Vecchione Looking to Next Step In Year Two
ALLENTOWN - A hot start to his rookie campaign with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms last fall - 18 points (six goals, 12 assists) in his first 17 games - gave a first impression that Mike Vecchione might be on a fast track to Philadelphia. He was named the AHL's rookie of the month winner for October, and he and his linemates to start the 2017-18 season Nicolas Aube-Kubel and Danick Martel formed instant chemistry from opening night.
"Everything was kind of just going in for us," Vecchione recalled during the Phantoms' preseason. "I was just playing my game and things were happening for us. You know it's not going to stay like that forever."
Two separate stints on the injury list - one in December where he missed six games and another five-game absence in March - prevented Vecchione from getting into much of a rhythm in the second two-thirds of the season. At least that's what both he and head coach Scott Gordon will tell you.
"I didn't have any false expectations," Vecchione said of his fast start offensively last season. "You're always going to have those ups and downs in a season and for me I was still trying to learn the systems, be more responsible in the D-zone. There were some games we were stuck in the D-zone too much and didn't have those offensive opportunities."
Having a year under his belt now, Vecchione said he knows how to better prepare and has a much better understanding of the systems, among other subtle nuances of the pro game he's been picking up along the way.
"I know the type of player I can be," Vecchione said when asked about his offensive struggles in the second half of the season. "The production will come if you work hard in the D-zone, you're going to play more offense. That's the way I look at it. I'm just going to continue to build on what I did last year."
While having a better understanding and grasp of the pro game entering his sophomore season this fall, Phantoms head coach Scott Gordon was pretty blunt when asked about what Vecchione needs to do this year to put himself back on the map with the Flyers.
"He's an offensive player and you gotta be able to produce offensively to get noticed," Gordon said. "[He] plays on the power play so those are situations that when you look at what he brings to the table that's what he has to bring here for him to enhance his value."
All in all, a 40-point rookie season is nothing to laugh at. But, both the player and the organization knows there's another level to Vecchione's game he hasn't quite reached yet.
"Hopefully if I stay healthy and get off to a hot start I can continue that and be more consistent."
