Development Camp: Day 1 Takeaways

Sunday marked the first day of on-ice work at the Flyers' 2021 Development Camp. Afterwards, Egor Zamula, Morgan Frost, Wade Allison, Cam York and Samu Tuomaala spoke with the media.

A development camp cannot be evaluated quite the same way as a rookie camp in September or especially an NHL training camp. In Development Camp, the purpose of each drill is to assess who excels in a particular area -- agility, puck control, passing, shooting, etc. -- and who needs to focus on further sharpening of each skill. It's not about installing systems, conducting battle drills and testing play execution at an NHL pace.

That said, the 2021 Development Camp is a little different than a typical summertime camp. First and foremost, in a typical year, Development Camp is held shortly after the NHL Entry Draft and prior to the World Junior Summer Showcase. Prospects are still very much in "early offseason mode" in terms of their conditioning programs. This year, the Development Camp is being held just a few weeks ahead of training camp. Thus, players are gearing up to be ready for when jobs are stake. They are further ahead in the amount of skating and puck work they've done in the summer. The goal at this camp, rather than giving players "homework" for the summer and future seasons is to get them ready to compete in training camp in a few weeks.
The 2021 Development Camp also features quite a few prospects who've already been through several previous camps. This includes players such as Frost, Allison, Isaac Ratcliffe, Tanner Laczynski and Maksim Sushko. These players know the process and are generally ahead of most of the first-timers.
Here are five takeaways from Day 1:
1. Zamula aims to build from pro experience.
Defenseman Egor Zamula is entering his second professional season. He spent most of the 2020-21 campaign in the American Hockey League with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. At the AHL level, he saw all-situations ice time under now-former head coach Scott Gordon. The player also obtained his first NHL experience, dressing in two games for the Flyers.
Via translator Slava Kouznetsov (the Flyers' skating coach), Zamula said that he learned a lot during his first pro campaign.
"Paying big role on the ice. Playing a lot of minutes and getting ready for the highest level," Zamula said. "It gave me a little bit more confidence. Showed me what the big league is and the biggest, strongest and best league in the world. That's what I was getting ready for in summer training."
Adding strength and muscle has been Zamula's primary challenge since he was first signed by the Flyers. The player said on Sunday that he's tried to spend as much time as possible in the gym the entire offseason to be ready for training camp.
2. A healthy offseason for Allison.
Dating back to an ACL tear midway through his sophomore collegiate season at Western Michigan, power forward Wade Allison spent several consecutive offseasons focused more on injury rehab than hockey. Even this past season, a nagging preseason ankle issue forced Allison off the ice on the second day of the Flyers training camp and necessitated surgery.
When Allison returned to the lineup with the Phantoms, he immediately made a strong impression as a hard-forechecking power forward with a howitzer of a shot. He made a similarly solid showing with the Flyers. The player said on Sunday that his main goal this offseason and heading into camp was to avoid complacency. He'll still have to earn his keep in camp.
In the meantime, Allison said that having a fully healthy offseason ahead of Development Camp was a big benefit to his preparations.
"It is nice. It's new. It's new having the body feel good. It's nice. You're able to put in the work that you need to every day and you're not thinking about it. You're not mentally stressed about whether your legs, shoulder, ankle, whatever it is, can support you. You kind of just know it's going to be there. It's especially good for my mental and I don't have to think about it. Things kind of just happened out there, so that's huge. That's huge. That's the biggest thing for me," Allison said.
3. Frost eager to turn the page from shoulder surgery.
Things in hockey have a way of changing in a hurry for better worse. Back in January, Morgan Frost was coming off a promising, if somewhat inconsistent, rookie pro season that included a trip to the American Hockey League All-Star Game, 20 games with the Flyers and goals in each of his first two NHL games.
In camp this past January, Frost performed well and earned a spot on the Flyers' opening night roster. An injury to Sean Couturier in the season's second game opened a chance for Frost to get NHL playing time. After a solid first game, Frost suffered a season-ending shoulder injury midway through the second period of his second game. Shoulder surgery ensued.
Now, the 22-year-old center is ready to turn the page.
"It definitely wasn't fun. I worked really hard and trained hard to make the team. I was really excited that I did make the team and I was getting an opportunity to play. It was real tough timing and pretty unfortunate. I'm glad with the procedure I went through because it's not going to happen again. Now it feels pretty strong. One tough year, but looking to bounce back this year. I think I'm ready to go," Frost said.
"I feel really good. I kind of got through the rehab part of my shoulder and then it was more just about strengthening it a little bit. I think I'm very close. I feel ready. I'm confident. I feel confident that I can go into battles, take hits, and play physical with it. I'm fully confident. I think I just have a little bit more rehab to go to make sure that it's fully 100% for the future."
4. York taking big-picture focus on first full pro year.
After captaining Team USA to a gold medal at the 2020-21 World Junior Championships and completing his sophomore year at the University of Michigan, Flyers 2019 first-round pick Cam York turned pro. He dressed in eight AHL games with the Phantoms, which including a couple of dominant performances, and appeared in three games with the Flyers at the tail end of the season. York held his own for the most part but came away realizing that it's a big jump from collegiate hockey to the nHL.
"I think for me, just the thing that I noticed the most was probably just the speed, the skill and the size of the guys was just a little bit next level, a lot different than what I was used to. I felt like I adapted pretty quickly and got used to it as time went on. Definitely at the start, it was rather eye opening to see," York said.
York and Frost are in the same boat in another regard. This offseason, the Flyers signed veteran offensive defenseman Keith Yandle to a one-year contract. This past week, Philadelphia also signed veteran center Derick Brassard to a one-year deal. York and Frost were asked if they were concerned about being "blocked" by the vets this year from NHL jobs. Each player gave an appropriately mature response: they'll focus on what's within their control.
"I still believe in myself. I think I can make a team still, but it's a long year. It's 82 games and the schedule is really tight. There's going to be a lot of guys coming in and out of the lineup. If you block a shot wrong, you're out eight games. That's eight games that people need to fill. I didn't look at [the Yandle signing' like 'Dang, there goes my spot.' I'm still confident," York said.

