Wednesday, October 5, 2011

More players assigned to Phantoms

Defenseman Erik Gustafsson along with forwards Brayden Schenn and Harry Zolnierczyk have been assigned to the Phantoms.

The Flyers also placed Blair Betts, Oskars Bartulis, and Matt Walker on waivers yesterday. Betts was claimed by Montreal; Bartulis cleared and was assigned to the Phantoms. I can't find any information on Walker so I'm presuming, until/unless I see otherwise, that he was neither claimed nor sent down.

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Final score: Penguins 3, Phantoms 1

Oliver Lauridsen makes it 3-1, very late in the third period. Good job! Assist: Holmstrom.

With 14.7 seconds remaining in the third period, the Phantoms go on the PP.

But the Phantoms are unable to score with a 5 on 3 advantage in the final seconds of the period. Final score: Penguins 3, Phantoms 1.

Click here for the Phantoms' official game recap.

Third period (in progress)

Another 5-on-3 disadvantage translates into another Penguins goal in the third period. 3-0 Penguins. But as one of the Phantoms had a double minor, rather than just two minutes, we're still down two players even after being scored on. Holmstrom and Marshall are in the box.

Back to 5 on 5. 8:28 left in the third period. Still 3-0 in favor of the bad guys. SOG favor the Penguins 26-13. The Phantoms have only had one shot on goal so far in this period.

End of Second Period

At the end of the second period, the Penguins lead the Phantoms 2-0.

From Twitter:

@PhantomsHockey shots on goal: ADK 12 - WBS 20.Bacashihua playing well for ADK. Phantoms have been getting to Brad Thiessen but haven't broken him yet.

I was surprised to hear that we will only play in Wilkes-Barre one time this season. That's a major departure from our past history. Then again, we are in a different division from the PA teams this year, after a realignment of the AHL during the offseason.

I'm Not Amused, however, as I would rather see the Phantoms play semi-close to Philly more often than that. W-B is only SEMI-close, to be sure, but it's a darn sight nearer to Philadelphia than Glens Falls is. The distance from the former Spectrum site to the Glens Falls Civic Center is 288 miles. Wilkes-Barre and Hershey offer the opportunity to see the Phantoms live, at a distance that won't require an overnight stay in a hotel. So I'd rather have seen us continue to make numerous appearances in PA during the course of the season.

Phantoms @ Penguins, second period (in progress)

The Penguins drew first blood during this period, and lead 1-0. The Pens also spent some time in this period with 6 skaters on the ice, completely missed by the referees. I guess it's preseason for the officials as well.

With 21 seconds remaining in the Phantoms' 2-man disadvantage, both of which penalties were assessed to our top penalty killers, the Penguins scored again to make it 2-0. So now we'll be at 5 on 4 briefly before returning to full strength.

Even strength now. 8:48 left in the second period.

Michael Leighton loaned to Phantoms; Phantoms preseason results so far

On Wednesday, September 28, the Phantoms opened their preseason in Saratoga vs. the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins with a 3-1 win. Last night, October 1, they dropped a 3-1 decision to the Albany Devils.

They are currently in a game at Wilkes-Barre vs. the Penguins. The score is 0-0 in the first period.

Today, the Flyers announced that they have loaned Michael Leighton to the Phantoms.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Sestito has cleared waivers.

Tom Sestito has cleared waivers. He does not need to pass through re-entry waivers to be recalled to the Flyers.

Tom Sestito sent down

Tom Sestito was ejected from Monday night's Flyers/Rangers preseason game after delivering a hit from behind. There's no word yet on any suspension or fine from the league, but the hit was blatant enough that I'd be amazed if he doesn't get suspended for it.

On Tuesday, it was announced that he was sent to the Phantoms, though he'll have to clear waivers before being added to the roster.

I've seen the AHL partially honor other leagues' suspensions before. See: Jesse Boulerice (twice), Steve Downie. Their suspensions in the AHL weren't as long as the corresponding suspensions from other leagues, but they did have to spend some games in the press box before being allowed to join the Phantoms. So if Sestito gets sternly treated by the NHL, he might have to sit out games in the AHL, as well.

Monday, September 26, 2011

Phantoms to Host Hershey in Outdoor Classic at Citizens Bank Park on January 6

phantoms logo round     MEDIA RELEASE     Flyers

Phantoms to Host Hershey in Outdoor Classic at Citizens Bank Park on January 6 




It is an historic and proud day for the Adirondack Phantoms who have announced they will host and play their first ever outdoor game in franchise history. The Phantoms will be part of the NHL Winter Classic week-long celebration of hockey when they play the Hershey Bears at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia, PA, on Friday, January 6.

"This is an extremely exciting day for the Phantoms organization and Phantoms fans everywhere," said Phantoms President Rob Brooks. "A hockey celebration and atmosphere unlike anything the AHL has ever seen will happen at Citizens Bank Park. We are extremely grateful to (Comcast Spectacor President) Peter Luukko for helping make this truly great event a reality."

