Category: Flyers/NHL

The Flyers may have “dodged a bullet,” as Rick Tocchet said Tuesday, but even if Dan Vladař can’t play for a bit because of an upper-body injury, the bench boss has a solid option in reserve.

Acquired from the Toronto Maple Leafs with defenseman Simon Benoit for Sam Ersson and Emil Andrae in June, Joseph Woll has won 63 of his 117 career games with a 2.94 goals-against average, .906 save percentage, and four shutouts.

Across his three full seasons in the NHL, he has never shouldered a true No. 1 goalie workload. Woll’s career high is 42 games played in 2024-25, where he went 27-14-1 with a 2.73 GAA and .909 save percentage. But the Missouri native feels that, because he’s seen it all and has played all different roles, he has learned to stay consistent with his habits and mindset.

“I think I’ve proven that I can do that in my career. So my goal from the start with this team has been to help them however I can, whatever situation that means, so [it] doesn’t really change my process or my day-to-day or my mindset with whatever happens,” Woll said when asked Wednesday if he would be ready if Vladař cannot go.

While Vladař’s status remains in question, it appeared that the Czech netminder was putting in some work on the ice at the Flyers Training Center on Thursday behind closed doors. Woll will make his second start of the preseason on Thursday against the Boston Bruins (7 p.m., NBCSP) and is expected to play the full game.

He played two periods in Monday’s preseason game against the Washington Capitals, allowing three goals on 19 shots. His reads, timing, and movement stood out.

“I think my skating, my athletic ability, is definitely something I’m trying to prioritize and really use when I’m able to. I’ve talked about it, after the summer [it] is really my goal to balance the two between the technical part of the game and the athletic kind of instinctual part,” he said after the game.

“So felt like I had a couple nice saves showing that part and a few things I can work on as well. So I think that’s the goal, when you come out of a game, is feel good, feel like you’ve made some good saves, [and] at the same time, feel like you have stuff to take you forward.”

The adjustment to a new team and new systems has not been too drastic for Woll, as ex-Flyers forward and former Maple Leafs coach Craig Berube employed similar systems during his two-year tenure. But he has spent extra time working with the defense to get acclimated to its style of play.

“He actually asked if a few of the D could go through some calls with him. Work on him playing the puck at the end of yesterday’s practice,” Jamie Drysdale said Wednesday. “So that’s good to see. It’s much better than going into Game 1 and having some confusion.”

Added Woll on Wednesday, “There’s just little things, right, within everything that obviously no organization is going to be identical to the last. So I think with puck playing, it’s important for the D and the goalie to be on the same page, and just for me to hear them and hear them talk and learn how they come back for pucks.

“There’s little nuance things between teams [that] is different, but also player to player. So I think with any team, kind of comfortability with the guys you’re around is important.”

Breakaways

As Tocchet spoke to the media, saying Denver Barkey was a possibility for Saturday, the young forward left the non-game group practice, according to the Nasty Knuckles podcast. Wearing a yellow non-contact jersey, Barkey reportedly grimaced and left the ice. Barkey left Monday’s preseason game against the Washington Capitals with a lower-body injury. … Several veterans — forwards Travis Konecny, Sean Couturier, Christian Dvorak, Trevor Zegras, Matvei Michkov, and Tyson Foerster, and defensemen Travis Sanheim, Cam York, Drysdale, and Rasmus Ristolainen — will see their first game of the preseason while forwards Jett Luchanko and Cole Knuble will see their third. Fans will also get their first look at forward Noel Acciari, while forwards Jacob Gaucher and Porter Martone, and defensemen Helge Grans and Benoit will play their second game of the preseason. … Daniel Spencer has been named the Flyers’ full-time emergency backup goalie for the season after serving in the role on game nights for the past three seasons. Each team is required to carry a full-time EBUG, beginning this season. A native of Gloucester, who played at Gloucester Catholic and served as an assistant hockey coach from 2022-25, Spencer played four years of Div. III hockey at Finlandia University. … Forwards Carl Grundström, Jack Studnicka, Nolan Foote, Danila Klimovich, and Zach Aston-Reese, and defenseman Cam Dineen all cleared waivers on Thursday. All except for Grundström were loaned to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.

