Before this week begins, it's time for our weekly check-in on the Flyers’ prospects playing in the AHL, overseas and at the junior and college levels.

In this week’s report, we feature an AHL defenseman whose ironman streak has come to an end thanks to a suspension and a blueliner who made a huge impact in his return from a concussion.

Sam Morin, D, 6-7/227, Lehigh Valley (AHL)

Morin’s 125-game ironman streak came to an end last week, not because of injury, but because of a dangerous cross-check to Wilkes-Barre/Scranton’s Garrett Wilson last Tuesday that resulted in a two-game suspension. Morin missed Friday and Saturday’s games against Hartford and returned Sunday night when the Phantoms traveled to Utica, adding an assist in Lehigh Valley’s 7-4 win over the Comets.

The hit in question came in the first period of Lehigh Valley’s 5-1 loss to the Penguins, when Morin cross-checked Wilson head-first into the boards near the Phantoms’ blue line. Wilson did not return after the hit, and he will miss “at least a month” with an upper-body injury. Morin did not appear to attempt to injure Wilson, but the hit was rather reckless and unnecessary. It could have been avoided and should have. Morin avoided a suspension in October for boarding Hershey’s Travis Boyd and that hit was far more vicious than the hit on Wilson. Boyd did not suffer an injury and remained in that game while Wilson did get injured, so that may have played a factor into the decision not to suspend Morin in October. Injuries should not be the deciding factor in disciplining players for dangerous hits, but that is often the case in how the NHL’s Department of Player Safety disciplines players. There at least appears to be the same standard in the AHL. That’s a standard that has to change.

Morin plays with a physical edge and a lot of snarl. His fights often become candy for the Internet, and the burly blueliner brings the old-school fear into his opponents. Still, he’s a decent skater for a 6-foot-7 defenseman who continues to work on his puck-handling. During warmups before each game, Morin can be seen working on his stick-handling. In his second professional season, he had never missed a game before Friday. He was the only Phantom to play in every game last season and played in all 46 games this year prior to Friday.

Dirty hits have not been Morin’s style, but as a player who does play a physical brand, there has to be a recognition as to when to deliver a hit. The cross-check on Wilson was not a play that Morin should have made, and the suspension could be a wake-up call for him. When he does come to the Flyers — likely next season, depending on what the Flyers do at the trade deadline — he’ll add much-needed size on the blue line. Until then, he’ll continue to develop with the Phantoms and learn from this suspension.

Philippe Myers, D, 6-5/209, Rouyn-Noranda (QMJHL)

Myers, a rising defensive prospect whom the Flyers found as an undrafted free-agent signing in September 2015, returned to game action after a lengthy absence because of a concussion suffered at the world junior championships in December, and it didn’t take him long to put his imprints back on the Huskies. Myers had a hand in both of the Huskies’ goals in their 2-1 win over Val-d’Or last Wednesday, his first QMJHL game since Dec. 9. (He was away with Team Canada during the world juniors. He had last played Dec. 31.) One assist set up a one-timer that led to Rouyn-Noranda’s first goal, and the other was a one-timing shot that led to a rebound being put into the net. He was held pointless in two other games. There should be some concern about Myers because he’s had two concussions this season, missing six games from Oct. 23 to Nov. 4 because of his first concussion. Head injuries can derail a player’s career, and consider Myers’ trend upwards, it would be a devastating blow to have his progress hampered by consistent head injuries and concussions.

German Rubtsov, C, 6-0/190, Chicoutimi (QMJHL)

Rubtsov continued to dominate the Q last week, though he appeared in just one game because of an upper-body injury. Rubtsov had a goal and an assist in Chicoutimi’s 6-4 loss to Blainville-Boisbriand last Wednesday. It was his second straight multi-point game, and his third in his previous four games. He’s now at 18 points and seven power-play points in 11 QMJHL games. It’s unclear exactly what Rubtsov’s injury is and how long he’ll be out.

Oskar Lindblom, LW, 6-1/192, Brynäs IF (SHL)

After being held out of the Sweden Hockey Games portion of the Euro Hockey Tour as precautionary reasons, Lindblom didn’t miss any time for Brynäs last week, and it was another productive, consistent week for the 20-year-old left winger. Lindblom had two more goals last week, and now has 18 on the season, second in the SHL behind teammate Kevin Clark. He registered his 17th goal in a 6-5 overtime win over Djurgarden last Tuesday on a goal that should help silence the concern about his skating. Two days later, Lindblom put his wrist shot on display in a 4-0 win over Leksand for his 18th. Lindblom has been a consistent force for Brynäs, with 39 points in 44 games. He’s held pointless in just 14 games this season, and the longest he’s gone without a point was three games.

Cooper Marody, C, 6-0/178, Michigan (NCAA)

Michigan lost both weekend games to No. 20 Wisconsin, but Marody continued to pick up points. The sophomore added a goal on Friday in a 5-2 loss and an assist Saturday in a 6-4 defeat. After sitting out the first semester because of academics, Marody has shot up the Wolverines’ scoring list in far fewer games than his teams. His 11 points in 12 games have him fourth on the team in scoring. The six players ahead of him have all played at least 23 games. It’s a testament to Marody’s ability to put up points in bunches. He now has eight points in his last six games, and five goals and six assists on the season.

Quick hits

• A rough outing last Tuesday saw Felix Sandstrom sit out Brynäs IF’s last two games. Sandstrom was slapped for a season-high five goals in a 6-5 overtime win over Djurgarden.

• Ohio State freshman Tanner Laczynski’s point streak reached five games with a goal and an assist against in the No. 14 Buckeyes' 3-2 win over Michigan State last Friday, but it was snapped Saturday night in a 4-3 win over the Spartans.

• Harvard goalie Merrick Madsen now has not lost in his last 10 games — 9-0-1 (yes, there are still ties in college hockey). Madsen stopped 21 of 23 shots in No. 3 Harvard’s 4-2 win over Yale on Friday, and then Madsen pitched an 11-save shutout over Brown Saturday.

• Four games, four wins for Everett’s Carter Hart, who allowed just six goals on 115 shots.

• Sarnia’s Anthony Salinitri scooped up two assists last Wednesday in a 6-2 win over Guelph, and a goal in a 7-5 loss to Flint. Salinitri has 20 goals and 45 points in 54 games.

• The Phantoms’ Robert Hagg, a sound two-way defender who’s a perfect of example of patience with development, scored his sixth and seventh goals of the season Sunday for his first multi-goal game of his pro career. Check out his first goal here, an impressive howitzer.

• With an assist Sunday, Travis Sanheim now has a three-game assist streak going. He’s up to 26 points in 52 games in his first pro season with the Phantoms.

• It was a 50/50 split in net for Lehigh Valley last week, with Anthony Stolarz starting Tuesday and Saturday and Alex Lyon starting Wednesday and Sunday. Not the best week in terms of the number of goals allowed — nine by Stolarz, seven by Lyon — but both faced a ton of shots last week. Stolarz saw 43 and 44 shots, respectively, in both of his starts; Lyon saw 18 and 47, respectively. Both won a game and lost a game last week.