Defenseman Jeff Lank was drafted by the Montreal Canadiens in the mist of his four year Junior career with the Prince Albert Raiders but he was unable to come to terms with the club and re-entered the draft two years later where he was selected by the Philadelphia Flyers.
Lank turned professional in 1995 and reported to the Flyers farm club in Hershey where he quickly adapted to the pro game and played solid, if unspectacular hockey for the club. The Flyers moved their American League affiliate closer to home and Lank went with it. For all but two games over the next four seasons Lank toiled for the Philadelphia Phantoms, and though he played decent hockey, he always left the Flyers wanting more.
Lank, at 6'3 was unable to fill out his frame and rarely used his size to play the nasty game that Philadelphia wanted from him. The longer he spent with the Flyers farm club, the more clear it became that he wouldn't develop the mean streak they longed for. The highest penalty minute total the defenseman accumulated was just 70 minutes, and that came in his first season, back with Hershey. As a result, despite solid hockey sense and good decision making on the ice, Lank laboured in the minors. However, he did get a brief look from the Flyers during the 1999-00 campaign.
Lank suited up for two games with them that year, but was unable to record a point, though he did receive a minor penalty.
Despite working his way up to the NHL, the 1999-00 season was primarily a disappointment for Lank. For the second season in a row, he suffered through a series of injuries that limited him to just 79 games over the two years. Eventually, the injuries got the best of the big blue liner, and the 1999-00 season proved to be his last.
