Hockey season is just around the corner and we now know the players that will be suiting up for the Flyers on opening night. It was not an easy process to get cap compliant as the team has quite a few injuries to deal with. There was also plenty of competition at training camp as well.
There were a few surprises as well as some younger players stepping up to show the Flyers staff that they were ready for bigger roles.
In order to get to a opening night roster, the Flyers needed to make a few moves first:
- Sean Couturier was placed on IR
- Ryan Ellis was placed on LTIR
- Bobby Brink, Patrick Felix Sandstrom were placed on injured non-roster
- Those moves allowed the Flyers to call up Wade Allison, Tanner Laczynski, and Egor Zamula
So with that, here is the Flyers 2022-23 opening night roster.
Forwards
Wade Allison, Cam Atkinson, Noah Cates, Nic Deslauriers, Joel Farabee, Morgan Frost, Kevin Hayes, Hayden Hodgson, Travis Konecny, Scott Laughton, Tanner Laczynski, Owen Tippet, James van Riemsdyk.
Despite not having played in the preseason and not having had skated with the team recently, Cam Atkinson is still expected to play on Thursday. He recently went back to Columbus for a family matter, as well as meeting with a personal trainer he has worked with in the past.
Hayden Hodgson is a bit of a surprise on the final roster. He debuted with the team last season and quickly won the staff over with his play it appears. While Tortorella mentioned that Hodgson has an “ok camp”, he did mention that a lot of people in the organization are high on him.
Defensemen
Ronnie Attard, Justin Braun, Tony DeAngelo, Ivan Provorov, Rasmus Ristolainen, Travis Sanheim, Nick Seeler, Egor Zamula
Tortorella had previously implied that both Egor Zamula and Ronnie Attard would start the season in the AHL. The two have seemingly changed the coach’s mind. But this gives the Flyers eight defensemen to start the season so unless the two are going to play, their addition makes things a little questionable.
And after Cam York’s surprising demotion, it seemed all but certain that Nic Seeler would begin the season in the NHL.
Goaltenders
Samuel Ersson, Carter Hart
Felix Sandstrom came in as the favorite to earn the backup role, especially with his stint last season. But an injury opened the door and Samuel Ersson ran with the chance. He had a very impressive preseason and looks like he will get the chance to start with the Flyers. Whether he gets into a game may depend on how long Sandstrom is out.
Looking at the final roster, Chuck Fletcher’s comments rang true about having a lot of youth in the lineup. There are a total of 12 players under the age of 25 years old in the lineup. And just like Tortorella said before, the kids are going to play.
The Flyers will open the season against the New Jersey Devils on Thursday. The game will be broadcasted directly on ESPN+/Hulu for those interested in watching.