The Flyers Alumni wrapped up their 12 annual edition of Fantasy Camp on Monday at the Class of 1923 Arena on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Three teams competed this year.
For the second straight year, the players wore uniforms that represented slices of local hockey history. Last year, the teams sported the uniforms of Flyers AHL farm teams: The Quebec Aces, Richmond Robins, Maine Mariners and Philadelphia Phantoms.
This time around, the uniforms reflected pro teams that played their home games in West Philadelphia. Team River Rock Academy wore Philadelphia Blazers (WHA) unies. Team PSS Group channeled the Philadelphia Firebirds (Flyers NAHL affiliate, Colorado Rockies AHL farm team). Team Toyota wore uniforms inspired by the Philadelphia Ramblers (EHL).
All three historic teams played their home games within a couple miles from the Class of 1923 rink. The Firebirds and Blazers played out of the Civic Center. The Ramblers were based out of the Philadelphia Arena (46th and Market). The Class of 1923 rink itself was the Flyers' practice facility from the early 1970s until 1982.
Congratulations go out to Team River Rock Academy; the 2026 Fantasy Cup champions.
Co-coached by Flyers Hall of Famers Mark Howe, Tim Kerr and Joe Watson, the Blazers-inspired team rode two goals from Cam Fecht and shutout goaltender from camp veteran Dan Rieber to a 3-0 victory over PSS (Firebirds) in the championship game. The game-winning goal was scored by Lupo Dion, who has attended each and every Fantasy Camp to date.
Team PSS was coached by Flyers Hall of Famer Mark Recchi and alum goaltender Robert Esche. Keith Jones and Patrick Sharp coached Team Toyota. Esche and Kerr were both first-time camp coaches. The others have done several previous camps.
"No distance is too far"
Team PSS defenseman Michael Dougherty drove from his Valley Stream, NY home to attend his third Fantasy Camp.
"No distance is too far when you like where you're going,": Dougherty said.
"Everything at camp is first rate. It's a great group of people: the Alumni coaches and trainers, the after-game events, the uniforms, and the players. You want to come year after year. It's good hockey, too. At the end of the day, you feel good, too, because the money all goes to the Alumni charity programs."
Dougherty, a policeman by profession, is a native New Yorker. He's actually a Rangers fan, although his father originally hailed from South Philadelphia. He's plays in a police/fire league at home. Additionally, he's played hockey in England and even Belfast, Northern Ireland.
"The camp here in Philly brings players of different ages and ability levels. But everyone loves being here; that's something everyone has in common," he says.
Nineteen different U.S. states and Canadian provinces were represented this year. Campers live as far away as California (Team Toyota forward Ed Jimison), Oregon (River Rock's Lupo Dion and Jason Green), Washington State (Team Toyota defenseman Jay Indelicato and River Rock defenseman Brian Archer), Arizona (River Rock forward Ron DeBrigida), Texas (Toyota forward Dave Rosenthal), and Nebraska (River Rock forward Mike Sigmond).
Canadian participants came from places ranging from Fort McMurray, Alberta (Team PSS goalie Dave MacDonald) to Stittsville, Ontario (Team PSS forward Erik Marsh; the eldest son of Flyers Alumni Association president Brad Marsh).
Nineteen campers this year were first-time participants: always a good sign for people's interest in taking part in the annually sold-out event.
On the flip side, there were three gentlemen that have been a part of all 12 Fantasy Camps: Team River Rock's Steve "Cappy" Capoferri, Lupo Dion and Brian George. For Chicago resident and Delaware Valley native Brian George, it's his seventh Fantasy Cup championship on top of multiple championships with his Chicago Shooters team at home.
A bigger cause than hockey
Team River Rock netminder Dave Nichols (Waynesboro, VA) shared the goaltending duties with Dan Rieber. On Sunday, after Rieber was shaken up in a collision during a game against Team PSS, Nichols went the distance in a victory against Team Toyota. Rieber returned for Monday's championship game; the rubber match -- third meeting in three days -- between River River Rock and PSS.
Throughout the tournament, Dave Nichols sported jersey number 13 with "Samantha" on the nameplate. He did so to honor his late daughter, Samantha, who wore the same number.
Samantha had a genetic predisposition that could have been detected and treated had she been tested proactively years earlier when she was healthy. Other family members have since been tested, and found to have the same congenital risk.
"I am wearing Samantha's number and honoring her name as a tribute. But I'm also doing it to raise awareness for genetic testing. Please get tested. Whether it's predisposition for cancer, heart disease, stroke, or other life-threatening conditions, genetic testing is a life saver. It can also be done privately, without fear of adverse information being reported to insurers," Nichols said.
"Please get tested. It can save a loved one's life or your own."
The awareness battle, of course, is far more important than any sporting event or fantasy camp. Flyers Hockey Operations president and Team Toyota co-coach said it best on Sunday.
"We all have a thousand problems until we -- or a friend or family member -- has a life threatening issue. Then we have just one problem. Hockey is fun and games. When a sports win or loss is our biggest worry, we are very lucky," Jones said.
A weekend escape
Each and every year, camp is filled with a variety of special activities apart from the games and practices run by the Alumni coaches and supported by the training staff.
There's always a welcome event and an off-site excursion to a locale that's kept secret until arrival. The location changes annually, but always centers around a theme tied to Philadelphia history and local culture.
One year it was a luxury box at a Phillies game (with Phillies alumni joining their Flyers counterparts). Other years saw private tours and dining aboard the USS New Jersey, along Boathouse Row, and inside the historic (and still active) 23rd Street Armory.
