The Flyers’ season is over. Focus from the top is shifting toward the draft and what happens tomorrow, but in the ranks below, there is still hockey to play, and a good bit of it still with the way things are going.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms in the AHL are pushing forward in their Calder Cup Playoff run, while the London Knights in the junior Ontario Hockey League are putting a dent in their postseason with two notable Flyers prospects helping to propel them forward.
So with that, let’s check in real quick on the Flyers’ pipeline, starting with the Phantoms…
First-round sweep
Bobby Brink, Olle Lycksell, Adam Ginning, and Ronnie Attard were all able to rejoin the Phantoms in time for their playoff run, and so was defensive prospect Hunter McDonald, a 2022 sixth-rounder who the Flyers have been increasingly higher on as he’s developed at Northeastern University.
In a first-round, best-of-three battle against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, the Phantoms made quick work of the series, taking it in a 2-0 sweep and with the clincher on Friday coming in dramatic fashion.
The Phantoms fell into a 3-1 hole entering the third period of Game 2, but fought back to tie it – twice – to force overtime, then put it away with a defensive zone breakout and a rebound put home by Jacob Gaucher that had Allentown roaring.
Now how it got there: With the puck in the offensive zone and a 5-on-3 advantage for the Phantoms, the puck cycled around to Emil Andrae at the top of the circle, who with a bit more glide and an extra move, got closer to the net and found his spot with a perfectly placed writer that cut the Penguins’ lead to one.
Then, on another 5-on-3 opportunity from Wilkes-Barre/Scranton falling into late penalty trouble, Brink got the puck up by the point and stepped into a missle of a slapshot that hit Tanner Laczynski on its way to the back of the net for a tie game.
After the Penguins found a way to pull ahead one more time, the Phantoms jumped on a 3-on-2 rush late, and after the initial look left the puck behind from Lycksell losing his balance while carrying it toward the net, Laczynski picked it up in the corner, was left completely alone by the Penguins backcheckers, and scoped out the top right corner over the goalie’s shoulder to force the extra frame.
Ronnie Attard also scored the Phantoms’ first goal of the day in the second, and between him, Andrae, Lycksell, and Brink, those are all relatively to outright young names who figure to be in the Flyers’ plans at least going into next year and each had a hand in the comeback.
The Hershey Bears are up next in a best-of-five second-round see beginning Wednesday night.
Circling back to McDonald for a second, he joined the Phantoms late on a pro tryout and signed his entry-level deal a couple of weeks back for two years beginning next season.
The 21-year old blueliner, whose appeal is partially in his size at 6-foot-4, got 11 regular season games in with the Phantoms and collected three assists with a notable plus-6 rating. In the playoffs so far, he’s gone to the box twice (for interference and a slash) and is minus-1. Not perfect, not exactly horrible either, but he’s young and just got here. Trial by fire is going to be part of the process here.
MORE FLYERS
NHL Draft: An early look at the Flyers’ first-round picks, lottery odds
Report: Ivan Fedotov, Flyers agree to two-year contract
Flyers thoughts: On the rebuild, John Tortorella’s part in it, Matvei Michkov’s timeline, and more
London (Ontario) calling
The London Knights have been storming straight through the OHL’s playoffs with defenseman Oliver Bonk and center Denver Barkey directly in the mix of it.
The Knights swept the Flint Firebirds 4-0 in Round 1, blanked the Kitchener Rangers in Round 2 (also 4-0), and are up 2-0 in Round 3 over the Saginaw Spirit with Game 3 set for Monday night.
So far, Bonk, the Flyers’ 22nd overall pick from last summer, has two goals and two assists through 10 postseason games at a plus-8 rating, while registering 17 shots on goal throughout.
And Barkey, their 95th overall third-rounder from last summer, has piled up three goals and 10 assists for 13 points, which is second on the Knights right now in postseason scoring. He has also put 31 shots on net and is skating at plus-6 entering Monday night.
Bonk and Barkey, both 19-year old prospects, have been catching eyes this entire season down in juniors and hopefully bring smooth puck-moving, offensive shots in the arms to the Flyers in the near future.
