The Phantoms went 1-2-0 this week, dropping their record to 18-18-5-2 which keeps them seventh in the Atlantic Division.
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Samu Tuomaala
Tuomaala scored a powerplay goal on Friday. It was his only point of the week, which is an unusually quiet stretch from the rookie, but he’s still without question their top forward and now second in both goals (13) and points (35) on the team.
Ronnie Attard
Attard scored a goal on Wednesday and added an assist on Saturday. He spent the weekend on the top pair with Emil Andrae, and the two work very well together despite their odd couple status. Attard may have gotten out of the gate slow, which effects his overall numbers, but he’s been on fire since American Thanksgiving, posted 17 points in 26 games since the holiday. He’s up to fourth on the team in goal scoring (9) and fifth in total points (23) and remains primed for a trade deadline call up to the main roster.
Wade Allison
Allison posted a goal and two assists in three games this week. It obviously hasn’t been the prettiest season for Allison, but he’s back in his groove and just continues to get better by the week, an upward trajectory he’s been riding since mid-December. Even if he doesn’t see time with the Flyers again, the Phantoms are going to need him at his best as the push for the playoffs intensifies.
Bobby Brink
Brink posted just one assist in three games, a change from his three goals in two games last weekend. Ultimately, Brink probably played more minutes in the last five games than he did in the last month with the Flyers, and he’s been visibly impressive on both the powerplay and at even strength, but even he’s not immune to the anemic state of the Phantoms’ offense. With the NHL All-Star game over, we’ll soon see if Brink goes back up to the Flyers after a spectacular couple weeks in the AHL.
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Emil Andrae
Andrae had just a single powerplay assist in three games this week along with a -4 rating. He’s been far and away their best defenseman this year, but this felt like the first time since he burst on the scene at the end of last season where it seemed as though he was struggling to maintain his usual level of play. Everyone is going to have a down stretch sooner or later, and he still has 23 points in 34 games on the season, but it was an uncharacteristic week for the 21-year-old.
Elliot Desnoyers
Desnoyers registered a pair of assists on Friday. His goalless drought has now hit 20 games, and those two assists bring him up to a whopping 16 points in 39 games on the season, but he is starting to trend in the right direction over the last few weeks, stepping up in the absence of Tanner Laczynski, but he’s still a long way away from the high-end center he was last season.
J.R. Avon
Avon scored a goal late in the third period on Saturday. It prevented the Phantoms from getting shutout, but wasn’t enough to spark a rally. It was his first goal since Christmas and his third point in that 15-game stretch. If you’ve kept up with the prospect reports this season, we’ve been singing Avon’s praises for months. He remains a diamond in the rough that is just itching to finally breakthrough on the score sheet to match his on-ice intensity.
Felix Sandstrom
Sandstrom had a phenomenal showing against Hershey on Friday, making 30 saves on 31 shots. He also faced them on Wednesday night but took an L thanks to a third period onslaught from the Bears. It was the first time he had a save percentage above .900 in consecutive games since early December. It’s been a mixed bag for Sandstrom this season as he’s struggled to sew together any kind of consistency, but this was a flash of the old Sandstrom that carried the Phantoms a few seasons ago that they desperately need to see more frequently down the stretch.
Adam Ginning
Ginning posted a pair of assists on Wednesday and walked away from the weekend with a +4 rating. He was stuck with Grans on Friday and Saturday, and that pair didn’t seem to gel all that well (Grans hasn’t gelled well with anybody) but on the whole, Ginning has settled down nicely as the season’s gone on and looks more like his cool, calm, collected self he had on display last season. His ceiling as a prospect may still be on the low side, but there’s no reason he couldn’t challenge for a third pair role with the Flyers soon enough.
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Ethan Samson
Samson… exists. He plays with a palpable timid nature to his game, which isn’t a great trait to possess as a supposed offensive defenseman. He’s still just a 20-year-old rookie, so there’s some benefit of the doubt about his ability to adjust, but at this point maybe a trip to Reading to gain some confidence against ECHL competition may not be the worst thing in the world for Samson to jumpstart his career.
Helge Grans
Grans also exists. Which is probably the nicest thing we could say about him. He was supposed to be a big addition that Briere acquired during the summer, but he’s been just an everlasting wet fart of disappointment.
Zayde Wisdom
Wisdom only played one of the three games this weekend. Considering the team traded Jordy Bellerive and Garrett Wilson and Tanner Laczynski are out with injuries, you’d think that would at least be enough to get Wisdom a regular roster spot, but nope. He still has a single goal with a -8 rating and just 12 penalty minutes in 30 games on the season.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
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