There is a reason why Danny Syvret was not around in Glens Falls to pick up his award for Best Defenseman of the Year in the Phantoms last home game on April 6; He was on a call-up with the Philadelphia Flyers.
Now he is getting his first ever taste of Stanley Cup Playoff experience having played in both games of Philadelphia’s first round series with the Buffalo Sabres.
It has been a long road to this point for Syvret who began the season with the Syracuse Crunch, was called up to Anaheim in late October for six games before being sent back down, and then was traded back to the Flyers organization where he had played the previous two years. Through six professional seasons, including three NHL teams and a whopping seven different AHL teams, he had yet to appear in an NHL Stanley Cup Playoff game.
With NHL stints in Edmonton, Anaheim and Philadelphia as well as AHL stretches with Hamilton, Grand Rapids, Springfield, Hershey, Springfield, Adirondack and Syracuse (and back to Adirondack) it’s safe to say Syvret is well traveled. That’s 332 combined AHL games and another 59 in the NHL but still no games in the NHL’s “second season.”
He played in career high 21 NHL games with the Flyers in 2009-10 as well as 15 game with Adirondack but his season was cut short by a shoulder injury.
This season he stayed with Adirondack for most of the year getting called up on a couple occasions as a potential back-up. But on both of those trips to the big club he didn’t play and would be sent back to continue to serve as one of the leaders on the Phantoms while also striving to earn his way back up there. He cranked up 10 goals in 51 games as well as 26 assists. His big slapshot from the point on the power play was responsible for many of his points.
Then in April he got yet another call due to different injuries with Philadelphia. And this time he would be called upon to play in the last four games of the regular season which has now carried over to the playoffs.
Timing is everything. And for Danny Syvret now getting to make his NHL playoff debut, now is that time.
