The Flyers kicked off their four-game slate of preseason action last night on the road in Hershey, and while that opener didn’t end up going as smoothly for them as they might have liked, they saw some momentum undoubtedly being picked up in some corners of the lineup.
Things started off well enough for them, as they jumped out to an early lead with a power play goal from new depth forward Jack Studnicka, but the Capitals’ greater firepower began to take over from there, as they picked up steam on their own side, but also found themselves able to capitalize on some of the Flyers’ own mistakes. Cole Knuble got them back into the game early in the second period with a goal of his own, but it wasn’t enough to drag the Flyers all the way back into this one, and they struggled to build on that momentum as the rest of the game went on.
It was a bit of a — perhaps predictably, for a first bit of preseason action — lackluster showing for the group as a collective, but there’s no doubt that Knuble was able to step up in a big way and make himself noticeable, even in a challenging setting.
“I think the first half we were okay and I think as a game war we got a little bit tired,” head coach Rick Tocchet told the assembled media in Hershey, “We’re making like tired mistakes, which is important to play in the NHL is you have to be able to play under pressure and when you’re tired. So [a] couple mistakes there. I thought Cole Knuble was flying out there, I thought he was one of the guys that was really… Studnicka was skating well. Couple guys like that caught my eye.”
As much as we’d like to see these preseason lineups working well as a group and getting a feel for the systems, these first couple of games really are more about making strong individual impressions and making headway in these big camp battles, and Knuble has been able to do just that. From his performance in the Rookie Series, through the training camp skates, and now into this next phase of more meaningful games, Knuble has been delivering well a game that’s an effective blend of puck skill leading to more tangible scoring chances (and, indeed, just scoring) as well as a high level of energy and checking tenacity to make himself noticeable each time he’s out on the ice.
He’s building up quite an impressive one, and for the coaching staff, it’s one that’s stretching all the way back to last year.
“Well, I kind of liked him last year,” Tocchet went on, “like I was new here like everybody else, I didn’t know a lot of these people and [he] kind of caught my eye just [with] his hockey IQ, the way he could skate. Obviously like he’s gone down, what he was in college and what he’s done [in the AHL] and what the information he’s taken here. And like I said, I think I was telling you guys about his dad, you know, there’s a good pedigree there.”
Knuble’s been working well to make some fans of his game at this highest level, and the dedicated process that he’s been adhering to is paying dividends. He understands the position that he’s in, having to really throw everything at this fight for a roster spot, but he’s attacking it head-on.
“Yeah, I am [happy with how things have been going].” Knuble said after the game. “It’s been a great experience, and I came in with a mindset not to just, I think I mentioned it, not to just [go] for the experience. I came here to make an impact. So, I just try to bring compete, good attitude every skate. So, it’s going well.”
There’s a straightforwardness to Knuble’s game, a strong foundation that props up a dependable level of impact, even when he isn’t able to get in on the scoring mix (though he’s been able to do that with consistency up to this point as well). The stakes are ramping up as we move into these more competitive games, but as the challenges are building up in front of Knuble, he’s sticking to his game and taking it all in stride.
“I think I was a little nervous before puck drop for sure, to be honest.” he went on. “But uh just think about like three things. Work or compete, make plays and skate. So I feel like if my my legs are moving, I’m at my best and uh just try to keep my feet moving and have some energy out there… that’s something I’ve honestly worked on because I feel like that’s a, I feel like in college I was in an area where I wanted to improve, just because I know at the pro game, like you’ve got to be able to do that if you want to play, and you can make a big impact, and get in the lineup because of that. So that’s a focus every game for sure.”
It’s been a lot of good things that Knuble’s been delivering, and perhaps even more critically, it’s exactly what the coaching staff has been wanting to see from him. Knuble is set to play in tonight’s game up in Boston, rounding out the back-to-back, and that’s a big opportunity ahead of him. This is another difficult lineup that he’ll be facing, and with fatigue remaining a potential factor, but the Flyers are giving him as much runway as possible to continue to make a big impression and show how competitive he can remain. The numbers game on the NHL projected roster still makes him a bit of a long shot, but he’s throwing everything he can at making any decision to cut him as difficult as possible for the Flyers.
