The Phantoms went 2-1-0 this week, bringing their season record up to 12-11-4-1. They had a strong 4-3 comeback win in OT against the Providence Bruins on Wednesday, beat down the visiting Toronto Marlies 7-2 on Friday, then experienced their own blowout loss 7-2 in a fight-filled game on the road on Saturday against the Penguins.
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Olle Lycksell
Lycksell had four goals and seven points in three games last week. He’s on a four-game point streak where he’s tallied eight points and has six goals and 13 points in nine games dating back to American Thanksgiving. His one-game recall to the NHL was a bit odd, but it was definitely deserved as he now leads the Phantoms in points with 24 in 25 contests this season.
Jacob Gaucher
Gaucher had a four point night on Friday (1G, 3A) and was riding a five-game point streak where he posted five goals and nine points before being left off the score sheet on Saturday against the Penguins. He has only gotten better since signing his entry-level contract, and if he can keep that kind of offensive consistency up, he may actually get a recall to the main roster sooner or later.
Alexis Gendron
Gendron had a goal and two assists on Friday. It’s not overly surprising to see Gendron break through during a game where the Phantoms tacked on seven goals as he possesses some of the best raw shooting abilities on the team. He’s actually heated up a bit in December with six points in seven games. At this point it’s about molding the rest of his game, but if the offense can continue to roll in on a consistent basis, it only helps his odds to see more ice time overall.
Helge Grans
Grans is riding a three-game point streak where he’s posted four assists. He’s actually racked up two goals and eight points in nine games since his demotion from the NHL and in the process has posted more points this season (11 in 23 games) than he did all of last season (eight points in 56 games).
Zayde Wisdom
Wisdom is also in the middle of a three-game point streak. He’s scored one goal and three assists in that time, and has recorded three goals and eight points in nine games in December. It’s easily the hottest he’s been offensively since his rookie season in 2020-21. His ice time has increased (after spending most of his professional career in Ian Laperriere’s doghouse) and the results are following. His potential as a prospect may still be low, but this is the biggest sign of life from Wisdom in years. Maybe he’s a late bloomer?
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Samu Tuomaala
Tuomaaala did manage to tack two assists on during the 7-2 drubbing of the Marlies on Friday, but those are his only two points in the month of December. He hasn’t scored a goal since November 27 and only has four total assists in the 10 games since. He has also been passed for the team lead in points by both Olle Lycksell and Jacob Gaucher.
Massimo Rizzo
Rizzo posted his first and second career goals last week, as well as his first career assist. His two-point night on Wednesday sparked the comeback effort and his was one of only two goals the Phantoms managed to score on Saturday. He was promoted to the team’s top line (albeit with Garrett Wilson and Brendan Furry, not exactly the “real” top line) which helped spark his game. It’s definitely nice to see Rizzo break his early-career silence, and now that his first is out of the way, it’s time to see what else he can bring to the table.
Ethan Samson
Samson went pointless in three games this week. He somehow managed to walk away from games where they scored and then allowed seven goals with an even 0 +/- rating. The early season spark Samson had has dwindled, but he isn’t actively taking a step back from his defensive responsibilities either, so it’s not a complete lost cause.
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Emil Andrae
Andrae went from hottest defenseman on the Flyers to Tortorella’s doghouse to a one-way trip to the AHL in the span of a few weeks. Who known how long his stay will be in Lehigh Valley, but taking a look at the main roster, unless an injury pops up, the idea that he’d be recalled out of the kindness of Tortorella’s heart isn’t looking like it’d happen.
Adam Ginning
Adam Ginning just kinda exists. That’s not necessarily a bad thing as a quite stay-at-home defenseman, but he always felt like an under-the-radar good player, and that -on the whole- just hasn’t carried over to his third season in the AHL.
Elliot Desnoyers
Desnoyers was scratched on both Wednesday and Friday last week, and went pointless his return to the roster on Saturday. His fall from grace seemingly hasn’t hit bottom yet. It’s just wild how he went from a 23-goal, 44 point rookie season to someone who can’t even get in the lineup two years later.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
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