Philadelphia Flyers

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Photo cedit: Terry Wilson / OHL Images. By Todd Cordell (@ToddCordell) The 2013 NHL Entry Draft in New Jersey is just over a month away. As we inch closer to this year’s draft, I’ll continue to plug away and post as many scouting reports on the top draft eligible players from the Ontario Hockey League as I can. Here is my scouting report on 2013 draft eligible Jason Dickinson of the Guelph Storm. Jason Dickinson Age – 17 Position – Left Wing Height – 6? 2? Weight – 176 Draft Projection: 20-34th overall OHL Team: Guelph Storm 2013 Regular Season Stats: 18 goals, 29 assists, 47 points, +19, 31PIM, 66 games played 2013 Playoff Stats: 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 points, 0PIM, 5 games played NHL Comparable(s) – Blake Wheeler Upside – 8.5/10 Strengths – Jason Dickinson is one of the most talented prospects in this year’s class. He’s an extremely good skater who can reach his top speed in a short period of time. He has very good hands and is excellent around the net. He sees the ice well, has a high hockey IQ and really understands how to play the game. Dickinson has good puck skills and is a strong player in one-on-one situations. Dickinson regularly steps around defenders by using his hands and often does so with little trouble. Dickinson also uses his strong skating ability to take defenders wide with speed before cutting on a dime and heading to the net to generate a scoring chance. He possesses an NHL release and can get the puck off his stick very quickly. He knows how to score goals and finish plays and is a good playmaker as well. Dickinson is also a very good two-way player and does a good job of taking care of his own zone. He always sticks with his man and is rarely caught out of position or cheating outside of the defensive zone. He’s also a very hard worker. Dickinson has a bit of an edge to his game, too, and is willing to throw his body around. Overall, he possesses the skill set, skating ability, work ethic and edge to dominate games when he’s on. Weaknesses – Dickinson’s biggest weakness is probably his inconsistency. One game he’ll dominate, pick up a few points and look like he should get consideration to be a top-10 pick. The next game he’ll show some flashes but be pretty quiet for the most part and look like a guy who should be taken in the 2nd or 3rd round. Dickinson also needs to bulk up and get stronger. Career Projection – Dickinson has all the talent in the world, but he needs to be more consistent. Given that he possesses a strong work ethic, I’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and project that it won’t be much of an issue down the road. If he keeps working hard and can become more consistent, there is no doubt in my mind that he has the talent and potential to be a top line forward. He’s a bit of a risk/reward pick, but I think the potential reward is much larger than the risk. 2013 Draft Eligible Prospect Profiles: Forwards Sean Monahan – Ottawa 67?s Max Domi – London Knights Bo Horvat – London Knights Ryan Hartman – Plymouth Whalers Defenseman Darnell Nurse – Soo Greyhounds Nikita Zadorov – London Knights – Follow Todd on twitter @ToddCordell NHLToddCordell@Gmail.com The post Jason Dickinson Scouting Report: 2013 NHL Draft Prospect Profile – Guelph Storm appeared first on The Hockey Guys.

In every NHL Draft, there are inevitably a handful of non first-round picks (and sometimes even an undrafted player or two) who go on to outshine players who entered the draft with much more hype. Draft day is a start, not an end point. Remember: These are teenaged players, whose development is still a work in progress. There is a lot of guesswork involved in projecting the floor and ceiling o Original post: Bill Meltzer

I am in the process of compiling a four-part series on potential "sleeper prospects" who may be available beyond the first round of the upcoming NHL Draft. Part One, which is almost finished and will be posted either tonight or tomorrow morning, deals with defensemen and will profile 30 draft prospects. Part Two, which will be posted in the latter part of next week, will go over centers. Part See the article here: Bill Meltzer

