On Wednesday, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms formally launched John Snowden as the brand new head coach of the Flyers’ American Hockey League affiliate. The staff additionally formally introduced the hiring of Terrance Wallin and Nick Schultz as Snowden’s assistant coaches.
Snowden and Schultz are acquainted faces within the Flyers’ group. In the meantime, Wallin is a Bucks County native who’s well-known each to Flyers normal supervisor Daniel Briere and participant growth director Riley Armstrong. Of their earlier capacities, Snowden and Schultz additionally interacted with Flyers assistant normal supervisor Alyn McCauley, who handles day-to-day managerial issues for the Phantoms.
Snowden spoke to assembled native media at a PPL Heart press convention on Wednesday. Individually, the brand new Phantoms bench boss was interviewed by Service Electrical reporter Kristi Fulkerson.
Fulkerson requested Snowden about his preparation for being the Phantoms head coach. The 43-year-old Washington State native served because the Phantoms’ assistant coach underneath Ian Laperriere the earlier 4 season after profitable the ECHL’s Kelly Cup championship as the pinnacle coach of the Newfoundland Growlers.
“There are not any surprises for me now. I perceive the [American] League. I perceive the method of the way it works from day after day. Lappy set a extremely good basis right here. It is our job now to construct on the muse that he set. Work with these gamers to assist them get to the NHL or again to the NHL. So the expertise I’ve had over the previous few years, it has been large,” Snowden instructed Service Electrical.
Snowden mentioned that being an ECHL head coach is a distinct animal than teaching within the AHL. In flip, teaching within the American Hockey League is a considerably completely different paradigm than the NHL stage.
“I got here from the ECHL. It is a completely different tempo at this [AHL] stage. Gamers are higher, they’re smarter and make higher performs everywhere in the rink. They ask you the laborious questions. You do not get these questions within the ECHL. They will ask you why [you’re doing something]. They will problem you as a coach. So being at this stage for 4 years is an enormous assist,” he mentioned.
Throughout Wednesday’s press convention, Snowden mentioned he is excited to work with potential Phantoms rookies. They might vary from Alex Bump (a possible NHL roster participant) to gamers corresponding to Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk who will make their professional hockey debuts in 2025-26.
Snowden additionally mentioned a few of his teaching philosophies and ideas on participant growth. He expects longtime veterans corresponding to staff captain Garrett Wilson and youthful vets corresponding to Zayde Knowledge to assist set the usual of expectations inside the locker room and assist the kids alongside within the changes to being execs.
“That is the place the rebuild of the Philadelphia Flyers goes to begin. It will begin right here, and it may begin with us. It begins with the event course of we will put in place for us to win right here — if we do it proper, we will win video games — but additionally to assist them transfer as much as the NHL. That is the place they wish to be on the finish of the day,” Snowden mentioned.
The coach mentioned he and his employees wish to implement very up-tempo methods. The objective is to organize prospects for the NHL tempo but additionally to be a risk to their AHL opponents.
“We shall be a quick, offensively aggressive attacking staff. I wish to worth [possession of ] the puck. I would like us to carry onto the puck. If you’d like the puck, you have to earn it again,” Snowden mentioned.
Snowden pledged a fast transition recreation from the defensive zone to the offensive zone. As soon as within the offensive zone, if there’s not a direct alternative to assault the web, Snowden desires the forecheck to put on down the opponent’s protection by protecting them hemmed in their very own zone.
The Phantoms need their methods to reflect those the Flyers plan to implement underneath Rick Tocchet. This contains comparable offensive zone and impartial zone forechecks in addition to breakouts. Within the defensive zone, Snowden and Schultz could implement one thing similar to the box-plus-one protection type at 5-on-5 that Flyers coaches Tocchet and Todd Reirden plan to make use of.
Schultz, in fact, performed 1,069 common season video games as an NHL defenseman together with three seasons with the Flyers. Extra not too long ago, he has served the Flyers group as a growth coach. He specialised in forging an particularly shut rapport with blueline prospects.
Now, Schultz has switched to much less of a behind-the-scenes function. As Snowden’s assistant, he’ll work day-in and day-out with the Phantoms protection and penalty kill. He replaces former Flyers captain Jason “Gator” Smith, who served 4 as a Phantoms assistant coach underneath Laperriere.
Wallin, who strikes into Snowden’s outdated assistant function, is a really younger and promising coach. The 33-year-old Yardley native involves the Phantoms after 4 seasons as an assistant (one 12 months) and head coach (three years) with the ECHL Maine Mariners.
In Portland, Wallin was initially employed by Briere when the longer term Flyers GM ran the Mariners. Moreover, he is aware of former Maine head coach Riley Armstrong fairly properly. Wallin performed underneath Armstrong earlier than making the transition from participant to teach.
Whereas the Phantoms 2025-26 teaching employees is completely new, the moment familiarity with the important thing Hockey Operations figures within the Flyers group and/or with each other is usually a assist in upcoming months. The transition must be fairly clean.
