Philadelphia Flyers Farm Report: Laperrière, Marody, Gaucher, & More – Hockey Writers – Philadelphia Flyers

The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, finished the 2023-24 campaign with a record of 32-31-6-3, sixth in the Atlantic Division of the league’s Eastern Conference. The Phantoms made the playoffs and defeated the rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the first round 2-0. Lehigh Valley’s playoff push ended in the Atlantic Division Semifinals series against the AHL champion Hershey Bears, falling 3-1.

As the 2024-25 campaign approaches, the front offices of the Flyers and Phantoms have been busy making moves to not only build an opening day roster but also ensure the Phantoms are ready to provide enough depth for the big league club. A number of Phantoms players, including Olle Lycksell, Emil Andrae, and Cal Petersen were called up to the big league roster throughout the season to fill in for injured Flyers. This added depth allowed the Flyers to remain a competitive team until the closing days of the 2023-24 season.

Related: Philadelphia Flyers 2024-25 Prospect Pyramid

The following is a recap of the most notable personnel moves and transactions for the Phantoms up to this point in the season.

Keith Petruzzelli

Goaltender Keith Petruzzelli signed with the Phantoms through the 2024-25 campaign on Aug. 15. The Massachusetts native has played parts of three minor league seasons in the ECHL and AHL since the 2021-22 campaign. Last season, he appeared in 17 games with the Toronto Marlies of the AHL, recording a 3.55 goals against average (GAA) and a .867 save percentage (SV%). Drafted 88th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, Petruzzelli is 25 years old.

The left guard was a standout player for the Quinnipiac University Bobcats. During his senior year, the 2020-21 campaign, the 6-foot-6, 190-pounder recorded an excellent 1.89 GAA and .926 SV%. He won 17 games, including four shutouts. The recipient of multiple Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) honors that season, he was named a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award. This award is given annually to college hockey’s top player.

Xavier Bernard

On August 13, the Phantoms signed 24-year-old lefty Xavier Bernard to a one-year AHL contract. The 6-foot-4, 209-pound native of Mercier, Quebec will enter his fourth season of minor league hockey when he is ready to head to Lehigh Valley in October. Last season, he appeared in 64 games with the Fort Wayne Komets of the ECHL and two games with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. With Fort Wayne, he recorded 16 points (three goals and 13 assists) and 92 penalty minutes. Drafted 110th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2018, the big defenseman is expected to add depth to the Phantoms’ roster at the position.

Sam Sedley

A product of the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Owen Sound Attack, defenseman Sam Sedley signed a one-year AHL contract with the Phantoms on Aug. 13. played four seasons with Owen Sound. A two-way blueliner, the 21-year-old appeared in 64 games with the Attack last season, accumulating 63 points (nine goals and 54 assists) and 35 penalty minutes. The Ontario native is considered by scouting reports to be a good passer and puck handler. He is also expected to add defensive depth to the Flyers’ farm system this season.

Jacob Gaucher

Center Jacob Gaucher signed a one-year contract with the Phantoms on Aug. 8. Gaucher spent most of his time during the 2023-24 campaign with the Phantoms. In 59 regular season games, the scoring midfielder had eight goals and eight assists. During the postseason, the Quebec native recorded two points. An AHL highlight came on April 26 when he scored the game-winning, overtime goal in Game 2 against the Penguins to send Lehigh Valley to the second round of the postseason against the Bears. In the Bears series, he had one assist in a losing effort during Game 4.

Parker Gahagen

Parker Gahagen signed a one-year deal with the Phantoms on Aug. 1. The goalie and US Army Reserve officer split time between the Phantoms and the Reading Royals (the Flyers’ ECHL affiliate) last season. In 18 games with Lehigh Valley, he had a 2.59 GAA and a .914 SV%. With the Royals, the now 31-year-old has recorded a 2.28 GAA and a .936 SV%. His 10 wins include a shutout.

Since graduating from the US Military Academy at West Point (Army), the left tackle has appeared in parts of six seasons of professional hockey. He was a member of the 2022 ECHL Kelly Cup champion Florida Everblades. That season, the New York native won 20 regular season games, including four shutouts, with a 2.32 GAA and .916 SV%. During the run, he appeared in two games, recording a 3.56 GAA and .863 SV% en route to a 1-1 postseason record.

Cooper Marody

Cooper Marody, a fan favorite for the Phantoms, will rejoin the club for the 2024-25 campaign. He signed a two-year contract with the organization on July 30. The 27-year-old is a veteran of seven professional seasons, most of which were spent in the AHL. Before coming to Lehigh Valley ahead of the 2022-23 campaign, the right-handed forward played seven NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers.

Over the past two seasons, Marody has played an important role in the team’s attack. In the 2022-23 campaign, he had 40 points in 47 games for the Phantoms. In 68 regular season games in the 2023-24 season, the Michigan native scored 19 goals and had 37 assists. He added five more assists in six playoff games during the two postseason streaks. The 6-foot, 195-pound right wing finished the season fifth overall on the team in scoring and points.

Sawyer Boulton

Right-handed forward Sawyer Boulton signed his first professional deal, a two-way contract with the Phantoms, on July 3. A member of the 2024 OHL champion London Knights, the Long Island native has been partnering with Flyers prospects Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk at the end. the season. The 6-foot, 209-pounder had five points (three goals and two assists) and 63 penalty minutes in 40 games for the Knights last season. He added another point in 16 games during his OHL career. Boulton also appeared in three 2024 Memorial Cup games for the Knights.

Boulton comes from a hockey family. The 20-year-old’s father was left winger Eric who appeared in 654 NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Thrashers, Devils and New York Islanders. He worked as a pro scout with the Islanders last season. Brother Ryder, a forward, was Sawyer’s teammate in London last season.

Ian Laperrière

Phantoms head coach Ian Laperrière signed a two-year extension through the 2025-26 season with the club on June 19. The 50-year-old forward has appeared in 1,083 NHL games with five different clubs. Despite playing only one season in Philadelphia (82 games in 2009-10), Laperrière remains popular in the “City of Brotherly Love” because of his physical style of play. A native of Montreal, he was hired as the head coach of the Phantoms heading into the 2021-22 campaign. Prior to taking on this role, he was an assistant coach with the Flyers from 2013 to 2021. Laperrière has been at the helm for the Phantoms for 220 games, posting a 98-92-30 record. He was credited for helping the development of Flyers players such as Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Cam York, Egor Zamula, and Samuel Ersson.

2024-25 season

The Phantoms’ 2024-25 season opener is scheduled for Saturday, October 12 at the PPL Center in Allentown. Lehigh Valley will face the Hartford Wolf Pack, a team that finished the 2023-24 campaign in fifth place, just ahead of the Phantoms, in the Atlantic Division. The Phantoms will play first-round playoff series foe Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on the road for the first time on Oct. 18. Lehigh Valley’s first game against the AHL champion Bears is scheduled for Oct. 30 on the way.