On Wednesday, David Jiříček and Oliver Bonk both skated with the NHL group, cementing them as the top two contenders for the final spot on the Flyers’ opening-night defense, next to veteran Nick Seeler.

The Flyers want their young players to learn from playing big minutes. They’re unlikely to keep Bonk up to be the seventh defenseman, as opposed to being on the top pair in Lehigh Valley.

But Jiříček, who the Flyers acquired at last year’s trade deadline from Minnesota, is the only one of the Flyers’ young defensemen who is not waiver-exempt, meaning the Flyers can’t send him down without risking losing him for nothing.

The final cut days of training camp are a busy time on waivers, which could increase the odds of Jiříček slipping by unclaimed. But it’s more likely that the Flyers would keep Jiříček up even if he doesn’t win the job, just to continue to get him reps and practice without risking losing the talented blueliner.

“Offense is there, so I just have to play defense, sounds easy, right?” the 22-year-old joked. “Be good on defense, don’t make mistakes — obviously everyone makes mistakes, but try to do it as little as you can, and everything is going to be fine.”

In practice, Jiříček got reps running the point on the Flyers’ second power-play unit, with Travis Konecny, Noah Cates, Owen Tippett, and Alex Bump.

After Monday’s preseason loss to Washington, Tocchet said he wanted to see the 6-foot-4, 204-pound Jiříček be more aggressive with his shot, something Tocchet believes he’s held back on in practice to avoid hurting his teammates.

“Guys get that way, they want to endear themselves to their teammates,” Tocchet said. “They want to give them passes and stuff, but he’s got a gifted shot. I think he took it one time and it was a heater. I want to see three of those a game.”

Tocchet said that another one of Jiříček’s biggest strengths is his patience with the puck and ability to slow the play down. But “when there’s chaos,” Jiříček begins to struggle, so the Flyers worked to develop his abilities reading the game and learning how to shut down plays in the corner during his 15-game stint to end the year with Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League.

The former No. 6 overall pick has struggled to stick in the NHL since his draft year in 2022, mostly due to challenges adapting defensively and with his skating. Tocchet said it was fair to say Jiříček’s strides are still a bit clunky, but joked that he too played “ugly” during his time in the NHL.

“Don’t get me wrong, we all work on our skating, we work on all sorts of stuff,” Tocchet said. “But it might not look pretty sometimes, but he does get the job done.”

Jiříček racked up 13 points (two goals, 11 assists) in 15 games with the Phantoms to end last season. Both of these goals came on the power play, earning him a call-up for the final regular-season game. Tocchet said he’s seen significant progression from Jiříček since he first came to the organization at last year’s trade deadline, but there’s still more room to grow.

“It’s up to me. Everyone is watching,” Jiříček said. ”…Try to make them feel like I’m ready and I’m here to take a spot.”

Breakaways

Denver Barkey, who Tocchet described as “day to day” on Tuesday, skated with the Phantoms group and skated on the ice alone between practices in a non-contact jersey. … Jett Luchanko and Cole Knuble sat out Wednesday’s practice after playing in back-to-back preseason games. … Nikita Grebenkin (upper body) is full-contact in practice and Tocchet expects him to play in Thursday’s preseason game against the Boston Bruins. “The guys won’t hit him. He wants to be hit,” Tocchet joked. … The Flyers placed forwards Carl Grundström, Jack Studnicka, Nolan Foote, Danila Klimovich, and Zach Aston-Reese, and defenseman Cam Dineen on waivers Wednesday. … The team also assigned forwards Noah Powell and Riley Thompson, defensemen Spencer Gill, Hunter McDonald, Ty Murchison, and goaltender Carson Bjarnason to Lehigh Valley. Meanwhile, forward Matthew Gard was returned to the Seattle Thunderbirds of the Western Hockey League.

HERSHEY — You can put Game 1 of the preseason in the books.

