Philadelphia Flyers training camp is officially underway with faces new and old back on the ice.
It’s no secret the franchise is going through a rebuild, starting at the top with a new head coach.
Roster spots are up for grabs, and a new identity is being built from the ground up under new head coach Rick Tocchet, the Flyers legend who was drafted by the team in 1983.
“This is a special place for me, and the crest is big. Even the new guys that I brought in, they haven’t been around, but you can tell they know what it means to be a Flyer,” Tocchet said.
As a beloved player, Tocchet helped the Flyers reach the Stanley Cup Final in 1985 and again in 1987. He’s now tasked with rebuilding the team, brick by brick.
“The special part of that team, how close we were, it really didn’t matter who got the limelight. I’ve never seen a selfless team,” Tocchet said.
This team is similar, he said.
“It’s a tight group. There’s no cliques,” Tocchet said.
The rebuild includes off-season moves like acquiring forward Trevor Zegras, signing leaders like Noah Cates and Cam York to extensions and adding a highly rated draft class, with leadership coming from the veterans.
“I think guys over the last couple years, we’ve had a young group, and guys realize what it takes to be a good NHL player and last 82 games-plus,” Flyers captain Sean Couturier said.
The team also announced a new docuseries to build excitement and accountability with fans.
“There’s a good BS detector from this fan base. They want to know what’s going on and they have every right to,” Christine Mina, Flyers senior vice president of marketing, said. “It takes time and patience, and our fans getting to see what that means and what we’re doing to build the team back up to that perennial contender that we want to be is critical.”
Camera crews will document the Flyers’ 2025-26 season, and episodes will be available to stream for free on YouTube and PhiladelphiaFlyers.com, the team announced Wednesday. The first episode, a look at the team’s moves in the 2025 NHL draft, is available now.
The puck drops for the first preseason game Sunday at 7 p.m. on the road against the New York Islanders.
More from CBS News