The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, have advanced to the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs with a two games to zero sweep of in-state arch nemesis, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The Phantoms piled on an impressive seven goals in the two games defeating the Penguins 2-1 in Game 1 on April 24, and 5-4 in a thrilling overtime victory on April 26.
This edition of the Flyers Farm Report will focus on the Phantoms’ top performers from last week’s series win over Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Adam Brooks
The 2023-24 campaign marked Adam Brooks’ seventh season of professional hockey. A Calder Cup champion with the 2017-18 Toronto Marlies, the 27-year-old is now in his second season with the Phantoms. In 47 regular season games, the Winnipeg native had 25 points (13 goals and 12 assists). He got the scoring started for the Phantoms in this season’s Calder Cup Playoffs, recording a goal on Wilkes-Barre/Scranton goaltender Joel Blomqvist in the first period of Game 1 action on April 24.
Adam Ginning
Adam Ginning was sent down by the Flyers at the conclusion of the regular season, to provide additional firepower for the Phantoms in their pursuit of a Calder Cup Playoff berth. Ginning’s 15 points in 58 AHL games this season, coupled with his nine games in the NHL, ensured that the Phantoms would have an NHL-caliber player on the blue line down the stretch and into the playoffs. The Swedish defenseman recorded an assist on Brooks’ Game 1 goal against the Penguins.
Louie Belpedio
Defenseman Louie Belpedio is in his seventh season of professional hockey. A two-season alternate captain with Lehigh Valley, the 27-year-old spent time with Philadelphia and the Phantoms during the 2023-24 campaign. In 12 appearances with the Flyers, he had two goals and two assists. In 38 games with Lehigh Valley during the regular season, the Illinois native recorded 10 points (four goals and six assists). In both Games 1 and 2, Belpedio tallied two assists, for a total of four points in this young postseason. His second Game 2 assist came in overtime to set up Jacob Gaucher’s series-winning goal.
Rhett Gardner
Rhett Gardner recorded a goal and an assist in the first round playoff series against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The veteran forward appeared in one game for the Flyers this season, an April 1 showdown with the Columbus Blue Jackets. The bulk of his time on the ice this season was spent in the AHL with Lehigh Valley, where he appeared in 60 games, recording 23 points (10 goals and 13 assists). Gardner’s Game 1 goal came in the second period against the Penguins, with an assist in Game 2 on Ronnie Attard’s second period lamp lighter.
Cooper Marody
Right wing Cooper Marody scored 19 goals and tallied 37 assists in the regular season for the Phantoms. His 37 assists in 68 games placed him in a five-way tie for 13th overall in the statistical category across the AHL. Marody’s offensive contributions to the Phantoms during the 2023-24 campaign were highlighted by 16 multi-point games, including a hat trick performance on March 29 against the Syracuse Crunch. The Brighton, Michigan native’s offensive talents were on display in the first round matchup with the Penguins, recording an assist in both Games 1 and 2.
Ronnie Attard
Between March 7 and April 6, Ronnie Attard appeared in 12 games for the Flyers, tallying two assists. In 48 games with Lehigh Valley, the blueliner had 27 points (10 goals and 17 assists). His 10 goals placed him in the top 25 for most goals scored by a defenseman across the AHL. Attard got the scoring started in Game 2 of the series against the Penguins, recording a power play goal in the second period to equalize the game.
Victor Mete
Defenseman Victor Mete has appeared in NHL games with the Montreal Canadiens, Ottawa Senators, Toronto Maple Leafs, and Flyers. With the exception of one appearance on the big league roster, a Nov. 11 Flyers versus Los Angeles Kings game, Mete appeared in 59 AHL games. He had one goal and 15 assists for the Phantoms. In Game 2 of the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton series, the 25-year-old alternate captain tallied an assist on Attard’s power play goal.
Emil Andrae
Emil Andrae is one of a handful of young players in the Flyers’ organization to generate considerable buzz amongst fans and insiders alike. The blueliner appeared in four games for the Flyers this season but spent 61 games in the AHL with the Phantoms. With Lehigh Valley, he recorded 32 points (five goals and 27 assists) during the 2023-24 campaign. The native of Sweden scored a third period goal and tallied a third period assist on Laczynski’s power play goal, seconds later, in Game 2 against the Penguins.
Olle Lycksell
Olle Lycksell just completed his second regular season of professional hockey in North America. The Swedish forward bounced back and forth between the AHL and NHL this season. In 38 games for the Phantoms, he scored 19 goals and tallied 20 assists. On the big league roster, the 24-year-old had five points (one goal and four assists) in 18 games. In Game 2 of the first round series against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, he tallied two assists in the third period.
Tanner Laczynski
Tanner Laczynski’s two third-period goals were part of the offensive spark that helped push the Phantoms into the second round of the Calder Cup Playoffs. The former Ohio State University alternate captain made his NHL debut during the 2020-21 campaign.
In 49 AHL games this season, the center recorded 44 points (17 goals and 27 assists). A career highlight for the Illinois native came on March 16 when he recorded a hat trick against the Providence Bruins.
Bobby Brink
Bobby Brink spent most of the 2023-24 campaign on the Flyers’ roster. In 57 appearances, the right-winger scored 11 goals and tallied 12 assists. A mid-season demotion to the minor leagues resulted in 13 AHL appearances in which the 22-year-old recorded 13 points (seven goals and six assists).
Related: Flyers 2023-24 Player Grades: Bobby Brink
This effort led to his return to the big league roster to close out the season. Brink recorded his first playoff point in Game 2 of the first round, an assist on Tanner Laczynski’s third period power play goal.
Jacob Gaucher
Jacob Gaucher’s overtime goal in Game 2 stamped the Phantoms’ ticket to the second round of the playoffs. The center appeared in 59 regular season games for Lehigh Valley, scoring eight goals and tallying eight assists. Gaucher is in his second season of professional hockey, having spent the previous five seasons in the Quebec Maritimes Junior Hockey League (QMJHL) with Val-d’Or Foreurs and Baie-Comeau Drakkar. The Québec native also appeared in three games for the Flyers’ ECHL affiliate, the Reading Royals, earlier this season.
Brendan Furry
Brendan Furry completed his first full regular season of professional hockey this season with the Phantoms. In 57 games, the left-winger had six goals and 12 assists. His first point in the 2024 Calder Cup Playoffs was a critical overtime assist on Gaucher’s series-winning goal.
Cal Petersen
Cal Petersen started both first round playoff games against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. The 29-year-old goaltender turned away 21 of 22 shots in Game 1. He wasn’t as sharp against the Penguins in Game 2 when he allowed four goals against in a hard-fought playoff matchup. In Game 2 he faced 28 shots. The 29-year-old native of Waterloo, Iowa had an impressive 2.71 goals against average (GAA) and .902 save percentage (SV%) in the regular season with Lehigh Valley. He will face a Hershey Bears team in the second round that scored 229 goals in 72 games.
Second Round Preview
In yet another all-Pennsylvania series, the Phantoms will square off against the Hershey Bears in a best-of-five series. The second round matchup is scheduled to begin on Wednesday, May 1 at the GIANT Center in Hershey. Games 2 and 5 (if necessary) will also be played in Hershey on May 4 and 12, respectively. The series heads to the PPL Center in Allentown (Lehigh Valley) on May 8 and 11. Hershey finished the season with an impressive record of 53 wins and 14 losses (five shootout losses), placing them first in the AHL’s Atlantic Division, Eastern Conference, and in the overall league.
