The Philadelphia Flyers‘ minor league affiliates split their respective weekend home series. The Flyers’ American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, were shutout by the Providence Bruins on Dec. 8 but bounced back on Dec. 9 to down the Charlotte Checkers by a score of 4-1.
Related: Flyers Farm Report: Reading Royals’ Chyzowski, Paliani & More
The Flyers’ ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, welcomed the Trois-Rivères Lions for two games this weekend. Their results were fairly similar to those of their “AAA” affiliate, falling 1-0 on Dec. 8 to the Lions, only to come out the next night and win by a score of 5-1.
The first full week of December was also highlighted by roster movements within the organization, including right-winger Olle Lycksell’s Dec. 6 call-up from the Phantoms to the Flyers.
Olle Lycksell Recalled from Lehigh Valley to Philadelphia
Olle Lycksell’s outstanding start in the AHL this season has been rewarded, as the Swedish right-winger was recalled from Lehigh Valley by the Flyers on Dec. 6. Lycksell’s presence provides depth at forward with Noah Cates injured. He made his 2023-24 NHL debut for the organization on Dec. 7 against the Arizona Coyotes. In 21 games this season with the Phantoms, he has recorded 19 points (12 goals and seven assists). Leading up to his call-up to the NHL, he was the AHL leader in goals, points, and points per game (PPG). Lycksell will look to transition his outstanding offensive AHL game to the NHL in the coming games to solidify a spot on the big-league roster.
Lehigh Valley Phantoms Notes
Rookie Samu Tuomaala has five goals and 14 assists in 23 games for the Phantoms. The Finnish right-winger, who turns 21 years old on Jan. 8, is tied for third in AHL rookie assist leaders and tied for fourth in rookie points in the league. Tuomaala tallied an assist in Lehigh Valley’s victory over Charlotte on Dec. 9. He was selected 46th overall in the second round of the 2021 NHL Entry Draft and is considered a talented winger with real dynamic speed. His success in “AAA” this season has Flyers fans excited to see what the future holds for the prospect.
Matt Brown’s team-leading 18 points (six goals and 12 assists) in 14 games for the Royals was rewarded with a Dec. 9 call-up to the Phantoms. The former Boston University star started the season with the Phantoms, appearing in three games and tallying one assist. He was sent down to the Royals on Oct. 31 and quickly got to work offensively in the ECHL. The 24-year-old left-winger from New Jersey is projected to spend much of the remainder of the season in the AHL.
Phantoms captain Garrett Wilson is loved by fans for his leadership and physical play on the ice. The veteran forward brings an abundance of experience to the team, having appeared in parts of four NHL seasons with the Florida Panthers and Pittsburgh Penguins between 2013 and 2019. He is under an AHL contract with the Phantoms through the 2024-25 season. He has showcased his physicality this season by leading the AHL in penalty minutes with 71. The 32-year-old is also an offensive force on the ice; he has five goals and eight assists in 22 games for the Phantoms.
Flyers prospect Elliot Desnoyers was selected 135th overall in the fifth round of the 2020 NHL Entry Draft. The EliteProspects 2020 NHL Draft Guide described him as a forward who “plays an honest brand of hockey in the defensive zone and never flees a moment sooner than his team has secured the puck.”
Desnoyers, a left-winger, appeared in four games last season with the Flyers. In 19 games this season, the 21-year-old has ten points (four goals and six assists) for the Phantoms. Desnoyers scored an empty-net goal in the Phantoms’ victory over Charlotte on Dec. 9.
Reading Royals Notes
Goaltender Parker Gahagen has appeared in eight games this season for the Phantoms, posting four wins, three losses, and one tie record. The Amherst, New York native has a 2.48 goals-against average (GAA) and a .914 save percentage (SV%) in the AHL. Despite being ranked 15th overall for GAA in the AHL and 16th in SV% in the league, Gahagen was loaned from the Phantoms to the Royals on Nov. 27. At 30 years old, he has appeared in two ECHL games since the move, recording a 2.56 GAA and .926 SV%. In Reading’s 1-0 loss to the Trois-Rivères Lions on Dec. 8, Gahagen made 39 saves on the 40 shots he faced.
Devon Paliani has appeared in 20 games this season for the Royals, recording 12 points (three goals and nine assists). Along with his solid offensive performance this season, he also has 47 penalty minutes, a statistic that puts him at eighth overall in the ECHL. Paliani had a great Saturday night at the Santander Arena, recording a goal and an assist in Reading’s 5-1 victory over Trois-Rivères on Dec. 9. The 27-year-old center’s efforts were rewarded as he was named the game’s second star.
Ryan Chyzowski continues to make a strong case for his third career shot at the AHL. The 23-year-old left-winger has ten goals and seven assists in 19 appearances for the Royals. Chyzowski was recalled to Lehigh Valley from Reading on Dec. 5. Two days later, he was sent back to Reading without seeing any playing time for the Phantoms. He suited up for the Royals this weekend, tallying two assists on Dec. 9.
Playing in his fourth season of minor league hockey, defenseman Adam Brubacher tallied an assist in Reading’s victory over Trois-Rivères on Dec. 9. The 27-year-old blueliner has 11 points (four goals and seven assists) in 20 “AA” games this season for Reading. He is currently tied for third place in the ECHL for goals by a defenseman and is tied for first on the Royals for points by a defenseman.
Forward Joseph Nardi leads the Royals in points (18) and assists (12). The 26-year-old former captain of Northern Michigan University’s NCAA Division 1 hockey team played four games in the AHL last season for the Manitoba Moose and another 56 with the ECHL’s Toledo Walleye.
Darren Brady’s two assists in Reading’s Dec. 9 victory over Trois-Rivères highlighted an offensive surge by the last-place team. Brady’s 11 points in 17 games has him tied with Adam Brubacher for most points by a Reading blueliner. The 27-year-old native of Michigan wore the captain’s “C” for the NCAA Division 1 Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) team. He played 50 games last season for the AHL’s San Jose Barracuda. This past November, Brady appeared in two games for the Phantoms, tallying one assist.
Lehigh Valley and Reading are Back in Action This Week
The Reading Royals return to action on Friday, Dec. 15, when they host the Worcester Railers at Santander Arena in Reading. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are at home this Wednesday, Dec. 13, when they host the Charlotte Checkers again at the PPL Center in Allentown.
