Flyers Rookie Series returns to PPL Center for third straight year

The NHL will return to the PPL Center, the home of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, for a third straight year in less than a month. The Philadelphia Flyers and New York Rangers rookies will continue their Rookie Series showdowns during their annual rookie camps.

The event is scheduled to take place on September 13 and 14 with puck drop for the first game at 7:05 p.m. and the second game at 5:05 p.m.

The games will feature some of each organization's top prospects and give fans a look at players putting on their team's respective jerseys for the first time. This means Flyers fans should have a chance to see Matvei Michkov up close. 2024 first-rounder Jett Luchanko is likely to also step onto the ice. Returnees such as Denver Barkey, Oliver Bonk, and Carson Bjarnason should also be participating.

Rookie Series returns to Allentown for the third straight year

Rosters for the Rookie Series will be available closer to the start of rookie camps next month. The Flyers have not released the date, but with the games announced, we should find out soon.

The series began in 2022 with the Flyers rookies sweeping both games. Philadelphia won the first game 2-1 in overtime with Tyson Foerster scoring the game-winning goal. Olle Lycksell scored the opening goal for Philadelphia while the Rangers' Matthew Robertson tallied their only goal.

In the rematch, the Flyers cruised to a rather easy 5-1 victory. Egor Zamula, Lycksell, Noah Cates, Zayde Wisdom, and Ronnie Attard all scored for Philadelphia. Cates' goal came shorthanded amidst a perfect 5-for-5 penalty kill. Attard's tally came on the power play. It was Sam Ersson in net, losing the shutout bid early in the third period thanks to a goal from Bobby Trivigno

The Rangers rookies enacted revenge in the series last year, taking both games. Matt Brown and Alex Ciernik scored the only goals for the Flyers, Brown's being the opening tally of the game. Ciernik tied the game at 2-2 in the waning seconds of the second period. But the Rangers would pull away with two straight in the third period. Karl Henriksson, Dylan Roobroeck, Ryder Korczak, and Robertson scored for the Rangers.

While the 3-1 final score made the second game appear close, New York had a 2-0 lead by the end of the first period. It was Zayde Wisdom who scored the only goal for Philadelphia in the second. With a chance to tie it late in the third, a Flyers' powerplay was cut short by a penalty. Bobby Trivigno would put the game out of reach, scoring his second of the night. Luke McNamara scored the other goal for the Rangers.

So each team has swept a pair of games in the series and will be looking to take the edge this year. Hockey is almost back everyone.