Speedy forward Alexis Gendron will be the lone player drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers this year to participate in the team’s rookie camp, which starts with on-ice activities Thursday in Voorhees.
NCAA players or future NCAA players aren’t eligible to attend NHL camps.
That includes Boston College’s Cutter Gauthier, the Flyers’ top pick (No. 5 overall) in the July draft, along with many others.
Devin Kaplan (third round) is at Boston University, Alex Bump (fifth round) is at the University of Vermont, Hunter McDonald (sixth round) is at Northeastern, and Santeri Sulku is playing in Sweden. Sulku was the Flyers’ first pick in the seventh round.
Gendron is a 5-foot-10, 174-pounder who can play center or right wing. He was chosen with the Flyers’ last selection, a seventh rounder was 220th overall. McKeen’s Hockey ranked him 71st overall, meaning Gendron could be a steal.
He had 30 goals in 66 games in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League last season. He will again play for the Blainville Armada in the QMJHL this season.
Gendron is a “really competitive kid. He’s grown a huge amount,” assistant GM Brent Flahr said at the draft. He added that the selection was “a no-brainer for us.”
It was Flahr who decided to select Gendron despite protests from the player’s father, Marty, a Philadelphia Flyers scout since 2008.
Marty Gendron thought his son would have added pressure if he went to his father’s team. But Flahr and scout Todd Hearty believed Gendron was too good to bypass.
The Philadelphia Flyers’ entire rookie-camp roster will be released later Monday. The camp is free and open to the public, as is veteran camp, which starts Sept. 22 with on-ice activities.
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