The Flyers, fielding a lineup missing most of the regulars, lost 5-2 to a Washington Capitals team stacked with NHLers.

But the score wasn’t the focus for coach Rick Tocchet. He was more concerned that certain concepts, like protecting the middle and the weak side, were not achieved. The bench boss also thought that his group was making tired mistakes as the game wore on. However, a couple of guys did catch his eye.

Here are four takeaways from the Flyers’ preseason lid-lifter .

Barkey’s injury

The Flyers did not come away unscathed.

Denver Barkey left the game roughly 15 seconds into the second period and did not return due to a lower-body injury.

Barkey, who was centering the top line between Zach Aston-Reese and Porter Martone, looked like he tried to generate speed after swinging low in the Flyers’ zone but pulled up once he hit the neutral zone. He went to the bench and later went down the tunnel.

The injury appeared to happen in the first period. With 4 minutes, 38 seconds left, Barkey won a defensive zone face-off and got the puck back on a pass by defenseman Helge Grans off the glass. The 5-foot-10, 171-pound forward, carried the puck up the ice, heading down the right side into the Capitals zone where Washington defenseman Martin Fehérváry, who is 6-2, 215 pounds, crushed him into the boards.

Barkey got up and seemed unfazed, but as he tried to take a few steps, it was apparent he was having issues. He quickly went to the bench but returned later in the period. With around 70 seconds left in the first, he got on the ice but was off 20 seconds later, as it was clear he pulled up by the bench.

Tocchet did not have an update after the game.

Woll was solid

Acquired in a trade alongside defenseman Simon Benoit in June, goaltender Joseph Woll comes to the Flyers with a career 2.94 goals-against average, .906 save percentage, and 63 wins in 117 games, all with the Toronto Maple Leafs. The expectation is he will be an upgrade as the backup to goalie Dan Vladař, and if his play on Monday is any indication, that should be the case.

Woll played the first two periods and allowed three goals on 19 shots — the first goal popped off his glove and rolled down his back before Capitals forward Aliaksei Protas scored on a two-man advantage; the second goal looked like Woll was screened; and the third came on a bad line change — but his saves, reads, and timing stood out.

Less than 30 seconds into the game, Woll stopped Washington’s Ethen Frank, who got past Benoit, with a stretching right-toe save on Ryan Leonard as he crashed down the left side.

Later in the period, during a five-on-three, Woll stoned Protas off a cross-crease pass at the backdoor, before robbing Leonard point-blank in the slot. In the second period, he stopped Theodor Niederbach on a short-handed breakaway.

“I think my skating, my athletic ability is definitely something I’m trying to prioritize and really use when I’m able to. I’ve talked about it, after the summer [it] is really my goal to balance the two between the technical part of the game and the athletic kind of instinctual part,” he said.

“So felt like I had a couple nice saves showing that part and a few things I can work on as well. So I think that’s the goal, when you come out of a game, is feel good, feel like you’ve made some good saves, [and] at the same time, feel like you have stuff to take you forward.”

Defense competition

Several blueliners who are in contention for the sixth and seventh spots with the Flyers were in the lineup in Hershey. Benoit, the veteran of the group, was paired with David Jiříček, Oliver Bonk with Hunter McDonald, and Ty Murchison with Grans. While Bonk had an assist and McDonald and Murchison brought the physicality — on one play, McDonald drilled Leonard cleanly and then was nailed in the face by Andrew Cristall, who was given a five-minute major — none of the defensemen separated themselves.

“There’s some good stuff, and there’s some stuff they’ve got to clean up,” Tocchet said. “Just things under pressure. Don’t get yourself boxed in. Sometimes Washington, they have three or four guys back; I think the D got to skate with it. A lot of times we were passing it instead of skating with it. Those are things that, as camp goes on, you’ll start to get used to.”

The expectation is that the veteran Benoit and Jiříček, who is no longer waiver-exempt, will make the Flyers roster out of camp. Jiříček had an up-and-down game as he was on the ice for two goals against, but showed what he can bring on the Flyers’ power play.

