The Phantoms played three games over the weekend. First, they beat the Penguins 3-2 in a shootout on Friday, then beat the Crunch at home 4-2 on Saturday before the Penguins got revenge and beat the Phantoms 4-3 in regulation in Lehigh Valley on Sunday afternoon.
The Phantoms are now 24-19-5-1 on the season and fifth in the Atlantic Division. They’ve got 23 games left in the 2024-25 season.
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Olle Lycksell
Lycksell posted four assists (one on the powerplay, one shorthanded, one on an empty net and one at even strength) in three games last weekend. He has retaken the team lead in points with 32 in 33 games. It’s Olle Lycksell doing Olle Lycksell things and it’s criminal he isn’t playing in the NHL.
Alexis Gendron
Gendron posted two goals on Saturday. He still needs to add some consistency to his offensive production, but as noted before, his raw skill and speed may be the best on the team and he’s slowly but surely blossoming into one of the top threats on the roster. He’s up to 15 goals, tied for the team lead, and 22 points in 42 games.
Helge Grans
Grans scored a goal on Sunday and was a +3 with seven shots on goal in three games last weekend. The impressive season from Grans continues and has been a positive force on the ice in every zone. He’s tied his previous AHL-high with seven goals and has 18 points in 44 games, also on pace to break his personal best of 24 points back in 2021-22.
Rodrigo Abols
Abols had a shorthanded goal and three assists over the weekend. That NHL call-up clearly did wonders for his confidence because he played his best hockey of the season in his AHL return. We’ll see wether or not he goes back to the NHL after Four Nations, but one way or the other, we’re getting the best version of Abols and he may still have more to give.
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Samu Tuomaala
Tuomaala scored a goal on Friday, but then didn’t play on either game on Saturday or Sunday. On one hand, he’s got three goals in the last four games, a much improved trend from his 22-game goalless drought he was marred in. On the other, he’s missed a handful of games recently for an undisclosed reason. A potential lingering injury may explain his slump, but whatever the reason is, it’s holding him back from achieving his potentially high ceiling.
Massimo Rizzo
Rizzo posted a pair of assists last weekend. Rizzo’s trend of managing to post points regularly but somehow not standing out in any particular way continues. He’s got six points in his last six games but is bouncing between the second and fourth line center and just isn’t catching the eye in any way more often than not. Hey, it means he isn’t sticking out in a bad way, but as basically their de facto top center prospect, it hasn’t been the level of impressive you’d hope for.
Emil Andrae
Andrae posted an assist on Saturday. He also registered a +3 rating and eight shots on goal. When he’s in Lehigh Valley, he’s the top guy in all situations and looks great doing it even if he doesn’t end up on the scoreboard. If the Flyers actually gave the guy a chance to grow on the main roster, they might have a star on their hands.
Zayde Wisdom
Wisdom had an assist on Sunday which tied his personal best of 18 points in a season. His ice time decreased significantly over the weekend after riding shotgun in the top six for the last few months, so his chance to stand out was limited, but even still, he’s making the most of whatever gets thrown his way.
Jacob Gaucher
Gaucher scored a goal on Friday. He shares the team lead with Gendron at 15. When the Four Nations is over, he could very well head back to the NHL as reinforcements for the Flyers’ thin center depth, but at the AHL level he has still struggled to regain the level he was at earlier in the season when he signed his entry-level contract.
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Hunter McDonald
McDonald went pointless with a -2 rating last weekend. I officially don’t get the McDonald experiment. He is overall more dynamic than your typical big man, but he’s now 48 games into the season and hasn’t managed to excel in any one area besides blocking shots. He does have the second most PIM on the team, but even then, he really hasn’t been a force since the calendar filpped to 2025. Either step up as a real defenseman or become a proper mean tall guy. This middle ground act isn’t cutting it.
J.R. Avon
Avon scored a goal on Sunday, it was his first goal and just his third point since January 3. He’s been a healthy scratch quite a bit lately, including Friday night, and has taken a huge step back overall from his under-the-radar solid rookie season.
By: Dan Esche (@DanTheFlyeraFan)
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