Flyers Notes: Laperriere Out as Phantoms Coach, World Championships Update

The changes keep coming for the Flyers. Just one week after announcing that Rick Tocchet would become the next head coach of the team, the changes were being made at the minor-league level.

Ian Laperriere will not be returning behind the bench for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, according to a report from Anthony SanFilippo of On Pattison. Laperriere, 51, has not been fired by the Flyers, and could remain in the organization in another role. 

Laperriere has risen through the ranks of player development, including serving as an assistant coach with the Flyers for nine seasons before taking over as the head coach of the Phantoms for the last four seasons.

The Phantoms made the playoffs in three of Laperriere’s four seasons behind the bench, including making a second-round appearance this season. They were eliminated in five games by the reigning back-to-back Calder Cup champion Hershey Bears.

According to the report, the Flyers want to have a new voice for the Phantoms, likely one that will fully align with Tocchet’s style and approach at the NHL level.

The Flyers are just entering the process of rounding out Tocchet’s staff of assistant coaches. Following the conclusion of the 2024-25 season, the team dismissed assistants Rocky Thompson, Darryl Williams, and Angelo Ricci. Brad Shaw was retained by the Flyers, but after the hiring of Tocchet, opted to explore other opportunities. Shaw reportedly joined the New Jersey Devils coaching staff as an assistant on Wednesday.

Flyers Delivering Success in World Championships

The Flyers had four representatives at World Championships. The tournament is set to enter the quarterfinals and the four Flyers have helped their respective nations to be among the best in the group play standings.

Travis Konecny, Travis Sanheim, and Tyson Foerster are all part of the Team Canada roster. Canada finished group play with six wins and one overtime loss. Sam Ersson is part of Team Sweden, who had six wins and one regulation loss in group play.

Konecny has three goals and 12 points in seven games. Sanheim has a goal and an assist for two points in seven games, but has averaged top ice time among defensemen with 18:38 per game. Foerster has two goals and three points in six games.

Ersson played in three of the seven games for Sweden, picking up the win in all three games. Ersson made 14 saves on 16 shots in his first game against Austria. Ersson stopped all 20 shots against Latvia in his second appearance. Ersson stopped all 20 shots faced in a win over France in his third appearance.

Sweden faces Czechia and Canada faces Denmark in the quarterfinals on Thursday. Both games start at 2:20 p.m.