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

Read more

Tweet

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.

Read more

Tweet