines.
NHL
Steve Mason and Michal Neuvirth
The Flyers go into camp with essentially two solid No. 1 goalies whose contracts expire simultaneously after this season. Mason has the nod now, but that doesn’t mean he keeps it by camp’s end. Both these players are fighting each other for a long, lucrative contract extension. Hextall also realizes he has prospect Anthony Stolarz in the wings (Phantoms) waiting for a chance to back up a year from now. The contract race begins here.
Radko Gudas
The veteran defenseman severely injured his right wrist in offseason training. While he can maneuver his stick, he still can’t shoot the puck. Gudas figures to be behind others in camp and that could create room, initially, on the roster for extra defensemen sticking around. And then there’s the addition of Provorov, who is not going to be a No. 7, but a starter. Gudas' injury could put him behind others in an overcrowded blue-line situation. And there’s no guarantee he’s 100 percent by camp’s end, either.