2017-18 Preview Part 1: Phantoms Goalies/Defense
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are set to begin their fourth season as an American Hockey League (AHL) franchise in downtown Allentown this weekend, hosting Atlantic Division rival Hershey on Saturday night.
With the regular season right around the corner, it's time again to break out our team previews for the Phantoms.
In Part 1, we'll take a look at the goaltenders and defensemen on Lehigh Valley's opening night roster as well as make mention of some of the depth players the Phantoms have under contract beginning the season with their ECHL affiliate Reading Royals.
Goaltenders
#31 Leland Irving - 29 years old 2016-17 SM-Liiga Stats: 35GP, 11-11-12, 2.18 GAA, .923 SV%, 1 SO Contract Status: AHL contract for 2017-18
A former 1st round (26th overall) draft pick of the Calgary Flames in 2006, Irving has spent the past few years bouncing back and forth between the AHL and overseas hockey in the KHL and SM-Liiga.
Last season, Irving put up decent numbers with KooKoo Kouvola in the SM-Liiga in Finland pro hockey despite having a .500 win/loss record. In 2015-16, he had a rough campaign with the Iowa Wild on a team that struggled mightily across the board.
Phantoms' fans got their first look at Irving in the preseason last weekend, but he wasn't able to really showcase much of anything as the team playing in front of him held him out to dry.
Irving has proven to be a reliable netminder in the past, posting a 30-win and 22-win season in the AHL before his overseas exodus, and should be a solid backup behind Alex Lyon this season.
#34 Alex Lyon - 24 years old 2016-17 AHL Stats: 47GP, 27-14-5, 2.74 GAA, .912 SV%, 4 SO Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent (RFA) after 2017-18 season
Lyon put together quite an impressive rookie season with the Phantoms last year, splitting time in net with Anthony Stolarz in 2016-17. Every time Stolarz left the Phantoms lineup last season - albeit by his NHL stints with the Flyers or due to injury - Lyon came in and took over the clear-cut #1 goalie job without any issues.
And that's what Lyon will have to be from the opening night game - the Phantoms' go-to guy in net. Talk to any goalie, and that is exactly what they want. It'll be interesting to see how the season plays out for Lyon now that Stolarz will likely miss the entire season after having knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus.
From a Phantoms' perspective, things could get interesting if/when Michal Neuvirth misses time this season. Neuvirth has had trouble staying healthy in the past, and there's no reason to expect him to remain healthy the entire season. Lyon will be the first man up.
EXTRA READING: Tim Riday takes a look at just how big an opportunity Lyon has with the Flyers organization this season.
Honorable Mention
With Martin Ouellette no longer in the organization with the Phantoms to rely upon for depth between the pipes, Lehigh Valley signed John Muse and Mark Dekanich to AHL deals for the 2017-18 season.
Muse, 29, spent the 2016-17 season between the AHL and ECHL with the Rochester Americans and Elmira Jackals. The 5-11 undrafted goalie has six years of pro experience and could see time as a call up option for the Phantoms this season should injury/call-up situations arise.
Dekanich, 31, was on the Phantoms' ECHL affiliate Reading Royals last season - winning 21 games and being a solid netminder in Reading for almost the entire season. Dekanich saw AHL action with the Phantoms last season in a game, but it was unscheduled after Alex Lyon was pulled from action.
Defensemen
#2 Mark Alt - 25 years old 2016-17 AHL Stats:40GP, 1G-10A, +8, 10 PIM Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent after 2017-18 season
After injuring himself in a preseason game last fall, Alt missed the first quarter of the season - the second time in three years he missed significant time due to injuries. When healthy, Alt is a dependable two-way defender that is relied upon heavily by head coach Scott Gordon - logging big minutes on the penalty kill and in late-game situations.
Alt will need to continue to be a strong defensive presence on a blue line full of rookies and offensive defensemen.
#5 Phil Myers - 20 years old 2016-17 QMJHL Stats: 34GP, 10G-25A, +21, 46 PIM Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent after 2019-20 season
The undrafted 6-foot-5 defenseman blew up out of nowhere and signed a contract with the Flyers while playing junior hockey in the Quebec league - appearing in just 34 games last season due to a concussion.
While there's obvious potential with Myers, he looked a bit out of place at times last weekend in AHL preseason action and will have some adjusting to do in terms of getting his game where it needs to be at the pro-level.