It was also announced that the Philadelphia Flyers will play the New York Rangers in the NHL's annual Winter Classic at Citizens Bank Park on Monday, January 2. This is the fifth NHL Winter Classic but the first ever to also feature an AHL outdoor game as part of the festivities.

"The American Hockey League has a strong following in the region and it will be a terrific experience for Pennsylvania hockey fans as the historic Phantoms-Bears rivalry is renewed outdoors at Citizens Bank Park," said David Andrews, AHL President and Chief Executive Officer.

"We are thrilled to join with the Philadelphia Flyers in adding AHL hockey to their outdoor showcase."

The Phantoms and Bears will also wear specially designed jerseys honoring the significance of the Outdoor Classic, similar to the fantastic jerseys the NHL teams have worn in their Winter Classic games.

It will be an especially memorable event for the players themselves who will have the honor of getting to skate on this incredible night. Many of the players grew up with frozen ponds in their backyards where they would play for hours on end. The Outdoor Classic is an homage to those youthful hockey experiences. For these players to now get to play outdoors in front of a huge crowd at a major league stadium is truly once-in-a-lifetime stuff which all will surely remember as an all-time highlight of their careers.

"This will be a terrific opportunity for hockey fans throughout Philadelphia to see the future prospects of the Flyers in a truly unique setting," said Comcast-Spectacor President Peter Luukko. "We're very excited to add a Phantoms regular season game to our week-long celebration of the Winter Classic being in Philadelphia. We look forward to working with both (owners) Rob and Jim Brooks in bringing the Phantoms back to Philadelphia for this truly special night."

This will be the third outdoor game in AHL history; The Syracuse Crunch hosted the Binghamton Senators on February 20, 2010 at the New York State Fairgrounds in front of 21,508 fans. The Connecticut Whale hosted the Providence Bruins on February 19, 2011 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, CT breaking the league's attendance record with 21,673.

"It is exciting to have a chance to break the league attendance record," Brooks said. "In fact, that is our goal and we absolutely believe it will happen. Fans will want to be there just to soak in the magical atmosphere and to be a part of history!"

Citizens Bank Park is the major league baseball home of the Philadelphia Phillies and will have a seating capacity of approximately 40,000.

Details on how to purchase tickets for the Outdoor Classic will be available soon.  One way to be guaranteed a ticket is to become a Phantoms season ticket holder.


Mark your calendars! Adirondack Phantoms Opening Night is Saturday, October 8. The Phantoms take on the Connecticut Whale to begin the third season of exciting Phantoms hockey in Glens Falls. Get great savings and have fun with your friends, family or co-workers by bringing your group of 15 or more fans to enjoy fast-paced, hard-hitting Phantoms hockey. Call the Phantoms to find out more at 518-480-3355 and check the team's website at phantomshockey.com.  

Follow the Phantoms on twitter @phantomshockey and on facebook.com/adkhockey


  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

   

  
  
ADIRONDACK PHANTOMS: Glens Falls Civic Center * One Civic Center Plaza * Glens Falls, NY  12801 * 518-480-3355

MEDIA CONTACT: Bob Rotruck - 518-480-3355 - brotruck@phantomshockey.com

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Building the Phantoms 2011-2012 Roster

Today's Waiver Wire/Flyers Cuts

On Waivers (have to clear to go to Phantoms):

PHI - Jason Bacashihua
PHI - Johan Backlund
PHI - Dan Jancevski
PHI - Jon Kalinski
PHI - Stefan Legein

Full NHL Waivers List: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=376604

Assigned to Phantoms:

FORWARDS
Jason Akeson
Tyler Brown
Shane Harper
Ben Holmstrom
Tye McGinn
Luke Pither
Mike Testwuide
Eric Wellwood

DEFENSEMEN
Marc-Andre Bourdon
Tyler Hostetter
Blake Kessel
Oliver Lauridsen
Kevin Marshall

GOALTENDER
Brad Phillips

Also, Cullen Eddy, Garrett Klotz and Garrett Roe are no longer on an NHL Pro Try-Out and will report to Adirondack as well.

http://flyers.nhl.com/club/news.htm?id=589692

Friday, February 25, 2011

Allentown Morning Call: "Hockey arena no sure thing"

Allentown's Morning Call has a less-than-optimistic article about the downtown site that's been proposed for the new arena. It's a site that has been beset by sinkholes, causing the nixing of a previous attempt at an arena on that site, as well as the demolition of an office building that the sinkholes damaged in the 90s.

Surrounding properties would also have to be purchased from their current owners, or else taken via eminent domain, and the appeals process for that could take "a couple years".

CLICK HERE to see the article itself.

Can someone please explain to me why Bellmawr, NJ was rejected as an arena location? It would have been PERFECT -- minutes away from the Voorhees practice facility, and minutes away from the Spectrum site so the entire existing STH fan base could easily make the shift and go there instead. They already had done an environmental impact study and had plans to manage the increased traffic flow to the area (as there's other developing going on there, with or without the proposed arena). They were ready for, and WANTED, an arena there. Their original plans even had a tentative location shown where the arena would go. And in the meantime, the rumors were that the team would spend the interim in Atlantic City.