This year, campers. staff and coaches were treated to a private food and drink guided tour of the historic Reading Terminal Market. Dozens of participating vendors stayed open for the campers to sample their work, ranging from local specialties like cheesesteaks and Bassetts ice cream (the longest-tenured vendor in the market, dating back to 1892) to assorted ethnic cuisine such as Chinese and Filipino food.
Each year, there are always at least two fully catered dinner events and hockey-themed events. Last year, Flyers general manager Daniel Briere led everyone through a complete four of the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, including the general manager's and coaches' offices, the training facilities, skate sharpening room, the locker rooms, media room and more.
This year, campers screened the Cold War in Philadelphia documentary about the historic 1976 game between the Flyers and CSKA (Red Army). They met with filmmaker Joe Amodei and had a private Hot Stove session with Broad Street Bullies Alumni Joe Watson and Bob "the Hound" Kelly, emceed by Steve Coates.
One night earlier, Flyers broadcaster Jim Jackson hosted a Q&A session with Mark Howe, Patrick Sharp and Robert Esche. Camp participants also have a forum to ask the Alumni players questions.
Professional camp staff
The Alumni Flyers players who serve as coaches are not the only pros who interact with campers. Attendees also received the pro treatment from equipment managers and trainers who worked with the Flyers and/or their farm teams.
This year's staff: Dave Culp (Flyers Alumni team). Turk Evers (longtime Flyers equipment manager), Joe Rivera (Philadelphia Phantoms equipment manager), Dave "Sudsy" Settlemyre (Flyers equipment manager/ trainer) and Rob Pomroy (Flyers Warriors).
One of the biggest thrills for campers: the legendary Lou Nolan performs the same public address announcing duties for every camp game -- as well as the opening night player and coach intros -- that he has for the NHL Flyers for more than 50 years.
Bill Duffy (Flyers Warriors) serves as the official scorekeeper for every game. Each game is reported on social media and the official Flyers Alumni website (FlyersAlumni.net) in the same fashion as the NHL team's game are reported on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com and the team's social media channels.
Unofficial 2026 All-Fantasy Camp Awards
The Flyers official website and the Alumni started this unofficial tradition four years ago: based loosely on the Flyers annual team awards. Fantasy Camp standouts are honored in the end-of-camp wrapup article on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com.
Here are the 2026 Camp winners:
Bobby Clarke Award (tournament MVP): Cam Fecht, F, Team River Rock
Even in River Rock's sole loss in the tournament (5-2 to PSS in the opener), Can Fecht was a threat to score every time he stepped on the ice. He finished with 11 goals in six games, including five goals on Sunday against Team Toyota and a pair in the 3-0 championship win against PSS.
Runner up: Erik Marsh (PSS). His dad was a left-shooting stay-at-home defeneman who specialized in shot blocking and penalty killing. The younger Marsh is a right-shot forward who loves to shoot the puck. Like Brad Marsh, Erik possesses a big frame and uses it to his advantage. Named for Per-Erik (Pelle) Lindbergh, Erik was born in Philadelphia. He had a pair of hat tricks during Fantasy Camp.
Bernie Parent Award (top goaltender): James Avery, Team PSS
The best puck-handling goalie in camp, Avery and fellow Team PSS goalie Dave MacDonald gave their team a solid chance to win every game. They were the only team that went 2-0-0 on Day 1 and took a 3-1-0 mark into the final matchup.
Runner up: Dan Rieber and Dave Nichols stepped up in the clutch -- including the championship game shutout -- after dropping their opener. River Rock got better and better with each passing game, and the goaltending was a key part.
Mark Howe Award (top defenseman): Marc Wiczkowski, Team Toyota
A repeat winner of this award, Wiczkowski and Phil Foster (Flyers Warriors) have dominated this honor. Foster was unable to play this year, and Lancaster policeman Wiczkowski won easily this year with his extremely agile skating and puck skills. His most notable effort was a four-point performance (2g, 2a) in a 9-3 victory over Team Toyota.
Runner up: Matt Steinberg (Team Toyota) has never been the least bit shy about pinching on plays offensively or even leading the rush in deep. He's always good for a few breakaway opportunities every camp, and this year was no exception. He loves to have the puck on his stick and to dangle.
Mikael Renberg Award: Justin Kelly F, Team Toyota
Named in honor of Renberg's first two-and-a-half NHL seasons before injury setbacks, this award goes to the under-the-radar standout of the tourney. Kelly was his team's most dangerous offensive player by far. He racked up a hat trick against Team PSS in what was a tied game before a marginal-at-best charging major and game misconduct ruling on an accidental collision removed Kelly from the game.
The Kevin Dineen Award (on-ice agitator, off-ice gentleman); Lupo Dion, F, Team River Rock
The award is named in honor of former Flyers captain Kevin Dineen, who was as feisty as could be as a hockey player and an extremely approachable and friendly presence off the ice during his many years playing in the NHL. At Fantasy Camp, Lupo is one of the most easy-going and friendly people off the ice. On the ice, he has a chippy streak. This year, Lupo scored the first goal in the championship game.
The WSS -- Watson/Sutter/Schenn -- Award (tournament families): The McElwains
Brian and Jack McElwain once again made the trek from Wilmington, NC, to participate in Fantasy Camp. The family participation element is one of the most special facets of camp.
Dave Poulin Award (leadership and dedication): Brian George, F, Team River Rock
Where Brian George goes, championships follow. He is a consummate team player -- unselfish and focused solely on team achievement.
