Ian Laperrière has been a member of the Philadelphia Flyers organization for a decade and a half. His role, however, has changed quite a bit over the years. He arrived as a player, dressing for all 82 games of the 2009-10 season, then courageously returned from a blocked shot to the face in the Eastern Conference Final and helped the Flyers come within two wins of the Stanley Cup. Unfortunately, post-concussion syndrome prevented him from playing in the NHL again, with his perseverance earning him the Bill Masterton Trophy in 2011.
Almost instantly, Laperrière was hired as a director of player development, a role he held through the 2012-13 season. Then, he moved behind the bench. After a six-season stretch running the team’s penalty kill, he shifted to more of an oversight role after Alain Vigneault took over as head coach in 2019-20. Following two seasons in that role, he left the Flyers but didn’t go far, making the two-hour journey to Lehigh Valley to become the head coach of the Phantoms, Philadelphia’s American Hockey League affiliate.
The 2023-24 season was Laperrière’s third running the show for the Phantoms. On Wednesday, he received confirmation that his time in this position would be extended. The Phantoms and Flyers announced a two-year extension for Laperrière, taking him through the 2025-26 campaign.
Evaluating Laperrière’s Success in the Role
There are two ways to judge a coach in the American Hockey League, just like a player. Winning games at that level matters. But ultimately, the goal of the AHL is to prepare young players to jump up to the highest level of hockey.
The best coaches find a way to do both, and Laperrière has done a nice job of balancing those sometimes opposed forces in Lehigh Valley. The Phantoms went from 29-32-0-10 in his first season (2021-22) to 37-29-3, a seven-point increase despite the AHL playing four fewer games.
Though the team’s regular season numbers dipped slightly from year two to three, going from 80 points to 73, the Phantoms won their first playoff series under Laperrière this season, sweeping the Wilkes-Barre Scranton Penguins in the best-of-three qualifier round series. His team put up a valiant effort against the reigning Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears, falling three games to one to a Hershey team that is back in the Calder Cup Final this season.
The other department has gone well, too. Tyson Foerster and Bobby Brink spent significant time playing for Laperrière in 2022-23. The two showed their potential in the NHL this season, with Foerster even earning some Selke Trophy votes despite not being known as a strong defender when the Flyers drafted him. Cam York played for Laperrière in his first two professional seasons and could be a piece of the Flyers’ top-four for years to come. Even midseason call-ups Ronnie Attard and Adam Ginning did nice work when given the opportunity.
Laperrière also deserves praise for the turnaround of Samu Tuomaala. The 2020 second-round pick’s development was in major jeopardy after bouncing around several leagues the previous two seasons (including a two-game AHL stint in 2021-22). But Tuomaala put up a solid 43-point campaign (14th among AHL rookies) and looks like a future NHLer again.
Trust From Above
Flyers general manager Daniel Brière knows Laperrière about as well as one could. The two were teammates for the Flyers during that 2010 Finals run and most of their 16 and 17-year NHL careers overlapped. Brière received his big post-playing break, a promotion to special assistant to general manager Chuck Fletcher, during the 2021-22 season, just past the halfway mark of Laperrière’s first year as head coach.
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“In his three years behind the bench, we have seen consistent improvement, and valuable experience gained from our prospects playing with the Phantoms, and they have been able to step in seamlessly to the Flyers when called upon,” Brière said in a press release issued by the Phantoms. “In addition, the team has had a steady increase of success which saw the Calder Cup Playoffs return to the great fans in Lehigh Valley. I strongly believe that is a credit to Ian and his staff, and we are happy to have him lead our top development club for the next several years.”