Sean Couturier and two other Flyers are healthy after surgery. They welcome the start of camp.

Flyers training camp is officially underway.

The guys in orange and black hit the ice for the first time Thursday in Voorhees, sans pucks, as they participated in a time-honored tradition: the John Tortorella skate test.

Although there were not any pucks on the ice, and the action was limited, it was the first chance to get a look at a few guys who spent the summer rehabbing and are now healthy.

It’s been a long, tough stretch for Couturier, but the Flyers captain said he feels good. He is “over the hump” when it comes to the back injury that cost him close to two seasons and says he is fully recovered from offseason surgery to repair a lower abdominal/core injury.

“I guess it’s pretty common. It’s my second time having that surgery in my career; I had it 10 years ago,” Couturier, 31, said, noting that his procedure was minor. “But yeah, obviously it was bugging me last year a little bit, and had to get it fixed right after the year. It’s one of those injuries I guess you can kind of rehab and maintain, depending on the symptoms and how symptomatic you are. But I just wanted to get it done with and move on and glad I did.”

Couturier said that the injury cropped up in December and that the symptoms were up and down. Whether it was the root of his struggles across the second half of the season is uncertain.

“I don’t think the injury had anything to do [with it]; I don’t know, as far as his play and all that,” Tortorella said. “Sean and I talked about that all year long. We always check in with him. I just think it was a struggle in his play.”

But the past is the past and the calendar has flipped to a new season. The center was able to train and get ready for his 14th NHL season (13th when you exclude the 2022-23 season he missed due to injury).

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“With Sean, I think he’s ready to go,” Tortorella said. “I think he’s in a good mindset. I don’t think Sean will ever use last year with his play as he was nicked up, because we checked with him all the time; he wanted to play. I think for him, and Jamie [Drysdale], getting things straightened out, it helps you mentally, and hopefully he’ll bring that right into the season.”

Speaking of the smooth-skating defenseman Drysdale, he is also raring to go.

Like Couturier, Drysdale played through a core injury, which he suffered while playing for the Anaheim Ducks in their season opener, and underwent surgery at the end of April. He was acquired from Anaheim in January in the Cutter Gauthier trade and played just 24 games the rest of the way for the Flyers.

“It’s not great, kind of knowing that you can’t do what you want to do, and know you can do, per se,” Drysdale said. “So that’s not ideal, just from not being able to warm up properly, kind of just being restricted, kind of just doing everything you can to just make it feel decent going into games. ... I’m just looking forward to going into this year feeling good.”

Drafted sixth overall in 2020 by the Ducks, the blueliner made his NHL debut that season but has struggled to stay healthy. Drysdale, 22, has played in just 147 games in four NHL seasons, missing significant time with shoulder injuries, including a torn labrum that required an operation in 2022.

This offseason, Drysdale stayed in Voorhees following his surgery. He heaped praise on the Flyers staffers who helped him get back to 100%, which included arriving at the rink at 7:30 a.m., rehabbing, skating, and then lifting before cooling down.

He also said they taught him how to take care of his body. According to Flyers podcast host Jason Myrtetus, Drysdale added 18 pounds to his 5-foot-11 frame.

“I’m really looking forward to [training camp]. I know camp’s hard and whatnot, but just getting reps under my belt between last year and through this camp, kind of just going through the full process as it should be, will be really nice,” Drysdale said. “I don’t want to keep bringing up the last few years, but it was what it was. But I’m just looking forward to going through the process as it is and just going through it with these guys.”

The veteran blueliner did not play after mid-February and has undergone two surgeries, including a repair to a ruptured triceps tendon in April.

On Thursday, Ristolainen revealed that he had the surgeries involving “two injuries in the same place.” He tried to rehab and get back after the first one during the season but had to undergo another one after the season.

Ristolainen, 29, said he has been back on the ice for the past few weeks. “I feel good,” he said. “I’m fully healthy and ready to go.”

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Ristolainen has a big circle around the lid lifter on Oct. 11 in Vancouver. In his first three seasons with the Flyers, he missed the opener because of injuries.

“Yeah, especially it’s annoying because before that — I’ve barely been hurt, and played most of the games,” he said. “So really kind of took my time and kind of been thinking about what’s the reason and why now. But, I mean, stuff happens that you can’t control, and it’s sometimes bad luck, too. But, yeah, I’m extremely excited, and big plan is to stay healthy.”

Before taking questions from the media, Scott Laughton started his availability by sending condolences to the families of Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who were struck by a car and killed while bicycling in Salem County on Aug. 29.

“In South Jersey, I know how much John and Matt Gaudreau meant to this city and everyone around us,” Laughton said. “So, from the Flyers organization and all of us, I want to send our condolences to the family. I know we’re all thinking of them. The hockey community comes together, and I know a lot of guys on Columbus and throughout the league are going through it, and all his family.

“Just want to send our condolences from us and they won’t be forgotten around here. I know how much they did for this community.”

Defenseman prospect Carter Sotheran and winger Samu Tuomaala participated in Tortorella’s grueling skate test. Sotheran had been limited during rookie camp as he was undergoing tests for a heart condition (Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome) he was diagnosed with a few years ago. Tuomaala was a bit banged up after the Rookie Series but returned after missing the final three days of rookie practice.