But NOOOO. That made too much sense. We couldn't do THAT. Instead, we get the team moved 288 miles away, to a place where we have to reserve a hotel room if we want to see them play a home game. The AC interim move was nixed because they had concerns about poor attendance, yet we are currently 29th out of 30 AHL teams in attendance. Moreover, the intended permanent home in Allentown, from which we'd heard nothing since last summer, is only surfacing in the news to report plan changes and potential problems.

All this is making me a Very Grouchy Fan right about now. Can you tell?

Pronger questionable for Saturday; Gustafsson called up

Because Chris Pronger is questionable for Saturday's game with a swollen hand, Erik Gustafsson has been recalled from the Phantoms. CLICK HERE for the story on the Phantoms site.

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Allentown arena: a construction site has been chosen. Or has it?

For the first time in a long time, we are hearing news of actual decisions being made in Allentown, regarding the placement of their new arena.

I don't know the layout of Allentown, so I can't offer an opinion on the suitability of the various potential construction sites. But apparently the original waterfront site, which is near their baseball stadium, has been ruled out in favor of a downtown site. Or at least it's PROBABLY ruled out. Per the Morning Call article:

"Logistically, if downtown doesn't work, then the riverfront goes back on the table. But there's a hope to get it downtown," the source said. "Until it's all signed, sealed and delivered, no one really knows what's going to happen. If they did, there would have been a press conference already."

So there you have it. It's been decided, unless it hasn't been decided, and it's a great big definite maybe. But someone actually mentioned the arena plans in a public venue, so that in itself is a measure of progress compared to hearing nothing whatsoever.

Click on the links to see coverage in Glens Falls's The Post-Star, Allentown's Morning Call, and Easton's Express-Times.

P.S. I couldn't help but notice the irony in the photo of the Brooks Brothers, taken in the Allentown press conference in 2009, which accompanied the Easton article. Notice anything about those jerseys? How about the SPECTRUM commemorative patches? Which, incidentally, go nicely with the shoulder patch depicting Phlex with the SPECTRUM.

Sigh.

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Phantoms register a hat trick AND shutout in the same game!

It figures last night's game was one I couldn't watch because I wasn't home. I'll have to watch the archived video, because not only did the Phantoms beat one of the league's better teams in Hamilton, they earned the W in style. Denis Hamel registered the team's second hat trick in as many weekends, and Michael Leighton earned something that no Flyers goalie has achieved yet this season, a shutout, as the Phantoms downed the Hamilton Bulldogs 4-0. Way to go!

Here is the link to the game's box score. Read it and rejoice! :-)

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Article on Leighton's rehab stint with the Phantoms (including interview)

CLICK HERE to read The Post-Star's interview with Michael Leighton as he starts his rehab stint with the Phantoms. We expect to see him in both games this weekend.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Micnael Leighton has arrived in Glens Falls. What will happen with the Flyers/Phantoms goalie situation, once Leighton's rehab stint ends in up to 6 days, is anybody's guess. Meanwhile, Backlund will miss 2-4 weeks with an ankle sprain.

If the Flyers opt to send Leighton down after the rehab stint, he would have to clear waivers. Given his history of being claimed, I will be somewhat surprised if he clears.

Friday, November 12, 2010

Hallelujah, the streak is over! Phantoms win in OT!

Hallelujah! The Phantoms won 4-3 in OT! Thank you, Denis Hamel for tying the game with 1:55 left, then scoring the winner in overtime!

Must have been the prayers from the people in the house for Faith and Family Night that put us over the top. :-) I wonder if we can get them all to attend the rest of our games this year?

Thursday, November 11, 2010

New coach, Same Results: Losing Streak Reaches 10 Games

The results speak for themselves, and they're not saying anything pretty.

The Phantoms have welcomed John Paddock into his second stint as head coach with a 5-1 loss to the second-worst team in the league, the Toronto Marlies. In seven of the ten losses in this streak, we have given up 5 or more goals. In ALL of the losses in the streak, we've given up at least four goals. We haven't earned a standings point since an OTL on October 16.

I posted about replacing Gilbert with Paddock the day before the team pulled the trigger on precisely that move. For my next feat, I predict that trades and reassignments are going to be the order of the day. Some guys are going to be headed to the ECHL or out of the organization entirely. Speaking of which, I read a rumor a few days ago that we would see Maroon moved this week, but so far, that hasn't come to fruition. Here's hoping we get someone back who can help us, STAT. When it's crisis time and we're not even to Thanksgiving yet, you know your hockey team's having a rough year.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Phantoms Weekly Report #5, Phantoms Podcast, Transcript to Flyers Conference Call

HERE is the Phantoms Weekly Report #5 from the Phantoms site.

