The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, in conjunction with the Philadelphia Flyers, announced on Wednesday afternoon that head coach Ian Laperriere would remain with the Phantoms after signing a two-year contract extension lasting until 2026.
Laperriere, 50, has been the Phantoms’ head coach for the last three seasons and guided the AHL club to the second round of the Calder Cup playoffs this season. As a player, Laperriere played 16 seasons in the NHL and spent his final one–the 2009-10 season–as a member of the Flyers. The NHL veteran of 1,083 games has held various roles in the Flyers organization since retiring, which, of course, includes his current position as Phantoms head coach.
“In his three years behind the bench, we have seen consistent improvement and valuable experience gained from our prospects playing with the Phantoms, and they have been able to step in seamlessly to the Flyers when called upon,” Flyers general manager Danny Briere said of Laperriere. “In addition, the team has had a steady increase of success which saw the Calder Cup Playoffs return to the great fans in Lehigh Valley. I strongly believe that is a credit to Ian and his staff, and we are happy to have him lead our top development club for the next several years.”
Through three seasons at the helm of the Phantoms, Laperriere has a record of 98-92-30 and has coached several Flyers players during that time, including Cam York, Tyson Foerster, Egor Zamula, Olle Lycksell, Bobby Brink, Sam Ersson, and Morgan Frost.
Looking ahead towards the future, Laperriere will be tasked with further developing other top Flyers prospects, including the recently re-signed Adam Ginning, Emil Andrae, Alexei Kolosov, Samu Tuomaala, Hunter McDonald, Massimo Rizzo, and potentially other players added in the 2024 NHL Draft.
In a few months time, London Knights standouts Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk, among others, will be joining Laperriere’s crew in Allentown.
