Last night the Phantoms lost in overtime to Bridgeport as I got my first look at wunderkind rookie forward Bobby Brink. Syracuse is in town tonight, and may be missing some key players.
“Your Brinker is On”
Minnesota native Bobby Brink was the second round selection of the Philadelphia Flyers out of the University of Denver in 2019. He was able to get into 10 games at the end of last season with the Flyers, where he tallied 4 assists and a -5 +/-. As we detailed yesterday, his scouting report has him as an elite playmaker with a deadly shot and superior “hockey sense.” The knocks against him concern his skating ability and perhaps his size (he’s 5’8″ in your program.)
Last night was my first extended live look at him, and he is the kind of prospect that intrigues me. So, while noting that I’m far from any kind of hockey scout, I’ll share my observations anyway.
His “hockey sense” was on display as I often observed him away from the puck putting himself in position to support his teammates and perhaps make the next play. He seemed to hustle up and down the ice just fine; he’s not a speed demon like some of the more diminutive players are. As per his scouting, he did go to the corners and dig pucks; however, once he got dumped and got up and retaliated, resulting in taking a tripping penalty. From my angle I couldn’t see if maybe embellishing or officiating nonsense was part of that call, but nevertheless that needs to get cleaned up. Overall I was impressed and look forward to watching him more.
If you have any observations of your own, please leave them in the comments for all to see (many readers don’t have SpaceBook.)
Transaction: D Adam Karashik has returned from Reading. He has struggled with injuries this season. It is unknown if his return signals a need on the Phantoms part, or if he had competed his assignment with Reading and is now fully healthy.
In the game, the Phantoms got the lead in the game in the second period but could neither add to it nor hold on. In overtime, the Islets had an open look and buried one on Sandstrom. Giving up a power play goal was of course the problem. Foerster had two goals and I did fear for my favorite Reebok phantoms cap for a good portion of the game.
Lines:
28 Lycksell – 51 Anisimov – 71 Foerster
17 Wilson – 91 Desnoyers – 23 Brink
20 Willman – 9 O’Reilly – 25 Marody
24 Brooks – 18 Cates – 15 Bellerive
6 Hogberg – 47 Belpedio
44 Connauton – 12 Attard
37 Ginning – 29 Wylie
32 Sandstrom (73 Maier)
The ‘Cuse
The AHL affiliate of the Tampa Bay Lightning is in town. They’ll likely be without goaltender Jack LoFontaine and forward Gemel Smith who are suspended following an altercation involving an official in a recent game. The Crunch are 14-13-2-3 on the season, good enough for fourth place in the AHL North. True to form, they are perfectly average over their past 10: 5-4-0-1. They’ll bring with them the AHL 15th-ranked power play and the 21st-ranked PK. This will be the first meeting between the Phantoms and the Crunch this season.
C Felix Robert is a familiar name from the WBS Penguins. D Trevor Carrick is a familiar name from many seasons in Charlotte. D Darren Raddysh, formerly of Hartford, leads the team in points thanks to 30 assists.
GAME DAY!
Let me know how you’re doing with parking. Have there been any issues? As planned, I didn’t get a win last night, but I do have a plan to evade the parking overlords today. Wish me luck.
Today’s game is available on AHL.TV as they’ve got a free-view for all games. Good seats still remain for tonight’s game, both on the primary and secondary markets.
It’s Valley Youth House Night tonight, for Saturday Night Hockey Live. If you bring along a toilet paper donation you can get some raffle tickets and win prizes, including a TV! There’s a DJ for our musical guest tonight. Family value packs are available tonight, if you’ve got four folks to come out and don’t yet have tickets, it’s a good value.
OFFICIALS
Referee Dre Barone (#55)
Referee Mike Sullivan (#89)
Linesperson J.P. Waleski (#14)
Linesperson Tommy George (#61)
MEDIA KIT
What To Watch
- Watch to see if they continue to ride conditioning-tasked Felix Sandstrom or if perhaps young Nolan Maier gets a start here. Nolan has had three games, 2.58 GAA, .882 SAV%.
- Watch Brink. #23. See what you think. Share your thoughts.
- Marody is a blog favorite. I thought he was due for a multi-point game. He’s got Captain Cal as his centerman. I’m not sure if he’s still nursing injuries, but he didn’t look right last night. Something to watch.
- Watch the defenders. They just kind of fall asleep sometimes and leave a guy open in front of the net. I don’t like that. Or, is the guy standing there by himself from the other team, actually the responsibility of one of the forwards? I don’t know but it’s been giving me agita.
- Watch the PK. It goes along with the last item, but it almost feels like there’s no urgency to kill the penalty. Improvement is needed (ranked 31 of 32.)
- Watch to see if I pay $7 for a coffee because I don’t want to stand in line and miss the DJ.
- Can somebody put a hip into that Raddysh guy?
Up Next
The Hamilton Street Heroes head back out on the road hitting Cleveland mid-week and Wilkes on Friday before getting the weekend off. Look out for details about an outdoor practice and other Season Ticket Member events. To close out January and open February we’ll have a string of five home dates prior to the All Star Break.
Photo: Jack Mitroka
See you at the arena,
@Kram207