Photo Credit: The Lehigh Valley Phantoms
And just like that another Lehigh Valley Phantoms season is over. The Phantoms lead 1-0, then 2-1, but each time the Phantoms had a one goal lead the Hershey Bears scored within 11-30 seconds to tie it.
Most know by now, the Phantoms lost 6-3. The Phantoms had quite the season. They struggled mightily through the first half of the season, but seemed to find their niche towards the latter parts of the season. This young Phantoms team upset the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in their first round matchup, so this season was not a lost one.
Cal Petersen played well down the stretch and in the playoffs, while Tanner Laczynski proved his worth and value, as well, while becoming a dominant player for this young Phantoms team that needed and craved a veteran presence to guide the way. Laczynski came through in the clutch, especially since Samu Tuomaala did not play the last three games of the season, nor the playoffs due to injury. It’s really unfortunate for Tuomaala, as he really showed promise for what he could be for the Flyers in the future, at least offensively.
Circling back to Laczynski, he’s a free agent now (UFA), but I believe he gets re-signed. Danny Briere is well aware that this young Phantoms team needs a good veteran presence to help the youth, and Laczynski seemed to embrace that role, especially through the stretch run. Think about the youth of the Phantoms, next season they will Alexis Gendron, Samu Tuomaala, Ethan Samson, Will Zmolek, Emil Andrae (Possibly), Ronnie Attard (Possibly), Zayde Wisdom, Matt Brown, Massimo Rizzo, Brendan Furry, and Jon-Randall Avon.
Every team needs a veteran presence to teach the youth how to become Pro’s, and that is what Laczynski brings. Yes, even if he doesn’t play for the Flyers, he could still be a valuable asset for the growth of the farm system. Flyers’ General Manager Danny Briere knows this all too well from his playing days.
One thing for certain is that Ian Laperrière will be brought back as the Phantoms Head Coach next season. This is a big offseason for the Phantoms and the Flyers in retrospect, so it will be interesting to see how things will turn out. Some players will be back, some players won’t, which will make for an interesting offseason.
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