Happy Saturday, all! Hope you’re all enjoying this rainy weekend, or that it’s just not raining wherever you are. That’d be cool.
But we’re not here to talk about the weather, we’re here to talk about the Phantoms! They are still playing hockey! And it’s going well for them (so far). Today they’re set to kick off their Eastern Conference Finals series against the Toronto Marlies in the Great White North, with their game starting a little after 4 this afternoon (that’s kind of weird, right?). Total pal Brad gave us a nice little rundown on the series to come, but we’ve got some late breaking news on the edge of Game 1. Let’s get into it.
What’s the news?
Travis Sanheim’s back!
What does it mean?
The Phantoms’ defense is getting some much needed reinforcement. They were doing fine in the few games without Sanheim, but Morin going out with injury again left Philippe Myers to do a lot of the heavy lifting. And, like we said, things went fine, but “just fine” isn’t going to cut it against the even tougher Marlies opponent. So we get the Sanheim-Myers pairing reunited, and a key piece is back on special teams. A boost in at all strengths. The boy is all good.
But we’ve also got more!
What’s the more?
Per the Phantoms, they have officially signed Morgan Frost to an Amateur Tryout Contract, and he’ll be joining them for the duration of this playoff run.
Oh, that’s pretty cool.
You’re right! Most of us probably haven’t gotten to see a ton of Frost since the end of preseason, but he’s had an unreal season up in the OHL. He put up 42 goals and 112 points in 67 regular season games, and then an additional 10 goals and 29 points in the 24 playoff games, before his Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds were eliminated in the OHL Final. He finished the season second in the OHL in points, and third in goals. I’ll just leave you to sit with those numbers for a moment. He has been Very Good.
So is he gonna play?
Well… maybe not. The Phantoms’ roster is pretty well stocked, and particularly with centers, and with Phil Varone finally returning to the lineup. It would likely take at least another center getting hurt, or things going so poorly in the series that Scott Gordon decides to just go crazy and start throwing shit at the wall to see what sticks, and playing all the kids, for him to see much playing time. But! The bright side is that he still gets to practice with a pro team and get a taste of the increased speed. It’s a learning opportunity, and that’s not nothing.
And, with that, it’s just about time to start. We’re really down to the wire, here. So, uh, let’s go, the Phantoms!
