Claude Giroux centers Oskar Lindblom, Travis Konecny as Flyers camp opens

The Flyers opened training camp in Voorhees on Friday morning with the first of two sessions. If the second session is like the first one, the players will be exhausted when it ends.

The pace was quick at the first session, and captain Claude Giroux said the intensity level was "probably one of the best I've ever had during camp. It wasn't easy out there and that's the kind of camp you want."

Twenty-seven players were in the first session, and 28 others will be on the ice from 1:15 p.m. to 3 p.m.

The lines and pairings mean little at this stage, but it was interesting that Giroux was centering left winger Oskar Lindblom and right winger Travis Konecny. Konecny played mostly at left wing last season.

Giroux praised Lindblom, a rookie who is expected to make the team.

"We only did a couple of drills, but his hockey sense is pretty high," Giroux said. "He's got a good shot and he's not scared going to the net. We're going to have a couple more practices here and hopefully a couple of preseason games together, and we'll see how it goes."

Wayne Simmonds or Jake Voracek figure to be the right wing on Giroux's unit when the season starts Oct. 4 in San Jose. Both wingers will be on the ice with the second group later Friday. Center Nolan Patrick, the No. 2 selection in the June draft will also be among the players in the afternoon session.

Patrick will center Jordan Weal and Simmonds; another line will have Sean Couturier centering Dale Weise and Voracek.

Among the other lines in the first session: Val Filppula centered fellow Finn Jori Lehtera and Cole Bardreau, a hard-nosed player who could make the team with an outstanding training camp, and German Rubtsov centered Pascal Laberge and Ivan Kosorenkov.

The D pairings at the opening session: Ivan Provorov and Travis Sanheim; Sam Morin and Andrew MacDonald; Mark Friedman, who starred in Wednesday's rookie game against the Islanders, and Maxim Lamarche; and Will O'Neill and Mark Alt.

Second sessions pairs: Shayne Gostisbehere and Robert Hagg; Radko Gudas and Moorestown's T.J. Brennan; Phil Myers and Brandon Manning; Reece Willcox and Frank Hora. James de Haas will also be among the D-men.

Myers, one of the most promising defensemen in the Flyers' system, was injured and left the ice in the second period of a 4-3 overtime loss to the Islanders in Wednesday's rookie game. Apparently, the injury isn't severe.

Brian Elliott, Alex Lyon and John Muse were the first-session goalies. Michal Neuvirth, Carter Hart and Leland Irving will guard the nets in the second session.

Camp is free and open to the public, and a big crowd was at the opening session.

The Flyers will play the Islanders at Nassau Coliseum in the teams' first exhibition game Sunday at 1 p.m.

Three of the Flyers' seven preseason games will be televised: Sept. 26 vs. the Rangers (The Comcast Network), Sept. 28 vs. Boston (Comcast SportsNet) and Oct. 1 against the Islanders (TCN).