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Don't rule out Russian goalie making Flyers
Arlington, Va. - The statistics are far from surprising.
Last month, in a survey conducted on Philly.com, 75 percent of Flyers fans listed goaltending as their biggest area of concern for the upcoming season - not the forwards, defense, or even the usual suspects like management and coaching.
Flyers fans have been clamoring for a goaltender since, well, Ron Hextall. Or even Pelle Lindbergh, who tragically passed away almost 25 years ago.
Sergei Bobrovsky, a 22-year-old Russian, is poised to be the next big name.
"Could Bobrovsky make this team out of training camp? Without a doubt," one Flyers team source told the Daily News. "He has a lot of work to do. But I can guarantee he will be competitive."
That makes Bobrovsky the Flyers' most hyped rookie goaltender since Maxime Ouellet or Jean-Marc Pelletier. Neither of those guys panned out like the longtime starters they were projected to be.
Ouellet, a former first-rounder, was traded to Washington in 2002 and played just 12 NHL games. He retired from hockey in 2008. Pelletier, a cocky second-rounder, played a grand total of seven NHL games but is still kicking ... in Hamburg, Germany.
"He's exciting," Flyers goalie coach Jeff Reese said of Bobrovsky. "He's a good prospect right now. The biggest impression he's made around here is that he doesn't want to come off the ice. He'd stay out there for 8 hours a day if he could."
The Flyers signed Bobrovsky, an undrafted free agent, to a 3-year deal on May 8. He arrived in the United States in July to take part in the summer rookie camp, without knowing a word of English. He has been taking English lessons three times a week but still is not comfortable enough to answer questions without a translator.
"I'm here to play hockey and not have conversations out there," Bobrovsky said on Monday through translator Slava Kouznetsova. "I came here to play for the Flyers and I will do anything I can to get ready for the main team. My goal is to get in optimal shape for the season and get used to North American hockey."
Professional hockey is nothing new for Bobrovsky, who started for two seasons in Russia's KHL - albeit for one of the worst teams - and posted relatively strong numbers. Fellow newcomer Nikolai Zherdev skated in the KHL last year after five NHL seasons.
But North American hockey is a different story.
"It's a faster game," Bobrovsky said. "It's a smaller ice. I have to move faster to make sure I see the different things and different shots."
The faster he can adjust, the faster he will play in the NHL.
"He's going to have to get used to the traffic," Reese said. "He's going to have to get used to the smaller rinks. He's going to have to get used to the fact that guys shoot from everywhere. He's very athletic. He moves very well. He looks like he's comfortable."
Yesterday, Bobrovsky made his North American debut as the starter in the Flyers' rookie camp scrimmage against the Capitals in suburban Washington. He allowed two soft goals on 30 shots. One was from a strange angle and the other trickled through traffic.
"It was my first game here," Bobrovsky reminded with the help of Yahoo Sports' Dmitry Chesnokov. "A lot of the shots, the intensity, were different. I still have a lot of things to work on. I was ready for shots from every angle.
"But it really wasn't about the shots for me, it was about the atmosphere of being in this sort of game. It was really exciting for me. I can't really describe what it was - the emotional level and the fans - of being in the game."
At the end of last season, many expected Johan Backlund to challenge Brian Boucher for the backup role. Backlund started one game for the Flyers before leaving with a hip injury, which required off season surgery. He still hasn't fully recovered.
Not even Backlund knows what to expect in training camp.
"I'm slowly going forward," Backlund said. "It's hard to say . I feel like I'm really close. But at the same time, I don't know how it will react.
"For sure, my goal was to be ready for camp and compete for a job. But I need to let my body decide. I'm almost 100 percent, so it would be stupid to rush it now."
Bobrovsky will be the main focus when training camp officially opens this afternoon. If Bobrovsky were to make the team, he would be the highest-paid goaltender with a $1.75 million salary.
Until then, Michael Leighton, who signed a 2-year, $3.1 million deal in the offseason, is the only goalie set in stone. Even with a 24-8-2 record last season, playoffs included, 48 percent of fans said they will take a "wait and see" approach with Leighton.
Wait and see. That's been the story of the Flyers' parade of goaltenders. Since 2000, 14 different goaltenders have started a game for the Flyers.
With a limited sample size, Bobrovsky has some work to do. But he could look entirely different after 40 games of seasoning in Adirondack.
"I am far off and I am not far off [from the NHL]," Bobrovsky said. "I'm not really ready, but I am working on myself and I am getting ready to play."
Reese said he is "cautiously optimistic" about Bobrovsky, not wanting to put too much pressure on the goalie's flexible frame.
"He could absolutely surprise people," Reese said. "He's young but he's a pretty polished guy. He's played in a pretty good league, arguably the second-best league in the world. Everybody is going to be battling for jobs."
