Laperriere named head coach of Phantoms | TheAHL.com

The Philadelphia Flyers have named Ian Laperriere head coach of the AHL’s Lehigh Valley Phantoms.

Laperriere, 47, has spent the last eight seasons as an assistant coach with the Flyers, following one season as the team’s director of player development.

“We’re very happy to have Ian serve as the next head coach of the Phantoms,” said Flyers president of hockey operations and general manager Chuck Fletcher. “He has been an extremely dedicated individual to the Flyers organization and has shown a strong work ethic as a player, development coach and an assistant over the last 12 years for us. We are excited to have him at the forefront of developing our prospects, preparing them to reach the NHL and bringing success to Lehigh Valley.”

Drafted by the St. Louis Blues in 1992, Laperriere played 1,083 games in the National Hockey League with St. Louis, the N.Y. Rangers, Los Angeles, Colorado and Philadelphia. He completed his playing career with the Flyers in 2009-10, reaching the Stanley Cup Final, and won the NHL’s Bill Masterton Trophy in 2010-11.

“I’m very excited for this next challenge in my career and I would like to thank Chuck Fletcher, Brent Flahr and Barry Hanrahan, as well as Jim and Rob Brooks for this opportunity,” said Laperriere. “The Phantoms are a first-class organization in the AHL and the fan base in Lehigh Valley are the very best at showing their support at every game. I look forward to developing the players in our system, helping the Flyers reach their goals by continuing the success of the Phantoms and building towards winning a Calder Cup championship.”