The 2022-23 Lehigh Valley Phantoms had their most successful season since 2018-19 and qualified for the playoffs for the first time since 2017-18 thanks in major part to the reinforcements arriving in the form of talented young players, most making their jump to the professional level for the first time, others playing full seasons after missing the previous campaign with long-term injuries.
While the one-off season back to relevancy was nice, it’s crucial the Flyers organization finds a way to make sure the team remains at a high level for years to come. With new GM Danny Briere’s green lit “rebuild” and revamped focus on player development, finding ways for the Phantoms to be a perennial playoff team and developing their top prospects properly needs to take priority for the new front office.
The lack of movement on the main roster may have just limited quite a few prospects from securing NHL spots out of camp, which means next season could be very similar to the game of musical chairs it was during 2022-23 when it came to many players getting recalled for a game or two, but never sticking around.
There’s not much junior-to-pro graduation happening for the team this season, especially at forward, so from the selfish perspective of the Phantoms, having players like Tyson Foerster, Elliot Desnoyers, Bobby Brink and Olle Lycksell stick around for a bulk of another season is a good thing.
Adding a couple talented AHL vets needs to be high on the priority list this offseason. Both for on-ice talent, but also for leadership purposes. This is actually an area the organization has done well over the years. Andy Meile, Phil Varone, Nate Prosser, T.J. Brennan, Gerry Mayhew, and Cal O’Reilly have all served that role from the late Hextall era to last season.
The Phantoms did re-sign 32-year-old forward Garrett Wilson, who had a career-best 43 points in 82 games last season to go along with a whopping 195 penalty minutes. He was tasked with playing in the top six to play bodyguard some of the young guys like Tyson Foerster and Elliot Desnoyers. And will probably take a very similar role next season.
They also brought back 27-year-old right-handed defenseman Louie Belpedio. With 19-year-old Ethan Samson slated to make the professional jump and 21-year-old Helge Grans entering his third professional season, having a veteran RHD on the roster to insulate the two young guys is a smart move. Belpedio rode shotgun with Cam York and later Egor Zamula on the top pair last season.
With the lack of main roster changes, The Flyers’ loss will be the Phantoms gain, and in the short term, that may not be the worst thing in the world. The Phantoms could very well end up with a very similar roster to last season’s, with players like Cal Petersen, Grans, J.R. Avon, Samson and (hopefully) Emil Andrae arriving as reinforcements with a few veteran signings when free agency opens on Saturday.
With any luck injuries stay at a minimum and they can make back-to-back appearances in the postseason for the first time in six years. Breeding a winning culture for the prospects to come up in is a smart play by the entire organization to help nourish success on the main roster as well. A mix of talented young guns and experienced veterans will be needed, and they seem to be in prime position to capitalize on that both this season and for years to come with the prospect pool deeper with quality players now that it has been maybe ever. It could very well be the start of a new era for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
photo credit: phantomshockey.com
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