The Philadelphia Flyers’ 2020-21 season is in the books, but two games remain for the club’s AHL affiliate.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms will wrap up their season with a pair of home games this weekend — hosting the Wilkes-Barre/Scanton Penguins on Saturday and the Binghamton Devils on Sunday.
Following a 2-1 road win over Binghamton on Wednesday, the Phantoms sit second in the AHL’s North Division. Their record is 18-7-3-1 for 41 points over 30 games. It’s a playoff-worthy result, but only teams in the AHL’s Pacific Division will play postseason games.
Led By O’Reilly
They’ve been led on the ice and the scoresheet by their 34-year-old captain Cal O’Reilly. He has appeared in every game, posting four goals and 17 assists for 21 points in his second season with the Phantoms.
O’Reilly, who’s the older brother of St. Louis Blues captain Ryan O’Reilly, has also previously served as captain of the AHL’s Utica Comets, Rochester Americans and Iowa Wild. That level of veteran leadership has likely proven invaluable this season, not just in helping navigate through the pandemic but also offering guidance to the Phantoms’ under-20 players who would have been playing junior hockey if that had been a normal season.
Foerster Maximizes His Opportunity
That includes 2020 first-round pick Tyson Foerster, who has been playing first-line minutes on O’Reilly’s wing.
Wow! Tyson Foerster scored his 7th and 8th goals of the season in a 4-2 win at the Devils on Friday. pic.twitter.com/i9uMwj8xzB
— LehighValleyPhantoms (@LVPhantoms) April 24, 2021
Despite being sidelined for a month early in the season with a fractured shinbone, the 19-year-old with the big shot was tied for the team lead with 10 goals in 24 games when he was injured again after slamming hard into the end boards on Wednesday, ending his season.
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Ep 12: Biting, Montreal, COVID, and Penguins Sale Updateby Full Press Coverage on December 1, 2021 at 5:52 pm
Mike, Jim, and Chris […]
Tyson Foerster has a separated collarbone from hit last night, per Brent Flahr. No surgery needed, and he will start rehabbing and will be fine for next year. Hopefully, the rules will change and he will remain in AHL and not have to go back to OHL. #Flyers
— Sam Carchidi (@BroadStBull) May 13, 2021
Foerster is property of the Barrie Colts in the Ontario Hockey League. This year, because the OHL wasn’t able to mount a season, drafted players from the league were permitted to play with their clubs’ AHL squads — something that’s normally forbidden for teenage prospects.
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Wisdom Teases Potential
Forward Zayde Wisdom is in the same situation. He’s the 2020 fourth-round pick from the OHL’s Kingston Frontenacs, who doesn’t turn 19 until July. With a worth ethic built out of his hardscrabble upbringing in Toronto, Wisdom’s relentlessly positive attitude has helped him succeed at the AHL level. With 17 points in 26 games, he’s tied for third in team scoring heading into the final weekend of the season.
After playing against men this year — and playing well — will players like Foerster and Wisdom need to return to the junior ranks when the OHL gets back up and running next season? Canadian major junior leagues have been adamantly against allowing teenagers to play in the AHL. They want their top stars on their teams for as long as possible — to help sell tickets and deliver wins.
There has been some talk that a special one-time exception might be made next year for players like Foerster and Wisdom, who already have AHL experience on their resumes.
Bigger changes could also be coming. According to TSN’s Frank Seravalli, the NHL-CHL Transfer Agreement is up for negotiation this offseason. The current agreement expired at the end of the 2019-20 season. Due to the pandemic, it was extended for one additional year.
| Scor | Scor | Scor | Scor | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rk | Player | Age | Pos | GP | G | A | PTS |
| 1 | James van Riemsdyk | 31 | LW | 56 | 17 | 26 | 43 |
| 2 | Claude Giroux | 33 | C | 54 | 16 | 27 | 43 |
| 3 | Jakub Voracek | 31 | RW | 53 | 9 | 34 | 43 |
| 4 | Sean Couturier | 28 | C | 45 | 18 | 23 | 41 |
| 5 | Joel Farabee | 20 | LW | 55 | 20 | 18 | 38 |
| 6 | Travis Konecny | 23 | C | 50 | 11 | 23 | 34 |
| 7 | Kevin Hayes | 28 | RW | 55 | 12 | 19 | 31 |
| 8 | Ivan Provorov | 24 | D | 56 | 7 | 19 | 26 |
| 9 | Shayne Gostisbehere | 27 | D | 41 | 9 | 11 | 20 |
| 10 | Scott Laughton | 26 | C | 53 | 9 | 11 | 20 |
| Team Total | 56 | 160 | 282 | 442 |
Allison And York Return
Two prospects who made strong impressions during their auditions with the Flyers were also re-assigned to the Phantoms on Tuesday.
Forward Wade Allison, a second-round pick in 2016, put up seven points in 14 games with the big club and showed off a motor that doesn’t quit.
What a pass by Laughton to Allision who roofs it. #Flyers lead 4-0!#FlyersTalk | #AnytimeAnywhere | #PITvsPHI | #HockeyIsForEveryone | #FlyersPride pic.twitter.com/RYTJwojFtd
— FlyersNittyGritty (@FlyersKnitty) May 4, 2021
And elite defense prospect Cam York, the 14th-overall pick in 2019, looked cool as a cucumber in his first three NHL games, logging just under 20 minutes a night.
After signing his entry-level contract on March 31, York put up five points in six games with the Phantoms. He earned his call-up to the big club on May 7.
Desnoyers, Lycksell Signed
Last week, the Flyers signed two additional prospects to their entry-level contracts.
Forward Elliott Desnoyers had an outstanding season in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League. With 21 goals and 49 points in 37 games, he led his Halifax Mooseheads in scoring by a wide margin. He also finished sixth overall in goals in the traditionally high-scoring league, and seventh in points.
Desnoyers was selected in the fifth round of the 2020 draft. Flyers’ assistant general manager Brent Flahr said he “played a strong, two-way game with lots of passion. As he matures physically and gets stronger, his game should continue to grow.”
The club also inked its sixth-round pick from 2017, Swedish forward Ollie Lycksell. The 21-year-old put up 21 points in 46 games with Farjestad BK of the Swedish Hockey League this season.
“It’s taken some time for him to mature physically,” said Flahr of the 5’11”, 176-pound winger. “But he’s worked hard on his body and overall game. He had a strong second half for Farjestad and we look for him to continue to grow his game.”
