Wayne Simmonds says early-arriving Flyers ready to build off last year

Almost all of the Flyers veterans who are not competing in the World Cup  were on the ice at their Voorhees training facility Tuesday -- 10 days before camp officially opens.

"It's a really good sign," right winger Wayne Simmonds said after going through a workout. "We're really optimistic about this year; we're really ready to build off of what we did last year, more so from November on.  I think that was more indicative of what our team really is."

The Flyers used a 26-12-7 surge -- which coincided with their return from a West Coast trip in which they visited ailing club chairman Ed Snider -- to finish 41-27-14 and earn a playoff spot.

"We're all excited in here," said Simmonds, who led the Flyers with a career-high 32 goals last season. "We've got a bunch of guys back early, and all the young guys have probably been here for a while."

Brayden Schenn, coming off a personal-best 26-goal season, said the early veteran turnout "shows that guys are committed" to having a strong year.

"I think everybody realizes how competitive camp is going to be this year," said general manager Ron Hextall, mindful that some veterans could be battling young players such as Ivan Provorov, Nick Cousins, and Scott Laughton for jobs.

Camp will be an important time for defenseman Michael Del Zotto, who missed the last two-plus months because of a left wrist injury that required ligament surgery.

"I feel great and I'm really happy to be back and can't wait for Day 1," he said.

Del Zotto had a grueling rehab schedule in the off-season.

"Every day, I woke up at 6 a.m. for a 6:30 rehab. Training, skating. It wasn't easy," he said. "... I worked hard all summer, and that's something I take pride in."

Del Zotto said he will never have 100 percent range of motion, "but I feel great out there. It's not restricting me in any way."

Meanwhile, the Flyers have seven players competing in the World Cup: Claude Giroux, Jake Voracek, Michal Neuvirth, Shayne Gostisbehere, Sean Couturier,  Pierre-Edouard Bellemare, and Mark Streit. That will give some of the younger Flyers a longer look at camp.

"There's going to be healthy competition, and that just pushes each other to be better," Del Zotto said.

The Flyers playing in the World Cup are "doing their own thing and they'll be ready to go by the time they get back here -- probably a little bit more than we are," Simmonds said.  "That's a good thing for our team. We've had slow starts the last three or four years, and I think getting guys going right off the bat will be a good thing for our team.

"And we'll push the pace here, too; that's for sure," Simmonds added. "We're not expecting to be too far behind those guys. Obviously, they're in game action and they're playing pretty serious games from the looks of the exhibitions so far. We want to make sure we're ready for the boys when they get back here, and we'll put a final push together before the season starts."

Breakaways. Feisty forward Boyd Gordon received facial stitches after a collision near the boards during Tuesday's session. ... Schenn will miss the first three games because of a league-imposed suspension from last season. He will thus miss the second game against Arizona and his brother, Luke, a former Flyer. "It sucks, but there's nothing you can do about it," he said. ... Provorov, Travis Konecny and Phil Myers are among the Flyers prospects with their junior clubs, and they will arrive in Voorhees on Sunday. Rookie camp will start Monday.