Weekly Report: Inside Phantoms Hockey (2/23/21)

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

ALLENTOWN, Pa. - The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (3-0-1) enter the third week of the season as one of only four American Hockey League (AHL) teams without a regulation loss on the season (Chicago, 7-0-0, Tucson, 4-0-0 and Hershey, 3-0-2), and while the standings points might not mean a thing this season if there isn't a post-season there's still a lot to like if you're a Flyers/Phantoms fan looking for positives coming out of the first four games.

There's plenty of good things happening in Lehigh Valley these days.

Last Week

Saturday, February 20th, Binghamton - 0 at Lehigh Valley - 3

In one of the more dominating performances in recent memory, the Phantoms took it to the Devils in their regular season home opener Saturday, jumping out to a 3-0 lead and never looking back.

For the second straight game, 18-year-old rookie Zayde Wisdom tallied two goals. Max Willman added his first of the season on a snipe in the second period, hitting the back bar of the top shelf.

With Felix Sandstrom still on the Flyers' taxi squad over the weekend, Zane McIntyre has started in net for every game - and he was strong again Saturday in pitching a 25-save shutout and improving to 3-0-1 on the season with a 1.73 goals-against average and a .942 save percentage.

Quotables

Head coach Scott Gordon on his team's progress through four games:

"So far I've been really pleased, from an effort standpoint. Last year, I think we spent more time coaching effort than we did coaching hockey. Some of it has to do with personnel, and a I think a little bit of peer pressure just to keep up, you have to fall in line. That has been a pleasant surprise."

Rookie forward Zayde Wisdom on his two-goal game:

"[[On the first goal] it squeezed through the five-hole, saw it trickling in and got 'er home. Grinder goal, but they don't ask how they ask how many right?"

"[On the second goal] we've been working on that [set play] all week, and it came in clutch today."

Forward Max Willman on his snipe from the left-wing circle:

"I just kind of came up to the top of the zone, and was looking for the D but they kind of took that away. So I kind of came downhill and was lucky enough to get a shot away and it found the back of the net so that felt good. I had a pretty good view of it. I saw it go in and come back out, so I knew it was in for sure."

This Week

Wednesday, February 24th, Lehigh Valley (3-0-1) at Binghamton (2-2-1) 6 p.m. ET

Originally scheduled for last Friday, the game was moved to Wednesday night due to what the league termed as "Lehigh Valley’s roster constraints from recent recalls to the Philadelphia Flyers roster and taxi squad." It will mark the third of 14 scheduled meetings between the two teams this season. The Phantoms are 1-0-1 against the Devils this season, having lost in overtime back on February 10th.

Friday, February 26th, Lehigh Valley (3-0-1) at W-B/Scranton (1-2-1) 5 p.m. ET

Saturday, February 27th, W-B/Scranton (1-2-1) at Lehigh Valley (3-0-1) 7:15 p.m ET

The Phantoms and Penguins have a home-and-home series scheduled this weekend, their first and second of 10 scheduled meetings on the season.

News and Notes

The Phantoms are starting to get some bodies back, both from their own injured list and from their NHL affiliate in Philadelphia.

On Saturday, Tanner Laczynski (lower body) and Linus Sandin (undisclosed) returned to game action for Lehigh Valley. Laczynski had missed two games after being injured in the team's season opener back on Feb 6. Sandin missed one game, sitting out the Phantoms' OT win in Hershey on Valentine's Day.

On Monday, the Flyers assigned goaltender Felix Sandstrom, defenseman Derrick Pouliot and forwards David Kase and Matthew Strome to Lehigh Valley, further bolstering the AHL roster. They had played Saturday's home opener with the only 18 healthy skaters they had available to them.

Chris Bigras (upper body) and Tyson Foerster (shin fracture) remain on the team's injured list. Bigras took a high hit during the February 10 game against Binghamton, while Foerster broke his shin in the Phantoms' season opening game in Hershey on February 6.

"I think our guys have handled it well. They appear to be playing with some confidence, so we just have to try to weather the storm," HC Scott Gordon told InsideAHLHockey.com last week, adding, "we should be getting some guys back probably in a week or two which will set us up for the next month which is going to be busier."