#8 Will O'Neill - 29 years old 2016-17 AHL Stats: 57GP, 3G-28A, +1, 44 PIM Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent after 2017-18 season
The offensive-minded puck mover did just that with the Phantoms through the first two-thirds of the season, but an untimely injury in March ended his season after 57 games.
O'Neill knows what it takes to win at the AHL level, having been on a long postseason run with St. John's in 2013-14 and as a member of the annually-strong Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in 2015-16.
Like Alt, O'Neill is a veteran presence on the Phantoms' blue line and will need to lead by example in 2017-18.
#20 Max Lamarche - 25 years old 2016-17 AHL Stats: 26GP, 4G-9A, +3, 14 PIM Contract Status: AHL Contract (Year 2 of 2)
Lamarche is an underrated part of the Phantoms D-core, having split last season between the AHL and ECHL. He plays a solid defensive game and often goes unnoticed on the ice, but as a defensive defender that isn't necessarily a bad thing.
Lamarche also chipped in offensively last season too - another underrated aspect of his game. Look for the Laval, Quebec native to have a significant role on the Phantoms this season despite being on an AHL-only contract. He could definitely compliment one of the offensively-minded players on the back end this season.
#37 Mark Friedman - 21 years old 2016-17 NCAA Stats: 40GP, 8G-18A, +6, 28 PIM Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent after 2018-19 season
With all the big-name defense prospects in the system, Friedman has been overshadowed in recent years. That will change this fall as the prospects that have come in before him are all currently in the NHL with Philadelphia.
Friedman is undersized at 5-10, but plays physical and can also move the puck and create offense. He'll be one of the more intriguing prospects to watch on the team this year.
#43 T.J. Brennan - 28 years old 2016-17 AHL Stats: 76GP, 21G-39A, -5, 101 PIM Contract Status: Unrestricted Free Agent after 2017-18 season
Brennan is still an elite offensive defenseman at the AHL level and has proven that time and time again. Coming off back-to-back 60-point seasons and AHL All-Star nominations, Brennan looks to lead the offensive attack for the Phantoms again this fall as the team's returning leading scorer.
#44 Reece Willcox - 23 years old 2016-17 AHL Stats: 48GP, 3G-4A, -3, 12 PIM Contract Status: Restricted Free Agent after 2017-18 season
Willcox learned quite a bit in his rookie season at the pro level last year, and looks to be more comfortable and perhaps a little more confident in his abilities heading into the 2017-18 season.
A defensive defenseman, Willcox will definitely need to step up his game and take it to the next level on a largely offensive group.
Honorable Mention
The Phantoms went out and signed a few free agents to AHL deals on defense that could see AHL time later this season.
James de Haas, 23, finished his senior season at Clarkson University last spring with seven goals and 22 assists. The 6-foot-3 defenseman averaged six goals a season at the collegiate level while playing on a defensively-minded Clarkson program that plays a low-scoring style in the ECAC.
Frank Hora, 21, made his AHL debut last season with the Cleveland Monsters after his fourth year in the OHL with the Kitchener Rangers. The Cheektowaga, NY native was a teammate of Flyers draftee Connor Bunnaman with Kitchener.
Nolan Zajac, 25, is the brother of Travis, Darcy and Kelly and continues the family's pro hockey tradition. Following a four-year collegiate career at the University of Denver, the offensively-skilled defenseman was one of the leading ECHL scorers on the blue line - putting up 54 points in 61 games with Toledo while also seeing a total of 11 AHL games of action with Hershey, Manitoba and Iowa.
Goalies/Defense Outlook
The Phantoms have a great #1 goalie in Alex Lyon, but depth at the goaltending position is a bit of a concern heading into the season. If a goalie in Philadelphia goes down, it's Leland Irving and John Muse/Mark Dekanich in Lehigh Valley. Would the Flyers entertain signing a goalie if a long-term injury arose? They only have three goalies under NHL contract if you don't include Carter Hart.
Defensively, expect there to be a lot of high-scoring games early on in the season while the rookies adjust to the pro game. The blue line consists largely of guys who have clear puck-moving and offensive ability. It'll be interesting to see their approach to team defense this season, and just how far their offensive acumen will take them.
We'll break down the forwards in Part 2 of our 2017-18 Phantoms Season Preview on Friday!
