Philadelphia Flyers’ Prospects Train at New Jersey Shore


samuel morin

Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

Every summer, the Philadelphia Flyers‘ rookies and prospects get together on a hot summer day for an extreme team-bonding exercise.

Known as the Trial on the Isle, management and coaches have used this event to push players’ physical limits, while simultaneously trying to forge companionship. It is a series of challenges running on the beach and swimming in the ocean in Stone Harbor, NJ. However, in place of the charity softball game played at the end of the day, this year there will be a charity beach volleyball match instead. It has also been a tremendous marketing success, and it provides a great chance for fans to see and interact with the prospects.

The Flyers have many intriguing prospects to pay attention to, but none will receive as much attention at this year’s camp as 2013 first-round pick, defenseman Samuel Morin. If the NHL had a combine, Morin would have stolen the show. The 17-year-old’s size (6-foot-6, 202-pounds), raw athleticism and continual improvement during this past season with his junior team in the QMJHL were the biggest factors in the Flyers selecting Morin No. 11 overall in the 2013 NHL Draft.

One other attention-grabber at Trial on the Isle was second-year center Scott Laughton who put on nearly 15 pounds of muscle.  The 2012 first-round pick reportedly has increased his weight from 180-pounds to 194-pounds.  With the acquisition of Vincent Lecavalier, the Flyers’ depth at center is even more log-jammed this year than it was last year.

The ideal situation for the Flyers this season would be to have Claude Giroux, Lecavalier, Sean Couturier, and Laughton as their centers.  This would move Brayden Schenn and Max Talbot (once he is healthy) over to the wing.  As prospect development camp wraps up on Thursday, it will be interesting to see what observations management utilizes to make personnel decisions for the upcoming season.

Bob Sharpe is a Philadelphia Flyers contributor for www.RantSports.com.  Follow him on Twitter @rsharpe25 or add him to your network on Google.


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