The Phantoms went 2-1-0 during the week, beating their rival Hershey Bears for the first and second time of the season, bringing their record on the year up to 22-17-3-2.
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Tyson Foerster
Don’t look now, but Foerster has six goals in his last seven games, scoring once on Wednesday and again on Saturday. It’s been a year of ups and downs for Foerster, who has been on a general positive trend throughout the season and now the offense is catching back up as well. He’s got a team-leading 17 goals and 30 points, second only to Olle Lycksell. The dumb penalties need to stop and the offensive consistency needs an uptick to remain at this level, but overall, things still look good for the 21-year-old forward.
Olle Lycksell
If you didn’t know who Olle Lysksell was before the season, you certainly should now. The 23-year-old is on a point-per-game pace through 33 games and has proven to excel in the two-way game as well. He’s already been recalled a couple times by the Flyers despite being used rather sparingly when he got there, but at this rate it’s just a matter of time before he’s a full-time NHLer.
Ronnie Attard
The newest AHL All-Star Ronnie Attard has spent the season trying to hone his defensive game while still trying to produce as much offense as possible. It’s a balance he’s been struggling to achieve for most of the season, but he’s got two goals and five points in his last five games, the first time since early November he’s putting up points with regularity. As a right-handed defenseman who could see a recall after the trade deadline, it’s good timing that his game appears to be on the up-and-up a month before deadline day.
Bobby Brink
You can definitely tell Bobby Brink is working his way back from injury while everyone else is in mid-season form, but the adjustment hiccups haven’t slowed him down all that much. He’s got six goals and 11 points in 13 games, recording a three-point night on Saturday as well as two goals and five points in his last three games. It’s an impressive start that should get more impressive as he continues to feel out his return from hip surgery. The 2019 second round pick could definitely have a role in the NHL as soon as next season if this pace keeps up.
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Sam Ersson
Ersson’s hot streak has cooled off a bit lately after some impressive hockey both at the AHL and NHL level. He’s played six games since his demotion allowing 16 goals on 161 shots (.900 sv%) that brought his overall numbers despite the fact he walked away with four wins in those six contests. Ersson is still by far the best player on the Phantoms and the faults of the rest of the team aren’t on his shoulders. The bigger picture for Ersson is still positive, but adding some lights-out consistency back to his game that he had around American Thanksgiving would turn a good season into a great one.
Egor Zamula
Zamula must be loving life as the Phantoms’ number one lefty, and his play continues to improve in the role. He doesn’t have much of an offensive streak this season with just 11 assists in 24 games, but as long as he can steady his play and handle himself in the defensive zone, he may be high on the list of potential recalls after the trade deadline when the defense could look a bit different.
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Zayde Wisdom
Zayde Wisdom has been the odd man out all season long, and after a short demotion to the ECHL, he was recalled due to their All-Star break and has taken up residency in the press box since, playing just three games since Christmas. Ian Laperriere and the Phantoms deserve credit for how well they’ve handled the youth this season, but Wisdom has been the exception to that trend. Maybe after the trade deadline and some potential recalls happen Wisdom will start to see regular ice time again.
Elliot Desnoyers
Desnoyers missed his first two games of the season on Friday and Saturday due to injury. It’s been an overall solid season for Desnoyers, who has 25 points in 42 games and has been a reliable two-way center. Hopefully the injury isn’t serious and he’ll return soon.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 