Last season, Penn State began their foray into Division 1 ice hockey when the Nittany Lions made the jump to the NCAA from the club ranks, but it didn't really feel completely big league. They played in the tiny Greenberg Ice Pavilion, they didn't really play a tough schedule, they weren't very good and they didn't have a conference to call home. That all changes this fall when the team hits the ice at the brand-new, $88 million Pegula Ice Arena as a first-year member of the newly minted Big Ten Hockey Conference. Terry Pegula, the natural gas magnate, PSU alum and owner of the Buffalo Sabres, paid for the arena project that broke ground in February 2012, and it'll be ready in time for the 2013-14 Nittany Lions season. It's getting there already. Via OxBlue and the official construction webcam, here's are GIFs of the progress both inside and outside the arena since groundbreaking: Lookin' good. The arena, which will hold about 6,000 fans, is set to be ready by early September. PSU's full 2013-14 schedule isn't out quite yet, but we do know they'll host Army in a home game on Friday night, October 11, likely the first Division 1 mens game at the new arena. The football team hosts Michigan the following day, so if you're a fan of Penn State athletics or just college sports in general, it might not be a bad weekend to make a trip to State College. The Nittany Lions will play at the Wells Fargo Center yet again on October 26 of this year in what they're calling the second-annual Philadelphia College Hockey Showcase. Vermont -- the school where Nick Luukko, son of Flyers president Peter Luukko, plays -- will again be the opponent. Back on January 19, a lockout-fueled crowd of 19,000+ filled the WFC for the game. It was the largest crowd ever assembled for a college game in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania -- even larger than the crowds that gathered in Pittsburgh for the Frozen Four this past April. Philadelphia will host the 2014 Frozen Four. Chances of Penn State making it are very, very slim with what's expected to be another weak out-of-conference schedule and a very tough in-conference slate.

This has been sitting as a draft for two weeks+ and new stuff just keeps happening, so this is probably going to be very long, but I'll try to make it tl;dr PRE-DRAFT: I finally have time to write and share with you my experiences from over the past weeks. Leading up to May 3rd, it was just more of the same stuff. Skating, both in a men's league and private training, and working out. No real contact with anyone, just doing my thing and getting ready. I was supposed to be skating in front of the Johnstown GM prior to that, but that fell through. When I got up there though, I got a chance to finally play some real hockey and gain an appreciation for the guys that play at that level already. The week before the showcase, Johnstown's GM was in the Philly area, specifically to see me skate. We thought we had an ice slot all set to go when a former Flyer (who's last name is "small") decided that it would be a good time to get his newest guy a scouting opportunity as well. My former coach and I agreed that we should back out of the ice slot due to our relationship with the rink and the former Flyer. That really sucked and made me a hell of a lot more nervous going up to Boston and skating in front of the GM for the first time in game situations that I had never experienced before. I would have to get over it though, and pretty soon because the showcase was that weekend. The trip wasn't the easiest I've ever experienced. 95 in Connecticut was slowed to a crawl for nearly the entirety of it. I barely made it to the first game. With no time to check in to the hotel, let alone warm up, I headed to the rink. When I got there, half of the team was sitting outside. I was confused to say the least until I looked into the room and it was literally full with no room for even a stick. I got dressed outside and made my way to the ice for my first experience of junior hockey. The first game wasn't bad. Two assists and a good hit were the end result. The teams that my team would play next though weren't going to be nearly as easy to play against. The next two games were against teams that were centered around kids from Canadian junior leagues. The second team we played in the tournament was made of all OJHL kids from the same team. That was the fastest hockey that I've ever played. Everything happened so quickly, and I couldn't keep up. That game didn't go so well. The third game was against a team that featured three guys from the QMJHL. It was really easy to pick out who they were when we started to play. They were faster, stronger, and smarter than anybody on my team. I took a solid hit from one of them in open ice. It didn't feel good. I felt better overall though and ended up almost scoring a goal. I would have if the goalie didn't make a miraculous save, but oh well. No good junior teams approached me after the tournament, but that was expected. I headed home knowing what I needed to work on to get on the level of those kids. POST PRE-DRAFT: I headed right back into the gym when I got back. I had a camp for the Fairbanks Ice Dogs in the NAHL two weekends from then. The workouts changed and I've slowly started to see gains in muscle mass and foot speed. The camp started on May 17 and featured a practice and two games. The practice was my first time on the ice since pre-draft, so I was rusty and that certainly didn't help. My feet felt like they were stuck in concrete as I tried to keep up with the speedier guys in the group. The games felt better, and even the coaches said that I had improved significantly throughout the camp. I just tried to keep my game simple. Good stick and bodywork, solid first pass out of the defensive zone, and providing a little bit of offense. I must have blocked a good 15 shots during those two games, and those guys can shoot hard. One shot caught me right above the heart (it hit me so hard, it left a mark under my shoulder pads) and scared the daylights out of me, as I've switched from a cage to a ha

