Feb 4, 2025; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Philadelphia Flyers center Jacob Gaucher (78) controls the puck during the first period against the Utah Hockey Club at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

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Philadelphia Flyers Reassign Jacob Gaucher to AHL

The Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned forward Jacob Gaucher to their AHL affiliate for further development.

The Philadelphia Flyers announced that forward Jacob Gaucher has been reassigned to their AHL affiliate, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. This move clears one of the two roster spots needed to activate Andrei Kuzmenko and Jakob Pelletier, who are set to make their Flyers debut tomorrow against the Penguins after visa issues delayed their arrival following their trade from the Flames last week.

Gaucher, 23, signed a two-year entry-level contract in December after spending several seasons on minor-league deals with the Phantoms. Last season, he split time between the AHL and ECHL but showed improvement, recording 16 points in 59 games for Lehigh Valley. Before turning pro, Gaucher had a standout junior season with the QMJHL’s Baie-Comeau Drakkar, scoring 68 points in 2021-22.

Former @ReadingRoyals forward, Jacob Gaucher, made his @NHL debut tonight with the @NHLFlyers! 👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/Pi6KwfQ1AB
— ECHL (@ECHL) February 2, 2025

This season, Gaucher came into Flyers training camp on a tryout and impressed, earning himself a call-up after posting 27 points in 44 AHL games. During his three-game NHL stint, Gaucher centered the Flyers’ fourth line. While he didn’t register any points, he won nine of 13 faceoffs, took three shots, and posted solid possession stats, including a 53.3 Corsi For percentage in limited minutes (averaging 7:30 of ice time).

His reassignment comes as Ryan Poehling, the Flyers’ usual fourth-line center, is nearing a return. Poehling, who has been on injured reserve since January 16 due to an upper-body injury, practiced in a non-contact jersey today. While he’s unlikely to play against the Penguins, he’s expected to rejoin the lineup after the Flyers’ break for the 4 Nations Face-Off tournament later this month.

Additionally, with Poehling’s return on the horizon, recent call-ups Rodrigo Abols and Anthony Richard are also expected to be sent back to the Phantoms during the break.

Image Credit: Chris Nicoll-Imagn Images

Jacob Gaucher

NHL

Philadelphia Flyers

Anamika Shrivastava

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