There were no systems being implemented on the first day of the Flyers training camp. No battle drills or faceoff practice. In fact, there were no pucks on the ice at all. Day 1 of camp was entirely set aside for skating tests.
Training Camp Day 1 Takeaways: A Test of Will
Day 1 of camp was entirely set aside for skating tests
The Flyers players were separated into four groups, lettered A through D. They skated 15 minutes of laps with a rope between the nets to prevent anyone from taking a shortcut in front. After a brief respite, they spent the rest of the session skating goal-line to goal-line suicides, four players at a time.
None of this came as a surprise to the players. New head coach John Tortorella sent them a pre-camp letter, stating that camp was going to be taxing and to be ready. He informed the players that the skating tests were going to happen on Day 1 and that there'd be a lot of skating throughout camp.
For many players, Thursday's session was the first training camp in their memory where there were no drills with the puck on the opening day. New defenseman Tony DeAngelo was among those who said they'd never experienced such a first day of camp in their recollection at any level of hockey. However, players who'd played under Tortorella before -- tryout center Artem Anisimov, for example -- said they'd done the same previously under "Torts".
A Mental Test
Thursday's skating test was not about which players are the fastest sprinters on their skates. Rather, it was a gauge of endurance and mental toughness. Tortorella said that his one and only expectation was for the players to finish all the reps no matter how smooth or pained they looked in doing it. Watching each player intently, he prodded and cajoled them to dig deep in their energy reserves and keep their feet going.
Everyone finished the reps, which pleased the coach.
"For them it's a physical test. But, for me, it's mental," Tortorella said, adding that the hellish session was not intended to be punitive. Apart from demonstrating individual resolve, the fact that everyone has to go through it as a group is good for building unity.
"It's not to pound our chest and just bury them," Tortorella said. "We want to test them, and it develops a camaraderie. They kind of look at you and say 'You're not going to get to me.' That's the kind of attitude we're trying to develop. It's a will."
The session was touch-and-go for many. Defense prospect Mason Millman was in particularly rough shape at the end of Group D. Many others, veterans and younger players alike, came out flying but started to slow down noticeably after a couple laps around the rink. The burning legs and faces grimaced in forcing the body to keep going were soon evident even at a casual glance.
There were some players that Tortorella was not sure would be able to finish.
"I went to Nic Deslauriers. He was ugly as hell. But he never stopped, and finished. As long as the finish was there. It's mental toughness," Tortorella said.
Although Cam Atkinson has been through six seasons playing for Tortorella in Columbus and he knew full well how taxing the Day One skate would be, he was among the many players who was soon hunched over his stick or leaning over the bench between reps. He had a lot of company in feeling the burn of the session, both within his skating group -- such as Scott Laughton -- and the team overall.
By the last few suicides, every player was understandably tired, even the likes of the supremely conditioned Ivan Provorov. However, Provorov was one of a handful of players who seemed like they could have continued going for more reps if the coach had demanded it. Players such as James van Riemsdyk, Kevin Hayes and Nick Seeler also showed remarkable stamina during both halves of the skate.
Injury Updates
In between the first (Group D) and second (Group C) skating tests, Flyers general manager and president of hockey operations Chuck Fletcher spoke to the media about an array of topics: proving the team's skeptics and detractors wrong. the status of negotiations with impending unrestricted free agent defenseman Travis Sanheim, opportunities for young players, goaltending depth behind Carter Hart and more.
The most immediately pressing issue, however, was to provide injury updates. Fletcher noted the following developments:
* Sean Couturier visited a specialist on Thursday for further evaluation of an injury suffered last week in the vicinity of where he underwent back surgery last season. Thereafter, a treatment plan will be determined and a rough timetable for the players' likely absence will be identified. Fletcher said that the injury did not happen in a training session last week but rather flared up during normal day-to-day activities and subsequently worsened.
* There was bad news on Ryan Ellis. The veteran defenseman, who dressed in only four games last season due to "multi-layered" chronic issues in his mid section, made no significant progress over the summer. He remains out indefinitely and Fletcher said that he is not expecting Ellis to play in 2022-23. The player has a torn psoas muscle with interrelated issues in his pelvic area, adductors and hips.
* Patrick Brown underwent offseason back surgery. He is considered week-to-week at this point.
* Joel Farabee (offseason neck surgery) has been cleared for non-contact drills and is progressing rapidly in his recovery. The player may be able to return in October.
* Bobby Brink is now nine weeks post-surgery on a hip injury. He is working out off the ice at the Flyers Training Center. The next phase will be a return to skating. Brink remains on target for the initial return-to-play estimate of getting back into game action come late December or early January.
* Phantoms forward Ryan Fitzgerald suffered a lower-body injury before camp and will be out one to two weeks.
Farabee Expresses Optimism
Farabee joined teammates for a couple scrimmages before camp. He was involved in some inadvertent contact per Fletcher but suffered no ill-effects. Farabee said the initial neck injury happened when he was doing a warm-up bench press session in the gym with relatively light weights. He felt a strange sensation in his neck and then the discomfort radiated down his arm.
After undergoing the same cervical disc replacement surgery that NHL star Jack Eichel had last season, Farabee rapidly started to feel better and his rehab has going according to plan.
In terms of the skating test on Thursday, Farabee said, "The skate was tough but it's tough to play in the NHL."