During the Flyers’ five-minute man advantage — they did not score across the power play — Jiříček fired off a low screaming one-timer on goal that handcuffed goalie Clay Stevenson, who came in halfway through the game. Seconds later, he turned it over at the blue line, allowing that Niederbach breakaway chance.

“A couple times there, I think he was overpassing, but yeah, like when he’s in the middle of the ice, unless somebody’s wide-open in front, I want him to fire it, and that’s the sort of stuff we want for him,” Tocchet said of the young Czech defenseman.

Did any forwards stand out?

Up front, the Flyers fielded some youth mixed with veteran players hoping to crack the roster.

Jack Studnicka, who played under Tocchet in Vancouver, had a power-play goal and was active and noticeable all night as he led the Flyers with five shots on goal; Noah Powell threw the body early, knocking down Washington’s Dylan McIlrath, who went back at him later on the shift, leading to Garrett Wilson coming to Powell’s defense and dropping the gloves. Jett Luchanko was flying as usual, especially in the neutral zone, and got a chance to slot in between Alex Bump and Martone when Barkey went down.

But the biggest standout was Cole Knuble. In his first NHL preseason game — he turned pro in March after finishing his junior year at Notre Dame — the son of former Flyers forward Mike Knuble showcased his high motor all night.

“I was a little nervous before puck drop for sure, to be honest,” Knuble said. “But just [thought] about like three things: work or compete, make plays, and skate. So I feel like if my legs are moving, I’m at my best and just try to keep my feet moving and have some energy out there.”

The younger Knuble consistently pressured the Capitals’ defense, sometimes creating turnovers. It’s something he worked on at college “because I know at the pro game, you’ve got to be able to do that if you want to play, and you can make a big impact and get in the lineup because of that. So that’s a focus every game for sure.”

Knuble tied the game at 2-2 in the second when he redirected a point shot by Bonk originally deflected by Ilya Protas’ stick. But his work at the start of the play showed what the 5-10 forward can bring to a lineup. Knuble picked up the puck in the neutral zone, carried it into the offensive end, and although he lost control, he stayed with it, outmuscling Protas for the puck.

The Michigan native passed the puck up to McDonald, and as the defenseman went D-to-D, he crashed the net for the goal. Knuble also had an assist on Studnicka’s power-play goal.

“Well, I kind of liked him last year. I was new here, like everybody else, I didn’t know a lot of these people, and [he] kind of caught my eye,” Tocchet said. “Just his hockey IQ, the way he can skate.”

Breakaways

As planned, goalie Carson Bjarnason entered the game to start the third period and made six saves on eight shots.

Up next

The Flyers get right back to action with a preseason game in Boston on Tuesday against the Bruins (7 p.m., NBCSP).

After 12 seasons and 805 NHL regular-season games, former Flyer Kevin Hayes announced his retirement from professional hockey on Monday.

Hayes, who signed with Russian club Ak Bars Kazan last month, played just five games there before electing to call it a career.

“I have decided to end my hockey career,” the 34-year-old Hayes said in a statement issued by the Kontinental Hockey League. “I can no longer play at the level I am capable of because my body does not allow me to perform at my best. And I cannot accept not being in top form.”

Hayes, who was drafted by the Chicago Blackhawks but never played for the franchise, tallied 185 goals and 446 points in the NHL with the New York Rangers, Winnipeg Jets, Flyers, St. Louis Blues, and Pittsburgh Penguins. He posted six 40-point seasons in his first nine years, including a 54-point campaign with the Flyers in 2022-23 when he was named an All-Star for the first and only time in his career.

Signed to a seven-year, $50 million contract in 2019, Hayes experienced an up-and-down four years in Philly, with the highlights being a deep playoff run in the 2020 COVID bubble and his All-Star nod. The centerman averaged 16 goals and 39 points during his time with the Flyers while dealing with a plethora of injuries, as well as the tragic death of his brother and former NHLer, Jimmy Hayes, in 2021. After being traded by the Flyers to St. Louis in 2023, Hayes spent the past two seasons with the Penguins.

