Flyers prospect Oskar Lindblom paying dues with Phantoms

ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Oskar Lindblom, a 21-year-old left winger who is one of the Flyers' top prospects, is feeling more at ease these days.

It has nothing to do with the fact he is getting more comfortable playing on smaller-sized North American rinks.

It has everything to do with getting acclimated to the Allentown area. Lindblom recently moved into a house he is sharing with Mike Vecchione and T.J. Brennan, two of his AHL teammates with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

"They're taking care of me," Lindblom, a Sweden native who misses his friends and family in his homeland, said with a smile. "I feel like I'm more at home now."

Playing against men much older than him, Lindblom was named the best forward in the Swedish Hockey League last season as he collected 22 goals (second in the league) and 47 points in 52 games. He was favored to win a spot in the Flyers' training camp _ on the first day, he was on a line with Claude Giroux and Travis Konecny _ but didn't impress the brass enough and was sent to the Phantoms for some seasoning.

"Of course it's tough when you get sent down," Lindblom said before playing in all situations and helping to set up Greg Carey's overtime goal in a 3-2 win Wednesday over Springfield at the PPL Center. "Everyone here wants to play for the Flyers. It was tough for me, but that's the how it is. I have to work hard and hopefully play there someday."

The 6-foot-1, 192-pound Lindblom says he needs to get faster and stronger and "get comfortable with the smaller ice and the tougher players. Small things."

In 2015-16, Lindblom did well in a brief late-season stint with the Phantoms, collecting seven points in eight games.

He is off to a slow start this season _ no goals and two points over the first eight games.

"Outside of scoring, Oskar's been great," Phantoms coach Scott Gordon said. "Very rarely is he out of position. He doesn't make poor decisions. He's had probably at least three quality scoring chances in every game."

Lindblom, who lately has been on a line with center Corban Knight and right winger Chris Conner, missed a point-blank chance late in the first period Wednesday as he shot the puck right at goalie Samuel Montembeault.

Gordon believes that once he scores his first goal, the floodgates will open.

"I know it's going to happen," said Gordon, the one-time Islanders head coach. "I think there's going to be a time where he's going to start getting rewarded for the chances he gets, and they're going to come in bunches….He does everything right, wins a ton of puck battles, and he's always in the right position. And when he does make a mistake, he immediately understands. Sometimes you get the deer-in-the-headlight look with some players and they don't know what you're talking about. With him, sometimes he's finishing your sentence before you get everything out."

Gordon said he was impressed with Lindblom when he played eight late-season games with the Phantoms two years ago. "There are things he can get better at, but he's one of the better players at protecting the puck," Gordon said. "He's head and shoulders above a lot of our players in that regard.  So to say he's got to get bigger and stronger, he (already) knows how to use his body. Maybe his skating can get a little better, more efficient. But I think another month from now, he'll have more chemistry with who he's playing with. We're still trying to figure out who our lines are going to be."

The Phantoms have juggled combinations because of injuries to Colin McDonald (foot) and Cole Bardreau (hand), each of whom made their season debut Wednesday, and because Matt Read started the season with the team before being recalled by the Flyers.

With the exception of Danick Martell (seven goals in eight games) and Nic Aube-Kubel (three goals), the Phantoms have been using forwards who didn't spend much time on the same lines last season.

"We're still trying to find chemistry," Gordon said.

Lindblom will find it in time and figures to someday be a fixture at the Wells Fargo Center, playing on a team with his close friend, fellow Swede Robert Hagg, a defenseman in his first season with the Flyers.

Breakaways. Samuel Morin excelled on defense Wednesday, won a fight against Bobby Farnham, and was plus-1 for the Phantoms…..Highly touted defenseman Phil Myers missed his second straight game with a groin injury but hopes to practice Thursday and play Friday in Springfield, Mass.….The Phantoms' special teams have struggled, but they are 6-1-1 thanks to their strong five-on-five play….Vecchione, who had a power-play goal to open the scoring and finished with six shots Wednesday, has eight points in eight games….McDonald had a goal in his first game this season.