Alex Bump didn’t waste any time making his case Saturday night.
With Flyers management and coaches watching from the upper level at PPL Center, the 22-year-old winger turned the rookie opener into a showcase, scoring once and setting up another as Philadelphia beat the Rangers, 3-2, in the first of two rookie games this weekend in Allentown, Pa.
It was the kind of start Bump was chasing after last year’s rookie camp went nowhere for him. He was scoreless in both rookie games a year ago and never got to final cuts in main training camp. This time, he came out flying.
“For sure,” Bump said. “It's kind of getting to the time where you've got to make an impression.
Obviously we've talked about last year. New year, see how it goes.”
The performance fit the way Bump finished last season, too. After joining the Flyers following the March trade deadline, he kept turning heads through the playoffs.
“He got his taste last year, he was up and he got to stay up,” Phantoms head coach John Snowden said. “He got to play important, meaningful games at the end of the year and in the playoffs.
He wants to stay there. That's the kind of game that we're going to expect from him - is that offensive upside, holding onto pucks and creating offense.”
Bump’s line with Cole Knuble and Jett Luchanko did real damage. In the second period, Bump slipped a pass through the Rangers’ defense and Knuble finished backdoor to put the Flyers ahead 2-1.
“That was a hell of a pass,” Snowden said. “And Knuble's finish on that one, that's a hard pass, on your backhand, coming downhill, to be able to put that in the net is impressive.”
Knuble, the son of former Flyer Mike Knuble, is coming into his first full pro season and has been rising in the organization. He brings flexibility, he fits with Bump, and he sounds ready to keep climbing.
“He's a great player,” Bump said. “Heavy on the puck, can make plays, as well. And he can finish, too.”
“Since the day I was drafted, I wanted to be a part of this organization,” Knuble said. “I grew up loving this team, so it's a dream come true.
Every practice, every game, every offseason, that was the goal, to get one step closer to this. Now I kind of took the next step turning pro.
It's real exciting.”
Bump added another one in the third when Luchanko fed him on the wing after using his speed to carry the puck through the neutral zone. Knuble liked what he saw from that trio, too.
“I love playing with him, with his speed, carrying the puck up the middle, I like to do that, too,” Knuble said. “I think we complement each other well.
You saw his play to Bumper there. Other little plays, he's good in the corner, he makes smart, little passes.
I think we've got some chemistry and I'm looking forward to playing with him.”
The Flyers also got a strong effort from Carson Bjarnason in net. The 2023 second-round pick stopped 27 of 29 shots and made a couple of key stops along the way, including a sprawling save on the penalty kill late in the first period and a glove stop in the third after a turnover by Luchanko.
“I've worked on a lot of things this summer,” Bjarnason said. “I just wanted to kind of emulate what I did all summer and show the work I put in.”
Bjarnason’s first pro season had its ups and downs. He posted a 3.43 goals-against average and an .877 save percentage in 32 games with Lehigh Valley, and Snowden said Saturday was a step in the right direction.
“Every player thinks about how their last season went and the things that they can grow upon,” Snowden said. “I thought tonight he looked big in the net, he looked composed in the net, didn't really get scrambled at times.
He tracked the puck the way he needed to track the puck. If he couldn't see through traffic at times, he just stayed big and pucks hit him.
Overall, I thought it was a good step in the right direction for him as we start to push into training camp.”
Another big Flyers prospect, Maksim Sokolovskii, brought a physical edge in his own way. The 6-foot-7 defenseman was active with his body, chased hits and used his skating to recover defensively. He also spent time in the penalty box for both Rangers goals, a reminder that he still has to learn when to choose his spots.
“There’s a lot to like about him and his size and what he can turn into,” Snowden said.
“He's a big man, he skates really well for his size,” Snowden said. “I think he showed that he is not afraid to be a physical player.
A couple of those penalties, he took licks. That's the type of game that he's going to have to play.”
The Flyers also had Porter Martone, Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk as healthy scratches. They’re expected to play Sunday, and the team likely preferred not to overload its top prospects in a weekend that includes only two rookie games.
“It is a shortened preseason this year,” Martone said Friday. “I've never done an NHL training camp. Just trying to get those reps, so when the regular season does start and hopefully I do crack the lineup, I'm ready to go and I'm ready to be successful.”
The Flyers’ prospects also had a little extra edge after the final buzzer. Noah Powell mixed it up with a Ranger, and Ty Murchison dropped the gloves.
In Other News...
Flyers May Have Started Testing A Future Blue-Line Duo
The Flyers are using rookie camp to take a closer look at two of their better defensive prospects, Oliver Bonk and Maksim Sokolovskii, both first-round picks who could become part of the blue line picture down the road. Bonk already got a taste of the NHL and the Stanley Cup playoffs last season, while Sokolovskii arrives as a recent high-end addition, giving Philadelphia a young pairing worth monitoring as the camp unfolds.
There is also some built-in comfort here, since the two have already spent time on the ice together with the London Knights. For a coaching staff sorting through the teams next wave of defensemen, that prior familiarity makes the evaluation a little more interesting, because it is not just about talent in isolation but whether the Flyers may already be looking at a future duo with real chemistry. [Read more 🡒]
Porter Martone Is Forcing A Bigger Flyers Question Already
Porter Martone barely had time to introduce himself last season before he started looking like more than a promising rookie. The 19-year-old winger put up 10 points in nine regular-season games and added five points in 10 postseason games, a quick burst that only sharpened the sense around the Flyers that they may already have something real on their hands. Coaches have spent the offseason praising his work ethic and his drive to keep improving, and after a long year that also included the World Championships, he is now preparing for his first full NHL season.
The next step is where the questions get interesting for Philadelphia, because Martone is no longer just a feel-good spring storyline. He is part of the Flyers' development plans entering preseason, and how quickly he settles into the teams early ramp-up will say plenty about how aggressively the club is willing to push him. For a young winger who has already shown he can handle a bigger stage, the only thing left is figuring out how soon the Flyers want to make that stage permanent. [Read more 🡒]
Jett Luchanko Already Faces The Question That Could Define His Ceiling
Jett Luchanko entered Flyers rookie camp with the kind of spotlight that comes with being a first-round pick, and also with the kind of unfinished business that can shape a career. After a season that brought limited NHL action and only modest offense in the OHL, the organization is looking at the next step as more than a developmental checkpoint. Flyers affiliate coach John Snowden pointed to Luchankos hockey IQ and his responsible approach, traits that help explain why the club still believes in his long-term value.
The bigger question, though, is whether the offensive side can catch up fast enough to keep pace with that belief. Philadelphia has made it clear it wants more than safe, smart shifts from the young center, and rookie camp has been built around giving him chances to push there. Luchanko is in a critical season now, with the pressure less about proving he belongs in the conversation and more about showing what kind of ceiling he can realistically reach. [Read more 🡒]