Four members of the Philadelphia Flyers were put on loan to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms of the American Hockey League (AHL) on April 17. This roster move was made to help the Phantoms capture one more point in the final three games of the season to clinch a playoff berth. Despite earning considerable playing time with the Flyers’ AHL affiliate this season, forwards Bobby Brink and Olle Lycksell and defensemen Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning were all on the big league roster when Philadelphia’s season came to a disappointing end on April 16.
Related: Flyers 2023-24 Player Grades: Bobby Brink
Fortunately, this move was effective in helping the Phantoms secure not only one but four points over the weekend, with two wins and one defeat. The Friday, April 19 win over the Bridgeport Islanders helped take some of the pressure off the Phantoms as they fell on the road to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Saturday and ended the regular season on a high note with a win on Sunday at home against the Charlotte Checkers.
Brink, Lycksell, Attard, and Ginning all recorded points over the weekend, as Cal Petersen shined in goal to get the job done for Lehigh Valley on Friday night.
Bobby Brink
Bobby Brink opened the 2023-24 season on the Flyers’ roster. The right-winger’s 18 points in the first 38 games resulted in a benching by head coach John Tortorella and eventual demotion to the Flyers’ AAA affiliate. On Jan. 26, he returned to the Phantoms lineup against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when he immediately found his groove offensively, recording a goal. In 11 games with Lehigh Valley, the Minnesota native recorded 11 points (six goals and five assists).
Brink returned to Philadelphia’s lineup on Feb. 27 against the Tampa Bay Lightning, scoring a goal. He added five more points to his totals, appearing in the Flyers’ final game of 2023-24. Brink appeared in two of the last three games of the season with Lehigh Valley on April 19 and 21, recording a goal at Bridgeport and an assist against Charlotte.
Olle Lycksell
In 18 NHL games this season, Olle Lycksell scored one goal and four assists. His first NHL goal came during an April 6 game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. In far more appearances with the Phantoms, the Swedish forward had 39 points (19 goals and 20 assists) in 38 games. Lycksell was especially valuable on the Phantoms’ power play, netting nine power-play goals during the regular season, a statistic that places him in the top 20 across the AHL. His return to Lehigh Valley for the April 19 showdown with Bridgeport was marked with an assist that helped propel the Phantoms into the playoffs.
Ronnie Attard
Ronnie Attard started the 2023-24 campaign in the AHL, appearing in 46 games between Oct. 14 and Feb. 25. The blueliner’s solid play with the Phantoms led to his promotion to the Flyers on Feb. 29. In 12 games, he tallied two assists. Attard appeared in the April 19 and 21 games with Lehigh Valley, tallying two assists against Charlotte to close out the Phantoms’ regular season.
Adam Ginning
Selected in the second round of the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, defenseman Adam Ginning appeared in nine games this season for the Flyers, scoring an April 6 goal against the Columbus Blue Jackets. The Swede spent most of the season in the AHL with the Phantoms, appearing in 58 games, recording two goals, 13 assists, and 82 penalty minutes. In the Phantoms’ April 21 victory over Charlotte, the physical blueliner recorded two assists.
Cal Petersen
During the 2023-24 season, Cal Petersen recorded a 2.71 goals-against average (GAA) and .902 saves percentage (SV%). In 28 appearances for the Phantoms, the 29–29-year-old veteran recorded two shutout victories, including his playoff-clinching performance on April 19 against Bridgeport. The Waterloo, Iowa native turned away all 23 shots to earn the Phantoms their fourth playoff berth since moving to the Lehigh Valley from Adirondack in 2014.
Massimo Rizzo
Recently, fans of the Phantoms and Flyers received some much-needed good news on the organization’s prospects front. On April 21, Massimo Rizzo, coming off a 2024 NCAA National Championship with the University of Denver, was added to the Phantoms on an Amateur Try Out (ATO) contract. The 5-foot-11, 174-pound center had previously signed a two-year, entry-level contract with the Flyers on April 17 set to begin ahead of the 2024-25 season.
Rizzo is considered one of the organization’s top college-produced prospects, having put up solid offensive numbers over three NCAA seasons. He appeared in 30 games during the 2023-24 campaign with the University of Denver, scoring 10 goals and 34 assists. The native of Burnaby, British Columbia wore the alternate captain’s “A” with the Pioneers this season. In the Philadelphia organization, the 22-year-old will be reunited with Brink, a Denver teammate during the 2021-22 campaign. That season, Brink and Rizzo captured the university’s ninth of 10 NCAA National Championships.
AHL Calder Cup Playoffs
Lehigh Valley is scheduled to face off against in-state foe the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the first round of the Calder Cup Playoffs in a best-of-three series. The Penguins finished the season with 39 wins and 24 losses (eight overtime losses and one shootout loss) in third place in the Atlantic Division of the AHL’s Eastern Conference. Game 1 of the all-Pennsylvania series is scheduled for April 24 in Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, with Games 2 and 3 scheduled for April 26 and 28 in Lehigh Valley and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, respectively.
