Rookie Series Preview: Flyers vs. Rangers

The home rink of the American Hockey League's Lehigh Valley Phantoms will play host to the 2022 Rookie Series on Friday (7:05 p.m. EDT) and Saturday (5:05 p.m. EDT). The players participating in the Philadelphia Flyers Rookie Camp will take on their New York Rangers Rookie Camp counterparts.

Following is a primer to get you ready for the Rookie Series: broadcast information, rosters, players to watch, and more.
Broadcast Information
There is no television broadcast or stream for Friday's game. Saturday's game will be televised on NBCSP+. Both games will have radio broadcasts, with Phantoms play-by-play announcer Bob Rotruck on the call: 1470-WSAN (iheartradio app) Phantoms 365 app. A direct audio link is
available here.
Flyers Roster
The Flyers have 26 players on their Rookie Camp roster (13 forwards, 10 defensemen, and three goaltenders). The Rooke Series game lineups will be arranged as they would in a typical game. In other words, both teams will dress 18 skaters and two goalies per game. As such, a handful of players will only dress in one of the two games, while the majority will play in both.
Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere will be behind the bench for the Flyers Rookies. He had indicated that Rookie Camp invitees Jonathan Lemieux and Nolan Maier will split goaltending duties on Friday, while young Phantoms goaltender Samuel Ersson will start in the return match on Saturday.
The trio of Noah Cates, his brother Jackson Cates and Flyers 2020 first-round Draft pick Tyson Foerster has skated together at practice leading up to the Rookie Series. They could appear together in at least one of the games. On defense, third-year pro Egor Zamula and second-season player Ronnie Attard were paired at practice. Laperriere said that Attard would not play on Friday but will be in the lineup for Saturday's game.
The full Flyers' roster is as follows:
Forwards (2021-22 Team)
43 Theo Rochette - Quebec (QMJHL)
49 Noah Cates -Philadelphia (NHL), Minn-Duluth (NCAA)
52 Tyson Foerster - Lehigh Valley (AHL), Barrie (OHL)
59 Jackson Cates - Lehigh Valley (AHL), Philadelphia (NHL)
60 Zayde Wisdom - Kingston (OHL)
62 Olle Lycksell - Växjo HC Lakers (SHL)
70 Tye McSorley - Oshawa (OHL), London (OHL)
73 Elliot Desnoyers - Halifax (OHL)
78 Jacob Gacher - Baie-Comeau (QMJHL)
82 Mikael Huchette - Quebec (QMJHL)
83 Tyler Savard - Sault Ste. Marie (OHL)
85 J.R. Avon - Peterborough (OHL)
92 Alexis Gendron - Blainville-Boisbriand (QMJHL)
Defensemen (2021-22 team)
47 Ronnie Attard - Philadelphia (NHL), Western Michigan (NCAA)
93 Colin Felix - Lehigh Valley, Mass-Amhers (NCAA)
50 Adam Ginning - Färjestad BK (SHL)
95 Adam Karashik - Lehigh Valley (AHL), Notre Dame (NCAA)
80 Will MacKinnon - Reading (ECHL), New Hampshire (NCAA)
63 Mason Millman - Lehigh Valley (AHL), Reading (ECHL)
75 Ethan Samson - Prince George (WHL)
65 Wyatte Wylie - Lehigh Valley (AHL)
54 Egor Zamula - Lehigh Valley (AHL), Philadelphia (NHL)
64 Brian Zanetti - Peterborough (OHL)
Goaltenders (2021-22 team)
33 Samuel Ersson - Lehigh Valley (AHL)
30 Jonathan Lemieux - Moncton (QMJHL), Saint John (QMJHL)
34 Nolan Maier - Saskatoon (WHL)
Rangers Roster
The Rangers have 23 players at their Rookie Camp, consisting of 13 forwards, seven defensemen, and three goaltenders. Notably, 22-year-old Swedish defenseman Nils Lundkvist (a first-round pick in 2018) is not participating for New York. The player, who has reportedly requested a trade from the Rangers,still technically qualifies as an NHL rookie, having played exactly 25 games for the Blueshirts last year.
A storyline to follow in the Rookie Series: The Rangers have three players (forwards Brennan Othmann and Will Cuylle along with goaltender Dylan Garand) who were part of Team Canada's gold-medal winning team at the 2022 World Junior Championship tournament in Edmonton in August. The Flyers, meanwhile, have two players from the victorious Team Canada squad: forwards Foerster and Elliot Desnoyers.
The full roster for the Rangers is embedded below:

