Three Takeaways From First Day Of Flyers Rookie Camp
The Philadelphia Flyers have officially kicked off their 2024 rookie camp, featuring highly-touted prospects like Matvei Michkov, Oliver Bonk, and Jett Luchanko.
Megan DeRuchie-The Hockey News - Three Takeaways From First Day Of Flyers Rookie CampThe Philadelphia Flyers have officially kicked off their 2024 rookie camp, featuring highly-touted prospects like Matvei Michkov, Oliver Bonk, and Jett Luchanko.
Despite it being just the first day, these players hit the ground running, and gave the many fans in attendance plenty to mull over as the week goes on.
Michkov Means Business
Matvei Michkov was, naturally, the big draw of this rookie camp, with scores of fans filling the newly-renovated Flyers Training Center to see the Russian star in action—and he did not disappoint.
Fellow prospect Emil Andrae noted how "competitive" Michkov during drills, and Lehigh Valley Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere acknowledged the 19-year-old as one of the players in camp that sets the tone for his teammates on the ice.
For Michkov, however, approaching practices and games with the same energy and intensity is him just "doing his job."
The Flyers' young star has been settling in nicely since his arrival in July, noting that he's been working hard on improving his English, and that he's grown close to fellow Russian players Egor Zamula and Ivan Fedotov as he adjusts to life in the U.S.
Some Notable Absences
Although listed on the official roster, players like Carter Sotheran and Denver Barkey did not participate in Thursday's practice session.
Barkey has been battling an illness that also kept him out of the London Knights' preseason activities, but a source confirmed that he's recovering well and starting to feel better.
Sotheran revealed that he had a flare-up of Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a heart condition that "causes an irregular or fast heartbeat." He said that he's been dealing with the effects of the condition for "three or four years" now, and has been taking medication and wearing monitors to keep an eye on it.
Getting Chippy With It
The first day of camp wasn't just laps and drills—a few players were already mixing it up in front of the net during the session.
Hunter McDonald was notably involved in several of these (completely inconsequential) altercations, but fear not, Flyers fans—Laperriere said that that kind of fiernceness is something that the higher-ups love to see at camp.
"That was my message to them," he said. "I want intensity. I don't want fighting, but I know you all saw [McDonald mixing it up with some players], and the bosses did too! Danny saw it, Torts saw it, and that's the kind of game I enjoy."
Thursday marks day one of camp, with games being played against prospects from the New York Rangers on Friday, Sept. 13 and Saturday, Sept. 14. Following those games, rookie camp sessions will continue through Sept. 17.