Patrick WilliamsTheAHL.com Features Writer
The Philadelphia Flyers have been aggressively restructuring the organization's NHL roster after missing the Stanley Cup playoffs for five consecutive years. There is a desire to halt this decline.
That philosophy extends to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, who are off to a 12-8-1-2 start in the always-demanding Atlantic Division. Through the first two months of the season, the team has used 13 defenders, including a first-round pick who made his debut last weekend. Flyers Assistant General Manager Erin McCauleyIts archives, involved in the day-to-day affairs of running the Lehigh Valley, remain busy.
Starting from the first round players, Oliver Bunker. The 20-year-old, who came to the Flyers with the 22nd overall pick in the 2023 NHL Draft, spent three seasons in the Ontario Hockey League with the London Knights and won the Memorial Cup last season. But an upper-body injury halted his training and delayed the start of his career until Saturday, when he became a first-year head coach. John SnowdenThe lineup appears for the first time.
On October 30, the Flyers acquired Christian Kyrou Forward from the Dallas Stars Sam ToumalaThe trade provides a fresh start for the second-round pick. Kyrou is a right-hander who showed promise in three seasons with the Texas Stars, tallying 14 runs and a +7 rating in his first 15 games with the Phantoms.
The Flyers are clearly looking for a player like Kyrou and they think they can attract more prospects from within the organization. They acquired the 24-year-old blueliner Maxson Ganette Acquired from Ottawa on November 17 Dennis Gilbert;If the trajectory of Gaynett's development might have been complete with the Senators, maybe a new setup could unlock something in his game. His Phantom debut comes on Sunday in Hershey.
Then earlier this week, Philadelphia signed the 22-year-old Roman Schmidt From Tampa Bay, send Ethan Samson to lightning. Like Kyrou and Guenette, the Flyers are targeting potential. Schmidt, a second-year pro drafted by Tampa Bay in the third round of the 2021 NHL Draft, also brings plenty of size to the Phantoms at 6-foot-5, 225 pounds.
Mix these newcomers with Lehigh Valley's existing defense, and the Phantoms have themselves a team that creates strong internal competition for ice time in the backfield. Helge GeransThe 23-year-old signed a two-year extension last spring and is the only Phantom defender to appear in all 23 games so far. Emile Andre, Adam Kinning and rookie Ty Murchison – who made his NHL debut this week – both played with the Flyers. sixth round pick Hunter McDonald He's back after a rookie season in 2024-25.
Snowden and his coaching staff have a favorable upcoming schedule to further integrate Bunker and Schmidt into their lineup. This means minimal travel and lots of practice time. After traveling to Syracuse and Rochester this weekend, the Phantoms will return home before the New Year. Time will tell how many of these rookies become NHL options in Philadelphia. Development is an unpredictable and sometimes difficult to explain process. But President of Hockey Operations Portfolio Keith Jones and general manager Daniel Briere – both of whom cut their teeth in the AHL before entering their NHL careers – have invested heavily in Philadelphia’s development plans. They've drafted, but they've also been aggressive in bringing in talent through phone calls and through trades.
The Flyers are in contention for the Eastern Conference playoffs. In the AHL, the Phantoms are in third place in the Atlantic Division and looked every bit a playoff team in April. The next four-plus months will reveal whether the Phantoms advance to the playoffs. It will also showcase Philadelphia's future.
About two decades in the American Hockey League, TheAHL.com feature writer Patrick Williams also currently covers the league for NHL.com and FloSports and is a regular contributor to SiriusXM NHL Network Radio. In 2016, he received the AHL's James H. Ellery Memorial Award for outstanding coverage of the league.
