Not too long after parting ways as head coach of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the Philadelphia Flyers have brought Ian Laperrière back into the fold as an advisor to Hockey Operations.
President of Hockey Operations, Keith Jones, mentioned that Laperrière will officially transition from head coach of the Phantoms into an upper management role and be an advisor to both him and Daniel Brière.
Brière added that his work with the Phantoms, primarily the younger players and the team’s prospects, will be instrumental into how they shift into the next phase of their rebuild as added insight.
“I want to thank Ian for his tireless work in Lehigh Valley for the last four seasons,” said Briere. “He not only led the Phantoms in a return to the playoffs, but provided crucial development to several of our prospects. I am excited to welcome him back to the Flyers so he can continue to provide his insight in helping our team as we enter the next phase of the rebuild.”
Laperrière spent the last 4 seasons behind the bench with the Phantoms, where he qualified for the postseason over the last 3 years. He accumulated a 134-120-38 record and guided them to an Atlantic Division Semifinals berth this year before falling in 5 games to the Hershey Bears.
Prior to his stint in the AHL, Laperrière spent time behind the Flyers bench as an assistant coach between 2013-14 to 2021-22. The seasoned bench boss also played the final year of his 16-year NHL career with the Flyers in 2009-10, playing a key role in the bottom-6 on their run to the Stanley Cup Final.
While the Flyers had their sights set on Rick Tocchet becoming their next head coach, some believed Laperrière was in the mix as well as Brad Shaw. Ultimately, they got their number one choice in Tocchet and despite him parting ways with the Phantoms as the bench boss, they thought he was good enough to bring back into the fold in a different position.
In totality, Laperrière played 1,083 games split between the St. Louis Blues, the New York Rangers, Los Angeles Kings, Colorado Avalanche, and Flyers from 1993-94 to 2009-10. He accumulated 1,956 PIM alongside 121 goals and 336 points, and he made a name for himself based on his physical play, willingness to put his body on the line, and being a good penalty killer.
Joining the Flyers as an advisor to Hockey Operations is a big step for Laperrière as he officially embarks on a new chapter in his NHL journey. It remains to be seen how hands-on he will be with Brière dictating the on-ice operations and Jones handling the business side of things, but it sounds like they will be looking at him for insight from time to time, primarily when it comes to player development.
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