Friedman Firing On All Cylinders For Phantoms 2/10/20

ALLENTOWN, Pa. -  If you ask Lehigh Valley Phantoms' head coach Scott Gordon about the development path of any one of his players, he'll be sure to emphasize that everyone's path is unique to the player. There's no time-specific timeline of progress that each player needs to reach certain levels by a certain period of time to determine the success of the development.

Mark Friedman might be a good example of this point, as the defender has taken a significant step forward this season - his third year in the pro game with the Philadelphia Flyers' top minor league affiliate in Lehigh Valley.

While the organization has seen the likes of youngsters Ivan Provorov, Travis Sanheim and Phil Myers already graduate on to full-time NHL status in recent seasons, Friedman appears to be ready to take next the step now that his game has fully matured in the AHL.

"It's funny, his first year here we can honestly probably say 'how can we get him out of the lineup?" Gordon told reporters after Friday night's game. "It was a struggle, he had a lot to learn. I think at one point when he was hurt at the beginning of [this season] the conversation turned to 'we need to get him back in the lineup we miss him'. That's how far he's come."

After Saturday night's win in Wilkes-Barre, Friedman caught up with InsideAHLHockey.com to talk about his game this season and what has led the smallish yet feisty blueliner to make such significant strides this year.

"I'm just focusing on all aspects of the game, but most importantly my defense," Friedman told InsideAHLHockey.com. "I know I'm a smaller guy, but you can never be too good at your role. Obviously, the Flyers have some pretty offensive d-man up there so I know I have to have my defensive side of the game pretty much perfect," he explained, adding, "[I'm] just focusing on the little things in the D-zone and my gap control. Just smart plays with the puck and not force anything."

Friedman's strong play this season earned him his second career NHL call up back on January 8th, and he turned that into a six-game stint where he showed he wasn't out of place on the big stage. Perhaps more impressive than his elevated play at the NHL level was how he went right back to work upon returning to the Lehigh Valley at the end of the month.

"Whenever you get the call, it's obviously a rewarding feeling and you feel good about yourself but when you come back down here you can't think you're too good or anything like that," Friedman explained. "You just have to play your game and know that if you stick to what you did to get the call up you'll be right back up there and it's just a matter of time."

And playing his game is exactly what Friedman has done upon his return to the AHL.

Friedman's approach to playing a simple game has been extremely effective. He plays a large role on the Phantoms' blue line, eating up big minutes in all situations. He anchors the penalty kill, and also is a puck-mover on the team's power play unit.

Entering Sunday's game, Friedman had tallied 13 points (three goals, 10 assists) in 36 games.

"I'm just playing my game. Honestly, I'm not thinking about points, not thinking about anything like that," Friedman said. "Just playing my game, and good things will happen."

Gordon echoed Friedman sentiments about the development of his game in 2019-20.

"He's probably one of the most effective players at going back and getting the puck and making good decisions, which he was so unreliable his first year and it's been a process for him but he's been able to translate that into six NHL games where he has shown that he can play up there," Gordon said of Friedman. "A lot of hard work on his part and he's a guy that certainly doesn't get as much recognition as Phil Myers or Travis Sanheim but he's proven down here that he's a top defenseman."

With the trade deadline rapidly approaching, it will be interesting to see if Friedman's strong play forces Flyers GM Chuck Fletcher to make an NHL defenseman expendable in pursuit of adding a forward to the current group in Philadelphia.