Philadelphia Flyers Recall Adam Ginning
Defenseman Adam Ginning will make his season debut for the Philadelphia Flyers after the team announced his recall from their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Ginning is expected to replace veteran defenseman Erik Johnson in the lineup as the Flyers face off against the New York Islanders this evening.
Shortly after Philadelphia’s announcement, Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports quickly contextualized Johnson’s absence for tonight’s game. O’Connor stated that the Flyers never intended for Johnson to play in any back-to-back games this year although he did suit up in the back-to-back against the Vancouver Canucks and Calgary Flames to start the season.
Philadelphia selected Ginning in the second round of the 2018 NHL Draft but he didn’t begin playing for the organization until the 2022-23 season. He’s primarily played for AHL Lehigh Valley collecting six goals and 39 points in 168 career games.
He’s already appeared in 10 games for the Flyers dating back to the 2022-23 season. He’s tallied one goal in those ten contests and has posted impressive possession numbers and physicality albeit in a small sample size.
That’s exactly what will be expected of him tonight and in the future should he have any staying power in Philadelphia’s lineup. There’s no question the Flyers are a physical team with 980 hits delivered already this year and Ginning should only help increase that total.
Flyers Sign Adam Ginning To Two-Year Extension
The Flyers have re-signed defenseman Adam Ginning to a two-year contract extension with a cap hit of $787.5K, according to a team announcement Monday. It’s a two-way deal in 2024-25 ($775K NHL/$200K AHL) before converting to a one-way deal paying him $800K for 2025-26, per PuckPedia.
Ginning, 24, saw a bit of extended NHL action near the end of the season. After his NHL debut was his lone appearance for the Flyers in 2022-23, he suited up nine times for the big-league club this season. His late-season call-ups saw him record his first NHL point, a goal in a 6-2 loss to the Blue Jackets on April 6.
Averaging 14:09 per game, the Swedish shutdown prospect put up good possession metrics in his sheltered minutes, controlling 55.7% of shot attempts and 59.4% of expected goals when on the ice at even strength, per Hockey Reference. Both were above the team average. That, plus his +24 rating with AHL Lehigh Valley one year ago, indicates the 2018 second-round pick still has NHL upside.
It was an important end to the season for both parties, with Ginning earning himself a fair chunk of guaranteed cash in this deal, even if he does end up playing most of it in the minors. The Flyers also avoid the threat of losing the pending restricted free agent to a Swedish Hockey League contract, something Charlie O’Connor of PHLY Sports reports he was considering before his recall.
The left-shot blue liner will remain waiver-exempt throughout next season unless he plays more than 60 games. No matter what, though, he loses his waiver exemption in the second year of the deal. He’ll likely be a restricted free agent again at the end of this contract, but if he fails to get into 80 NHL games by the time it expires, he’ll qualify for unrestricted free agency via Group VI status.
Ginning was the third pick of a 2018 class that’s paid some dividends for the Flyers, including first-rounder Joel Farabee selecting goaltender Samuel Ersson in the fifth round. Their first selection, Jay O’Brien at 13th overall, was never signed and yielded them a compensatory second-round selection in the draft later this month. Their only other selection that year to play NHL games so far is defenseman Jack St. Ivany, who they didn’t sign coming out of college and lost in free agency to the cross-state rival Penguins.
He’ll enter training camp this fall as a candidate to crack the opening night roster. The Flyers now have 40 players signed to standard contracts next season, with Bobby Brink and Yegor Zamula still left as notable RFAs.
Flyers Reassign Bobby Brink, Olle Lycksell, Ronnie Attard, Adam Ginning
With their season coming to an end at the hands of the Washington Capitals last night, the Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned several waiver-exempt players to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. In the transaction, the team will be sending forwards Bobby Brink and Olle Lycksell, as well as defensemen Ronald Attard and Adam Ginning north to Lehigh Valley.
Of the four, Brink spent the most time at the NHL level this season, suiting up in 57 games for the Flyers. Over that stretch, Brink scored 11 goals and 23 points in total, sitting 12th on the roster in scoring. While he did not manage to crack the 60-game mark this year, Brink should rather easily crack the opening night roster next season as a middle-six option.
Lycksell, on the other hand, likely has more offensive potential compared to Brink, based on his strong back-to-back seasons with the Phantom. Scoring only one goal and five points over 18 games for the Flyers this season, Lycksell was more than productive with Lehigh Valley earlier in the year, scoring 19 goals and 38 points in only 36 games.
On the blue line, Attard and Ginning are both remarkably similar in size and stature. Of the two, Attard has the upper hand on the offensive side of the puck, while Ginning excels more defensively. Even though Philadelphia has some openings in their defensive core this summer, both defensemen should expect similar roles next year.
