They weren’t supposed to be here. No one had them as favorites to win the Calder Cup, let alone a single postseason game. And yet, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms kept on proving people wrong in the Calder Cup Playoffs. Despite an early exit, it’s an impressive showing for the Phantoms that leaves the future bright in Allentown. It’s all part of the renaissance of the Philadelphia Flyers organization.
Phantom(s) of the Opera
“We shouldn’t be here,” Phantoms head coach Ian Laperriere said before the team’s matchup with the Hershey Bears. “Let’s be honest. Wilkes-Barre…87 points. We had 73. We weren’t supposed to beat them. (The Bears) have 111 points. We aren’t supposed to beat them. But guess what? We’ll go out, put our skates on, compete and see what happens.”
Lehigh Valley finished in sixth place in the Atlantic Division with 73 points. At times, it looked like they might not make the playoffs at all in the 2023-24 season. A slump for the Springfield Thunderbirds aided their cause as they fell out of the playoff race towards the end of the season. With their spot in the Calder Cup Playoffs, the Phantoms had a chance at new life.
The Phantoms finished with a record of 32-31-6-3, just over the .500 mark. Lehigh Valley embraced their status as underdogs, with no one expecting much of them in the playoffs. Their placement earned them a date with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, who finished third in the division. The Penguins, who some anticipated to go to the Calder Cup Finals, met them in the first round.
Ghosting the Penguins
Lehigh Valley got a boost entering the playoffs with some reinforcements. Key players like Bobby Brink, Ronnie Attard, Adam Ginning, and Olle Lycksell added some firepower back to the Phantoms. With the Flyers’ season at an end, the Phantoms benefitted from sweet stability in their roster, although chemistry needed to come quickly.
Similarly reinforced, the Penguins featured a beefed-up roster with Pittsburgh also falling short of the playoffs. In the first game, the Phantoms held off the Penguins on the road and showed their signature style. Pucks on net, heavy pressure, and playing a gritty style upended the Penguins. The Phantoms came ready to play and stole the first game, a massive feat in a best-of-three series.
Back Home in Allentown
The Phantoms brought playoff hockey back to PPL Center in a major way in Game Two. It’s been six long years since the arena played host to playoff hockey, but the wait was worth it. Lehigh Valley erased deficits of 3-1 and 4-3 to take a 5-4 win in overtime to end Wilkes-Barre’s season early. Suddenly, the Phantoms had the biggest upset of the first round and another uphill battle against the Hershey Bears.
Much like the first round, not many had the Phantoms even winning a single game. The Bears had 38 more points than the Phantoms and a record of 8-2-0-2 in regular season matchup. Despite all of Hershey’s success, Lehigh Valley had the most wins of any opponent against them over the campaign. Digging beneath the surface shows potential for the Phantoms.
Falling Just Short
The first two games played out as many expected it to, although the Phantoms were closer than it seemed. Lehigh Valley had a startling upset at home in Game Three with a shutout by Cal Petersen, setting the stage for Game Four. Despite a strong push, Hershey’s experience took over as Lehigh Valley fell short on home ice to end their season.
“I’ll be honest, it doesn’t feel very good right now,” Laperierre told the media after the game. “So close. Up and down season with call-ups and injuries. We battled through the end of the year. Felt like we gave Hershey a pretty good fight. We didn’t get the job done.”
“We left it out there,” Phantoms captain Garrett Wilson told the media. “In the end it wasn’t enough to get it done. But everyone battled their tails off. There’s no passengers tonight and everyone wanted it tonight. Couldn’t find a way to capitalize on a couple of our chances.”
Building the Future
The loss stings a bit extra knowing the team was close to forcing a fifth and decisive game in Hershey a day later. However, the Phantoms have plenty to hang their hats on in making it this far. The 2023-24 season was the start of a massive organization change for the Flyers organization as a whole. This run, although disappointing, is important experience for many youngsters looking to make the big club in the fall. More importantly, the Phantoms are back and more competitive than ever after struggling in recent years.
“We got to be proud as a 6-seed in the playoffs,” Wilson said. “Once we got in we were pretty happy with our team. There’s still fuel for next year to get even further. Everyone will go have a good summer and come back even stronger next year.”
The rebuild in Philadelphia will pass through Allentown in many ways. Talented upcoming prospects like Oliver Bonk and Denver Barkey will likely suit up for the Phantoms in the next few years. Other young players, like Hunter McDonald, Ronnie Attard, Samu Tuomaala, and Elliot Desnoyers are all here right now. Massimo Rizzo will be in Allentown next year as another highly regarded prospect.
On the Horizon
The future is bright in Allentown, and the Phantoms will be back in the fall to build upon this spring. That future starts at the 2024 NHL Entry Draft, where the Flyers have ten player selections at the season’s end. Five of those picks are in the top three rounds, which should yield strong players for the Phantoms.
Free agency will be important to the team as well, with five players slated to become unrestricted free agents. Flyers general manager Danny Briere will be hard at work this summer shaping the organization. He and his staff attended all of the Phantoms’ games in their playoff run. That staff included team president Keith Jones and head coach John Tortorella. Briere’s vision for the team is set to hit its stride next season.
