Finnish winger plans to come over, an injury scare, more from Flyers development camp

Finnish winger plans to come over, an injury scare, more from Flyers development camp originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

After being away from the ice on the Fourth of July, the Flyers' prospects got back at it Wednesday.

They had Day 3 of development camp, which wrapped up all the drills. Tonight, they finish camp with a 5-on-5 scrimmage at 6:30 p.m. ET in Voorhees, New Jersey.

Here's what we saw on Day 1 and Day 2. Let's get into five observations from Wednesday.

1. Making the jump

Samu Tuomaala, the Finnish winger who headlined the Flyers' 2021 draft class as a second-round pick, said he expects to come to North America this season and play for AHL affiliate Lehigh Valley.

He has had a couple of challenging and short seasons in Liiga, Finland's top pro league. Rounding out Tuomaala's overall game was always going to be a bit of a project for the Flyers, but his topflight speed gives him nice upside. With time and space, he's fun to watch.

The 20-year-old is a burner, as we've seen in camp.

"I feel better in every camp," Tuomaala said Wednesday. "I know guys and the staff. My English is getting better. It's fun to be back here."

What has he worked on most to prepare for the pro game in North America?

"Off the ice, of course, my English," he said. "On the ice, everything. But the stop-and-go game and getting stronger to the ice and a little bit of power to my skating."

Flyers director of player development Riley Armstrong said Tuomaala has "legs on him like Sidney Crosby."

Sami Kapanen, who focuses on European player development and pro scouting, has consistent communication with Tuomaala.

"He feels like he has a better patience in the games," Kapanen said. "He's not, every shift, expecting to score goals or having the offense. He understands it better now, reading the game, when to go for offense. I think the overall game, the defensive part of the game, has gotten better. He's valuing it more, the little details, that are going to help a team win, so it's not all about offense anymore."

2. Desnoyers banged up

In the afternoon Wednesday, Elliot Desnoyers went hard into the boards during a competitive drill with Emil Andrae.

Desnoyers was slow to get up and needed help off the ice, not putting much pressure on his right foot.

He didn't return to the ice. We'll see if he's available to participate in the scrimmage tonight. The Flyers are going to err on the side of caution considering it's just a development camp scrimmage.

The Flyers think very highly of the 21-year-old forward. He earned a four-game audition with the Flyers last season. He's spending more time at Flyers Training Center this summer and said he'll be pushing for the big club come training camp.

"Yup, for sure, I'm working hard every day in the gym to work toward that goal," Desnoyers said Monday. "I'm just taking it one day at a time, trying to get better on and off the ice."

3. 'A Swiss Army knife'

Devin Kaplan, a 2022 third-round pick, had a promising freshman season at Boston University. The 19-year-old forward had 23 points (10 goals, 13 assists) and a plus-15 rating in 40 games for a Terriers team that went to the Frozen Four.

"For me, I think it was a bit of an adjustment period," Kaplan said Wednesday. "Then I kind of learned how to be a Swiss Army knife and adjusting to different roles, so I think I played up and down the lineup this year. It was good for me to be able to play up and down the lineup, to become a versatile player. And then also just adjusting to the older and stronger guys, learning how to use my body in different ways and more effective ways, so it was good."

The Bridgewater, New Jersey native has looked strong and competitive in the drills at camp. One would think he has some bottom-six upside given his size (6-2/199) and secondary scoring potential.

4. Don't forget Wisdom

Zayde Wisdom is definitely not a kid to count out in the Flyers' youth picture.

In 2020-21, with the OHL out of commission because of the coronavirus pandemic, Wisdom played at the pro level and opened eyes, putting up 18 points (seven goals, 11 assists) through 28 games for the Phantoms.

Last season, the winger had 10 points (three goals, seven assists) in 45 games at Lehigh Valley. He played 17 games — six in the regular season, 11 in the playoffs — for the Flyers' ECHL affiliate Reading.

"On a personal standpoint, it was tough on the mental health and the confidence side of things," the 2020 fourth-round pick said Wednesday. "But I'm trying to bounce back this year and come back even stronger.

"It's no secret, we're trying to rebuild and push young guys in. Hopefully I get the opportunity to keep showing what I've got."

Wisdom turns only 21 years old Friday. He saw his good friend Tyson Foerster get a look with the Flyers last season. The 2020 first-round pick scored seven points (three goals, four assists) in eight games with the big club.

"Watching him score against Freddy Andersen, Marc-Andre Fleury, those are two big names in the goalie side of things," Wisdom said. "Watching him being able to do that, I'm happy for him, but it also kind of gets me fired up and kind of wants me getting my shot now."

5. Morey's impact

Princeton women's hockey head coach Cara Morey is serving as a guest instructor for her third Flyers development camp.

The Flyers have relied on her to lead different drills and they've found her to be particularly helpful in specific aspects of the game.

"The men's game, as it's getting faster and more skilled and less physical, they're starting to do some of the stuff we've always been doing in women's hockey," Morey said Wednesday. "So they actually really appreciate my feedback because now angling and stick placement and taking away time and space versus just going in and hitting guys, the game is evolving toward our game a bit. So it's been neat where they're like, 'Hey, I need you to teach this stuff,' or, 'we want to talk about this stuff.'"

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