Hey Y'all! Not an advanced stats guy, so this may be an absurd idea, but I thought I would give it a shot to run the Flyers for this offseason. Would love to hear all your feedback and hopefully we can start some discussions! Thanks, enjoy! FORWARDS Scott Hartnell ($4.750m) / Claude Giroux ($3.750m) / Jakub Voracek ($4.250m) Viktor Stalberg ($1.750m) / Brayden Schenn ($3.110m) / Wayne Simmonds ($3.975m) Simon Gagne ($2.250m) / Sean Couturier ($1.375m) / Tyler Bozak ($2.500m) Zac Rinaldo ($0.750m) / Maxime Talbot ($1.750m) / Adam Hall ($0.750m) Tye McGinn ($0.775m) / Jay Rosehill ($0.675m) / DEFENSEMEN Oliver E.-Larsson ($5.500m) / Luke Schenn ($3.600m) Kimmo Timonen ($6.000m) / Erik Gustafsson ($1.000m) Grant Clitsome ($1.750m) / Nicklas Grossmann ($3.500m) Bruno Gervais ($0.825m) / Kent Huskins ($0.750m) GOALTENDERS Jonathan Bernier ($3.200m) Steve Mason ($1.500m) CAPGEEK.COM TOTALS (follow @capgeek on Twitter) (these totals are compiled with the bonus cushion)SALARY CAP: $64,300,000; CAP PAYROLL: $63,726,429; BONUSES: $2,800,000CAP SPACE (24-man roster): $3,373,571 Trades: Coburn and Petr Straka for rights to Jonathan Bernier Matt Read, Scott Laughton, Mez for OEL or Yandle Happy Trails: Bryz, we don’t pay you all that money to DUCK from the puck. While you played well this season we can not build a team with your awful contract Briere your cap hit is awful considering your production of late, we need the money to build a team. Rusty you wanted too much playing time and you are not that good Mike Knuble....do I really need to say anything Jody Shelly, Matt Walker thank god you two are off the books! Welcome back: Gags says he wants to stay in Philly and will take a hometown discount Gus time to start on the big club the Big O stashed in the minors for the time being Kent Huskins, a calming influence on the blue line since becoming a Flyer Adam Hall fantastic PK guy will give G and Coots some rest on the PK Welcome in: UFA Viktor Stalberg has had a respectable career with the Hawks so far will add some depth up front for us after trading away some pieces UFA Tyler Bozak very durable player, pretty decent production with the leafs, perhaps a change of scenery will turn his production up, again gives us some depth Trade OEL!!!! Yeah we gave a TON away for this guy but he is worth it, young guy already up in the elite category of defensemen Trade Jonathan Bernier, I believe he is living in the shadow of Quick, not elite yet but better than bryz and still early in his career, could become an elite guy, also provides healthy competition for Mason at a cap friendly price! Down on the Farm: Nick Cousins could see some time with the big club to see what he can do Whoever we take with 11th overall (a Forward preferably thats why i traded Laughton) The Big O, looked good in the last segment of last season, would like to see him put on some weight and work on his speed and fundamentals, but I feel very good about him as an option for us at D for the future. Cap Space, what is that? Yeah we have about 3 mil in cap space, gives us room to make a move at the deadline if need be (looking at you kimmo) if not when Kimmo comes off the books plus whoever else comes off the books after next season to sign G Coots and Schenner Hey Y'all! Not an advanced stats guy, so this may be an absurd idea, but I thought I would give it a shot to run the Flyers for this offseason. Would love to hear all your feedback and hopefully we can start some discussions! Thanks, enjoy! FORWARDS Scott Hartnell ($4.750m) / Claude Giroux ($3.750m) / Jakub Voracek ($4.250m) Viktor Stalberg ($1.750m) / Brayden Schenn ($3.110m) / Wayne Simmonds ($3.975m) Simon Gagne ($2.250m) / Sean Couturier ($1.375m) / Tyler Bozak ($2.500m) Zac Rinaldo ($0.750m) / Maxime Talbot ($1.750m) / Adam Hall ($0.750m) Tye McGinn ($0.775m) / Jay Rosehill ($0.675m) / DEFENSEMEN Oliver E.-Larsson ($5.500m) / Luke Sch

