MONDAY FEATURE: Myers 'Stabilizing' His Game In Syracuse

Consider signing up for a subscription so we can continue to bring you exclusive first-reports, prospect features and stories from around the American Hockey League (AHL).

Quick. Easy. Support original journalism!

Consider signing up for a subscription so we can continue to bring you stories like this one and many more.

Sign up today. Quick. Easy. Support original journalism -> http://www.insideahlhockey.com/subscribe

Flash back to the 2020 Stanley Cup Playoffs, and Phil Myers was playing a pivotal role on the Philadelphia Flyers blue line.

He scored three goals and added an assist in 16 playoff games in his first taste of NHL postseason play after putting together a respectable 16 points (four goals, 12 assists) in 50 games in what was his first season spent mostly at the NHL level.

Myers not only appeared to have graduated to a full-time NHL role, but seemed to have staked his claim to be a part of the Flyers young defense core for many years to come. They had signed him to a three-year, $7.65 million contract extension ($2.55 million cap hit) on December 8, 2020 before he had his offensive outburst in the postseason.

He spent the 2020-21 season in the NHL full-time with the Flyers, but Myers - like most of his young Flyers teammates that season - regressed a bit from their almost unthinkable run to the Eastern Conference's final four the year prior. When it was all said and done, Myers accumulated 11 points (one goal, 10 assists) in 44 games.

Then, an off-season trade after the 2020-21 season from the Flyers to the Nashville Predators saw Myers switching teams - and conferences - heading to play for a new organization.

It marked the beginning of a true organizational shake-up for the Flyers, and the beginning of quite a whirlwind of change for Myers.

Back to being that 'new man on campus' and a fringe NHL defenseman with his new team, Myers began to feel the pressures of wanting and needing to play well in a limited role to maintain his job at the NHL level. After a bit of a step back from Year 1 to Year 2 with the Flyers, and the change of scenery, Myers was left an uphill battle both on and off the ice.

After appearing in just 27 games in the 2021-22 season with the Predators, it was ultimately decided things were not going to work and Myers was not a fit in Nashville.

The Predators eventually loaned Myers to the Toronto Maple Leafs' American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate where he played out the rest of last season (two goals, five assists in 16 games) before another off-season trade this past summer saw Myers switch NHL organizations once again and head to the Tampa Bay Lightning.

"Obviously, it's been kind of a roller coaster with my emotions these past few years," Myers told InsideAHLHockey.com after Syracuse's 3-2 win in Wilkes-Barre on January 18. "I'm trying to just, you know, it's a business and I'm trying to put that aside and just do the best I can. I think that's all I can do."

After 11 games with the Lightning to start the season, Tampa Bay placed Myers on waivers in the beginning of December.

After clearing waivers, he was assigned to the Syracuse Crunch on December 3 where he has been ever since, trying to get his game back to where it once was - and perhaps continue to build and improve to get his game to the next level again.

Since arriving in Syracuse, Myers has been a top-pairing defenseman on the right side for the Crunch - mainly paired alongside talented veteran defenseman Trevor Carrick. In addition to lots of ice time, Myers is also playing a large role on the team's penalty kill units and in late-period/late-game situations.

"Just my defensive play, [I'm] just trying to lock it down defensively," Myers told InsideAHLHockey.com of what the messaging from Tampa Bay and the Syracuse staff has been to him in terms of what he needs to work on. "I think that's how I'm gonna get back up there, just playing a tight defensive game just being super reliable out there and obviously chip in when I can. So that's what I've been working towards since I've gotten here and I think we're going in the right direction with that."

While he's one level away from the NHL, ice time in key moments of games against the opposition's top offensive players will only benefit him as he rebuilds confidence in his game.

Myers' focus has been in the defensive zone, but his offensive abilities have also been on display. After going pointless in his first three AHL games with Syracuse in the beginning of December, he's recorded 15 points (four goals, 10 assists) in his last 17 games - including goals in back-to-back games to close out a three-in-three stretch over the weekend.

"I think his game has stabilized lately," Crunch head coach Benoit Groulx said of Myers' progression since joining his team last month. "He came down and he wanted to do a lot of things. And I don't think he found his game early on with us. What I have liked lately [is] he's taking care of things in his own zone. He's letting the game come at him. He does everything that is necessary for success. And he doesn't want to do anything [too] extra."

"I think it's a good quality for a defenseman like him [to have] - a big guy that skates well, that's got very good puck skills - when you do what's necessary and you don't try to do too much," Groulx added. "And I think that was one thing in this game. Defining his identity, and I think he's he's finding that now with us, and hopefully it will continue because I like the way he's playing well lately."

With offensively inclined defensemen like Carrick (five goals, 17 assists in 28 games), Darren Raddysh (11 goals, 32 assists in 39 games) and Sean Day, who is coming off a 40-point season for the Crunch last year, Myers only adds to the Crunch's style on how they want the defensemen engaged offensively.

"It has always been been our identity," Groulx said of wanting the defensemen driving the offense. "We want to play a fast game. We want to play a smart game. And, for us, when it's time for a defenseman to join the play or lead the rush - the green light is there as long as it's a smart play. We try to teach them in practice certain structures or concepts that help them understand when it's time to go and when it's time to stay back. Overall, we have defensemen that can skate and can move the puck. We're happy with the group of defensemen we have."

At the end of the day, Myers is in a good spot now in Syracuse - playing top pairing minutes in key situations with a plan in place from an organization, in the Tampa Bay Lightning, who have shown over the years their capabilities in developing prospects through their system - which is due to Groulx's coaching staff, the Lightning's development staff and the communication from top to bottom in the Lightning organization.

"Obviously my goal is to get back up there, but I'm just taking it day by day and focusing on each game that I'm playing," Myers said, reiterating, "and just trying to get better and play well defensively. So that's what I'm [working] toward."

Consider signing up for a subscription so we can continue to bring you exclusive first-reports, prospect features and stories from around the American Hockey League (AHL).

Sign up today. Quick. Easy. Support original journalism!

Patreon: http://www.patreon.com/InsideAHLHockeyPayPal: $3/month -> http://paypal.me/TonyAndrockVenmo: $3/month -> InsideAHLHockey

FULL DETAILS -> http://www.insideahlhockey.com/subscribe