INSIDE HOCKEY

The Philadelphia Flyers’ developmental camp for first and second year players ran from July 20 to July 26 from The Virtual Skate Zone in Voorhees, N.J., and gave the young players a chance to learn a few things and show off their skills, while also giving the Flyers’ organization and fans a chance to witness a small taste of the future.

The camp focused mainly on preparation, including conditioning and proper nutrition. The players were constantly working out, on the ice or in class. After morning workouts and meetings, they hit the ice for a normal practice. The forwards were broken up into lines of three and designated different color jersey’s to differentiate one line from the other. The defense was all in black. The players were lead by Philadelphia Phantoms’ head coach Craig Berube, former Flyers’ defenseman Eric Desjardins and former Flyers/Phantoms’ goaltender Neil Little. The players worked on everything from power play set up to 2-on-1’s and 3-on-0’s.

After the drills, the players switched rinks for an intra-squad scrimmage. The teams were broken up into orange and black and played two 20-minute periods with a running clock. Standing on a balcony overlooking the scrimmages were Berube, General Manager Paul Holmgren and other coaches and scouts. Also watching the scrimmages off-and-on all week were Flyers’ radio announcer Tim Saunders and Flyers’ television announcer Jim Jackson.

For the entire week the orange team featured:

Forwards

Claude Giroux
Mario Kempe
Patrick Maroon
Nate Raduns
Matt Clackson
Jon Kalinski
David Laliberte
Freddy Cabana

Defense

Ryan Parent
Luca Sbisa
Oskars Bartulis
Michael Ratchuk

The black team landed:

Forwards

James vanRiemsdyk
Steve Downie
Jonathan Matsumoto
Zac Rinaldo
Andreas Nodl
Garrett Klotz
Rob Bellamy
Ned Lukacevic

Defense

Kevin Marshall
Chris Zarb
Marcus Smith
Jason DeSantis

The goalies for both squads were Joacim Ericksson and Brad Philips for black and Jacob DeSerres, Jeremy Duchesne and Michael-Lee Teslak for orange. All were average at best.

Standouts

James vanRiemsdyk, F
Playing the wing opposite Downie and Matsumoto on blacks’ top line, JVR was physically one of the most dominant and noticeable players on the ice all week. Showing a confidence he didn’t show in his rookie prospect camp in 2007, JVR worked well against the boards and was extremely tough to get the puck from around the net. He crashed the net consistently and with effect, receiving excellent passes from both Downie and Matsumoto. He didn’t show much of the playmaking ability that he does possess and he also wasn’t very physical despite his size, but other than that looked every bit as good as billed.

Ryan Parent, D
The second year defender was as poised and smooth as expected with his NHL experience. Paired with 2008 first-round draft pick Luca Sbisa, Parent was the most refined blue liner at the camp. He could be seen working one-on-one with a few assistant coaches on offensive drills, and in the scrimmages, was not shy about pinching in or unleashing his shot, which looked sharp.

Claude Giroux, F
The player most likely to earn a roster spot with the Flyers right out of the gate, Giroux had a lot to prove. On a line with Raduns and Maroon, Giroux and his line started camp slow, struggling with puck control, but gained steam as the week progressed. He hit the blue line with speed and was consistently wide open in the slot drooling for a pass. Despite his miniature stature, Giroux threw his body around and played relatively hard-nosed. His camp highlight occurred on Thursday when he stole the puck from a defenseman at his own blue line and used his blazing speed to go in alone on a breakaway. He faked a wrist shot and went backhand, beating the goaltender high to the blocker side and getting a rise from the crowd.

Jonathan Matsumoto, F
Centering JVR and Downie, Matsumoto showed poise and excellent playmaking ability. He was always around the puck and showed his maturity by making smart plays. After the prospect camp and training camp, don’t be surprised to see Matsumoto at the top of the list of call-ups should injury strike the Flyers’ center position.

Rob Bellamy, F
After four years at the University of Maine, Bellamy earned the reputation as a hard working, hard hitting heart-and-soul type of player, and he showed just that in camp. He hustled on every shift and was hard on the fore-check. Bellamy’s camp highlight came on Thursday, when he laid a booming hit on an orange player that tested the limits of the center ice boards.

Mario Kempe, F
The flashy Swede was in top gear all week. He flew from blue line to blue line and showed very good puck control. He crashed the net using power moves that skilled players of his caliber don’t normally make. His line featuring Laliberte and Kalinski was the most consistently dominant line for orange.

Zac Rinaldo, F
The 2008 sixth round pick had a surprisingly good camp. The smallish antagonist floated around the ice like a heat-seeking missile, hitting everything that touched the puck. Instead of looking to prove himself with fisticuffs, he did the best to chip in offensively and lay monster body checks. He did take a lot of penalties, but had eyes glued on him when he hit the ice. On the last day of camp, Rinaldo eventually dropped the gloves against Laliberte.

Matt Clackson,F
Son of penalty minute legend Kim Clackson, Matt wanted to be just like his dad and prove one thing in camp – that he was the toughest guy there. On Tuesday, Clackson challenged and fought Downie. Clackson got the jump with a few early blows, but Downie battled back with a few quick jabs of his own. Clackson manhandled Downie to the ground, where he may have got in an extra shot sending Downie into a frenzy. Both players could be seen jawing at one another back to their respective benches. Only a few shifts later, Clackson fought the much bigger Garrett Klotz, which ended in a draw. For the rest of camp, Clackson played the role of irritant but could not find a partner. Love him or hate him, he should be a welcomed addition to the Phantoms, who lost tough guys Triston Grant and Jesse Boulerice.

Kevin Marshall, D
Midway through the week, it was announced that Marshall had signed an entry-level contract with the Flyers, proving that the organization thinks a great deal of the stout defender. Marshall and Zarb were the top defensive pairing for the black team and for good reason. He is a smooth skater that plays the body very well. Originally matched up against Giroux’s line, he kept Giroux completely out of whack, not allowing his line to gain any momentum in the offensive zone. Marshall simply envelops people along the boards, completely snuffing out puck carriers. He also seemed eager to chip in on offense, which was a pleasant surprise.

Chris Zarb, D
The 6’ 4" 176 pounder may have been the biggest surprise at camp. For his excellent size, Zarb is very fast and very sure-handed. He controlled the puck well and was not shy crashing the net in the offensive zone, where he scored a few goals in the scrimmages. He has a smooth stride but may get out of position a bit due to his taste for goal scoring. He moved the puck well but for his size he seems a bit soft.

Michael Ratchuk, D
Practically invisible the first few days of camp, Ratchuk came alive Thursday showing the great speed and agility that put him high on the list of Flyers’ defensive prospects. He looked comfortable with the puck and showed good positioning. He did take a lot of big hits, something he may want to avoid if he wants a long lasting career in hockey as a smallish blue liner.

Injuries

Josh Beaulieu took a shot to the skate in drills Tuesday morning and was inactive the rest of camp. Downie was not active from Thursday on for unknown reasons. A source said he was not showing any signs of injury behind the scenes. Giroux skipped Friday’s camp but returned Saturday and looked healthy. Kempe’s reckless abandon got the best of him Thursday, when he went hard into the side boards and had to be helped off the ice. He did not return to camp. Marc-Andre Bourdon was in Voorhees but did not partake in any active drills.

Next up for the Flyers is the official team training camp in September. It also will be held at the Skate Zone.

To contact Ryan Bright, e-mail rbright@insidehockey.com