Players to Watch
In Rookie Game competitions, it is often rather easy to spot which players are the top prospects for the respective sides and which ones either have some pro level experience under their belts or at least are a bit more physically mature than others on the ice. While there can be surprises, it's typical that these are the players who stand out the most in Rookie Games.
Six to watch: Flyers
1. Tyson Foerster (RW): The lone Flyers' first-round pick at Rookie Camp this year, Foerster is a deadly shooter who can score goals from the flank on one-timers or near the net. He also has an underrated passing touch.
2. Noah Cates (LW): A mature two-way player, the younger Cates brother arguably has the best chance of any player at the Flyers Rookie Camp to earn an NHL roster spot come opening night.
3. Egor Zamula (D): The mobile, skilled and poised Russian defenseman added 12 pounds of muscle to his 6-foot-3 frame over the offseason, reporting to camp at 192 pounds. He will play in all game situations for Laperriere's side.
4. Ronnie Attard (D): Attard has always had an explosive shot and a physical side to his game. He's worked hard on his positional awareness and risk vs. reward decision making. As a physically mature player with some NHL experience from last season, he could be a force in Saturday's rematch.
5. Elliot Desnoyers (C/W): A versatile and speedy two-way forward with underrated offensive skills, Desnoyers played mostly a fourth line and penalty killing role for Team Canada at the 2022 WJC but was a top offensive player in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last year and impressed a year ago in NHL camp with the Flyers.
6. Olle Lycksell (LW): A crafty and speedy little winger, the 23-year-old Swede is an experienced pro in his homeland's top pro league (SHL) and will be a rookie in North America this season, with the Phantoms.
Six to watch: Rangers
1. Brennan Othmann (LW): Selected by the Rangers in the first round (16th overall) of the 2021 Entry Draft, the young forward exploded for 50 goals and 97 points for the Ontario Hockey League's Flint Firebirds last season. At the WJC, he chipped in six points (2g, 4a) in as many games. At age 19, he is not eligible for the American Hockey League in 2022-23 due to the CHL/NHL Age Rule reverting back to pre-pandemic regulations. Thus, Othmann will use the Rookie Series and NHL training camp to try to prove he deserves an NHL spot sooner rather than later. Otherwise, he'll play one additional OHL season.
2. Zac Jones (D): The 21-year-old blueliner (he'll turn 22 in late October) is coming off a promising first full pro season in 2021-22 after electing to leave UMass-Amherst following his sophomore season. An attack-minded defenseman, Jones performed well overall for the AHL's Hartford Wolf Pack last season and has also dressed in a combined 22 NHL games for the Rangers since turning pro. He still has room to improve on the defensive side of the puck. The Rangers selected Jones in the third round (68th overall) of the 2019 Entry Draft.
3. Will Cuylle (LW): New York's Cuylle and the Flyers' Desnoyers were linemates for Team Canada at the recent WJC. The 20-year-old has a huge frame (6-foot-4, 210 pounds) and can be quite difficult to knock off the puck. He also brings a hitting element to his game and can get under opponents' skin. Cuylle will play his first full-length pro season in 2022-23. With the OHL's Windsor Spitfires last season, he posted 43 goals and 80 points in 59 games.
4. Dylan Garand (G): Playing behind Team Canada's powerhouse lineup Garand went 6-0 at the World Juniors with a .925 save percentage and 1.98 goals against average. He also had a very strong junior season with the Western Hockey League's Kamloops Blazers. The 20-year-old netminder will play his first full pro season in 2022-23 with the AHL's Wolf Pack.
5. Adam Sykora (W): The Rangers did not have a first-round selection in the 2022 Entry Draft. When their turn came up in the second round at number 63 overall, the team tabbed Slovakian winger Sykora as their first selection of the Draft. The 18-year-old showed promise in his home country's top pro league, Extraliga,for Nitra. He is already a mainstay on Slovakia's junior national team and suited up at the World Junior Championships last month.
6. Bobby Trivigno (W): The pint-sized Long Island native was a very skilled and entertaining collegiate player at UMass-Amherst, where he racked up the points in his junior and senior seasons. The undrafted 23-year-old joined the AHL's Wolf Pack last season after his senior collegiate season ended. The going wasn't as easy in the AHL (one goal, three points in 11 games). Nonetheless, in the Rookie Series environment, Trivigno is a player who could stand out. He is a very clever playmaker.