Aube-Kubel unleashes fury on AHL
Plenty of bright spots at Lehigh Valley despite injuries to two players.
The Phantoms’ Cole Bardreau is out with a hand injury – again.
German Rubtsov, an AHL rookie, is out perhaps for the rest of the season with a shoulder injury.
The Phantoms have yet to hit the midway point of their 76-game season with Sunday’s win in Springfield, but even with the injuries to Bardreau and Rubtsov, the list of prospects for the parent-club Philadelphia Flyers looks strong.
Lehigh Valley sits in third place in the Atlantic Division standings with a record of 20-12-1-2.
The defending Atlantic Division champions could have been even higher in the standings had the Flyers not fired general manager Ron Hextall and head coach Dave Hakstol, replacing Hakstol with then-Phantoms head coach Scott Gordon.
The Flyers have called up and kept – for now – rookie goalie Carter Hart and reigning AHL MVP Mike Varone. The parent club has also called up and sent back Tyrell Goulbourne, Nic Aube-Kubel, Mikhail Vorobyev, and goaltender Alex Lyon. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz is still up with the Flyers merry-go-round in net due to injury.
So here’s a look at the brightest spots among the prospects still in Allentown so far.
Goalie Alex Lyon Season: 15 games played, 8-6-1, 2.87 GAA, .912 Save Pct., 1 shutout
Lyon, 26, has been the steadiest Phantoms goalie this season, and it shows in his record, GAA and save percentage. But he is behind Carson Hart on the prospect list, and was not happy when he was sent down.
Despite that, he proved what a true professional he is by recording a shutout over Hershey in his first game back.
“As much as I tried to not talk about it or think about it, it’s difficult not to when you’re going up and down,” he said following a 3-1 win over Providence on Dec. 28, narrowly missing a second shutout in four games.
“That’s part of the business, too. That’s part of making the NHL. It’s nice to be in a rhythm again and having a bit of consistency, in my personal life as well. I’m feeling content and just [have] to keep stopping pucks. That’s all I’m focused on.”
With his talent and maturity, it wouldn’t be surprising if some NHL team worked out a trade for him.
Right wing Nicolas Aube-Kubel AHL Season: 27 games played, 10 goals, 7
assists, 17 points, 3 GWG, plus-6
When you watch Aube-Kubel night in and night out, you wonder why he can’t be playing 60 miles south of the Lehigh Valley on a regular basis. But if you make one mistake and you’re playing on a fourth line, your time is going to be cut, which is what happened to Aube-Kubel in Philly earlier this season.
He’s unleashed fury on the AHL with a physical tenacity to go along with a delightful skill set that opens eyes whenever he charges with the puck.
At 22, Aube-Kubel has plenty of time to hone his game to what is demanded at the NHL level, so he can’t get frustrated if he’s not there. Phil Varone is 28 and just got his first Flyers call-up after proving his worth as both a scorer and accountable two-way player. That mode bodes well as a template for the youngster, who is third on the team in plus-minus.
Center Connor Bunnaman Season: 26 games played, 8 goals, 8 assist, 13 points, 4 PPG, 1 SHG, 2 GWG, minus-3
What’s not to like about someone with the nickname Bunny?
Bunnaman has produced some eyeopening moments since becoming a regular in the lineup after the potentially season-ending injury to Rubtsov and Varone’s call-up.
A big physical presence at 6-1, 207, Bunnaman has an attitude akin to that of Rod Brind’Amour when he played for the Flyers in the 1990s, a young man (20) just happy to play a game he loves and get paid for it.
Whether it’s finding an outlet, driving to the net or standing in front willing to pay the price, Bunnaman has a will-do attitude. It helps that he’s playing on a line with Aube-Kubel and all-star Greg Carey.
Defenseman Philippe Myers Season: 35 games, 7 goals, 17 assists, 24 points, 1 PPG, 2 PPA, 1 GWG, plus-9
Myers is fourth on the Phantoms with 39 penalty minutes and fifth in scoring, a combination that brings out a penchant for nasty with soft hands for scoring.
Myers is the X-factor in making it to the Flyers, who are rolling through their own sets of pairs in an effort to calm down the chaos in front of their chaotic goalie-go-round. If a defenseman has to get called up, Myers has to be high on Gordon’s list.
An undrafted free agent who was signed after being invited to training camp in 2015, the right-handed shot is in his second pro season after helping Team Canada to a silver medal at the 2017 IIHF World Junior Championships.
At 6-5, 212, Myers is a fluid skater whose poise showed in last season’s playoffs with three goals and four assists in just four playoff games.