“Part Of His Process”: Cam York and Tyson Foerster headline latest round of training camp cuts
Cam York headed into training camp with a significant leg-up on other Flyers defenseman to make the team. He was penciled in as the Left Handed Defenseman on the team’s third pairing, next to returning veteran Justin Braun. Despite that initial inside track, it’s Cam York that headlines the team’s latest round of cuts from its training camp roster.
You can read the full list here, but there are only a few names who truly merit discussion.
Cam York
Cam York’s cut from the roster is not undeserved. His performance in the preseason–and at camp, by all indications–was not stellar. On the whole, it was underwhelming. And an otherwise lackluster camp was punctuated by a particularly egregious play where he failed to stop Cizikas in a one-on-one where he figured to be in strong position to break up the play.
The path to the NHL is very rarely linear. Particularly for defenseman, it can be a difficult position to thrive in. As John Tortorella said, it can be the toughest position in the NHL. There will be ebbs and flows in the development of every player.
This setback for York–while unfortunate–should not put his considerable talent into question. Nor, should anyone think of his future as any less bright. He simply needs more time. And that’s okay.
Cole Caufield, a goal scoring phenom from the same draft class, needed to be sent down to Montreal’s AHL affiliate last season. He responded by scoring in bunches and being an impact player to conclude the Canadiens’ season. Nobody should rule out a statement of similar magnitude being made by York later this season.
Tyson Foerster and Olle Lycksell
Tyson Foerster and Olle Lycksell were the two most notable cuts from the forward corps. Despite Foerster’s immense talent, this wasn’t a surprise. He’s only 20 years old and lost a year of development after a severe shoulder injury. His effort was admirable, but he wasn’t quite ready to play at the NHL level.
Lycksell was a dark horse candidate to make the team after a consistently strong camp since coming over from Sweden. Still, he was swimming against a tremendous tide if he had aspirations of making the NHL this year.
Both Foerster and Olle Lycksell are prospects to watch down in Leigh High Valley, who showed their ability to create offense in flashes throughout camp. I expect them both of them to make an impact down there.
Foerster and Lycksell figure to be early call-ups when the injuries inevitably start ravaging this team. They always do.
Cam York, on the other hand, has an even easier path back to the NHL. He just needs to get back to playing his game. And playing with even more confidence than he did in either this camp or his NHL sample size so far.
He’s thinking too much, and slowing himself down. From a player whose greatest strength is his poise, it’s an indication that he needs to take a step back. Slow reactions won’t work at the NHL level, no matter how well you skate or handle the puck.
He’ll fix himself. And he’ll improve. As Tortorella says, he still figures to be part of an eventual winning Flyers team. But it’ll be much easier to reach that point with the Phantoms.
Mandatory Photo Credit: Cam York, Philadelphia Flyers (Amy Irvin / The Hockey Writers)
