By Kevin Durso, Sports Talk Philly editor 
As the season gets closer to coming to an end, several of the Flyers prospects are preparing for the playoffs and college tournaments.
Here's the latest rundown.
AHL
The margin remains three for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, who are still chasing down the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for first in the Atlantic Division after splitting a home-and-home with the Pens last weekend.
The 4-1 defeat on home ice set the Phantoms back to a five-point deficit, but a quick turnaround and 3-2 win in Scranton brought the margin back where it started.
The Phantoms do still have a game in hand on the Penguins, which will hang in the balance for the next while. The Penguins have a game on Tuesday against Hartford before a 3-in-3 weekend that includes a trip to Allentown on Saturday night. The Penguins will also face Syracuse and Utica this weekend.
The Phantoms meanwhile have the back-to-back games on Tuesday and Wednesday, but don’t play again until Saturday when hosting the Penguins. They also play host to Bridgeport on Sunday evening, giving each team four games including the head-to-head. Essentially, the Phantoms could overtake the Penguins this week with Saturday’s game looming large for the division.
The Phantoms have 13 games remaining in the regular season, including seven of the last 11 on home ice at PPL Center.
ECHL
It was a rough week for the Reading Royals. The snowstorm, which heavily impacted the Lehigh Valley and Reading areas, postponed their Tuesday game against Norfolk to April 5.
The Norfolk Admirals played host to the Royals for two games this weekend, both losses for the Royals. Reading lost on Friday, 6-1, then dropped Saturday’s contest, 4-2.
As a result, Reading dropped to three points back of Brampton for first in the North Division. The Royals have nine games remaining on the season, including the next five on home ice. They face Brampton one more time this season on April 1 at Santander Arena in Reading.
Juniors
Philippe Myers – The undrafted prospect defenseman who has also quickly risen through the ranks has been excellent since returning from a concussion. Myers concluded the regular season with two goals and 15 assists in the 15 games since his return, including a five-game points streak to end the regular season. Myers and Rouyn-Noranda went to the Memorial Cup Final last season and look to do so again as the playoffs are about to begin.
German Rubtsov – The 2016 first-round pick was only going to get brief exposure to the North American game this season. Rubtsov had part of his season cut short by an injury that sidelined him for two weeks, so he hasn’t played since March 4. However, in the 16 games he played in the QMJHL, Rubtsov had nine goals and 13 assists for 22 points. Not bad for a newcomer to the Q.
Oskar Lindblom – The Flyers quickly rising prospect closed out the SHL season strong, finishing with 22 goals and 25 assists for 47 points in 52 games. In his first playoff game for Brynas IF, Lindblom had two assists. Brynas won the first two games of the best-of-seven playoff series with Linkoping.
Carter Hart – The Flyers second-round pick closed out the regular season with a 32-11-6 record, nine shutouts and a 1.99 GAA in 54 games. Regarded as one of the best goalies in the CHL, Hart has been turning heads for some time now and may be the best Flyers goalie prospect in the system, even at 18.
Mark Friedman – The 2014 third-round pick may be coming to an arena near you soon. Friedman just completed his season with Bowling Green, scoring eight goals and adding 18 assists for 26 points in 40 games. Friedman reportedly signed an entry-level deal with the Flyers on Tuesday, forgoing his senior season at Bowling Green. He would likely join the Lehigh Valley Phantoms for their playoff push.
Merrick Madsen – Despite losing back-to-back starts to Quinnipiac and Boston College, Madsen and Harvard are preparing for the NCAA Tournament, getting the top seed in the East Region. They will face Providence on Friday. No. 2 ranked Harvard has mainly used Madsen in goal this season, with the sixth-round pick of the Flyers posting a 26-5-2 record, 2.18 GAA and .918 save percentage.
This doesn’t really have a Flyers angle to it, but from a local standpoint, Penn State claimed the Big10 title on Saturday with a 2-1 double overtime win over Wisconsin. To win the tournament, the Nittany Lions had to earn a 4-1 win over Michigan on Thursday, a 4-3 double overtime win against Minnesota on Friday and Saturday’s double OT win over Wisconsin. That’s 11-plus periods of hockey in three nights. It takes quite an effort to accomplish what Penn State did. Penn State will be the No. 3 seed in the Midwest Region and face Union College on Saturday.
