Having just passed the 15th anniversary of the Wells Fargo Center, the Flyers will stage yet another “first” in their arena – the 2011 Rookie Game presented by Smoothie King.

This year’s game will be the first Flyers action of the 2011-12 season on the Wells Fargo ice, when the Flyers rookies and the Washington Capitals rookies battle each other for the fifth straight year in a 5 p.m. ET puck drop.

The game is free of charge and open to the public. In addition, fans attending the game will be treated to free parking in the Wells Fargo Center parking lots from 3:15 through 5:30 p.m. with doors opening at 3:30. All tickets to the game will be emailed starting Sept. 7th, 2011 (Please allow 24 hours for delivery).

Prior to this year, each rookie game had been held at each team’s practice facility every other year on a rotating basis.

Kettler Capitals IcePlex in Arlington, Va. hosted the 2010 & 2008 rookie games, while the Virtua Center Flyers Skatezone in Voorhees, N.J. hosted the inaugural game in 2007 and again in 2009.

This year, the Flyers rookies will look to exact revenge from a 4-3 loss in 2010 to the Caps rookies. The game will also serve as the rubber-match between the two clubs, as each team has traded victories over the past four years for a 2-2-0 record.

Prospects scheduled to participate in the camp and game include recently-acquired center Brayden Schenn, 2011 eighth-overall pick Sean Couturier; fellow 2011 draft picks Nick Cousins, Colin Suellentrop, Marcel Noebels and Derek Mathers; as well as Jason Akeson, Oliver Lauridsen and Zac Rinaldo.  

Last year saw the emergence of Flyers rookie goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky, who played the first two periods of the game, giving up two goals and facing a majority of the shots on net.

However the Flyers dropped a heart-breaker to the Caps rookies who scored in the final 90 seconds of the game to post a 4-3 victory.

In 2009 it was a completely different story. Flyers rookie, and second overall draft pick, James van Riemsdyk came into camp and dazzled for a five-point performance, recording four goals and adding an assist for a 7-3 win at the Flyers practice rink.

The game served as a bit of a revenge victory from the previous year when the Caps rookies took home a dominant 7-0 victory in Arlington, Va. in 2008.

The inaugural year saw another Flyers superstar compete. Claude Giroux suited up at the Skatezone to lead the Flyers rookies to a 5-3 win.

Flyers fans around the country will also be able to watch the game live via webcast from the Wells Fargo Center on PhiladelphiaFlyers.com, with the Flyers broadcast team calling the play-by-play action.
 
Secure your seats for next season with a full season ticket package! Flyers Season Ticket Holders have access to exclusive benefits and tickets as low as $42 a game. Call 215-218-PUCK (7825) or visit PhiladelphiaFlyers.com.