I seem to have missed last week's podcast link, so I'll put that link in with this week's:

HERE is the Phantoms Podcast Episode #5, and

HERE is Phantoms Podcast Episode #6 on The Post-Star.

And HERE is the transcript to tonight's conference call with the Flyers, regarding the coaching changes. As beat writer Tim McManus pointed out, it's different from, and expanded in some places compared to, the transcript released by the Flyers.

Greg Gilbert relieved of coaching duties; John Paddock named interim head coach; Wellwood returns to Phantoms

When the team is mired in a nine-game losing streak, and hasn't garnered a point of any kind since an overtime loss on October 16, something has to be done.

Today, the Phantoms relieved Greg Gilbert of his coaching duties. Assistant GM John Paddock will retake his place behind the Phantoms bench. He last coached the Phantoms during the 2008-09 season, the final year in Philadelphia. Former Adirondack Red Wing Joe Paterson would join the team as an assistant coach.

Click HERE to see the article on the Phantoms website.

The preliminary story in The Post-Star is HERE.

Eric Wellwood has been returned to the Phantoms on loan from the Flyers, after a callup during which he received a lot of praise. If not for the salary cap, I suspect he might have been able to stay up a little longer. See The Post-Star's Phantoms blog post HERE.

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Phantoms' losing streak reaches nine, sets a franchise record

I don't know what's more depressing: the way the Phantoms are playing right now, or the negative, sometimes hostile response of the fans online (as represented by the people who post comments on The Post-Star's news coverage and blog posts). But honestly, the team has performed so poorly this season, that the fans are within their rights to rant.

The Phantoms have set a franchise record with their ninth consecutive loss. They haven't earned a point since October 16, an OTL vs. Albany. That's more than ten percent of the season we've burned up in this losing streak, folks. I'm detecting another playoff-free season unless we start turning things around, and I mean NOW.

Gilbert's in the tough position of having an extremely young team with a lot of newly-minted pros, plus the loss of one top guy (Maroon) and the presence of two other top guys who've been "served notice" that if they don't straighten up and fly right, they'll be the next ones gone (Kalinski and Legein). We got a new veteran (Denis Hamel), and he's scored three times for us in two games, but it'll take a lot more than one guy to get this team on the right track.

My instinct says, "Get Gilbert out of there, and tell Assistant GM (and former Phantoms coach) John Paddock he's going back behind the bench for the remainder of the season." Paddock's Phantoms didn't exactly dominate the league in 2008-09, but at least we made the freaking playoffs. We got steamrolled by the Hershey powerhouse in the first round, but at least we freaking got to the first round.

It's a mess in Glens Falls. As much as I miss my team and wish I could see them in person, there's a part of me that's thinking, "I don't want these health issues that are keeping me from a road trip, but at least I can't travel NOW while the team can't seem to win its way out of a paper bag." Maybe the team's play will improve by the time my health does.

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Phantoms Weekly Report #4

Read the Phantoms Weekly Report #4 HERE on the Phantoms website.

Phantoms' losing streak continues; Denis Hamel comes to ADK; Eric Wellwood makes Flyers debut; More on Maroon's departure

The Phantoms lost their seventh consecutive game on Saturday, to Rochester. Read about it, as well as Paul Holmgren's comments on Pat Maroon's status, HERE. There is also a transcript of Holmgren's interview HERE. Patrick Maroon will not be returning to the Phantoms; Holmgren is exploring other options, including trade or reassignment to the ECHL.

Maybe we can loan him out to another AHL team. (Preferably NOT one in our division, as that could come back to bite us in the caboose.) I've seen us loan players out to other teams, and then accept others on loan in return. Surely there'll be at least one other AHLer somewhere in the league who could use a fresh start in a new organization. That would be the first place I would look to send Maroon, be it by loan or by trade, with the intent of receiving said other player back in return. Whatever happened, it's a downright shame that matters had to reach this point. I thought Maroon brought a lot to the table on the ice, and this team sorely needs any and all contributions right now as they attempt to get back on track. According to THIS post, Jon Kalinski and Stefan Legein were "warned" to straighten up and fly right, or face a similar fate to Maroon's.

There IS some good news to report on the player front. Denis Hamel, an AHL veteran who had a brief (7 games) stint with the Flyers a few years ago, has been signed to a PTO. He's spent the past few years with the Bingo Sens. He has a track record of community involvement in Binghamton, including winning the AHLs Yanick Dupre Award as the league's Man of the Year, so I'm sure Senators fans will hate to see him go. I think a veteran of his on- and off-ice caliber will be a huge boon to the team right now. Read more about him HERE.

In other good news, Eric Wellwood made his NHL debut last night, as the Flyers will be without the services of Danny Briere (suspended) and Andreas Nodl (injured) for the next several games. He looked terrific. I can honestly say that no observer would have been able to guess that it was his first NHL game, if they hadn't already been aware of that fact, solely from watching him play. I thought for sure that he was about to get his first NHL assist, at one point, but the puck didn't cooperate by going into the net. Heck. On the other hand, if he keeps playing as he did last night, his first NHL points will be listed among his stats by the time he returns to the Phantoms.