Hayes, who primarily played in a middle-six center role during his career, was also a regular contributor on the power play and penalty kill. He won the Gene Hart Memorial Trophy for being the Flyer who displayed the most “heart” after the 2019-20 season and served as an alternate captain during his time in Philadelphia.

Known for his sense of humor, the beloved teammate was also a finalist in 2022 for the NHL’s Masterton Trophy, which is given to the player who best displays the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to ice hockey. That season, Hayes dealt with the death of his brother and returned to play after undergoing multiple core muscle surgeries and a blood infection.

Before turning pro, the Boston native was a decorated player at Boston College, where he won the 2012 national championship alongside close friend Johnny Gaudreau. Hayes also represented Team USA at the IIHF World Championships in 2014, 2017, and 2024.

From one of the perches overlooking the rink at the Flyers Training Center, Rick Tocchet got a bird’s-eye view of not just a packed house of fans eager for another postseason appearance, but also where things stand on Day 3 of Flyers training camp.

“I really enjoyed watching the competitiveness from all the guys,” the coach said, noting that he started to see players implement some strategies and plans they had worked on the first two days.

“I don’t want guys to kill anybody, but some guys want to show an impression to people, and I’ll never take that away from somebody. I don’t want stupidity, but I do like competitiveness, for sure.”

It was quite competitive, with several scrums and hard hits as the team worked on five-on-five, four-on-four, three-on-three, and special teams. Team Orange won, 4-3, behind goals from Alex Bump, Trevor Zegras, Denver Barkey, and Oliver Bonk. Danila Klimovich, Tyson Foerster, and Helge Grans scored for Team Black, which had to do mountains — or what some sports would call lines, in which you touch the closest blue line and skate back to the start and do that with every line on the ice — twice for losing.

Here are our observations of the Flyers training camp scrimmage:

New season, familiar story(lines)

Tocchet mentioned last year that he likes to keep pairs together, and early on it looks like several are carrying over from last season. On Team Black, Travis Konecny and Porter Martone have been together since the start of camp and flashed the connection they had after Martone joined the team. Noah Cates and Foerster, paired up since the John Tortorella era, were on a line, played on the same power-play unit, and penalty-killed together like usual. Zegras centered a line with Owen Tippett, rekindling their connection toward the end of last season and in the playoffs, as did Barkey and Matvei Michkov. Defensively, Travis Sanheim and Rasmus Ristolainen and Cam York and Jamie Drysdale were reunited.

Stop if you’ve heard this one before: the power play was not good. The expected top unit, with Drysdale at the point and Barkey, Zegras, Tippett, and Michkov, had trouble getting set up or, when they did, finding offense. The second unit generated a bit more and had David Jiříček up top with Foerster, Cates, Martone, and Konecny. That group seemed to be rotating around the zone, and Foerster looked to the rafters after getting robbed by Dan Vladař in front. Speaking of the goalies, Vladař and Joseph Woll looked solid between the pipes and didn’t allow any goals during their half of the scrimmage.

Defenseman Nick Seeler, who, unsurprisingly, was paired with projected No. 6 blueliner Jiříček, noted that the ice got chippy as the scrimmage wore on — bad for moving the puck on the power play but good for the penalty killers like him, he said with a grin — but so did the players. Michkov and Hunter McDonald got into it in front of the away bench, and Martone and Spencer Gill later put each other in headlocks along the boards. They went at it for a while, which led to a big scrum in which Konecny also jabbed Zegras and newcomer Simon Benoit, who was paired with Gill. Martone did grab his right wrist afterward but continued in the scrimmage and had a scoring chance, although it appeared he was favoring the hand at times between whistles.

“You don’t want to cross the line; trying to keep it clean. You don’t wish any ill will upon any of the guys. So, yeah, you try to ride that line. I think some of the guys were getting a little upset with me today, but, you know, that’s just part of my game,” said Ty Murchison, who dumped Sanheim into the end boards early on before playing tough on Cole Knuble the same shift. Murchison entered camp as someone expecting to push for a roster spot and played a smart defensive game by breaking up passes, showing his smooth skating, stepping up at the blue line as he did to Jett Luchanko, and being physical. He appeared to pick up right where he left off at the Rookie Series with his physicality but didn’t drop the gloves as he did then with Rangers prospect Dylan Roobroeck.

