The smell of preseason hockey is in the air. Other teams around the NHL have begun showcasing their rookies and prospects, and tonight the Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers will do the same.
Tonight begins the first of two games set to take place at PPL Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania this weekend. The Flyers and Rangers will face off tonight at 7:00pm ET before setting up for a rematch tomorrow night at 5:00pm ET. The games make up two days of the Flyers’ Rookie Camp this week, as they began activities yesterday at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, New Jersey, and will close things out there on Sunday.
For the prospects under contract, this will be a major opportunity to impress the Philadelphia brass and show what they’re made of as they head into what should be a watershed year for the franchise. For the camp invites, this will also be an opportunity to not only impress the Flyers, but to potentially earn contracts with the club should they play well enough.
The Flyers have plenty of talent on the roster and the lineup will reflect that tonight. Philadelphia’s lineup for tonight’s game features two players who have skated in the NHL in Jackson and Noah Cates to accompany nine other NHL Draft selections.
At forward, the brothers Cates will suit up together on the top line alongside Tyson Foerster, the coveted first-round pick by the Flyers in 2020. Foerster is coming off an impressive performance with Team Canada at the 2022 IIHF World Junior Championships, where he helped the Red and White clinch the gold medal.
Elliott Desnoyers (2020 fifth-round), another member of that Canadian World Juniors squad, will play on the second line with Zayde Wisdom (2020 third-round), while 2022 seventh-rounder Alexis Gendron will take reps on the third line tonight.
Along the blueline, Philadelphia will boast five more draft picks. Brian Zanetti (2021 fourth-round) and Wyatte Wylie (2018 fifth-round) will make up the first pairing while Adam Ginning (2018 second-round) and Ethan Samson (2021 sixth-round) round out the top four. Mason Millman (2019 fourth-round) will take shifts on the third pair alongside camp invite Adam Karashik.
Nolan Maier is expected to get the start in goal for the Flyers. Maier appeared in 60 games for the Western Hockey League’s Saskatoon Blades last season, going 31-23-4 with a .910 save percentage, 2.82 goals against average, and 3 shutouts, and he earned a camp invite after his impressive campaign.
Jonathan Lemieux will back up Maier, giving 2018 fifth-rounder Samuel Ersson the night off as he is slated to play tomorrow. Lemieux is another camp invite like Maier, and played in 45 combined games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League with the Saint John Sea Dogs and Moncton Wildcats, going 16-19-4 with an .894 SV%, 3.76 GAA, and 1 shutout.
Other Flyers prospects such as Ronnie Attard, Egor Zamula, J.R. Avon, and the aforementioned Samuel Ersson will rest tonight but are slated to play in the second game tomorrow evening.
When: 7:00PM ET
Where: PPL Center, Allentown, PA
PHI Goalie: Nolan Maier (31-23-4, .910 SV%, 2.82 GAA, 3 SO with WHL Saskatoon in 2021-22)
NYR Goalie: Dylan Garand (34-9-1, .925 SV%, 2.16 GAA, 4 SO with WHL Kamloops in 2021-22)
PHI Projected Lines:
#49 Noah Cates – #59 Jackson Cates – #52 Tyson Foerster
#62 Olle Lycksell – #73 Elliot Desnoyers – #60 Zayde Wisdom
#92 Alexis Gendron – #78 Jacob Gaucher – #43 Theo Rochette
#83 Tyler Savard – #82 Mikael Huchette – #70 Tye McSorley
#64 Brian Zanetti – #65 Wyatte Wylie
#50 Adam Ginning – #75 Ethan Samson
#63 Mason Millman – #95 Adam Karashik
#34 Nolan Maier
#30 Jonathan Lemieux
NYR Projected Lines:
#78 Brennan Othmann – #82 Patrick Khodorenko – #38 Adam Sýkora
#89 Maxim Barbashev – #59 Karl Henriksson – #96 Jayden Grubbe
#50 Will Cuylle – #83 Ryder Korczak – #48 Bobby Trivigno
#84 Adam Edström – #47 Bryce McConnell-Barker – #73 Matt Rempe
#6 Zac Jones – #53 Hunter Skinner
#44 Matthew Robertson – #39 Ty Emberson
#90 Luke Martin – #58 Brandon Scanlin
#98 Dylan Garand
#56 Talyn Boyko
Broadcast Info: Radio Only – 1470AM WSAN, Phantoms 365 App
News and Notes:
– Tonight’s game will be broadcast on radio only. However, tomorrow’s game will be streamed on NBC Sports Philadelphia+.
– This is the first time the Flyers have hosted a Rookie Game in Allentown in three years, dating back when they played the New York Islanders on September 11th, 2019. The Flyers lost that game in a shootout by a score of 5-4.
– While he is not suiting up tonight, goaltender Samuel Ersson will play the full game tomorrow night, per The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Olivia Reiner.
Music City Hockey Trip
Take a three day vacation to Nashville with Philly Sports Trips this October! The package includes direct flights, a three night stay at the Cambria Hotel Nashville Downtown, an all-inclusive tailgate, and tickets to the Flyers Predators game. $100 cash for anyone who shows proof they went to the Flyers game on the trip.