Saturday, October 30, 2010

Phantoms dismiss Patrick Maroon, extend losing streak to 6 games

I'm entirely bewildered to log on today and see that, along with losing the sixth straight game last night, the Phantoms have dismissed Patrick Maroon. He is "pending reassignment", according to coach Greg Gilbert. That could mean anything from a loanout to a trade to a buyout, so stay tuned.

What. The. Bleep. I hate to see us lose our current top scorer, especially since goals have been supremely hard to come by in the team's first nine games. He was slated to be a mainstay of the team this year, which makes the news that much more jarring.

The Post-Star has articles here and here. The Broad Street Hockey site has THIS to say on the subject.

I'm pretty well floored by this news, to be honest. Our front office had better come up with some scoring punch ASAP to replace what Maroon would have brought to the team this year. I was expecting him to have a breakout season, or at least a make-or-break one as he's a prospect in a contract year. So much for that idea.

Significantly, both Paul Holmgren and John Paddock were in attendance in Glens Falls last night. The Flyers had a game in Pittsburgh at the same time, which (as I found out earlier this week) is actually closer to Philadelphia than Glens Falls is. In any event, it's not a small matter for Homer and Paddock to make an appearance at a Phantoms game when the Flyers are playing as well. I'm trying hard to remember if it ever happened when the Phantoms were in the Spectrum, and I can't. The Flyers brass were normally with the Flyers on their game days, not the Phantoms, even when we were only right across the street. Of course, when both teams were in Philly, they also both PRACTICED in the same building, so the Flyers brass had ready access to the farm team at nearly all times (barring road trips for one or both teams). So they wouldn't have had to make a 288-mile pilgrimage to make their point by showing up in person.

All I can say is, with the way the Phantoms are slumping, GOOD that Holmgren and Paddock watched the team with their own eyes last night. I hope they stuck around in Glens Falls for tonight's game, too (though the Flyers have a home game tonight). I *want* the front office people to see firsthand just what the Phantoms need to field a competitive team. And right now, we need plenty.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

Back-to-back 5-1 losses. Ouch. Also, game recaps, podcasts and weekly report updates

I haven't had the chance to listen to/watch the last couple of Phantoms games. The stream for their radio station has been down-and-out for over a week, and I haven't been home to watch the games online.

However, I can say that we lost to the Charlotte Checkers (former Albany River Ratw) at home on Friday night, 5-1. Jon Matsumoto, who was traded to Carolina over the summer, had a goal and two assists, and was the second star. I still can't figure out why the Flyers never even gave him a cup of coffee in the NHL. Then we played in Hershey on Saturday night, and lost 5-1 again. Ouch. Without having seen the past couple of games, I can't vouch for what we did well or poorly, but the scoresheets suggest that there are at least some things that we'll do well to work on in our next practices.

Sorry for the delay in posting... my health has not been ideal lately, and it's been getting in my way at times. The good news is, when I have surgery next month, it'll be all over but the recovery, but until then, I'll keep plugging away the best I can.

I have a couple of podcast links, courtesy of The Post-Star:

Phantoms Podcast, Episode 3
Phantoms Podcast, Episode 4

Here is the Phantoms Weekly Release, Week 2 from the Phantoms website.

Recaps of games that were played between the previous post and now:

October 12: Phantoms @ Wilkes-Barre/Scranton; Penguins 2, Phantoms 1
October 15: Syracuse @ Phantoms; Phantoms 3, Crunch 2
October 16: Albany @ Phantoms; Devils 4, Phantoms 3, OT
October 17: Phantoms @ Rochester; Americans 5, Phantoms 2
October 22: Charlotte @ Phantoms; Checkers 5, Phantoms 1
October 23: Phantoms @ Hershey; Bears 5, Phantoms 1
October 24: Phantoms @ Hershey; Bears 4, Phantoms 2

Monday, October 11, 2010

Phatoms Weekly, Week One; Phantoms website's coverage of the weekend

CLICK HERE for the Phantoms' website's first Phantoms Weekly report of the season.

CLICK HERE for the Phantoms' website's coverage of the weekend games.

10-9-10 Phantoms @ Albany: Phantoms 5, Devils 3, plus weekend wrap-up

I wasn't able to watch the Phantoms/Albany tilt live. However, I was pleased to see that we've earned the first win of the season, defeating Albany 5-3.

Here is the coverage of Saturday's games in The Post-Star:

Phantoms' efforts pay off in victory
Phantoms Forum: Phantoms 5, Devils 3 (FINAL)
Phantoms Forum: Postgame: Phantoms 5, Albany 3

Here is the box score from the AHL's site.

Friday, October 8, 2010

10-08-10 Phantoms at Binghamtom: Senators 5, Phantoms 1

From the Phantoms Facebook page:

Phantoms fall at Binghamton 5-1 in season opener. Great game for Johan Backlund in goal. Patrick Maroon scores first Adirondack goal of the year on the power play easily slamming in the nice cross-ice feed from Dan Jancevski. Next up: At the Albany Devils Saturday night at 7. Just 7 days away until the Phantoms Home Opener!

