Flyers Coach John Tortorella Is Ready To Work With The Roster He Has

John Tortorella’s on-ice debut with the Philadelphia Flyers is two months away.

The Flyers’ six-game preseason schedule will kick off against the Boston Bruins at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday, Sept. 24.

That will come after a brief training camp. And at his introductory press conference back in mid-June, the Flyers’ first-year coach said he’d be letting players know that he’ll be pushing them right from Day 1.

“I am going to coach that team hard right away,” Tortorella said. “It’s going to be a very difficult camp, a high volume of skating. We’re attacking it.”

One fitness test that’s a notorious part of Tortorella’s training camps is his gruelling two-mile run. It typically kicks off the festivities, with players challenged to complete it in 12 minutes or less.

Under Tortorella In Columbus in 2019, the run test on Day 1 was followed by a skating test on Day 2. The Blue Jackets club got down to the business of practices and scrimmages on Day 3.

Torts Welcomes DeAngelo And Deslauriers

In an interview last week with Jordan Hall of NBC Sports Philadelphia, Tortorella talked up general manager Chuck Fletcher’s key offseason acquisitions, defenseman Tony DeAngelo and winger Nicolas Deslauriers.

“Tony DeAngelo’s a hell of a player,” he said. “Tony DeAngelo has personality.

“Is he going to say and do some stupid stuff? You’re damn right he is. But I’d rather have a guy doing stupid stuff than having a choirboy here just going about your business. You don’t win that way, you don’t win championships, you don’t build a team without any personality. Tony’s going to bring that. Plus, he’s a hell of a player.

“Nic Deslauriers, another one. A number of teams were after him and what he can bring. He can bring some toughness, he can kill penalties, he’s a good pro.”

DeAngelo is a smooth skater with a strong offensive side to his game and is good on the power play. 20 of his 51 points last season came on the man advantage with the Carolina Hurricanes, who ranked 13th in the NHL with a 22% conversion rate in the regular season.

The Flyers, of course, are desperate to improve their special teams. They finished dead last in the NHL with a power-play rate of 12.6% last season, and 26th on the penalty kill at 75.7%.

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Ryan Ellis Remains Questionable

If he’s able to return to action, Ryan Ellis will also boost both special teams. In his last season in Nashville in 2020-21, Ellis was second only to reigning Norris Trophy winner Roman Josi in average ice time, at 23:46 per game. He averaged 2:32 per game on the penalty kill and 2:10 on the power play.

“I’ve talked to Ryan twice,” Tortorella told Hall. “Once at the practice facility a few weeks ago, we had a conversation … I just called him (last Wednesday), left a message just to check on his rehab.”

So far, there’s still no clarity on whether Ellis will be able to get back on the ice by September.

“I’m not going to sit here and lie to you and say he’s going to be ready to go,” Tortorella said. “I’m not sure — I don’t think he’s sure. So that’s something we’re going to have to monitor and see where we go.

“If he’s healthy and he’s ready to go mentally to play, it’s a huge plus for our back end, both defensively and offensively. But we’re going to have to wait and see. We’ll see what happens.”

Deeper On The Depth Chart

While Ellis is sidelined, the right side of the blue line will be patrolled by DeAngelo, Rasmus Ristolainen and Justin Braun. The 35-year-old has returned to Philadelphia on a one-year contract worth $1 million, after joining the New York Rangers this spring for their run to the Eastern Conference Final.

Journeymen Nick Seeler and Kevin Connauton represent the next line of defense on the depth chart — and both players can slot into either the left or right side. Free agent Louis Belpedio is another righty who has now joined the organization on a two-way deal.

In terms of prospects, the Flyers are quite thin on the right side.

Big Ronnie Attard got into 15 games at the end of last season after completing his junior year at Western Michigan, but looked like he could use some AHL time to further refine his game. Wyatte Wylie, a fifth-round pick from 2018, has completed two seasons in Lehigh Valley but has yet to earn his first NHL call-up.

The Next Wave

Drafted in the sixth round in 2021, righty Ethan Samson doesn’t turn 19 until late August but is showing promise. He has good size at 6’3″ and 183 pounds and had an outstanding draft-plus-one season with the Prince George Cougars, putting up 15 goals and 43 points in 68 WHL games.

That put him on Team Canada’s radar for next month’s re-mounted World Junior Championship in Edmonton. He’s one of 15 defensemen competing for a roster spot at Canada’s summer camp, which runs July 23-27 in Calgary.

Lefty Ty Murchison, drafted in the fifth round in 2021, is also trying out for World Juniors. He’s one of 20 defensemen at the USA Hockey National Junior Evaluation Camp, which runs from July 24 – August 3 in Plymouth, Michigan.

Two Philadelphia forward prospects are also in the mix for Team USA: 2022 first-rounder Cutter Gauthier and 2021 seventh-round pick Owen McLaughlin.

Competition for a roster spot will be fierce, especially up front. Thirty-six forwards have been invited to the selection camp. That number will be whittled down to about 14 for the tournament, which begins on August 9.