Flyers’ Adam Ginning ‘very excited’ to make NHL debut vs. Columbus

Magnus Ginning stayed up into the early hours Sunday morning in Sweden to watch his son, Adam, play for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in their 4-3 comeback win over the Springfield Thunderbirds on Saturday night.

He was still awake when he received a call from Adam, who relayed the news that coach Ian Laperrière had shared with him shortly after the game — the Flyers had called Adam up, and he was going to make his NHL debut against the Columbus Blue Jackets on Tuesday night. Adam, of course, wanted his parents to be a part of his big day.

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“They started looking at flights,” Ginning said. “And they made it.”

Ginning, 23, will become the fifth player this season to make his NHL debut with the Flyers, joining goalie Samuel Ersson and forwards Tyson Foerster, Elliot Desnoyers, and Olle Lycksell. In his first season in North America following four years in the Swedish Hockey League, Ginning, who was selected in the second round of the 2018 draft, has three goals, 16 assists, and is a plus-25 in 65 games with the Phantoms. He said he’s enjoyed the transition to the smaller ice surface and the more defensive style of play.

This year, Ginning said he feels like he’s been able to attain a sense of consistency in his game that was missing in Sweden. He has been paired up at times with 24-year-old Ronnie Attard, who, like Ginning, is in his first full year of North American pro hockey. Together, they have proved a good match, with Ginning being more defensive-minded and Attard being the more offensive defenseman.

“I think we’ve been playing great together,” Ginning said. “And he’s obviously a little bit offensive. So when he wants to jump up, he can do that. And I tried to stay back.”

Coach John Tortorella has heard plenty of positives regarding Ginning from his associates in Allentown. Ginning has played a physical, fearless game while showing strong puck-moving skills, and now, Tortorella is eager to see him show his capabilities with the big club, even if it’s a brief audition.

“I don’t remember if he was in camp or not in camp,” Tortorella said. “I don’t remember who he is. But I’m really anxious to see him play because for now a couple of months, we’ve gotten some really good reports.”

Ginning will skate alongside veteran defenseman Justin Braun on the third pairing against the Blue Jackets. He’s grateful that his family, including his father, mother, and girlfriend, will be present to see him live out his dream.

“That’s something you’ve been thinking about for a very long time, and I’m just very excited to be able to do it now,” Ginning said. “And now it will be a very fun night.”

Defenseman Tony DeAngelo will miss his fourth straight game as a healthy scratch against the Blue Jackets. Tortorella has not disclosed the reasoning behind his decision, and he declined to comment on the state of his relationship with DeAngelo before the game.

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“I’m not going to discuss it with you guys,” Tortorella said. “He’s out. And I’ve talked to him. He knows where he stands with me. And that’s where we’re gonna go with it.”

Tortorella also declined to disclose whether DeAngelo will suit up for the Flyers’ final game of the season against the Chicago Blackhawks on Thursday.

Following morning skate last Thursday in Dallas, which marked the first day that DeAngelo was listed as a healthy scratch, he admitted that he has struggled defensively in certain situations recently. DeAngelo has the fifth-worst plus-minus in the league (minus-27) among defensemen. He is minus-5 in his last four games.

The Flyers traded three picks (a second, third, and fourth) to the Carolina Hurricanes for DeAngelo last year on Day 2 of the NHL draft. DeAngelo has one year, $5 million remaining on his deal.

Goalie Carter Hart (21-23-10, .907 save percentage) will start against the Blue Jackets, per Tortorella. Kieffer Bellows (scratch) and Nick Seeler (illness) are out. ... Assistant coach Rocky Thompson will assume the head coaching duties behind the bench. Assistant video coach Vinny Yula, who typically sits in an office during the game, also will join the coaches on the bench.