Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the AHL Board of Governors has decided to cancel the remainder of the 2019-2020 AHL season and not name a Calder Cup Champion (as of now, at least). The attention is now shifted to the 2020-2021 season.
AHL President and CEO, David Andrews stated that after a lengthy review, it was not feasible to continue to pursue an end of the season given the current conditions.
The cancellation does not come at the expense of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, however. This season, they were a mediocre 24-28-3, sitting on 59 points. Being positioned at 7th in the Atlantic Division and 14th out of 16 in the Eastern Conference, they were on the way outside looking in for the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Offensively, Lehigh was lead by Greg Carey and Morgan Frost, accumulating 30 and 29 points, respectively. Ten rookies total had played for the Phantoms, so they will look to rebound with more experience next season.
Morgan Frost will lead a pack of players looking to crack the big league roster next season. Wade Allison, Linus Sandin, Tanner Laczynski, and Wyatt Wylie have all signed their Entry-Level contracts, and could join the AHL squad in the coming season.
The question of what Gary Bettman and the NHL will do remains up in the air. Regardless of what your personal feelings are regarding the Corona Virus, we can all agree that it came at the worst time for the Philadelphia Flyers.
For now, let’s just hope this does not symbolize and pave the way for a similar NHL decision. Along with this, the writers at PSN express great wishes for any families affected during this time.
Photo Credit: Alex Mcintyre
