ALLENTOWN - Noah Powell gave Flyers fans exactly the kind of hockey they love on Sunday night: hard, loud, and impossible to ignore.
Powell scored an empty-net goal, fought Jackson Dorrington at 11:33 of the second period and spent plenty of the night throwing his body around as the Flyers closed out a two-game sweep of the Rookie Series with a 4-1 win over the New York Rangers at the PPL Center.
The physical edge was impossible to miss, and coach John Snowden made it clear Powell keeps standing out.
“He’s disruptive, he’s physical, he’s hard, he’s in the middle of everything,” Snowden said. “You notice him every shift for some reason, shape or form.
Even at the end of the game, he played a hard game, he’s in fights, he’s finishing his hits. He’s in the middle of everything.”
Powell knows that style plays in Philadelphia, and he said it fits his own approach too.
“I think everybody knows that Philly is very passionate about sports,” he said. “They love tough, gritty-style sports.
Especially with football and hockey here. I think that’s something that’s well-liked and people like to see.
“I feel like bringing that every night is something that can help us win and that’s why I’m going to do it.”
He also said the physical side comes naturally.
“To a certain degree, it feels pretty natural,” he said. “Hockey is a violent game.
I’m not saying I’m a violent person but when I get out there I like to play a violent and vicious style of hockey. Get out there and make sure it’s known.”
The Flyers’ prospects treated the two games like they counted, even if they were really just scrimmages.
Philadelphia opened the scoring when Denver Barkey finished an odd-man rush at 16:28 of the first period. Oliver Bonk fed him the puck, and Barkey beat Danai Shaiikov to make it 1-0.
The Flyers controlled most of the opening period and limited the Rangers to just five shots.
New York pulled even at 12:39 of the second when Liam Greentree scored after the Flyers switched to Marek Sklenicka in goal. But Philadelphia answered late in the period, and with just 4.7 seconds left, Brek Liske scored from a wide angle along the goal line to put the Flyers ahead 2-1.
Powell and Porter Martone then added empty-net goals near the end to finish it off.
One of the other early storylines from rookie camp has been Cole Knuble, who already feels at home in the organization. The 22-year-old center was drafted by the Flyers in the fourth round of the 2023 NHL Draft and spent three seasons at Notre Dame before joining the club.
Knuble said growing up around the team made the opportunity especially meaningful.
“Since I was drafted I wanted to be a part of this organization,” Cole said. “I grew up loving this team.
It’s a dream come true. Every offseason that was the goal, to get better, one step closer.
It’s really exciting.”
He’s old enough to remember Mike Knuble’s second stint with the Flyers in 2012-13, and he also heard plenty about his father’s four seasons in Philadelphia from 2005 to 2009, when Mike scored 114 goals.
There was also a solid step forward from goaltender Carson Bjarnason, who looked sharper Saturday night in the Flyers’ 3-2 win over the Rangers than he did last season with the Phantoms. Bjarnason said he wasn’t happy with his 14-11-7 record, 3.43 goals-against average and .877 save percentage, and he spent the summer working to improve.
“I worked on a lot of things this summer,” he said.
The Flyers appear set in net after Dan Vladar’s standout season and the addition of Joseph Woll from Toronto via trade. Aleksei Kolosov is viewed as the top goaltender for the Phantoms, but Bjarnason remains a useful depth option if injuries force the issue.
Rookie camp continues Monday with practices at the Flyers Training Center in Voorhees, N.J.
For the second straight game, Jett Luchanko centered the top line, skating between Barkey and Martone. He assisted on Barkey’s goal, while Martone picked up an assist on Liske’s.
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Jett Luchanko Is Giving Flyers Fans A Very Intriguing Early Sign
Jett Luchankos first impression in the Flyers Rookie Series opener was the kind that naturally gets attention. The 2024 first-round pick lined up on Philadelphias top rookie line against the Rangers freshmen and helped the Flyers to a 3-2 win, a promising early step as he continues working back to full strength after earlier injuries. It also fit the broader sense around the young forward, who already has NHL playoff experience and arrived in camp with plenty of curiosity attached to his development.
Phantoms coach John Snowden has seen enough of Luchanko to appreciate the details that usually travel well from one level to the next, especially his skating and hockey IQ. There is still more for him to prove as the Rookie Series moves on to a second game at PPL Center, but this opening performance offered Flyers fans a useful reminder of why he remains such an intriguing name in the organization. [Read more 🡒]
Alex Bump Is Giving Flyers Fans A Real Camp Decision To Watch
Alex Bump helped set the tone in the Flyers rookie win over the Rangers at the PPL Center, finishing with a goal and an assist as Philadelphias prospects came away with a 3-2 victory. The top line he skated on with Cole Knuble and Jett Luchanko was lively throughout, giving the organization an early look at a group that could make this camp more interesting than most expected. On the blue line, Maksim Sokolovskii stood out too, mixing physical play with mobility in a performance that added to the overall buzz.
John Snowden and the players did not hide the value of these early games as a measuring stick, especially for prospects trying to separate themselves before the real decisions begin. For Bump, the timing matters even more because this is the kind of camp where a strong impression can change the conversation, and the Flyers will be watching closely to see whether his first breakout showing is the start of something bigger. [Read more 🡒]
Flyers Prospects Just Gave Fans A Reason To Watch This Season
The Flyers prospect group gave the organization a timely jolt in a 3-2 preseason win over the Rangers prospects, a reminder that the pipeline in Philadelphia has a little more life to it than many outside the room might assume. It was the kind of game that matters less for the standings than for the temperature of the fan base, especially when a young group gets to leave an impression against a division rival in a setting built for evaluation.
Alex Bump delivered the winning goal in the third period, with Matthew Gard and Cole Knuble also finding the net for Philadelphia. Carson Bjarnason looked sharp in goal despite giving up two power-play goals, and defensemen Maksim Sokolovskii and Brek Liske added to the night with notable showings that should keep them in the conversation as camp moves along. [Read more 🡒]