Here's Exhibit #8734652349 in the file of "why you don't react too much to one year's worth of surprising results." At this time last year, the question about Scott Hartnell was whether or not his career year in the 2011-12 season was worthy of a contract extension. As you probably heard, he got said contract extension. Now, after a 2013 season featuring significantly worse results and injury troubles, the question among a lot of fans seems to be how long until his new contract runs out -- or, for some, whether he's a candidate for a compliance buyout. So how are things looking for Hartnell as he heads into the first year of his new deal? Let's break this into three questions and find out. 1. What worked last year for Hartnell that didn't this year? Before Hartnell signed his extension, Eric wrote the piece linked above that talked about how Hartnell had improved last season. In essence, it came down to a drastically improved shot rate on the power play. That jump, coupled with a slight increase in Hartnell's already-high power play shooting percentage, helped him along to his career year, while his even-strength numbers had actually remained fairly constant to years past. This year? Let's start on the power play. If we add another row (and column) to that table from last year... Year 5v4 TOI/G 5v4 goals 5v4 shots on goal 5v4 shooting percentage 5v4 shots per game 2008-09 2.32 6 21 28.6% 0.26 2009-10 2.67 8 32 25.0% 0.40 2010-11 2.75 4 19 21.1% 0.23 2011-12 3.06 15 57 26.3% 0.70 2013 2.89 4 19 21.1% 0.59 His shot rates with the man advantage weren't quite where they were last season, but they were close, and well above the mark set in any season prior to last season. His shooting percentage was down a bit, but over the span of 19 shots that'd only cost him a single goal over the span of 32 games. So the high shot rate is still fairly encouraging. The even-strength numbers, though, are a bit less optimistic. Year Goals/60 Primary assists/60 Points/60 2008-09 1.26 0.66 2.47 2009-10 0.36 0.89 1.79 2010-11 1.13 0.54 2.16 2011-12 1.04 0.52 2.13 2013 0.60 0.30 0.90 Hartnell's rate production at even strength was by far the lowest it's been in a while, and given that even strength is, y'know, the state at which hockey games are mostly played, that's the biggest explanation as for why his numbers fell off. We all saw Laviolette shifting him around lines a lot this year -- from the top line with Claude Giroux and Jakub Voracek to the second line with Brayden Schenn and Wayne Simmonds, with a few trips to the third and even the fourth line here and there -- but no matter who it was, none of his five most frequent linemates (sorted below by 5v5 ice time with Hartnell) really got him going on the ice this year the way Giroux and Jaromir Jagr did last year: Linemate Hartnell's P/60 with linemate Claude Giroux 1.22 Jakub Voracek 1.37 Brayden Schenn 0.81 Wayne Simmonds 0.00 Danny Briere 1.45 He also lost 16 games to injury thanks to a broken foot, which isn't something that typically happens to him given that he'd missed all of three games in his five-year Flyers career heading into 2013. Not to mention, he came back from that injury a bit quicker than I think most of us anticipated, and it looked like it may have slowed him down some on the ice. 2. Can we expect him to bounce back? We sure can. We've already discussed how individual and on-ice shooting percentages affect scoring rates, and how that affected one Flyers forward already this season. Turns out Sean Couturier wasn't the only one bit by the shooting percentage bug this year: Year 5v5 Shooting % Points/60 2008-09 10.47 2.47 2009-10 7.39 1.79 2010-11 10.69 2.16 2011-12 9.76 2.13 2013 6.03 0.90 You can see

*The Rangers hold off the sweep, and Bruins fans everywhere get a little nervous about 3-0 series leads. A glorious amount of hockey last night! *So we really are saying goodbye to little Danny Briere. I, for one, will miss his fist pump. (BSH) *Eric Wellwood is starting his long road back after his horrifying injury. (Philly.com) *There are few things better in this world than a big, fluffy, ginger hockey beard. (Puck Daddy) *It's official: Patrick Roy is the new head coach of the Avalanche. (SB Nation) *Meltzer takes a look at the Flyers' history of second round draft picks. (Hockeybuzz) *The Avs fans study NHL defensemen drafted in the top ten in the last decade. (Mile High Hockey) *The Blue Jackets have yet to make any progress in contract talks with Bob. (Dispatch) *Daniel Alfredsson dropped some hard reality on his team via the media. (Puck Daddy) *Both the Dallas Stars and the Carolina Hurricanes will unveil new jerseys June 4. (Icethetics) *DGB with the ten greatest moments from this, the least-loved round of the NHL playoffs. (Grantland)

Photo: With a very disappointing season behind them, the Flyers front office can look forward to the upcoming draft, which takes place June 30th at the Prudential Center in Newark New Jersey. Many fans hope the Flyers take a defenseman with their first pick at number 11. While I agree they need to address their glaring Who Will The Flyers Select With The 11th Pick Continue reading here: Broad Street Buzz