The Philadelphia Flyers wrapped up their 2024 development camp on Saturday, ending the four-day event with a scrimmage between the prospects that drew quite the crowd at the Flyers' practice facility.
This entire week of development camp gave fans a good idea of what to expect from the prospects in attendance in terms of skill and personality, but it became clear that the majority of these players fell into two categories—guys that will still need a few years to really blossom into their full capabilities, and players whose upcoming seasons are do-or-die if they want a shot in the Flyers organization.
The players who were brought in just over a week ago in the 2024 NHL Draft obviously will be needing more time to hone their skills. They've had a whirlwind week, going from Las Vegas to Philadelphia (with some experiencing lengthy flight delays in between), not to mention that their young ages and natural nerves at their first development camp will factor in as well.
Even in the case of first-round pick Jett Luchanko, who signed his entry-level contract immediately after the end of the scrimmage on Saturday, he will very likely go back to the OHL to continue his development. Signing him made sense—if a player and the team both want to lock down his contract, then why not?—but it's the best thing for his growth to continue playing OHL hockey.
Having guys that still need time to fully blossom isn't a bad thing, especially in the context of this Flyers rebuild. The front office has stated multiple times over that they're focused on building a team that can achieve long-term success, and having players that can (hopefully) join the organization a few years down the road will contribute to that.
Flyers GM Danny Briere said himself that "it's tough to be patient," but the newer prospects like Noah Powell and Heikki Ruohonen showed promise as they settled in and their confidence grew.
But for guys like Hunter McDonald and Alex Bump (among others, of course), who have been around for multiple camps, it's not far-fetched to think that they don't have nearly as much leeway when it comes to proving themselves. They've had years to develop, and while they had respectable outings at camp, one has to consider how this upcoming season will be a bit of a make-or-break moment for them.
Hunter McDonald.
That's not to say that the Flyers don't like or believe in these players as much—their actions have proven quite the opposite, if anything—but there is a very specific, detailed plan in place for this rebuild, and you have to imagine that the front office is forming a very list of prospects that they believe will contribute to the sustained success that they're envisioning.
It will be interesting to see how these players perform during the 2024-25 season and how their stock might rise or fall in the eyes of the front office. With the rebuild still very much in the early stages, there's going to be plenty of movement and re-shuffling going on with the roster, opening up plenty of opportunities for guys on the outside to break in and put themselves in contention for a permanent spot.
