An annual rite of passage during the early summer, the Philadelphia Flyers' 2024 Development Camp will run from Tuesday, July 2, until Saturday, July 6. The structure and format of the daily activities often changes a little bit from year to year, but the basic purpose remains the same.
Unlike Rookie Camp in September, Development Camp is not primarily about impressing coaches by showing readiness to compete in roster battles for NHL (or AHL) roster spots once the main camp begins. Players are not expected to have the peak form and timing in early July.
Rather, it's about absorbing pro pointers on how to train, sharpen targeted skills and manage diet and conditioning regimens in the offseason. It's an opportunity to ask questions of the Camp trainers. It's also a time to make new friendships and renew old ones with fellow young players who could eventually become one's pro teammates for many years.
While immediately competing for jobs and roster sports and winning hockey games are not the main goals, the trainers and Hockey Ops staff keep a watchful eye on the attendees. They want to see who takes the Camp to heart and absorbs something useful. They want to get a sense of who takes the initiative to ask questions. They want to see which return attendees emerge as camp leaders, helping out the first-timers. There's also just enough competitiveness by the end to get the juices flowing in simulated game conditions.
Flyers Director of Player Development Riley Armstrong and Assistant Director of Player Development, Nick Schultz, along with Lehigh Valley Phantoms coaches will lead the on-ice sessions at the 2024 Development Camp. For the third straight year, Princeton University women’s hockey head coach, Cara Morey, is joining the Development staff for this summertime camp.
Here are five things to watch in the 2024 Development Camp at the Flyers Training Center:
1. 2023 and 2024 Draftees Featured Prominently
A host of players the Flyers selected in the 2023 or 2024 NHL Entry Draft will headline the list of first-time and second-time attendees in this year's Development Camp. Selected 22nd overall in the 2023 Draft, defenseman Oliver Bonk, is coming off a breakout season for the OHL's London Knights over the past year. Speedy playmaking center Jett Luchanko, chosen 13th overall in the 2024 Draft, will be at his first NHL Development Camp.
Other top prospects attending: include 2023 draftees Denver Barkey (London Knights winger), Western Hockey League goaltender Carson Bjarnason (Brandon Wheat Kings), center Cole Knuble (Notre Dame), highly skilled Alex Ciernik (now with the Nybro Vikings of Sweden's Allsvenskan level), breakout defenseman Carter Sotheran (WHL's Portland Winterhawks) and massive defenseman Matteo Mann (Saint John of the QMJHL, one game with the ECHL's Reading Royals). Top collegiate forward Massimo Rizzo, now signed to the entry-level contract, is also on the roster.
Among the names other than Luchanko that the Flyers called this past weekend at the 2024 NHL Draft, there's an international cast attending Development Camp: Canadian defenseman Spencer Gill (QMJHL's Rimouski Oceanic), big-framed Swedish two-way center Jack Berglund (Färjestad BK Karlstad of the Swedish Hockey League), big Finnish center Heikki Ruohonen, American power forward Noah Powell (headed to Ohio State University), and lanky defenseman Austin Moline (headed to Canada to play in the BCHL next season).
More experienced attendees include 2022 draftee Devin Kaplan (Boston University junior power forward), AHL pro Ethan Samson, and promising collegiate sophomore Alex Bump (a standout last year at Development Camp and Western Michigan).
2. Development Camp a Bit Different for Unaffiliated Invitees
Each year at Development Camp, there's always a handful (or more) of invited attendees who have not been drafted by an NHL club. This year, the Flyers have 15 invitees at camp. The reasons why these attendees can vary from player to player.
Some come out to Voorhees simply for the experience and to gain some tips they can put to use. For example, West Chester native Jack Page, the son of former Wells Fargo Center president John Page, dressed in four collegiate games last season as a Boston University sophomore. The 22-year-old defenseman and New Jersey Rockets alum can take away what's learned from the instructors and by being around thee group in Camp.
Other attendees have an eye on their pro fortunes in the near future. Camp invite center Jack Williams (a teammate of McDonald's at Northeastern the past two seasons) was a Hobey Baker nominee last year after a big breakthrough season in Hockey East. Russian defenseman Artyom Kudashov became a semi-regular at age 19 last season in the KHL with Dynamo Moscow.
3. Team Briere and Team Jones
The camp roster is divided into two groups: Team Briere and Team Jones. Fostering a team-like atmosphere, the players train alongside -- and eventually play as teammates in game simulated conditions -- their assigned group.
4. Small-Group and Full-Group Sessions
Individual attention in small-group learning environments is an important component of Development Camp. On Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday, the day begins with separe small-group on-ice sessions geared specifically for the goalies, defensemen and forwards attending the camp. There is no on-ice work on July 4.
On Wednesday and Friday morning and afternoon there are full-group sessions where all the Team Briere or Team Jones players practice on the ice together with their assigned squads.
To see the daily small-group and full-team ice time session schedules, click here. The full roster of drafted and invitee attendees is also available from this hyperlink.
5. Concluding Scrimmage
At 6:00 p.m. EDT on Saturday, July 6, a scrimmage pitting Team Briere against Team Jones will mark the concluding event of the 2024 Development Camp. Barring injuries, illness or prior commitments, the entire Camp roster is slated to see action.
If you cannot attend the scrimmage at the FTC in person, there will also be a live stream available. Jason Myrtetus and Brian Smith will handle the play-by-play and commentary duties.