I did get to watch the entire game online; however, the audio was glitched for both the Adirondack and Binghamton feeds. So all of the fans who were logged in to AHL Live watched the game sans play-by-play until a little while after the midpoint of the game.

I haven't yet seen the box score, nor the stars of the game. However, I can say that Johan Backlund should have had a star, five goals-against notwithstanding. The Phantoms' teamwide youth (average age 22.8 years) really showed itself tonight, as there were lengthy stretches when the only Phantom touching the puck was the goaltender. We were massively outshot, and there were some parts of the game when even though the teams were even strength, the appearance was that the Senators were on the power play.

Though we did give up three PP goals, I can say that I was pleased to see the Phantoms kill off a full two-minute 5-on-3 PK. So that, and Backlund's performance in the game, were bright spots.

I am still concerned that Backlund's hip is still not quite in top form yet. The Senators got a wraparound goal, going around behind the net after Backlund made an excellent save on one post, and firing it in the open side of the net. Backlund just couldn't make the lateral move quickly enough. Mind you, a lot of goalies might have had a challenge going post-to-post on that particular goal. But the way Backlund moved made me think that his hip was among the reasons he couldn't get over there as quickly as he'd have liked. One thing's for sure -- his hip, and everything else, got quite the workout during this game. He'll be able to make a long report to the trainer on how the hip felt when he put it through its paces.

CLICK HERE for the box score from tonight's game.
CLICK HERE for The Post-Star's Phantoms blog post for the game.
CLICK HERE for The Post-Star's postgame blog post.
CLICK HERE for the game article from The Post-Star.


The Phantoms play in Albany on Saturday at 7 PM.

Phantoms officially announce the finalized roster

CLICK HERE for the article on the Phantoms website, announcing the final roster to start the season.

Post-Star article, including Phantoms final roster

CLICK HERE to read Tim McManus's article: "3 things to watch this weekend, a final roster, and where everyone went". It includes the Phantoms opening night roster, as well as a list of where the players went who were cut from the training camp roster. The following players will be on the Phantoms roster when they play the season opener tonight:

Forwards (13): Matt Clackson, Ben Holmstrom, Jon Kalinski, Garrett Klotz, David Laliberte, Stefan Legein, Pat Maroon, Greg Moore, Luke Pither, Andrew Rowe, Zac Rinaldo, Mike Testwuide, Eric Wellwood.

Defensemen (7): Marc-Andre Bourdon, Erik Gustafsson, Dan Jancevski, Joonas Lehtivuori, Kevin Marshall, Logan Stephenson, J.P. Testwuide.

Goalies (2): Johan Backlund, Brian Stewart.

Captains: Dan Jancevski (C); Greg Moore (A); David Laliberte (A).

Thursday, October 7, 2010

Post-Star Weekly Phantoms Forum Podcast; Power Rankings from The Hockey News; Twitter updates

CLICK HERE to listen to the latest Phantoms podcast on the Post-Star site.

The Hockey News has released its AHL Power Rankings. Click HERE to see them. The Phantoms have almost nowhere to go but up, as they've been ranked 29th out of a possible 30 teams. I can't say that's a surprising way for the team to start this season, given the combination of underachievement last year plus the loss of our top scorers. However, I do believe that we've got what it takes to have a far better season this year than the subpar results of last year. Unfortunately, we've got a couple of powerhouses in the division, with Hershey and Wilkes-Barre, so challenging for a playoff spot will be as difficult of a task as ever. However, I see that Hershey has lost some of its Phantoms-killers to other teams and other leagues (Alexandre Giroux, anyone?), so perhaps that will be to our benefit.

According to beat writer Tim McManus's Twitter feed, Dan Jancevski has been named captain of the team, with Greg Moore and David Laliberte as alternate captains. Shane Harper is confirmed as sent to the ECHL affiliate in Greenville. D Cullen Eddy appears to have been sent to Greenville as well.

Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Per Broad Street Hockey, Nodl has been temporarily sent to the Phantoms due to roster size constraints

According to THIS article on Broad Street Hockey, the Flyers had to temporarily assign Andreas Nodl to the Phantoms in order to trim their roster size to 23.

Ian Laperriere (post-concussion syndrome) and Michael Leighton (bulging disk in lower back) are not on the LTIR yet, though it's expected that both of them will eventually go on the long-term injured reserve. Assigning them to the LTIR would remove them from the active roster; the Flyers roster stands at 25, when it must be 23 by noon today.

Therefore, Nodl was sent down as a roster-trimming move, though according to Paul Holmgren, he will be recalled when the Flyers have cleared room for him on the active roster.

I sure hope he doesn't have to haul himself and all his gear 288 miles to Glens Falls, if he's going to be back on the Flyers roster in the immediate future. This is the kind of thing that makes me (and, I'm sure, the Flyers brass) miss the days when both teams operated out of the same practice facility. Callups and send-downs merely required a player to walk to the opposite side of the same building. Oh, well.

