After three days, forward prospect Nikita Grebenkin has been the one constant in Philadelphia Flyers training camp, flashing his intriguing potential at seemingly every turn.
During Saturday’s scrimmage session, Grebenkin, 22, was again paired with veteran center Sean Couturier and fellow Russian Matvei Michkov.
The former Toronto Maple Leafs draft pick has the puck skills to play ball with Michkov, and he’s got the size and snarl to play a complementary power forward’s game, especially down low.
Grebenkin’s ability to protect and hold onto pucks is something that’s stood out to Flyers head coach Rick Tocchet so far as he continues to make an earnest push for an NHL roster spot.
“I’m really close with Craig Berube, he had him in Toronto, and he said [Grebenkin’s] a really sticky guy down low, comes up with loose pucks half-ice down,” Tocchet said of Grebenkin Saturday. “I see that. There’s some flashes out there, even the rookie camp.
“He’s gonna have to be the same way, be a real good hockey player down low, because that’s his gift, right? I’ve heard his skating isn’t that great. I don’t think it’s that bad. I saw him in the neutral zone skating, so I don’t think he’s a bad skater at all. He can get up and down the ice, but I like his half-ice game around the net.
“Can he get those greasy goals for us? Can he complement other types of players? That’s another thing. There’s a lot to like about the kid, for sure.”
And, again, it’s only training camp and right out of rookie camp, but it’s hard to imagine Grebenkin doing much more than he already has so far to insert himself into NHL roster conversations.
Flyers’ Nikita Grebenkin Receives Mystery Advice from Alexander Ovechkin Ahead of NHL Push
Nikita Grebenkin is gearing up for his push to make the Philadelphia Flyers out of training camp this fall, and he’s gotten some advice from Washington Capitals star and NHL legend Alexander Ovechkin on how to do it.
It should say a lot that Grebenkin is getting lots of burn next to Couturier and Michkov, who played with each other extensively for the Flyers already last season.
The defensive game will ultimately be the golden question, but Grebenkin is more experienced than Michkov at the professional level. Whether that puts him further ahead or means he has more bad habits to undo remains to be seen.
One advantage Grebenkin does have over players like Jett Luchanko and Alex Bump, for example, is that he’s better suited to a bottom-six, chip and chase, grind and cycle game, given his size, attitude, and style of play.
Right now, the 22-year-old should be earmarked for a role with the Flyers, perhaps as the fourth-line left wing, but nothing is set in stone until the dust settles next month.
