ALLENTOWN, Pa. -- The kids are coming.
It’s inevitable.
Sure, highly-touted prospects such as Ivan Provorov, Travis Konecny and Travis Sanheim aren’t available at the moment but their time is coming. If it’s not with the Flyers when their junior careers conclude, it’ll be with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
And that’s a good thing.
For the first time in a long time, the Flyers can actually count on their AHL affiliate to provide some quality young call-ups when players on the big club either drop off drastically or go down with injuries. They’re stocking up for the future and Allentown is providing the organization a great place to develop their youngsters.
We’ve already seen what Shayne Gostisbehere can do at the NHL level. He stepped into the lineup and has made an immediate impact. Nick Cousins and Taylor Leier also had opportunities to showcase their skillsets in brief stints with the Flyers this season, both, however, serving limited roles on the fourth line.
The most important thing is none of these players have looked out of place. That all starts with Lehigh Valley head coach Scott Gordon, who has taken over for Terry Murray behind the Phantoms’ bench. Murray left the organization to take an assistant coaching position with Dan Bylsma and the Buffalo Sabres over the summer.
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Now, Gordon is ushering in a new era in Phantoms hockey.
The 52-year-old, who had previously coached in the NHL with the New York Islanders, is a former Coach of the Year in the AHL. He preaches speed and pressure, something that meshes well with what first-year NHL bench boss Dave Hakstol is trying to accomplish with the Flyers.
The ultimate goal is for Gordon to help turn the Flyers' prospects into professionals quickly. He's worked with countless players on multiple pro levels and understands how important development can be to any franchise.
The Phantoms have had to face some adversity in 2015-16. They've had numerous key players miss significant games because of injuries but they've managed to remain competitive. They limped into the Christmas break at 14-15-1, good for fifth place in the Atlantic Division and 11th in the Eastern Conference. The playoffs are still within reach, however.
One thing that Lehigh Valley isn’t lacking is leadership. Something that isn’t discussed often is how crucial it is for a team to surround its prospects with model veterans.
That’s where Colin McDonald and Andrew MacDonald come into the equation. McDonald was named team captain after the Phantoms’ training camp and MacDonald is one of two assistants. Davis Drewiske wears the other “A.”
When Lehigh Valley needs a spark, it usually looks to McDonald.
“That’s my job. I try to bring that energy,” he said after a 6-4 victory over the Hershey Bears last Friday. “I try to play the same way that I play when I get called up. That physical part of my game the last couple of years. Just try to play hard and I try to do that every night. It’s not as easy as people think, sometimes the hits are there sometimes they’re not.”
McDonald made a game-changing hit in Lehigh Valley’s win over Hershey. With his team down 3-1 in the first period, the wily veteran absolutely ran over Bears defenseman Ryan Stanton. The check was clean, and it woke up his teammates.
“I like how the team responded after the big hit by Colin McDonald,” Gordon said. “It was huge. Seemed to get some emotion for us in a situation where much wasn’t going our way for a bit there.”
McDonald’s coach wasn’t the only person who spoke highly of him after the game. Several players brought up the hit and lauded their captain for the positive approach and professionalism he brings to the locker room.
He’s the kind of guy every team needs.
“Absolutely,” Cousins said. “He's our captain. That's the way he plays and he plays the right way. He's a big leader for us and a big momentum change in the game. We stuck with our composure there, big moment there for us and it comes from none other than our captain.”
McDonald is relishing the opportunity to mentor some of the Flyers' young crop of prospects. He said he frequently meets with his coaches and teammates to discuss every element of the game. Anything to make the team better.
He has help, too. MacDonald, who was stuffed in the minors as a cap casualty, has embraced his role with the Phantoms.
It could've been an awkward situation, but MacDonald has handled his demotion extraordinarily well. He's been paired with Gostisbehere and Robert Hagg — two promising defensemen with completely different styles — and plays in all situations.
“A-Mac has been great in that regard," said Gordon, who coached MacDonald when they were both with the Isles. "He’s a leader and has come down here with nothing but a great attitude. We appreciate that because it’s important that your leadership set the example. He does it in every way.”
To steal a line from Sam Hinkie and the Sixers, trust the process. The Flyers aren’t in a full-blown rebuild but their piecing together something that could be special by putting an emphasis on building from within (see story).
It just requires a little patience. And a few guys like McDonald and MacDonald to help move things along behind the scenes.