On The Farm #1

So I’ll be honest, I haven’t followed the Phantoms as closely this year. It’s kind of hard getting to games when I’m in another state. Oh well. I also don’t think I’m going to shell out my money for AHL Live’s subpar service, so I’m stuck looking at boxscores and relying on beat writers from lovely Glens Falls, NY. As of today, the Phantoms are 5-4-1 for a total of 11 points, good for 3rd in the East Division.

So far, they’ve played the same handful of teams, and are playing Albany a total of 12 TIMES. Yes, 12. The AHL isn’t huge on teams playing outside of their own backyard. This should get old fast. To make matters worse, both teams introduced special jerseys to be worn on the occasion that the two meet, which are visible on their websites and Flickr, because nobody mainstream wants to look at them. From the looks of it, the purple is completely gone, meaning that my sweet purple phantoms third from last year is a waste. Oh, and they got rid of Jeff Szwez too. Sweetastic. I’m sure you’ve seen their current jerseys, but the headshots on AHL.com of the players lead me to believe that they’ve got a retro-themed alternate that mimics the parent club’s current orange beauties. I’ll buy it

Enough griping about the loss of my team, purple, and my favorite player. The team this season looks to be much more defensive minded than those past. Last year, the offense was very run-and-gun, with a lot of goals coming on breakaways and powerplays, while also seeing a lot of goals scored against that same way. Greg Gilbert has seemingly installed a new system to the team which has scoring down, but winning up. The last few seasons have seen rough starts for the Phantoms, but winning 5 out of the first 10 can be seen as an accomplishment. The goaltending looks to be solid as well, which is nice considering that the organization let Munroe (AHL superstar) walk, turning the net over to two rookies essentially. For the record, Munroe is now in a 3-man rotation in net in Bridgeport. Shame on you Scotty. I guess he couldn’t fathom filming another Phantoms Christmas commercial for comedic gold.

So the Phantoms now look to North American rookie Johan Backlund to lead them in net. A standout with Timra of the SEL the past few seasons, the netminder has made a smooth transition to the AHL game. While being one of the older prospects in the system, Backlund has seen some time on the Flyers’ bench with Boucher on the shelf for a small period of time. His first two games were shaky, but he’s been impressive since, registering his first AHL shutout against Syracuse. It usually takes a little time for the European players to adjust to the smaller rink, but it seems that hasn’t hindered Backlund at all. If he continues his hot play, perhaps he gets a look down the road in the Flyers’ net. Nic Riopel has apparently looked somewhat rough, losing all three of his starts, giving up 3 goals each game. With his rave reviews in camp, I think he has plenty of time to show what he can do at the AHL level. He’s still very young.

The defense is stacked in Adirondack. Of course, the departure of Randy Jones certainly opens things up, and will allow more players to take a turn on the blueline. It’s been a rotation to start the season. Of course, as I write this, the Phantoms have recalled David Sloane (ATO with Flyers last season) to jam things up again. So far, it looks like Bartulis has been the best defender, earning a small recall with the Flyers. Oskars seemed to have numerous ups and downs throughout his two years here, but seems to be putting it together in the third year of his contract. His two way play finally seems to be rounding out. Kevin Marshall and Marc-Andre Bourdon have both fit in nicely, making small contributions offensively while staying responsible on the defensive side. I think they’ll both remain in the AHL for the entire season, but this will be a nice gauge of where each of them are in their development. I’m thinking that Marshall is going to stay physical and probably shy away from offense, and that Bourdon will develop a nice two-way game. They’ve got plenty of time.  Joonas Lehtivuori seems to be sort of the odd man out among the prospects, only seeing 6 games. He’s got 1 assist, which is his game, so I’m thinking he needs a regular role to get comfortable and start producing. This is his first taste of AHL and North American hockey.

