ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- The hopeful final stop to the Philadelphia Flyers' goaltending carousel is a 20-year-old named Carter Hart with a precocious sense of self. The Alberta, Canada, native has been working with a sports psychologist since he was 10. He practices mindfulness breathing, including 15-minute sessions each morning. In an interview, Hart speaks in composed sound bites, though that shouldn't be surprising. As an elite prospect and standout on the Hockey Canada circuit, he has been speaking to reporters for as long as he can remember.
And he has something important in common with Flyers fans: Despite the organization preaching patience -- stashing Hart, the goaltender with the most upside, away in the AHL -- he wishes the future were now.