Flyers to hire goalie development coach

VOORHEES – The reason why Kim Dillabaugh followed Ron Hextall from Los Angeles to Philadelphia was clear: a step up.

Dillabaugh, hired by the Flyers to be their pro goalie coach, was the Kings’ goalie development coach. He worked with prospects, helped with scouting and traveled between the AHL affiliate in Manchester, N.H. and to touch base with some other prospects as well. He began working with youngsters again Tuesday as the Flyers opened their prospect camp for the week.

In today’s NHL, both positions have become vital.

“It’s a chance to be a full-time guy at the NHL level,” Dillabaugh said. “That’s something I did not have the opportunity to do in Los Angeles with Bill Ranford being the top guy there. Obviously I was talking with Bill on a regular basis and helping out with the guys up there, but my main responsibility was with our guys in the minors and the American League.”

Soon, Dillabaugh will have someone to work with in terms of developing goalies now that the Flyers suddenly have a deep pool of prospects.

“We’ve had initial conversations on what (Dillabaugh’s) duties are going to be here, Allentown (Pa., home of the AHL Phantoms) with the young guys,” Hextall said. “We don’t have it quite sorted out yet. His biggest focus is going to be the Philadelphia Flyers and everything else will be secondary. We’ll end up hiring a second guy to assist him. We’re kind of in the process of going through. Once this week’s over we’ll go through that and we’ll have somebody else that handles probably Lehigh, Reading (home of the ECHL Royals) and the prospects under Kim’s guidance.”

A lot of teams these days have goalie development coaches and the Flyers want to be part of that. It helps that the general manager is a former goalie.

“It’s a position that’s of the utmost importance. No doubt about it,” Hextall said. “That’s why we brought Kim in.”

Within the next couple weeks, there will likely be someone else to look over prospects like this year’s third-round picks Matej Tomek and Felix Sandstrom or 2013 six-rounder Merrick Madsen or even 2012 second-rounder and Phantoms goalie Anthony Stolarz.

“I met him for the first time (Monday),” Stolarz said of Dillabaugh. “To me it’s just getting familiar with what he likes and what he wants in his goalies. For me, it’s gonna be a good week, especially this week in development camp. I’ll see what he wants and how he wants his goalies to play. It’s gonna be a good week for us and for me to get out there and work with him.”

Del Zotto situation ‘status quo’

Restricted free agent defenseman Michael Del Zotto filed for salary arbitration last week, two days before the June 5 deadline. Talks between his agent, Mark Guy, and Hextall are “status quo,” the general manager said, where both sides are “amicable.”

If the Flyers and Del Zotto can’t come to an agreement in the next couple weeks, the NHL will schedule a third-party arbitrator to make a decision on a contract between July 20 and early August.

Voracek extension in the works

Jake Voracek will soon become a rich(er) man. The Flyers’ leading scorer from last season will enter the last year of his “bridge” contract, which is the one that comes after a player’s entry-level deal. That contract is a four-year pact with a cap hit of $4.25 million and he is due a handsome raise.

The Czech Republic native, who turns 26 next month, notched a career-high 81 points last season. His agent, former Flyers defenseman Petr Svoboda, and Hextall have begun talks on an extension.

“That’s my buddy,” Hextall joked about his former teammate. Their time on the ice together likely won’t help in negotiating Voracek’s next deal.

Quick contracts

Hextall said that the decision to sign first-round pick Ivan Provorov to his entry-level contract last week was premeditated and not an indication that Provorov will be on the roster come October.

“I talked to the agent before the draft,” Hextall told reporters, “and I said, ‘Obviously your guy’s a Russian. He wants to sign right away? He wants to sign right away.’ There’s nothing more to it.”

Hextall said that fellow first-round pick Travis Konecny is also close to signing his entry-level contract.

Dave Isaac; (856) 486-2479; disaac@gannettnj.com.