Tuesday, October 5, 2010

More Phantoms moves (Riopel to ECHL)

According to the Twitter feed of Phantoms beat writer Tim McManus, the Phantoms have made additional roster moves to bring their roster to 23. According to THIS article in today's Post-Star, here is the Phantoms' current roster:

Goalies (2): Johan Backlund, Brian Stewart.

Forwards (13): Pat Maroon, Luke Pither, Mike Testwuide, Andrew Rowe, Greg Moore, Stefan Legein, Eric Wellwood, Ben Holmstrom, David Laliberte, Garrett Klotz, Jon Kalinski, Matt Clackson, Zac Rinaldo.

Defenseman (8): Marc-Andre Bourdon, Joonas Lehtivuori, Erik Gustafsson, Dan Jancevski, Kevin Marshall, Logan Stephenson, J.P. Testwuide, Cullen Eddy.

Today's practice lines, again drawing from the above-mentioned article, are as follows:

Lines: Maroon/Pither/Legein; Rowe/Moore/M. Testwuide; Wellwood/Holmstrom/Laliberte; Klotz/Kalinski(Rinaldo)/Clackson.

Defense: Gustafsson/Jancevski; Bourdon/Lehtivuori; Marshall/Stephenson; J.P Testwuide/Eddy.

Monday, October 4, 2010

Post-Star coverage of the roster moves, last night's Flyers preseason game

CLICK HERE for the Post-Star's coverage of today's Phantoms roster moves, as well as some talk about last night's Flyers preseason game.

Patrick Maroon took part in the Flyers tilt in Buffalo, and absorbed a hard hit that appeared to knock him out. He left the ice on his own; however, he missed a lot of time last season due to a concussion, so this is not the kind of thing anyone wants to see. I hope he's all right.

More players assigned to Phantoms

According to the Twitter feeds of Anthony SanFilippo and Tim Panaccio, the following players have been sent from the Flyers to the Phantoms: Backlund, Bourdon, Testwuide, Holmstrom, Gustafsson, Laliberte, and Kalinski.

Andreas Nodl, meanwhile, is staying with the Flyers, as is Sergei Bobrovsky. With the possibility that Ian Laperriere and Michael Leighton will be starting the NHL season on the LTIR, that's a significant tip of the cap to both those players.

EDIT TO ADD: Backlund and Laliberte have to clear waivers in order to be sent down. I hadn't realized that Laliberte would have to clear waivers.

Sunday, October 3, 2010

Phantoms lose third preseason game, 5-4, in Syracuse

For the second night in a row, the online radio stream didn't work. However, I did find a couple of Syracuse Crunch-related Twitter feeds that kept me updated on the game. Such as this one:

@SyracuseCrunch Syracuse Crunch win 5-4 v. Adirondack Phantoms! Bonino named first star and Syvret gets the 2nd star.

I think we're going to regret not having Syvret on this team anymore. On the other hand, we have a huge logjam on the Flyers blueline. He probably stands a better chance of getting an NHL shot in Anaheim's system, as compared to ours.

Anyway, the Phantoms are now 0-3, or 0-2-1-0 if you want to separate OTL and SOLs from regulation losses. They were all close games on the scoreboard, which is good, but I'm looking forward to seeing the team register a W.

Phantoms Preseason Results to date

The Phantoms have played two preseason games vs. Albany so far. The first one was a 2-1 OT loss to the Albany Devils on Friday night. The second one was a 4-2 loss, with the fourth Albany goal going into the empty net.

I haven't been online a lot in the past couple of days, so I'm going to have to do some legwork to track down preseason coverage. However, I did find a nice writeup on Zac Rinaldo, a Phantom who should help make this a pretty colorful season. :-) CLICK HERE for Broad Street Hockey's take on his performance so far.

The Phantoms wrap up a three-games-in-three-nights stint in Syracuse tonight. Here's to improving our preseason record with a win!

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Phantoms Podcast

The first Phantoms podcast can be found HERE on the Post-Star's website.

Update on the Phantoms Training Camp Roster

According to THIS ARTICLE on the Post-Star site, there will be 19 players on tryout contracts joining the Phantoms who were sent to Adirondack from Flyers training camp. The roster will be as follows:


Phantoms training camp roster
Forwards (20): Greg Moore, Luke Pither, Matt Clackson, Garrett Klotz, Pat Maroon, Tye McGinn, Zac Rinaldo, Andrew Rowe, Shane Harper and Stefan Legein, Justin Bowers, Andrew Martin, David Volpe, Brett Wilson, Josh Fauth, Josh Heidinger, Guilio Scandella, Brett Watson, Chase Watson, Jason Williams.

Defensemen (14): Chad Denny, Jesse Dudas, Cullen Eddy, Dan Jancevski, Logan Stephenson, J.P. Testwuide, Brad Cole, Patrick Cusack, Thomas Dignard, Jim Driscoll, Mike Gershon, Dan Henningson, Peter MacDougall.

