Flyers' Young Guns Stepping Up in '07
GREGORY HALL
Issue date: 10/29/07 Section: Sports
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After winning only 22 games in
the 2006-2007 season, finishing
last in the Eastern Conference and
NHLstandings and getting cheated
out of the first overall draft pick,
the Philadelphia Flyers have lived
up to their new slogan, "Back With
a Vengeance," so far in 2007-2008.
The hype for the Flyers going
into this season was all about the
acquisition of goaltender Martin
Biron and free-agent gem Daniel
Briere, but the club knew they
would need production from all
four offensive lines, both power
play units and the three defensive
pairings, to be able to erase the
nightmare that was last season.
Overlooked by the stellar play of
Biron between the pipes, a power
play ranked in the top five in the
NHLand the offensive production
of the first line, consisting of
Briere, Simon Gagne and Mike
Knuble, is the play of the organization's
youngsters.
The NHL post-lockout is all
about youth, speed and scoring;
and the new-look Flyers have plenty
of quick talent under the age of
30 putting pucks in the net.
After netting just a combined 24
goals all of last season, 22-yearolds
Mike Richards and Jeff Carter
each have five goals in only eight
games this season. Richards and
Carter played in 59 and 62 games
last year, respectively. Richards
did not score his fifth goal in 2006-
2007 until March 1 against the
Boston Bruins in a 4-3 overtime
victory. The Flyers think very
highly of Richards and believe he
has the potential to become the captain
in the years to come; so they
awarded him as one of the team's
alternate captains this season.
Carter is marked as one of the
club's snipers and is projected to
score more than 20 goals this season.
Coach John Stevens believes
Carter may have the hardest and
most accurate wrist shot on the
team.
Pennsylvania native R.J
Umberger missed the first two regular
season games with a broken
the 2006-2007 season, finishing
last in the Eastern Conference and
NHLstandings and getting cheated
out of the first overall draft pick,
the Philadelphia Flyers have lived
up to their new slogan, "Back With
a Vengeance," so far in 2007-2008.
The hype for the Flyers going
into this season was all about the
acquisition of goaltender Martin
Biron and free-agent gem Daniel
Briere, but the club knew they
would need production from all
four offensive lines, both power
play units and the three defensive
pairings, to be able to erase the
nightmare that was last season.
Overlooked by the stellar play of
Biron between the pipes, a power
play ranked in the top five in the
NHLand the offensive production
of the first line, consisting of
Briere, Simon Gagne and Mike
Knuble, is the play of the organization's
youngsters.
The NHL post-lockout is all
about youth, speed and scoring;
and the new-look Flyers have plenty
of quick talent under the age of
30 putting pucks in the net.
After netting just a combined 24
goals all of last season, 22-yearolds
Mike Richards and Jeff Carter
each have five goals in only eight
games this season. Richards and
Carter played in 59 and 62 games
last year, respectively. Richards
did not score his fifth goal in 2006-
2007 until March 1 against the
Boston Bruins in a 4-3 overtime
victory. The Flyers think very
highly of Richards and believe he
has the potential to become the captain
in the years to come; so they
awarded him as one of the team's
alternate captains this season.
Carter is marked as one of the
club's snipers and is projected to
score more than 20 goals this season.
Coach John Stevens believes
Carter may have the hardest and
most accurate wrist shot on the
team.
Pennsylvania native R.J
Umberger missed the first two regular
season games with a broken
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