As for the veterans on the backend, I’m sure Sean Curry is having a better season without the fans getting on him for playing soft. He still seems like the odd man out on this team, being a moderately physical guy who doesn’t skate fast or produce consistently offensively. I’m pretty sure he’s on an NHL contract, so he could possibly be moved to try and clear up some space for the kids. Joey Mormina seems to be fitting in fine. I thought his +37 was a fluke last year, but he’s huge and is valuable to mentoring the young kids. The more I see of him, the more I think this was a fine pickup by the Flyers in the offseason. He’s not going to put up stats, and is actually a player similar to Curry in my opinion. The darkhorse on D, and my personal nomination for Jeff Szwez of the 2009-10 Phantoms is Logan Stephenson. The kid went from Phoenix prospect to journeyman in about one season (Hello Brad Lidge) and is a physical force on the backend. He’s got into 3 games and already has 26 PIMS already, so I’m assuming he’s going to be the aggressive guy on the backend now that Guenin is gone. There’s certainly an interesting crop of styles for Gilbert to mesh together on the backend this season.

So apparently this team doesn’t score a lot, which is surprising, considering the weapons they have. Jared Ross returns this year, as captain, since Boyd Kane apparently loves Pennsylvania a lot. He’s off to a slow start, but he usually picks it up as he gets comfortable. I want this guy to make the NHL roster, because he’s been a blast to watch at the AHL level. Johnny Mats (as I affectionately call him) is leading the team in scoring. I don’t think he’ll produce like this at the NHL level if he ever gets a shot, but it’s certainly nice to see him improve 3 straight seasons for the Phantoms. I just hope he’s finally burying those empty netters.

David Laliberte was at almost a PPG pace before his recall and subsequent superstardom (:D) with the Flyers. He’s got good two way talent and has a great wrister as well. I think he’s a lock to make the roster next season if some of the old guys are ushered out. Patrick Maroon has scored at his usual clip as well. Since I can’t watch the games, I don’t know if he’s improved at all, but I’m hoping that he’s watching what JVR is doing, because he has the frame to mimic it. Krys Kolanos, who is a PPG player at the AHL level, has yet to really bust out in a game yet, but I’m sure it’s coming. He’s got talent to play at the NHL level, as evidenced by Minnesota’s love affair with him last season. He’s going to have to produce to get a shot, however.

In terms of other bright sports, Jason Ward is putting up some good numbers while also filling a leadership role with the Phantoms. If he sees time with the Flyers, it’s going to be as a bottom line grinder, but he’s got the talent to put up points at the AHL level, and will be a key piece for them this year. Stefan Legein was brought in to fill an agitator role, and probably needs a few more games to get comfortable. Jon Kalinski is fully healthy and seems to be fine in his usual two-way role. Andreas Nodl hasn’t put up numbers, but his two way game is of more value to the organization. If anything, I thought his decision making needed work last season. Lukas Kaspar has been fine as a depth forward, and may catch fire at some point, and Ryan Dingle just potted his first goal as a Phantom, appearing in only his 5th game.

Finally, the grinders and tough guys have had a surprising start to the season. The trio of Matt Clackson, Garrett Klotz and Josh Beaulieu has been solid through 10 games so far. Klotz has 2 goals so far, which I’m sure confuses the hell out of most of you, but it’s true. Clackson and Beaulieu have 2 points apiece, and Beaulieu has stayed out of the penalty box so far. Perhaps he’s refining his game as a grinding center instead of an agitator. Klotz and Clackson will be fine doing all the heavy lifting in the fighting dept., as evidenced by their stats. The only other name of note, Rob Bellamy, has only seen 2 games.

I don’t know how many times I’ll write these columns, since I’m not following the team as close, but a 10 game checkup seems fine to me. I’ll keep them shorter and just overview streaks and crappy play, as well as highlight any callups like I did here. Hopefully we see this team come back to Lehigh Valley in the future, so I can get a better grasp of the Flyers’ future. If you have any insight or photos you want to share with WBIO,  or just want to talk Phantoms, drop me a line at arossi417@gmail.com and I’ll be happy to respond.

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