Goalies (3): Nic Riopel, Brian Stewart, Brad Phillips.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Cut-down day arrives: Players reassigned to Phantoms and junior teams

CLICK HERE for the article about player reassignments (or releases from tryout contracts) on the Flyers site.


Flyers reduce training camp roster

Flyers trim roster by 28 players

Sunday, 09.26.2010 / 3:33 PM / News
Philadelphia Flyers
The Philadelphia Flyers announced today that they have reduced their training camp roster by 28 players, according to General Manager Paul Holmgren. Eighteen players have been assigned to the team's American Hockey League affiliate, the Adirondack Phantoms.  Five players have been returned to their junior teams, and five others were released from tryout contracts.


The following players were assigned to the Phantoms and will report to the team's training camp later this week: forwards Greg Moore, Luke Pither, Matt Clackson, Garrett Klotz, Pat Maroon, Tye McGinn, Zac Rinaldo, Andrew Rowe, Shane Harper and Stefan Legein; defensemen Chad Denny, Jesse Dudas, Cullen Eddy, Dan Jancevski, Logan Stephenson, and J.P. Testwuide; and goaltenders Nic Riopel and Brian Stewart.

The following players have been returned to their junior teams: D Ricard Blidstrand (Regina, WHL); F Michael Chaput (Lewiston, QMJHL); F David Labrecque (Shawinigan, QMJHL); D Brendan Ranford (Kamloops, WHL) and D Tyler Hostetter (Erie, OHL).  In addition, F Justin Dowling and F Blake Gal were released from their Amateur Tryout Agreements and will also return to their junior teams, while forward Michael Ryan and defensemen Ryan Lannon and Joe Piskula were released from their Professional Tryout Agreements.

The moves leave the Flyers training camp roster at 37 players (20 forwards, 12 defensemen and five goaltenders). 

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Friday, September 17, 2010

Phantoms site training camp coverage and radio station

The Phantoms web page has got some coverage of Flyers Training Camp HERE.

Also, WNYQ will broadcast Phantoms games again this season. Their "Listen Live" link is now active again. I'm pretty glad about that, as I really grew to like that station and was disappointed when the cybercast went offline during the summer. HERE is the link to listen to the station.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

2010 Flyers Training Camp Roster

The Flyers begin Training Camp on September 17 with the unveiling of their new road jersey. They will be on the ice for the first time on September 18.

CLICK HERE for the PDF version of the Training Camp Guide.

Here is the roster, sorted by jersey number. Sorry if the formatting gets goofed up... it's a challenge to get the spacing to behave when copying and pasting from a spreadsheet. (I'm trying to look up the right technique even as I type, but I haven't found it yet.)


Nbr Last Name First Name Position
3 Bartulis       Oskars  D
5 Coburn  Braydon  D
6 O'Donnell       Sean D
8 Walker    Matt D
9 Guerin  Bill RW
10 Laliberte David RW
11 Betts Blair LW
13 Carcillo Daniel LW
14 Laperriere Ian C/RW
15 Nodl Andreas RW
17 Carger Jeff
18 Richards Mike C
19 Hartnell Scott LW
20 Pronger Chris    
21 van Riemsdyk James    RW
22 Leino    Ville    RW
24 Ryan     Michael   C
25 Carle    Matt     D
26 Jancevski Dan      D
27 Gustafsson Erik     D
28 Giroux   Claude   RW
29 Maroon   Patrick   LW
30 Backlund Johan    G
32 Moore    Greg     C
33 Boucher   Brian    G
34 Holmstrom    Ben      C
35 Bobrovsky Sergei   G
36 Powe     Darroll   RW
37 Kalinski Jon      C
38 Harper   Shane    RW
39 Testwuide Mike     RW
40 Pither   Luke     C
41 Meszaros Andreas   D
42 Chaput   Michael  C
43 Bourdon  Marc-Andre D
44 Timonen  Kimmo    D
45 Shelley  Jody     D
46 Marshall Kevin    D
47 Wellwood Eric     LW
48 Briere   Danny    C
49 Leighton Michael   G
50 Blidstrand Ricard   D
51 Rinaldo  Zac      C
52 Rowe     Andrew   LW
53 McGinn   Tye      LW
54 Legein   Stefan   RW
55 Hostetter Tyler    D
56 Manning   Neil     D
57 Stephenson Logan    D
58 Lehtivuori Joonas   D
59 Dowling   Justin   C
60 Labrecque David    C
61 O'Connor Ryan     D
62 Eddy     Cullen   D
63 Clackson Matt     LW
64 Klotz    Garrett  LW
65 Testwuide J.P.     D
67 Stewart Brian    G
70 Bissonette Matt     LW
71 Gal       Blake    RW
72 Ranford   Brendan  LW
73 Morrison Adam     G
74 Riopel    Nic      G
76 Dudas    Jesse    D
93 Zherdev  Nikolai RW