More from Michkov

During the first two days of camp, it was apparent that Michkov worked on his skating and game shape during the offseason. He showed Saturday that his passing game remains top-notch, like his passes to Bump and Bonk for goals. However, his work beforehand on each goal stood out. On the Bump goal, he made the play despite knowing he would pay physically from a hit by Konecny that took him out. On Bonk’s goal, with physical winger Noah Powell all over him during three-on-three action, Michkov showed a renewed ability to stay strong on pucks, protecting it as he squeezed through checks from Powell along the end boards and, while being knocked around, kept the puck on his stick before the pass. Throughout the scrimmage, he kept his feet moving and drove through guys, especially down the boards, like when he went hard against the 6-foot-4 Ristolainen in the corner.

“He’s more confident this year than last year in camp, for me, personally,” Tocchet said. “And the stuff in the corner, we talked about when he left for Russia, I said to him, ‘This is where you can really be really good for us’ … because he could hold on to the puck. I’m not going to compare him to [Jaromir] Jagr, but the Jagr-type holding onto it, butt sticking out, taking a hit, but still holding on to the puck.

“… You can tell he’s worked on his game, and you can see the not dropoff after 25 seconds out there, like he’s still skating. So that’s the credit to him, working hard in the summer.”

Because each team needed three centers, and with Cates centering Foerster and either Powell or Nolan Foote and Sean Couturier between Noel Acciari, with whom he also penalty-killed, and Carl Grundström, Barkey and Zegras got a chance to play down the middle. Zegras said Friday that he wants to play center, and he played well with Tippett — the two combined for Zegras’ goal after stealing the puck from Konecny — and a rotation of newcomers in Zach Aston-Reese and Jack Studnicka on the left side. Barkey showed chemistry with Michkov and noted that they work well, especially on give-and-go plays. This summer, Barkey had meetings with the coaching staff about his play as a centerman and worked on a few things, and, if the opportunity persists, plans on leaning on his veteran teammates.

“I think as time goes on here, if I continue to stay there, I think Coots will be a big one, [to] pick the brain of him,” he said. “Selke winner, someone who knows how to play the game the right way. He plays on the defensive side of the puck and the offensive side of the puck very well. And just a guy that’s reliable; you can put him out there in any situation and rely on him, so definitely going to be someone that, yeah, as time goes on here, start working with him after practice or whatever it is, pick his brain and see if I can implement some things, see if he’s got pointers to help me out.”

Breakaways

With 10 forwards on each team, Christian Dvorak floated to other lines but mostly was between Konecny and Martone. … Knuble showed his motor and hockey sense early and often, skating with Cates and Foerster. … Luchanko centered a line with a rotation of Powell, Foote, and Klimovich on his wings. … Bonk looked strong on both ends of the ice and got a chance to play the bumper — “Bumper Bonk” is back! — on a late power-play unit that included Bump, Couturier, Studnicka, and York at the point. … The Flyers are off on Sunday. On Monday, they head to Hershey to face the Washington Capitals for their first preseason game (7 p.m., NBCSP). … The Flyers trimmed the roster by 15. Forwards Brady Berard, Alex Čiernik, Devin Kaplan, Owen McLaughlin, Ilya Pautov, and Zayde Wisdom and defensemen Jackson Edward and Andrew Perrott were assigned to Lehigh Valley of the American Hockey League. Forwards Nathan Quinn (Quebec) and KJ Sauer (Edmonton), defensemen Maksim Sokolovskii (London), Brek Liske (Everett), Luke Vlooswyk (Everett) and goalies Martin Psohlavec (Saskatoon) and Marek Sklenička (Seattle) have been reassigned to their junior teams. Forty-two players remain in camp. Matthew Gard (Seattle) is the only junior player remaining on the roster.