While the Phantoms still have three games left to play in the 2023-24 AHL season, they are likely headed for the same fate as last year, poised for sixth place in the Atlantic Division. If the season were to end today, Lehigh Valley would match up against their interstate rivals, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
Flyers Recall Olle Lycksell, Adam Ginning
The Flyers have recalled forward Olle Lycksell and defenseman Adam Ginning from the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms, per a team announcement Monday. The 24-year-old Swedes and longtime teammates will serve as reinforcements for their Tuesday home game against the Maple Leafs. CapFriendly reflects that both recalls are emergency loans, meaning the Flyers still have two of their four post-trade deadline standard recalls remaining. As such, injuries or illnesses likely have the status of multiple players in doubt ahead of tomorrow’s game.
Philadelphia last recalled Lycksell in late February, keeping him on the roster for a five-game stretch before returning him to the Phantoms the day before the trade deadline. A sixth-round Flyers pick in 2017, Lycksell has been recalled three times this season, his second playing pro hockey in North America. After slowly developing into a top-six producer over a half-decade in the Swedish Hockey League, Lycksell has been highly productive since arriving in Lehigh Valley last season, recording 83 points in 89 games.
Lycksell has been especially hot lately despite sporadic playing time. He has three goals and seven assists in his last three games for the Phantoms and is now over a point per game on the season, putting himself in “too good for the minors” territory. Despite playing 17 NHL games over the past two seasons, he’s still searching for his first NHL goal and has four assists with a -4 rating while averaging 10:09 per game. He’s been a volume shooter in his limited minutes, recording 13 shots in nine appearances this season. He also has decent possession metrics (51.7 CF%, 65.4 xGF% per Hockey Reference) after a disastrous showing with Philly in 2022-23 in that department.
Ginning has suited up for the Flyers more recently, making his lone appearance of the season on March 7 against the Panthers. The blue liner was recalled again under emergency conditions before last Tuesday’s game against the Sharks, but he was scratched and returned to the Phantoms the next day. The 2018 second-round pick had a rough showing against Florida in his second career NHL game, recording a -1 rating, 43.8 CF% and 16.2 xGF% (per MoneyPuck) in over 18 minutes of ice time while paired with Ronald Attard at even strength. A developing shutdown prospect with good size at 6-foot-4 and over 200 pounds, Ginning has 13 points, a -7 rating, and 82 PIMs in 56 games with the Phantoms this year.
Lycksell is in the first season of a two-year, two-way deal with a $787.5K cap hit. He’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights upon expiry in 2025. Ginning is still on his entry-level contract with a $883.75K cap hit, although the deal expires this summer, making him an RFA with arbitration rights if the Flyers issue him a qualifying offer.
The Flyers now have four extra skaters on the active roster, not including the forcibly reinstated Ryan Johansen. As CapFriendly notes, adding Ginning and Lycksell’s combined $1.67MM cap hit puts them over the $83.5MM Upper Limit, meaning they’ve likely transferred de facto retired blue-liner Ryan Ellis‘ $6.25MM cap hit to long-term injured reserve unless a corresponding transaction is pending.
Philadelphia Flyers Send Down Adam Ginning
Earlier this morning, the Philadelphia Flyers announced that the organization had sent down defenseman Adam Ginning to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Ginning was originally brought up to the Flyers by way of an emergency loan on March 11th.
Unfortunately, Ginning wasn’t able to suit up in a game during this current stretch in Philadelphia but did make his 2023-24 season debut only a week ago. Playing against the Florida Panthers on March 7th, Ginning played just over 18 minutes over 23 shifts, securing five hits and one blocked shot.
With Erik Johnson and Marc Staal set to hit unrestricted free agency this summer, Ginning should be able to compete for a full-time roster spot as soon as next training camp. The former second-round pick of the Flyers has primarily played for the Phantoms during his tenure with the organization. In 121 games over the last two seasons at the AHL level, Ginning hasn’t been able to produce much offense, scoring only five goals and 32 points overall.
However, Ginning has shown stretches of being a quality shutdown defenseman, using his frame to play physically and separate his opponent from the puck. If he can improve his skating abilities over the next few years, Ginning could become a prized defenseman in the Flyers organization.
Ultimately, Ginning will join a Lehigh Valley team in a competitive race for playoff positioning in the AHL’s Atlantic Division. Afters suffering a first-round exit at the hands of the Charlotte Checkers last year, the Phantoms are currently tied with the Springfield Thunderbirds for the final playoff spot in their division.
