Phantoms Update pt. 2

The Phantoms currently sit 4th in the East Division (last playoff spot) with a total of 38 points through 38 games. While that seems okay, this was a team that was on the upswing at the start of training camp, yet has underachieved, scoring the lowest amount of goals in the league. While AHL scoring is down as a whole, the fact that this team doesn’t score goals is somewhat concerning.  There isn’t a lot to get excited about, looking at the team right now. Jon Matsumoto leads the team in points with 31, good for 26th in the league. However, Stefan Legein is the only other player in the top 100 AHL scorers from the Phantoms. Many players have underperformed this season, with the only real bright spot being Danny Syvret making the squad out of training camp, and Oskars Bartulis sticking with the big team.

Stefan Legein has been a revelation. After quitting hockey, he got into 26 games last season and scored once for Syracuse. This season, the Flyers handed over Mike Ratchuk for him, a trade that has worked well for the Flyers.  Legein has scored 16 times (18 overall) in 32 games for the Phantoms, and has provided an offensive spark for the team. I’m personally excited to see him get a shot with the big club. Matsumoto has also consistently scored, but won’t see any time with the big club if a top 6 spot doesn’t open up. Legein’s edgy play may allow him to see some time in the bottom 6.

If there’s positives, David Laliberte made a great impression in his first few games with the Flyers, scoring twice in his first two games. He won’t score a PPG, but wouldn’t be a bad option on the second line in the future, and has displayed some grit in the past. Jon Kalinski also saw time with the Flyers, and fits as a fourth-line center with some agatating capabilities. He’s not replacing Blair Betts, but the job could be his in the future. Jared Ross’ NHL highlight this year was being boarded by Patrick Kaleta. Nodl played a few games, but is still not putting up numbers as a professional.

The only other prospects worth mentioning have been average. Pat Maroon has added toughness to his game, and is still scoring at a good clip. He suffered somewhat of a bad injury against Albany, but has bounced back. He might see a game or two this year, if he’s developed a defensive game. He’s still got a good shot to make the club in the future. Marc-Andre Bourdon has started to put up some points, but started off slow. He garnered accolades in the QMJHL, but it will be interesting to see how he develops. The same goes for Kevin Marshall, who has been seemingly average, yet still physical. Both are in their rookie professional seasons, and have plenty of time to develop. Hey, Bartulis came out fine, so I have hope.

Overall, the team seems lackluster. I’m still bitter they aren’t right in the Broad Street backyard of old, but that doesn’t change the fact that the team has underperformed, and needs to have a offensive makeover for the second half of the season. It’s going to be interesting to see how Legein, Matsumoto, and Maroon fare, as well as the continued development of Marshall, Bourdon, Laliberte, and even Kalinski. While none are sure locks for the future, it’s a nice mix of 2nd line types, and two way defensemen that are going to complement the veteran top line pieces that the club has assembled. It’s been tough gathering info on the team this year without being able to watch them, so I hope this helps you guys keep up on the prospects down on the farm.

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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

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A look at the 2008-09 Phantoms, Part 2

In the last post, I looked over the forwards on the roster. Here, I’ll examine the defense and netminders for the Purple and Black last season. First, Nate Guenin has signed with the cross-state rivals, the Pittsburgh Penguins as a free agent this offseason (http://penguins.nhl.com/team/app?articleid=433401&page=NewsPage&service=page). Guenin was a leader for the Phantoms this year, playing big minutes. He was usually matched up against the other team’s top forwards, and was solid for most of the season. He had no goals and 14 assists this season, while finishing  +14, with 95 PIMs to boot, reflective of his playing style. Realistically, he’s a bottom pairing guy at the NHL level, who can finish checks and play the shutdown game. His offensive game really is irrelevant, as he doesn’t factor into the rush much. It’s really no surprise to see him sign in Pittsburgh, as he is a Sewickley native, the town where Mario, Sid the Kid, and other Pittsburgh stars reside.

Lasse Kukkonen is also gone (http://hawk.ru/news/5130.html), after spending 2+ years with the Flyers. This season, Kukkonen registered 11 assists in 26 games with the Phantoms, and even scored twice in the playoffs. I feel he never got a shot with the big club, partly due to the fact that he really didn’t get off of the bottom pairing. His shot blocking is often heralded, but he showed he could carry the puck with the Phantoms, and that given some ice time, he can produce both offensively and defensively. He was great for the Phantoms, also willing to mix it up at times, and certainly made an impression on the younger guys. Good luck to him overseas.

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