Added Frost in regard to Brassard coming to Philadelphia this season, "I didn't really have a reaction. There's going to be a lot of guys coming in and out within the organization. I'm just focused on myself, what work I need to put in and what I need to do to make the team..... Every day here is an exciting opportunity. It's the best league in the world. To get a chance, even just to be on the ice with guys like that, is really special. It's nice to be out there, but also have the confidence in yourself that I can be one of these guys, too. I think there's been a lot of great role models and people that I can look up to within the organization. I'm striving to be one of those people moving forward."
5. Tuomaala making the move to North America.
Drafted by the Flyers in the second round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft, Finnish winger Samu Tuomaala is coming off a campaign that saw him dominate offensively at the Under-18 World Championships after briefly getting his first taste of pro hockey with Kärpät Oulu in Liiga (Finland's top pro circuit).
Tuomaala recently signed an NHL entry-level contract with the Flyers. He was also selected by the OHL's Sudbury Wolves back in 2020 in the CHL Import Draft. However, because he was drafted by the Flyers out of a European league rather than a CHL-affiliated league, Tuomaala is eligible for immediate AHL play with the Phantoms.
On Sunday, the young Finn was asked where he plans to play in 2021-22: back in Finland with Kärpät, in the Ontario Hockey League with Sudbury or the American Hockey League with Lehigh Valley. He clarified that he will play in North America regardless of what happens in camp. Whether it will be for the Phantoms or Sudbury depends on what the Flyers decide. In the meantime, Tuomaala made his personal preference clear.
"My first goal is to play American Hockey League, but let's see," he said.
Asked to self-assess what he needs to improve to show that he's ready for the pro level, Tuomaala said that he needs to work on his defensive game and strength.