AHL star Morgan Frost headed for Flyers permanently soon. Maybe even this season.

Scott Gordon has coached the Flyers’ AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, for parts of five seasons, and he has had former minor-league players like Oskar Lindblom, Scott Laughton, Travis Sanheim, and others make a mark in the NHL.

None, he said, compare to center Morgan Frost, whose first year with the Phantoms officially ended May 11, when the AHL canceled its season because of the coronavirus pandemic.

“He was our most skilled player. There’s no comparison,” Gordon said the other day. “He’s the most skilled player I’ve had in Lehigh since I’ve been here, for sure. There have been good players here, but not at the same skill level. The plays that he makes and the vision he has are second to none.”

Frost, who turned 21 on May 14, was an AHL All-Star and he was playing well when he was recalled by the Flyers on Nov. 18. He got a 16-game look-see before being returned to the Phantoms.

“I think it was good that he got a taste for it, got a feel for what it’s like to play in the NHL,” Gordon said from his home in Atlanta. “But in saying that, I think it took away some of the momentum he was starting to get before he got called up. And when he was sent back, I don’t think he had the same mindset he had before he left.”

The demotion stung. Frost’s confidence sagged.

“It’s a natural thing; we see it all the time,” Gordon said. “When they come back, they’re not mentally the same as when they left. So he had some ups and down when he came back."

”But there’s no question that he has NHL talent,” Gordon added.

If the NHL season resumes, teams are expected to be allowed to add a handful of minor leaguers in case of injuries. Frost has been told to “stay ready” in case he is needed.

“I’m just trying to stay in shape and it would be an unbelievable experience for me,” Frost said.

As for his year as a pro, Frost said there were many positives. He collected 13 goals and 29 points in 41 games with the Phantoms.

“There was a lot of good and bad, and I think that’s kind of to be expected in the first season,” Frost said in a phone interview from Ontario. “Getting called up for the first stint and the first few games I played, that was definitely a high.”

Frost scored goals in each of his first two games with the Flyers, then went goal-less in his next 16 games and was sent down to Lehigh Valley. He later played two more games with the Flyers. All told, he had two goals and seven points in 20 NHL games.

“I had a few good runs of games in the AHL and I think I learned a lot in general, so it was a pretty good season for me," he said. "Just learning what it takes to become a pro. You see how hard some of the older guys work and how well they take care of their bodies and just their work habits. It’s something you want to emulate and learn from them.”

Frost, drafted in the first round (27th overall) in 2017 with one of the picks acquired in the Brayden Schenn trade with St. Louis, said he needs to be more consistent and “be on the top of my game every night” to stick with the Flyers next season. “And I definitely need to get a little bit stronger. I want to work on my shot and some little things, like in the defensive zone.”

Gordon said he has had conversations with Frost about his work on defense.

“His offense is going to be there, and that’s going to translate to the NHL. You know that,” Gordon said. “But the part that’s going to make a difference for him is understanding that the 200-foot game is what the great players have. When you have to go up and play against players, whether it’s a Patrice Bergeron or a Sidney Crosby, you can’t just be good offensively. You have to be able to play against them and do it at both ends of the ice.”

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Frost’s consistency and two-way play will get better each season, Gordon said.

“He’s a smart kid," Gordon said, “and that is something that will come in time.”

Frost was dominant in junior, collecting 112- and 109-point seasons, respectively, in his last two years with the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds in the wide-open Ontario Hockey League. He was a combined plus-103 in that span.

In the NHL and AHL, “you’re not playing games where your teams are scoring five, six, seven goals a game anymore,” Gordon said. “You’re playing against better defensemen, you’re playing against better goalies. With time, I think he’ll continue to improve and identify the different things that go into being a 200-foot player.”

Though he hasn’t been able to get on the ice because of the coronavirus shutdown, Frost has been training at home. If the season resumes and he does join the Flyers, it will take him, and all players, a while to get their skating legs. Teams are expected to have a three-week training camp if they return.

“It’s hard. This is the longest stretch I’ve ever been off the ice in my life,” Frost said. “It’s definitely a weird feeling.”