The Phantoms went 2-0 this weekend, bumping their record up to 24-17-3-2 on the season.
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Bobby Brink
Bobby Brink returned to action about five weeks ago, and admittedly when he returned he looked like a guy who was rehabbing from hip surgery while everyone else was in mid-season form. He has since shaken off the rust and is currently on a five-game point streak with two goals and eight points in that time and up to six goals and 14 points in 15 games so far this season. Despite his small frame, he isn’t afraid to crash the net, get involved in the post-whistle scrums and most definitely isn’t afraid to score. He has returned to the heights as one of the organization’s top prospects.
Sam Ersson
Ersson recorded his first AHL shutout on Saturday, blanking the Islanders and needing just 15 saves to do it. He was a little shaky upon his demotion back in mid-January, but he’s won five of his last six starts and had a sub-.940 save percentage in just two of them. Sam Ersson remains very good at hockey.
Elliot Desnoyers
Desnoyers returned to the ice after battling a minor injury last week and registered three goals and an assist in two games over the weekend. He’s up to 29 points in 44 games on the year as well as racking up 17 goals which is tied for first on the team with Tyson Foerster. Desnoyers had quite a bit of hype coming out of juniors and so far has lived up to it at the AHL level with a fairly consistent offensive output and more than holding his own on the defensive side of the puck as well. He doesn’t play an overly exciting game of hockey, but is more than capable of getting the job done. It should qualify him to potentially lock down the 3C role for the Flyers out of camp next season.
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Tyson Foerster
Foerster registered two secondary assists, one on the powerplay, during Saturday’s game, it was his first assist since January 18. The script has remained the same for Foerster. He’s very good and is producing at a decent clip with 32 points in 46 games and is tied for the team lead in goals with 17, but the overall consistency needs to increase and his ability to step up and put the game on his shoulders needs to come along as well, but all in all he’s having a very good rookie season that leaves us wanting more.
Ronnie Attard
Fresh of his All-Star nomination Attard got an assist in Saturday’s contest. He’s got two goals and five points in his last seven games which is a huge increase from his one goal and five points in 24 games from American Thanksgiving until the late January. It’s been a balancing act of a season for Attard, who is tasked with cleaning up his defense without sacrificing his offense that he’s known for. It all finally seems to be coming together which bodes well for not just the Phantoms playoff push, but for Attard’s career in general.
Adam Ginning
Considering the bar for Ginning was real low, he’s put together a pretty decent season. He’s got 13 points in 44 games which is a career high for him in any league he’s played, not to mention he leads the team with a whopping +19 rating, the only player on the roster currently in double digits in the +/- ratings. His overall ceiling is still probably fairly low, but it’s undeniable he’s having a pretty solid campaign.
Zayde Wisdom
Wisdom has now dressed in three straight games and scored his second goal of the season on Friday night. It’s been a rough year for Wisdom from limited minutes, scratches and a demotion to the ECHL, but he’s making the most of the opportunities when they’re thrown his way. Once the trade deadline passes and a few NHL spots are filled by some AHL talent, he may finally get a boost in playing time to get his season back on track.
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Isaac Ratcliffe
Ratcliffe was scratched for both games over the weekend. Ratcliffe’s disappointing career has continued to crash and burn with just two goals one assist and 22 PIM in 22 games this season.
Linus Hogberg
Linus Hogberg’s contract was terminated last week as a mutual decision as he returns home to Sweden. Hogberg didn’t quite live up to the potential he once had and the amount of bodies in the system at LHD has made playing time hard to come by. He had three goals and 20 points in 103 AHL games over the last three seasons and a five-game sample size at the NHL level last season.
Wyatte Wylie
The reliance on veteran Louie Belpedio and now the emergence of Ronnie Attard has really limited Wylie on the right side of the defense. He can be a solid pair of minute-muching hands, but there just isn’t much room to display his talents these days.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
brotherlypuck.com 