[ source : Philly.com ]
Arlington, Va. - The statistics are far from surprising.
Last month, in a survey conducted on Philly.com, 75 percent of Flyers fans listed goaltending as their biggest area of concern for the upcoming season - not the forwards, defense, or even the usual suspects like management and coaching.
Flyers fans have been clamoring for a goaltender since, well, Ron Hextall. Or even Pelle Lindbergh, who tragically passed away almost 25 years ago.
Sergei Bobrovsky, a 22-year-old Russian, is poised to be the next big name.
"Could Bobrovsky make this team out of training camp? Without a doubt," one Flyers team source told the Daily News. "He has a lot of work to do. But I can guarantee he will be competitive."
That makes Bobrovsky the Flyers' most hyped rookie goaltender since Maxime Ouellet or Jean-Marc Pelletier. Neither of those guys panned out like the longtime starters they were projected to be.
Ouellet, a former first-rounder, was traded to Washington in 2002 and played just 12 NHL games. He retired from hockey in 2008. Pelletier, a cocky second-rounder, played a grand total of seven NHL games but is still kicking ... in Hamburg, Germany.
"He's exciting," Flyers goalie coach Jeff Reese said of Bobrovsky. "He's a good prospect right now. The biggest impression he's made around here is that he doesn't want to come off the ice. He'd stay out there for 8 hours a day if he could."
The Flyers signed Bobrovsky, an undrafted free agent, to a 3-year deal on May 8. He arrived in the United States in July to take part in the summer rookie camp, without knowing a word of English. He has been taking English lessons three times a week but still is not comfortable enough to answer questions without a translator.
"I'm here to play hockey and not have conversations out there," Bobrovsky said on Monday through translator Slava Kouznetsova. "I came here to play for the Flyers and I will do anything I can to get ready for the main team. My goal is to get in optimal shape for the season and get used to North American hockey."
Professional hockey is nothing new for Bobrovsky, who started for two seasons in Russia's KHL - albeit for one of the worst teams - and posted relatively strong numbers. Fellow newcomer Nikolai Zherdev skated in the KHL last year after five NHL seasons.
But North American hockey is a different story.
"It's a faster game," Bobrovsky said. "It's a smaller ice. I have to move faster to make sure I see the different things and different shots."
The faster he can adjust, the faster he will play in the NHL.
"He's going to have to get used to the traffic," Reese said. "He's going to have to get used to the smaller rinks. He's going to have to get used to the fact that guys shoot from everywhere. He's very athletic. He moves very well. He looks like he's comfortable."
Yesterday, Bobrovsky made his North American debut as the starter in the Flyers' rookie camp scrimmage against the Capitals in suburban Washington. He allowed two soft goals on 30 shots. One was from a strange angle and the other trickled through traffic.
"It was my first game here," Bobrovsky reminded with the help of Yahoo Sports' Dmitry Chesnokov. "A lot of the shots, the intensity, were different. I still have a lot of things to work on. I was ready for shots from every angle.
"But it really wasn't about the shots for me, it was about the atmosphere of being in this sort of game. It was really exciting for me. I can't really describe what it was - the emotional level and the fans - of being in the game."
At the end of last season, many expected Johan Backlund to challenge Brian Boucher for the backup role. Backlund started one game for the Flyers before leaving with a hip injury, which required off season surgery. He still hasn't fully recovered.
Not even Backlund knows what to expect in training camp.
"I'm slowly going forward," Backlund said. "It's hard to say . I feel like I'm really close. But at the same time, I don't know how it will react.
"For sure, my goal was to be ready for camp and compete for a job. But I need to let my body decide. I'm almost 100 percent, so it would be stupid to rush it now."
Bobrovsky will be the main focus when training camp officially opens this afternoon. If Bobrovsky were to make the team, he would be the highest-paid goaltender with a $1.75 million salary.
Until then, Michael Leighton, who signed a 2-year, $3.1 million deal in the offseason, is the only goalie set in stone. Even with a 24-8-2 record last season, playoffs included, 48 percent of fans said they will take a "wait and see" approach with Leighton.
Wait and see. That's been the story of the Flyers' parade of goaltenders. Since 2000, 14 different goaltenders have started a game for the Flyers.
With a limited sample size, Bobrovsky has some work to do. But he could look entirely different after 40 games of seasoning in Adirondack.
"I am far off and I am not far off [from the NHL]," Bobrovsky said. "I'm not really ready, but I am working on myself and I am getting ready to play."
Reese said he is "cautiously optimistic" about Bobrovsky, not wanting to put too much pressure on the goalie's flexible frame.
"He could absolutely surprise people," Reese said. "He's young but he's a pretty polished guy. He's played in a pretty good league, arguably the second-best league in the world. Everybody is going to be battling for jobs."
[ source : Philly.com ]
