July 12, 2017

Flyers prospects played bubble soccer and Nolan Patrick wasn't messing around

By Matt Mullin
PhillyVoice Staff

@Kyle_Phillippi/Twitter

The boys in the plastic bubbles.

Do I start with a Moops joke? Not topical enough? How about a John Travolta joke? That's even less timely, true. Jake Gyllenhaal? Oh, wait – I've got it.

If the Sixers want to avoid the injury bug that's plagued them in recent years, maybe they should take a page from the Flyers' playbook and start placing their new draftees in bubblewrap before sending them out onto the court.

Eh, I should've gone with the Moops.

Anyway, on Wednesday morning, the Flyers prospect development camp continued, but probably not in the way you think. With the team in Stone Harbor, N.J. for their annual Trial on the Isle – a team-building-slash-community-outreach that includes some "friendly" in-house competition – the prospects took part in a game of bubble soccer.

If you're not sure what that is, it's exactly what it sounds like.

Flyers prospects getting ready for bubble soccer pic.twitter.com/cxelfuOkcg
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) July 12, 2017

That's right. You're looking at some of the Flyers prospects, including No. 2 overall pick Nolan Patrick, literally wearing protective bubbles. But if you that makes the game any less violent, you're wrong. These are hockey players we're talking about after all.

This went about as well as could be expected pic.twitter.com/A793kjGCrI
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) July 12, 2017

Lots of hitting behind the play here pic.twitter.com/naUM9ndHEl
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) July 12, 2017

Just to make note, Flyers trainer said no late hits. Just watch to the end pic.twitter.com/n52Hgbg5b5
— Adam Kimelman (@NHLAdamK) July 12, 2017

As for Patrick, who is coming off surgery for a sports hernia ... he seems to be feeling just fine.

Judging by bubble soccer, Nolan Patrick is 100%. Dude is plowing people. Same with Phil Myers.
— Kyle (@Kyle_Phillippi) July 12, 2017

[Kyle periscoped the game, and you can go back and watch his video, here.]

The bubble soccer match was only part of the fun for Flyers and their fans on Wednesday. There was also a sand sculpture contest, which was won by Patrick: