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The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are a fascinating team so far. They have plenty of talent and a few statement wins. As a team that will mature by the end of the season, they look ahead of schedule. “Looks like it. They’ve been grinding and getting points,” Zayde Wisdom said after the 5-4 win over the Hershey Bears on Friday night.
They are a good hockey team and a well-coached one at that. When John Snowden was asked after a game in the Rookie Series who stood out, he gave a cliché answer. “I thought a lot of guys stood out,” and that applies to how the Phantoms are built. They’ve had a lot of players step up to give them a 4-2-1 record to start the season.
Helge Grans
The Phantoms are known for their forwards and not their blue line. They don’t have an elite two-way presence to lean on, and it doesn’t help that Oliver Bonk, who many saw as NHL ready is out with an injury. Like the Philadelphia Flyers, they’ve pieced their defense together to start the season.
One of the players who has stepped up is Helge Grans. He’s been in the American Hockey League (AHL) for a while but is still only 23 and learning the position. This season, he’s played on the top pair or the second pair and helped move the puck out of the defensive zone. It’s not the big play or the skating that he leans on. Instead, it’s the extra pass or the safe play that sets up the Phantom offense. “I think you have to play a five-foot, ten-foot game at times to beat pressure,” Snowden noted after the Friday win over the Bears, and Grans embodies that.
He’s also helped out the offense. In the back-to-back against the Bears, he had two assists and scored a goal that looked like a throwback to the 1980s as he wound up and fired a slapshot to the back of the net. With two goals at the blue line, he’s becoming an option at the point when the next player on this list gets called up to the NHL again.
Emil Andrae
Flyers fans were upset about the team sending Emil Andrae back to the AHL. He showed flashes with the NHL team and looked like an option on the third pair for a defense that had its question marks. But with Cam York returning to the lineup and Adam Ginning playing well, he was sent down to the Phantoms.
The move has worked out for the player and the team. Andrae gets heavy ice time and plays in all situations. Moreover, he’s helped out the power play and set up the offense with his passing. In six games, he has five assists and is allowing the forward to find open looks and make the most of them.
The Flyers are still searching for a player to round out the defense. Grans is proving he can potentially become that but Andrea’s showing he’s ready now to play that role. He’s stepped up in all situations and made the Phantoms a better team. It’s no coincidence the Phantoms lost the one game he missed because of the call-up and have looked great otherwise.
Aleksei Kolosov
This is a bizarre world where things seem backward, at least in the net. The goaltending in the Flyers organization is a strength, something that would have sounded crazy after how the unit looked last season. Dan Vladar is playing great as the starter for the NHL team, while Samuel Ersson has filled in as his backup, and Aleksei Kolosov has played well as the AHL starter.
In four starts, he’s put together a .920 save percentage (SV%) and a 2.50 goals-against average to lead the Phantoms to three wins. While the backup, Carson Bjarnason, has also stepped up, Kolosov is proving he can lead the team and be a goaltender they lean on. Even better, Kolosov has shown he can take over games at times as he shut out the Cleveland Monsters on Oct. 17 to lead the Phantoms to victory.
The Phantoms, like the Flyers, have searched for a number one goaltender for years. Parker Gahagen played well but not consistently. Kolosov is hitting his stride at 23 years old and starting to look like a reliable option. It’s possible that at age 25 or 26, he’ll be NHL-ready, which shows the strides he’s taken since last offseason.
Devin Kaplan
Among the prospects, Devin Kaplan is the one who kicked off the ground running. He scored twice in the season-opening game and then added two assists a week later in Cleveland. At 6-foot-3 and 204 pounds, he’s a power forward and plays that way as well, adding a physical presence to the lineup.
The problem is that Kaplan has cooled off since the hot start. He didn’t record a point in each of the past three games and hasn’t stood out defensively either. Likewise, there isn’t something that stands out about his game that will grab the Flyers’ attention. To be fair, Kaplan is a rookie and adapting from college, which is a pro-style game, to the AHL, which is a step more competitive and skilled.
That said, he’s still a prospect to watch. The Phantoms need a physical presence in their forward unit, and he’s someone they can lean on. He’s talked about his ability to play a heavy game and take the hits and still make plays. It’s made him an early player to watch and someone the Phantoms might lean on in the playoffs as well.
Karsen Dorwart
It took time for Karsen Dorwart to develop, spending three seasons at Michigan State. However, the 23-year-old center has stepped up in his first season in the AHL. Dorwart is centering a line with Alex Bump on it, and it requires him to do it all. And that’s what he’s done, especially lately.
Dorwart has three goals and two assists through five games, with four points in the last five games. His goal against the Bears on Friday night came because he was in the right position, where he deflected the puck into the back of the net, and his intelligence of the game has stood out over all.
It will go unnoticed by most fans but in the AHL, penalties are commonplace. Dorwart took one all season, and it came in the first game. He prides himself on playing a disciplined game even when the intensity ramps up, and it’s helped the Phantoms get off to a hot start. “You can’t act like an idiot out there,” he added after the win over the Bears.
Zayde Wisdom
It’s odd to call Wisdom a veteran. He’s only 23, yet has been on the Phantoms for five seasons. That said, he’s found a steady role on the checking line. He’s a physical presence and defends better than most forwards while also making an impact on offense when needed.
Wisdom scored twice against the Bears to lead the Phantoms to a 5-4 win. He’s a checking player but someone who can also step up on offense. It’s why he was a key part of the playoff run last season that forced the Bears to five games.
He’s picking up where he left off but with a twist. Now, he’s playing the center position, something he noted recently that hasn’t happened since his junior days. Yet, he’s stepped up in that role, especially defensively.
Garrett Wilson
Speaking of veterans, Garrett Wilson is one of the few on this team. He’s 34 and found a spot on the bottom six. Yet, he’s still making an impact on both ends. With Wisdom on his line most of the time, he’s been the backbone for the Phantoms.
Wilson is picking up where he left off in the playoffs. His line was the one giving the Bears fits and Todd Nelson, who was the coach of the opposition at the time, noted how he used the last change to match up his best checking forward line in Game 5 to take them out of the game. With five points in six games to start the season, he’s proven he’s still got it and will be a key part of the Phantoms success.
What About The Big Name Phantoms?
A few people came to this piece to read about Bump or Denver Barkey. They are the two prospects Flyers fans want to see play well and eventually join the NHL roster. Bump and Barkey have the skill to be on the Flyers and have shown it at times.
Both skaters have shown flashes but haven’t delivered consistently. Bump struggles when he doesn’t have space to operate and make the most of his shot. Similarly, Barkey gets pushed around and has a target on his back. When Barkey starts playing above his weight and makes an impact in all situations, he’ll become the best player on the Phantoms and someone Flyers general manager (GM) Daniel Briere must take note of.
The Phantoms will also eventually get a boost when Jett Luchanko arrives. He’s not old enough to join the AHL team and it’s why he was sent to juniors this week. He has all the skill to be a top-line center on the Phantoms and will play that well when he joins the team late in the season.
The Phantoms are a fun team to watch early on this season. Better yet, they are a great team and only getting better. By the end of the season, it shouldn’t surprise anyone if they are at the top of the standings, even if a few prospects are on the NHL team.