Flyers Recall Adam Ginning On Emergency Loan
The Flyers announced that they’ve recalled defenseman Adam Ginning from AHL Lehigh Valley under emergency conditions. With Yegor Zamula sidelined due to illness, Philly was forced to dress 13 forwards and five defensemen in Saturday’s 7-0 drubbing at the hands of the Lightning.
Ginning, 24, is expected to play his second game this season when the Sharks visit the Flyers tomorrow. Philadelphia had summoned him under emergency conditions last week as well but returned him to Lehigh Valley on deadline day to make him eligible to play in the Calder Cup Playoffs.
Since Ginning is coming up on an emergency loan, the Flyers still reserve all of their four post-deadline standard recalls. The Flyers are down to $652K in cap space, so they’ll need to make a corresponding transaction if further recalls are necessary.
A second-round pick of the Flyers in 2018, Ginning is in the back half of his two-year entry-level contract, which carries a $884K cap hit. He’s only in his second season playing with the Flyers in North America but has been playing pro hockey for much longer, debuting with Linköping HC of the Swedish Hockey League all the way back in 2016-17. The shutdown prospect transitioned excellently to Lehigh Valley last season but has had a bit of a sophomore slump in 2023-24, posting two goals and 13 points with a -8 rating in 53 games. He was a +24 with 19 points in 68 games last season.
His lone NHL appearance this year came last Thursday against the Panthers, in which he recorded a -1 rating, five hits, and one block in 18:11 of ice time. He’s expected to skate in a third-pairing role alongside another recent call-up, Ronald Attard, against the Sharks as Philadelphia tries to keep pace in the Metropolitan Division playoff race without head coach John Tortorella for the next two games.
Philadelphia Flyers Extend Nick Seeler
3:40 pm: The Philadelphia Flyers have announced the signing, confirming that it will be a four-year, $10.8MM contract extension for Seeler. The deal will also carry a M-NTC for Seeler in the first two years of the contract.
9:59 am: Half of the Flyers’ top shutdown pairing appears to be off the trade block — for multiple reasons. Not only has Nick Seeler landed on injured reserve Wednesday with a lower-body injury, but his camp is making significant progress on a contract extension to keep him in Philly, Darren Dreger of TSN reports. Anthony Di Marco of The Fourth Period adds the deal is expected to be three or four years in length and will carry an average annual value of around $3.3MM.
In a transaction corresponding with Seeler’s IR placement, the Flyers recalled blue-liner Adam Ginning from AHL Lehigh Valley. It’s the 24-year-old’s first recall of the season.
Seeler, 30, has emerged from the woodwork to emerge one of the league’s most competent two-way defensive pairs alongside Sean Walker, who’s also seen his name bandied about heavily in trade talks. The two pending UFAs have been crucial in helping the Flyers break out for a likely playoff berth, posting a team-high 55.9% expected goals share in their 645 minutes together this season, per MoneyPuck. Seeler’s seen more limited usage at even strength – averaging 14:46 per game compared to Walker’s 16:47 – but he is tied for the team lead with a +15 rating alongside top scorer Travis Konecny. His overall 16:58 average per game is a career-high.
He’s slowly developed into a multi-competent NHL player after starting his career as a bottom-of-the-lineup enforcer with the Wild in the late 2010s. Since joining the Flyers in 2021, Seeler has accumulated six goals, 23 assists, and 29 points in 183 games. One of those goals and 12 points have come in 63 games this year.
While not guaranteed, Seeler’s extension increases the likelihood of Walker finding a new home within 48 hours. The Flyers are far ahead of schedule in their rebuild, and GM Daniel Brière has preached patience and not sacrificing long-term success for short-term gains in the weeks leading up to the deadline. Walker could command a first- or second-round pick plus a handful of other desirable assets based on the market set by the Chris Tanev swap last month after the Flyers took him on as a cap dump in a three-way trade with the Blue Jackets and Kings last summer involving Ivan Provorov.
Seeler is in the final season of a two-year, $1.55MM extension he signed in May 2022. His deal carries a two-way structure this season ($775K NHL/$350K AHL/$375K gt’d), although at no point has an AHL assignment been considered for him.
Unfortunately, the Minnesota native will miss a handful of contests as the Flyers try to maintain third place in the Metropolitan Division. Assuming his IR placement is backdated to when he sustained the injury on Monday against the Blues, he’s been ruled out for a pair of pivotal contests against the Panthers and Lightning this week.