The Phantoms played just four games in a two-week span to date (Feb 6 - Feb 20), but as Gordon mentioned the schedule really ramps up heading into March. Beginning with Wednesday night's game against Binghamton, the Phantoms are scheduled to play seven games in the next 15 days (Feb 24 to Mar 10).

"I like our team a lot. We have some solid defenders, some offensive defenseman. Up front we have a lot of skill and young guys that can make plays. So far we've been buying in to the systems that [the coaching staff] has been showing us," Phantoms assistant captain Garrett Wilson told InsideAHLHockey.com heading into last weekend's game. "We're doing well, got off to a pretty good start. Guys are starting to get the rust off a bit now. The games are starting to come a little more naturally, and I like our start so far. We just have to keep it up."

More on Garrett Wilson and how AHL veterans are handling things so far this season in a story later this week.

In Case You Missed It

The Phantoms might have been on the road to start the season, but we've still been busy obtaining exclusive 1-on-1 interviews and featuring several Flyers prospects, Phantoms players and storylines surrounding the team this month in addition to our regular game day coverage on Twitter (@TonyAndrock and @InsideAHLHockey).

Our in-depth player features and exclusive Inside AHL Hockey content and coverage are reserved for subscribers only. Consider signing up for a subscription for full access to not only my coverage of the Phantoms but on-scene and first hand covearge of teams across the entire AHL from our team of credentialed reporters and photographers stationed across the U.S. and Canada.

We're a completely independent media outlet that is relying solely on you, the reader, to help grow and build our coverage. We've been able to add many talented professionals and our coverage stretches from California to Massachusetts with over a dozen on-scene reporters and photographers all working together to truly bring you 'Inside AHL Hockey'.

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

So for those who might have missed them, our recent Phantoms articles here at Inside AHL Hockey are linked below. In addition, the HUB to Inside AHL Hockey's coverage of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms can be found here: https://insideahlhockey.com/teams/lehigh-valley-phantoms

Zayde Wisdom has back-to-back two-goal games, and is growing confidence in his ability to play at the AHL level with every shift. I went 1-on-1 with Wisdom last week talking on a variety of topics including his first pro goal and his first taste of the pro life as well as some insights from head coach Scott Gordon on what's been so impressive about Wisdom's game besides the goals he's scored. READ: Wisdom's Confidence Growing With Every Shift: https://insideahlhockey.com/article/wisdoms-confidence-growing-with-every-shift

Heading into Saturday's game, the Phantoms appeared to only have 10 healthy forwards due to the amount of call ups to the Flyers taxi squad because of the NHL club's growing COVID protocol list. Thankfully both Tanner Laczynski and Linus Sandin returned to the lineup Saturday, giving the Phantoms just enough players to field a full lineup. READ: Phantoms' Roster Feeling Effects Of Flyers' COVID Troubles: https://insideahlhockey.com/article/phantoms-roster-feeling-effects-of-flyers-covid-troubles-fridays-game-moved

Our Sunday Feature is a free-to-read weekly series that allows readers who aren't Inside AHL Hockey subscribers a glimpse into what our loyal readers have access to every day of the week. I kicked off the Sunday Feature series with a tale of perseverance and dedication to the game we all love. Sam Morin talked about his hardships in going through the rehab process for a second torn ACL and just how thankful he is for his current opportunity to be back on the ice and playing hockey again. READ: Sam Morin's Long Road To Recovery From Two ACL Injuries: https://insideahlhockey.com/article/sunday-feature-sam-morins-long-road-to-recovery-from-two-acl-injuries

How are the Phantoms approaching and treating this shortened, one-of-a-kind season? I caught up with HC Scott Gordon and team captain Cal O'Reilly for their thoughts and asked what the message to the team was entering the season. READ: Phantoms Enter 2020-21 Season With A 'We're All In This Together' Mentality: https://insideahlhockey.com/article/phantoms-enter-2020-21-season-with-were-all-in-this-together-mentality

Tanner Laczynski has had to wait quite awhile to begin his pro career, having opted to complete all four years of his NCAA eligibility at Ohio State University prior to having to wait nearly a full year after his senior season was cut short due to the pandemic in order to resume playing and get his pro career started in the AHL with the Phantoms. READ: Laczynski Eager To Begin Pro Career With Phantoms: https://insideahlhockey.com/article/laczynski-eager-to-begin-pro-career-with-phantoms