Lehigh Valley Phantoms officially introduced John Snowden as the new head coach of Flyers’ Serican Hockey League Affiliate on Wednesday. The team also officially announced the hiring of Terrance Wallin and Nick Schultz as assistant coaches for Snowden.
Snowden and Schultz are familiar faces in the flyer organization. Meanwhile, Wallin is a native of Bucks County, known as Flyer General Manager Daniel Briere and Player Development Director Riley Armstrong. Snowden and Schultz also interacted with Flyers Assistant General Manager Alyn McCauley, who handles Phantom’s daily management affairs in their previous roles.
Snowden spoke with local media at a press conference at the PPL Center on Wednesday. In addition, the owner of the new Phantom Bench was interviewed by Kristi Fulkerson, a service electric reporter.
Fulkerson asked Snowden that he was going to be the Phantom head coach. The 43-year-old Washington State man, who served as an assistant coach for the Phantom under Ian Laperriere, had previously won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup as head coach for the Newfoundland Growers.
“No surprises are for me now. I understand [American] alliance. I understand how it works every day. Lappy sets up a very good foundation here. Now is the work we build on. Work with these players to help them reach the NHL or return to the NHL. So my experience over the past few years has been huge,” Snowden told Service Electric.
Snowden said being the head coach of the ECHL is different from the coach of the AHL. In turn, coaches in the American Hockey League are different from those at the NHL level.
“I’m from ECHL. It’s a different speed [AHL] grade. Players are better, they are smarter, and perform better throughout the rink. They ask you tough questions. You won’t get these problems in ECHL. They will ask you why [you’re doing something]. They will challenge you as a coach. So four years at this level is a great help. ” he said.
During a press conference Wednesday, Snowden said he was happy to work with potential Phantom rookies. They range from players like Alex Bump (potential NHL roster player) to Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk, who will debut in hockey in 2025-26.
Snowden also discussed some of his coaching philosophy and ideas about player development. He expects long-time veterans like veteran Garrett Wilson and young veterinarians like Zayde Wisdom will help establish expectations in the locker room and help young people continue to adjust to become professional players.
“This is where the Philadelphia Flyers rebuild. It will start here, it will start with us. It starts with the development process we will win here, if we win here – if we do it right, we will win the game – but also help them get into the NHL. That’s where they end.
The coach said he and his staff want to implement a very rhythmic system. The purpose is to prepare for the NHL pace, but it also poses a threat to AHL opponents.
“We’re going to be a fast, offensive offensive team. I want to value it [possession of ] puck. I hope we stick to the hockey. If you want hockey, you have to make money. ” Snowden said.
Snowden promises a quick transition game from the defensive zone to the offensive zone. Once inside the offensive zone, without a direct chance to attack tennis, Snowden hopes to have a promising future wears out the opponent’s defense to put them in trouble in their own area.
Phantom hopes their system will reflect the system that the flyer is planned to be implemented under Rick Tocchet. This includes similar pre-reviews in offensive and neutral areas as well as breakthroughs. In the defensive zone, Snowden and Schultz implementations may be very similar to the 5-on-5 box plus coverage, while Flyers coach Tocchet and Todd Reirden plan to use something.
Of course, Schultz played 1,069 regular season games as an NHL defenseman, including three seasons of flyers. Most recently, he served as development coach for the flyer organization. He specializes in the rapport with the blue line prospects.
Now, Schultz has switched to the behind-the-scenes role. As Snowden’s assistant, he will work day after day in Phantom’s defense and penalty kills. He replaced former flyer captain Jason “Gator” Smith, who served as the Phantom Assistant Coach under Laperriere.
Wallin moved to Snowden’s old assistant role, a very young and promising coach. The 33-year-old Yardley native came to Phantom after four seasons as assistant (one year) and head coach for the ECHL Maine Mariners (three years).
In Portland, Walling was initially hired by Briere, when the future Flyer runs the Mariners. Additionally, he knows very well former Maine head coach Riley Armstrong. Wallin plays at Armstrong and then transitions from player to coach.
While the Phantoms 2025-26 coaching staff is brand new, an immediate familiarity with the key hockey surgery numbers in the Flyers organization and/or the number of key hockey operations between each other may help in the coming months. The transition should be very smooth.
