Last year at this time, Robert Hagg was one of a few surprising story lines. Projected by many to be returned to the Phantoms in favor of higher touted D-men like smooth-skating Travis Sanheim and big, earth-shattering basher Sam Morin, he instead beat out Morin to make the opening night squad.
Sanheim quickly came up. Morin fell victim to several smaller injuries and then a season-ending one. Relied on quickly, Hagg plugged away with a steady, solid game filled with big hits and devoid of big gaps, moved up and down the pairings, built a bank of trust before struggling at season's end.