Flyers have 'clean slate' as camp begins under Hakstol

New coach, new season, new attitude.

That's the Flyers' mantra as they open training camp in Voorhees on Friday morning under demanding Dave Hakstol, who is just the third coach in history to go directly from the NCAAs to his first head-coaching job in the NHL.

"He brings a fresh perspective," winger Wayne Simmonds said after taking part in an unofficial practice with most of his teammates Wednesday.

Hakstol replaces Craig Berube, whose team went 33-31-18 last season and missed the playoffs.

"I don't think there was anything wrong with Chief," said Simmonds, referring to Berube by his nickname. "Chief probably did a good job, but it's just a business, just the way it is."

With Hakstol, "everyone gets a new lease on life, so that's a good thing," said Simmonds, one of the few Flyers who didn't underachieve last season, scoring 28 goals. "No matter what you did last year, it doesn't matter. He wasn't here last year. So we're all coming in with a fresh start and a clean slate, and it's up to us to prove ourselves to the coach."

Hakstol, 47, was asked if he was excited or nervous about running his first NHL camp.

"Probably a little bit of everything, if I'm being perfectly honest," he said. "I'm excited to get going. I think all the players and our staff have done a lot of work over the summer to prepare for this."

During his college days at Bemidji (Minn.) State, Flyers winger Matt Read didn't have much luck when facing Hakstol's North Dakota teams.

"I played against him for four years, and I can say my team never beat his team, so he was doing something right," Read said. "This summer, I worked out with a lot of guys who played for him at North Dakota, and they all said the same thing. He's a very smart coach, and he's strict and keeps everybody accountable - it doesn't matter if you're a first-line guy or a fourth-line guy. Everyone's going to play the same way. You're going to be the hardest-working team."

North Dakota reached the Frozen Four in seven of Hakstol's 11 years as its head coach.

"Defensively, they played well; offensively, they're aggressive and they had a physical team. Our D would just get hammered in the corners all the time," said Read, who is trying to bounce back from an injury-plagued season in which he managed just eight goals. "They were very accountable and that's how he wants his team, and it wasn't very often you found them making mistakes. Just a very tough team to play against."

Center Sean Couturier said because of Hakstol's arrival, "it feels like a new atmosphere. We got to know the coach a little bit in the summer . . . and we'll get to know him more at camp."

Goalie Steve Mason said the Flyers are trying to erase the memories of last season.

"We have a new opportunity to take advantage of, and more than anything, guys are just excited to be back at the rink, back around your teammates - and just get back into a routine that you kind of miss over the summer," he said.

After Hakstol was hired, he traveled to meet with several of his players, including Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek and Simmonds, the team's offensive leaders.

"He came to Toronto to talk to me," Simmonds said. "He seems like a really fair guy, but he expects a lot out of you. Obviously, that's the way it should be. He expects us to work our tails off, and in return, he'll treat us fairly."

Simmonds called Hakstol a "salt of the earth guy who prepares as hard as anyone else, if not harder. He just expects a lot out of you, and if you're dogging it at the rink, it doesn't matter who you are, you're not going to be playing."

Hakstol has a reputation for sending a message to his players with a menacing stare.

"Sometimes it's worse when they don't say anything," said Simmonds with a smile. "It's like when you get in trouble when you're younger and your parents aren't mad [but] they're just disappointed. It's one of those. It's like ahhhhhhhhh! It's even worse!"

scarchidi@phillynews.com

@BroadStBull