Ginning, a second-round pick in 2018, could make his season debut if Walker is dealt by Friday or if the Flyers opt to dress seven defensemen. He’s appeared in 52 contests with Lehigh Valley this season, scoring twice and adding 11 assists for 13 points with a -9 rating. He’ll be an RFA with arbitration rights this summer after completing his two-year, $1.85MM entry-level contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports.
TSN’s Darren Dreger was the first to report the official deal for Seeler.
Minor Moves: Bussi, Ginning, Samuelsson
The Boston Bruins recalled goaltender Brandon Bussi from the minors on an emergency basis, according to a team release Wednesday morning. Bussi’s recall comes in response to Linus Ullmark leaving yesterday’s game with an undisclosed injury, which head coach Jim Montgomery later told reporters was a precautionary move.
With Ullmark banged up earlier in the week as well, Bussi saw his first NHL recall on April 9 after signing an entry-level contract with Boston last year. It’s Bussi’s third transaction between Boston and AHL Providence in the past four days, as he was returned to the minors after serving as backup for Sunday’s game against the Flyers. The 24-year-old has played 31 games with Providence this season, posting a 21-5-4 record, a 2.38 goals-against average, and a .925 save percentage. As Boston Hockey Now’s Joe Haggerty noted, Bussi could be in line for his first NHL start down the stretch with Boston’s record-setting regular season drawing to a close.
Also from around the NHL beat this morning:
- Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Adam Ginning has been sent back to the AHL, according to The Athletic’s Charlie O’Connor. The 23-year-old made his NHL debut yesterday in the team’s overtime win against Columbus, recording two hits, two blocked shots, and a minor penalty in 16:40 of ice time. Drafted 50th overall in 2018, Ginning has been among the Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ best defensive players this season and will play a pivotal role on the team during the Calder Cup Playoffs.
- Former Pittsburgh Penguins defenseman Philip Samuelsson is on the move overseas, joining the DEL’s Straubing Tigers for the 2023-24 season, per the league. Samuelsson, a 2009 second-round pick, recorded 31 points in 47 games last year for the DEL’s Fischtown Penguins and last played in North America in 2018-19. He recorded only 13 games of NHL action during his time with the Penguins and Arizona Coyotes, failing to record a point.
Philadelphia Flyers Recall Adam Ginning
The Philadelphia Flyers have nothing much to play for in the last few days of the season, so another prospect will get his first chance in the NHL. Adam Ginning has been recalled from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for the first time in his career.
Ginning, 23, has played the stable stay-at-home role for years now, both in Sweden and now in the minor leagues. The 6’3″ defenseman entered professional hockey as a teenager, and played an incredibly simple, physical game in his own end. That pleased coaches and kept him rising draft boards, despite only scoring 29 points in a 216-game SHL career.
This year, in the AHL, he’s done much of the same. Acting as the defensive balance to Ronnie Attard‘s offensive game, Ginning has been outstanding, adding 19 points and 61 penalty minutes. His +25 rating easily leads the club, and while that is partly due to the talent around him, Ginning’s defensive play has warranted attention.
He’ll get it, in the form of an NHL call-up and potential debut. For a head coach like John Tortorella, who values effort over everything, Ginning’s game should fit in well. Whether he can keep up with the NHL speed and skill, however, remains to be seen.
Given the changes expected in Philadelphia this offseason, there could be a lot more playing time coming for young talents like Ginning. A showcase over the last few days of the season could go a long way to securing him some time on the roster in 2023-24.
Philadelphia Flyers Sign Adam Ginning
The Philadelphia Flyers have signed another prospect, inking Adam Ginning to a two-year entry-level contract. Ginning could have become an unrestricted free agent had he not signed by this summer, given he was drafted four years ago.
Now 22, the big, physical defenseman has not exactly followed the development path that some expected when he was a young player. After making it to the SHL by the age of 17, he became the captain of the Swedish junior program and looked like a sure-fire first-round pick in 2018. But there was just no sign of any offensive upside at all by the time the draft rolled around, and with teams leaning at that point toward mobile puck-movers, Ginning ended up falling nearly out of the second.
The Flyers grabbed him, a worthwhile bet at that point, but things still haven’t really changed for the 6’3″ defenseman. He still provides basically no offense–he scored just five points in 51 games this season–but things have started to change in the NHL, as teams start to covet reach, mobility, and physicality once again at the position. The fact that Ginning continues to find team success, and won an SHL championship this year, shows that there is something to be said for his shutdown style.
Given he is no longer under contract in Sweden, the next step is likely for him to come to North America and play in the minor leagues. As an older prospect, he may even move quickly through the system and see NHL minutes next season. Whether he can hold down a spot is another question entirely, though it’s easy to see why the Flyers are willing to give him a chance after such a successful campaign.