Observations from Flyers Prospect Scrimmage #1

The 2012 Prospects Camp for the Philadelphia Flyers ends this weekend with two scrimmages. The first scrimmage wrapped up earlier today at the Virtua Skate Zone in Voorhees, NJ, with Team B (Orange) soundly defeating Team A (Black) by the score of 7-2. Shots favored Team B by a 50-30 margin.

The following are my observations from the scrimmage.  They are not “expert” or necessarily qualitative statements on any given player, but simply observations.

• After the first period ended, the player that stood out the most to me was 2011 5th round pick Michael Parks. It wasn’t that he was faster, more aggressive, or flashier than any of the other forwards out there; he just seemed to always be in the right spot and displayed some impressive puck handling skills near the goal mouth.  Parks scored the final goal of the game as well, casually wading between defensemen after a scramble and roofing it once the goalie was down.
• Scott Laughton looked pissed off all the time. Drafted in the 1^st round this past June, Laughton was battling hard with everybody. Both Laughton and Nick Cousins played with an edge all game, perhaps hoping their compete level would get them noticed for a shot next season.
• Laughton took out 2012 3^rd round pick Shayne Gostisbehere in the second period. “Ghost” did not appear to return. Prior to leaving the game, he looked very poised on the ice and carried the puck from end-to-end at one point.
• Camp invitee Alex Emond had the first goal of the game, lurking at the blue line and beating invitee goaltender Eric Hartzell one-on-one. He also beat invitee goaltender Etienne Marceoux with a nice slap shot. Emond, 20, split last season between the Rimouski Oceanic and the Drummondville Voltigeurs of the QMJHL with 23 goals and 48 points in 63 games played.
• Oliver Lauridsen attended his first prospect camp in 2009, and it showed. He didn’t look out of position much, if at all, while recent 4^th round pick Frederik Larsson didn’t look sharp.
• Camp invitees Cole Grbavac and Mitch Elliot dropped the gloves in the second period. Elliot never took off his helmet, but that didn’t stop Grbavac from wailing on him. Oddly enough, one of the kids I spoke to in the stands said that Elliot was his favorite.
• Anthony Stolarz exhibited a lot of quickness and athleticism between the pipes.  His size helped cover a lot of the net, but it was difficult for me to read much else into his game.
• Colin Suellentrop appeared to be more offensive-minded than I had previously thought, jumping into numerous plays in the offensive zone.  The Flyers have until next June to make a decision on him.

Both Terry Murray, new coach for the Adirondack Phantoms, and Scott Hartnell were present to watch the scrimmage.  While Murray should be there, it shows a lot of dedication for Hartnell to make the trek early on a Saturday to a prospect camp.

If you’d like to make your own opinions on the players, the Flyers have posted video on their web site as well.

For the latest Flyers news and updates, you can follow me on twitter (@JoshJanet).