It’s safe to say the Philadelphia Flyers are in a rebuild as an organization. After a turbulent time, the organization has set a new direction under the leadership of Danny Briere. The former Flyer was promoted to full-time general manager over the summer and is setting out to bring a proud franchise back to its former glory. As part of this “New Era of Orange” in Philadelphia, by extension, their American Hockey League affiliate hopes to benefit as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms look to build into a competitor.
Let’s Get Down to Business
“It’s been a hard camp,” Phantoms head coach Ian Laperierre said before the Flyers’ second preseason game on Wednesday. “I’ve been around here a long time, I’ve never seen a hard camp like that. It’s a lot of skating, very taxing, (John Tortorella) knows, he wants to see who battles through that. I’m expecting more energy out of the guys tonight after a day off yesterday. (Emil) Andrae is going to be fine. He’s a smart player, but if you’re tired, you’re tired.”
Laperierre was talking about one of the youngest players in training camp in defenseman Emil Andrae, who looks to be a big part of the Phantoms’ lineup this season. The 54th selection in the 2020 NHL Entry Draft, Andrae made the leap to the AHL ranks late in the 2022-23 season and collected a cool six points (two goals, four assists) in ten games and played all three playoff games of the team’s play-in round series against the Charlotte Checkers. He’ll get his first full year of AHL duty this year as he looks to work his way to the City of Brotherly Love in the near future.
Balancing Act
It’ll be his first full year in professional North American hockey looking to impress Flyers head coach John Tortorella, who has been putting the players through their paces in training camp. The Phantoms will be packed to the brim with the youth movement this season with plenty of players looking to seize the opportunity. Among them are youngsters like Jon-Randall Avon, Samu Tuomaala, Elliot Desnoyers, and Bobby Brink, all of whom will be looking to take the professional ranks by storm.
The Phantoms will be much younger but will still have reliable veterans to guide the youngsters like Cooper Marody, Adam Brooks, and Louis Belpedio. It creates an interesting parallel between NHL and AHL affiliates in which the Phantoms will look to build upon their first playoff appearance in any form since 2018. Both teams are on the younger side and enter their respective seasons as underdogs with a lot to prove in some of the most difficult competition in the league.
Attard Breaking Away
Another player looking to step ahead of his peers is defenseman Ronnie Attard, who completed his first full AHL season in Allentown alongside an All-Star nomination in 2022-23. As a former third-round pick from 2019, Attard is well-regarded in the Flyers’ organization and seems to be developing into a player who can make the step to the next level. The Phantoms bench boss wants to see more from him in the preseason.
“I want him to be assertive,” Laperriere said of Attard. “Ronnie’s got great abilities, he’s a big body, skates well, good vision, great shot. He’s been great so far in camp, I really like his scrimmages. The preseason is different than scrimmages, and it’s going to be a big step for him (on Wednesday night).”
It all adds up to a different sort of Lehigh Valley Phantoms team, one where opportunity abounds for players having a strong season at the AHL level to potentially fast-track themselves to the NHL level. The Phantoms and their fans no doubt feel shorted by the team’s brief return to the postseason coming to a fast conclusion. In fact, due to distance, the Phantoms didn’t even get to play in front of their home fans. It’s an opportunity to battle for more in a big campaign in Allentown.
