VOORHEES, N.J. -- You know the drill.
Ever since Ron Hextall took over as general manager of the Flyers, he’s stressed the importance of building a championship-caliber team from within.
That means maintaining draft picks and, in some cases, acquiring additional assets. It’s about stocking up, not mortgaging the future.
As for the prospects already in the system, they’ll be given ample time to develop.
This is nothing new.
“The one thing Hexy has been preaching from Day 1 is patience and it’s going to continue on,” Flyers director of scouting Chris Pryor said last week. “There’s no hurry with these guys. If they’re ready, great. If not we’ve got time and we’ve got patience right now. They’re in a great environment.”
Pryor, of course, was referring to the large contingent of youngsters who were participating in training camps and preparing for the 2015-16 IIHF Under-20 World Championship, which begins in Helsinki, Finland, on Saturday (see story).
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The Flyers will be represented well. A franchise-record seven players will take part in the international tournament, including Travis Sanheim and Travis Konecny (Canada), Ivan Provorov and Radel Fazleev (Russia), Felix Sandstrom and Oskar Lindblom (Sweden) and David Kase (Czech Republic).
"It’s a good opportunity for the kids to see where their game is at," Pryor said. "And it gives us a chance to see our guys in a situation playing against pretty good players."
A handful of current Flyers have World Junior Championship experience. Claude Giroux, Brayden Schenn, Jakub Voracek, Shayne Gostisbehere and Steve Mason are just a handful of players who have skated for their countries at the junior level in the past.
“It was really exciting," Voracek said. “When you play teams like Canada, Russia, U.S., those games make you a better player."
When asked who he expects to stand out on the world's stage this year, Voracek was quick to bring up Konecny. He was impressed with what he saw from the 2015 first-round pick in the preseason.
“There’s so much upside, when you look at a kid like Konecny, he was outstanding," Voracek said. "Speed, grit, smart player. He’s a great player, you can tell right away. You see him play a couple shifts and you know what he’s got.”
Pryor believes the entire crop, not just Konecny, is headed in the right direction.
There's no doubt a large majority of them will be sporting orange and black one day, perhaps soon, but Pryor reiterated that this tournament is just another part of the team's long-term process.
The front office doesn’t want to get caught looking ahead, but it’s hard not to be excited for the future.
“I think it’s a little bit far off," Pryor said when asked if Provorov, Sanheim and/or Konecny will compete for jobs with the Flyers at next summer's training camp.
“If you look just based on what they did this year at camp and where they’re going, I think Ivan and the two Travises will hopefully continue their development right through the summer and into next fall and have a strong showing.
"They could make a case to take a run at the Flyers team. You never know how the summer is going to go or the second half of the year. They all got opportunities right now with the way they’re developing.”
The Flyers are building something. For the first time in a long time, the farm system is flourishing. There is just so much potential.
Most importantly, the Flyers still have their patience.
Hextall and Pryor share the same vision for the club’s young talent. Their philosophy hasn't changed overnight because the kids, in some cases, have exceeded expectations.
“I’m very excited with how things are going," Pryor said. “Everybody wants it to happen today. Unfortunately you can’t rush this stuff. It just takes time. You can see the kids are coming. Starting next year, you’re going to see them come out of junior and make their way into the organization.
“As years go by here with the draft picks, you’re going to start seeing a cycle. It’s exciting to watch.”
You can say that again.