Ronnie Attard excited ‘to show what I can do’ in season debut with Flyers

On Monday night, Flyers winger Wade Allison found out through Instagram that his former Western Michigan teammate, Ronnie Attard, had been called up. Allison proudly shared the post about his friend.

Minutes later, Allison’s phone rang. It was Attard, calling to ask what to wear to the team dinner. Allison joked that he told Attard to show up in a track suit.

“I was like, ‘Oh hell yeah. Can’t wait to see you,’” Allison said. “I’m just proud of him. I see the work that he puts in.”

» READ MORE: Flyers prospect Ronnie Attard playing his ‘best hockey’ as the Phantoms push for the playoffs

Allison didn’t play with Attard during the latter’s 15-game NHL stint last season because he was injured. He’s excited for this chance to reconnect with fellow Bronco. It’s good to see him, too, Attard returned with a grin.

With the Flyers out of the playoff race but the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in one, the organization’s approach to calling up prospects has changed. Rather than calling up the post-trade deadline maximum of four players and giving them extended looks, the Flyers have tried to balance their call-ups around the Phantoms’ schedule, meaning each player only gets a few games at a time.

The first two recalls were used on forward Tyson Foerster and defenseman Egor Zamula, but Attard’s call-up was always coming.

Attard, 24, was one of the last players cut from training camp and earned high praise from coach John Tortorella for fighting New York Islanders tough guy Ross Johnston in preseason. While Tortorella said it’s hard to really get to know a player in camp, he immediately noticed Attard’s fitness, energy, length, and the fact that he’s a right shot. The Flyers gave Attard their evaluation and some things to work on before sending him down and letting Phantoms coach Ian Laperrière take over.

Attard had put in a ton of work over the summer, and it set up a relatively smooth transition from college hockey to playing full-time in the AHL. While Attard had several areas he needed to improve in, namely risk evaluation and being tougher to play against defensively, he made an impact quickly. He was named an AHL All-Star and currently leads all Phantoms defensemen in goals (11) and points (30) and has a plus-minus of plus-9.

Tortorella said he’s received good progress reports on Attard. He said he isn’t looking for anything specific in Attard’s 2022-23 debut.

“I want to see him play,” Tortorella said. “I want to see if he gets up the ice, if he can make a play. There’s no specific thing I’m looking for. I just want to see him playing an NHL game.”

Attard knows his time with the Flyers is short, even if he excels, because of the looming AHL playoffs..

“[It’s] obviously a great opportunity for me to show what I can do,” Attard said. “It’s good to compare [myself to the NHL players] and see where I’m at, but I’m just excited to get out there and play and do my thing.”

Attard will be in the lineup Tuesday night against St. Louis, Tortorella said. Who he plays with will depend on whether Rasmus Ristolainen is healthy enough to play. Ristolainen is a game time decision.

Believe it or not, Tortorella said, he does think about and care about his older players who are playing for future contracts. However, he can’t let that affect what he’s trying to build in Philadelphia.

Tortorella was disappointed that James van Riemsdyk didn’t get the chance to go play for a competitive team at the trade deadline and said he’s sure van Riemsdyk was disappointed, too. A pending free agent, van Riemsdyk is now playing to prove to teams that they should sign him in the offseason.

» READ MORE: Flyers look to have a landed a good one in young sniper Tyson Foerster

Tortorella is sympathetic to that. But he also needs to see what he has in his young players, and, as a result, van Riemsdyk’s ice time has dropped significantly. Van Riemsdyk, who played just 9 minutes, 29 seconds on Sunday against Pittsburgh, also hasn’t been producing at the clip he was earlier in the season, partially because his role has been reduced.

Although not a pending free agent, Kevin Hayes is another player who has seen his role decrease. The All-Star also has struggled — 22 games without a goal — and Tortorella said part of the reason is because he’s putting Hayes in less advantageous situations. Tortorella said he and Hayes had lots of honest conversations about the veteran’s role for the remainder of the season.

The Flyers play the St. Louis Blues at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Enterprise Center. ... Sam Ersson starts in goal as Carter Hart remains “day-to-day.” ... Whether the Flyers play 12 forwards and six defensemen or 11 forwards and seven defensemen depends on Ristolainen’s status. Defenseman Justin Braun will sit. ... The Blues are celebrating Pride Night, but they won’t wear Pride warmup jerseys. However, former Flyer Brayden Schenn voiced his support for the LGBTQ+ community and said the locker room supports Pride. ... Schenn said he doesn’t know many players on the Flyers anymore but talked to Scott Laughton, among others. He also stopped to chat with former linemate and current Flyers interim general manager Danny Brière.