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Not because Umberger has decided to take some time off from his studies, or he just isn’t motivated to finish his schooling any more, but rather that there might be a little thing like an NHL job that gets in the way.
Umberger, 23, has impressed the Flyers coaching staff in the early part of camp and is making strides toward actually landing himself on the final roster come Oct. 5.
"He looks like a hell of a player," said coach Ken Hitchcock. "He’s a real big offensive centerman which is hard to find. Our whole focus with him is to hang on to the puck to try to make plays. We would rather he take some risks and turn it over in training camp by hanging on to it and trying to use his size.
"We want him to play like Michal Handzus and Keith Primeau where they hang onto the puck and protect it."
If Umberger can prove he can play like the aforementioned players, he could prove to replace one of them.
Speculation has been floating around since the Flyers signed Peter Forsberg last month that there might not be room for Handzus on the roster long term, especially as a $2.1 million fourth-line center.
If that is the case, Umberger could be the younger and cheaper alternative to step right into that role.
And he had an inkling that there might be a spot for him at the back end of the roster, and while he was working hard in school, he was also working hard in the weight room.
He put on weight, and bulked up muscle-wise, changing his previously bean-pole 6-2 frame into a more well-sculpted 205-pound mass that will make opposing teams hard pressed to push around.
"Hitch talked to me yesterday about playing a certain way," Umberger said. "I guess I got into the mindset of playoff mode where every mistake was crucial and I needed to make the safe play. He wants me to get back to what I was doing earlier in the year with the Phantoms when I was being creative and expanding that to be successful on the next level."
Umberger also admitted to putting added pressure on himself because he wants to make the NHL roster.
"In a way there is pressure, but I do try to be myself at the same time," he said. "I keep telling myself that I can’t control who makes the team or where they want me to play, I just go out there and play the game and do what I can do.
"It would be a disappointment (if I had to start on the Phantoms)," Umberger said. "But if I do, I’m not going to take it negatively. There’s a lot of good players up here and I need to challenge them. I’ve got to push harder and work my way into a spot on the roster, and that’s what I’ll do even if it means doing it for the Phantoms."
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The Flyers practice today and Friday before flying to London, Ontario for their first preseason game against the Atlanta Thashers on Saturday.
The game is being played at the John LaBatt Centre, a venue owned and operated by Global Spectrum, a subsidiary of Comcast Spectacor.
The game will be a homecoming for Flyers rookie Jeff Carter who spent the past three seasons with the London Knights of the Ontario Hockey League. "It should be fun," said Carter. "This will be my second game wearing a Flyers jersey and both of them will have been played in London."
Carter also played in a preseason game there with the Flyers in 2003, three months after being selected as the 11th pick overall in the NHL Entry Draft.
