Welcome Back!! It’s a Phantoms Gameday at PPL Center presented by the Pennsylvania Lottery as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms welcome the rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for a Tuesday night clash. The tenth season of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms is presented by Service Electric.
Tonight’s game is the first of three preseason contests for the Phantoms who will return the favor with a Saturday evening excursion to Wilkes-Barre at 6:05 p.m. Lehigh Valley is back at home to conclude the preseason slate on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. against the Hershey Bears.
TRAINING CAMP – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms opened Training Camp presented by PenTeleData on Sunday morning with a special open practice for Phantoms Premier Members. Hundreds of our most loyal fans attended the fun-filled day as Ian Laperriere worked his team up and down the ice in preparation for the season. The fans who got the insider’s look behind the scenes then participated in an autograph session to get to meet the guys after the practice was concluded.
ROSTER INFO – Several familiar faces are already in the mix for the Phantoms while we welcome many newcomers as well.
#17 Garrett Wilson is the most experienced of the group.
The rugged 31-year-old winger is back for his fourth season with Lehigh Valley after racking up 18 goals and 195 penalty minutes last year.
Crafty center #91 Elliot Desnoyers is ready to continue his development after scoring a Lehigh Valley rookie-record 23 goals in his debut campaign.
Third-year pro #14 Zayde Wisdom is no longer the youngest player in franchise history like he was in February, 2020 when he debuted at just 18 years and six months old. Wisdom stood out in the Flyers vs. Rangers Rookie Series at PPL Center with his speed and aggressiveness plus a nice goal scored on the rush.
Defenseman #2 Helge Grans joins the team for his first look in a Phantoms uniform. The former Los Angeles Kings second-rounder was acquired in the three-team trade that also brought Cal Petersen and Sean Walker to the Flyers organization.
#5 Ethan Samson is ready to make a splash in his rookie season. The 20-year-old from the Prince George Cougars of the Western Hockey League was a Round 6 selection of the Flyers in 2021 and cranked up 18 goals and 42 assists for 60 points from the blueline last year.
#29 Alexis Gendron is only 19 years old and also excited for his first professional season. The seventh-rounder out of the Quebec Major Junior League cranked up 55 goals between two teams last season and can blow you away with his speed. His father is Flyers scout Martin Genrdron and had a long career mostly in the AHL and old IHL.
ON THE WAY – The Philadelphia Flyers continue to trim the field at the team’s Training Camp in Voorhees, NJ. Three more players were sent to the Phantoms on Monday and five more will be official on Tuesday afternoon provided they clear waivers.
Olle Lycksell scored 16 goals for the Phantoms last season and also had several stints with the Flyers. AHL contract forwards Matt Brown and Brendan Furry seemed to make an impression at the NHL camp as evidenced by how long they lasted.
Brown signed with the Phantoms at the end of last season. The Boston University product didn’t get to play in any games last year but scored a goal in his first game on PPL Center ice during the Flyers vs. Rangers rookie series.
Furry played in three games at the end of the regular season after joining from Minnesota State (Mankato). The strong winger scored one goal and two assists in the regular season finale at Hershey, the first points of his pro career.
The players who are required to clear waivers in order to be AHL eligible include three returning Phantoms who were pivotal leaders on the team last season; Louie Belpedio, Adam Brooks, Cooper Marody.
Belpedio re-signed for a two-year deal with the Flyers. The Miami (Ohio) product was an alternate captain last season and scored 8-19-27 in 70 games last year.
Brooks began the season with an injury but upon his return and getting his game back to top speed the former Calder Cup winner with Toronto racked up 35 points in 54 games including 10 goals.
Marody followed a similar timeline with injury issues holding back at the beginning of the season before he took off in the second half. Marody had a hat trick among his 15 goals and 40 points in 47 games.
Victor Mete will be an exciting addition if he joins the Phantoms as he brings 247 NHL games of experience to the defense in stints with Montreal, Ottawa and Toronto.
Rhett Gardner was a free agent pickup from the Dallas Stars organization. The 27-year-old center out of the University of North Dakota has also played 40 games in the NHL with Dallas.
UP NEXT – The Phantoms travel to Wilkes-Barre on Saturday evening for the team’s lone away preseason game. The Phantoms return to PPL Center on Sunday afternoon at 1:05 p.m. for a clash against the defending Calder Cup Champion Hershey Bears to put a bow on the preseason slate.
The highly anticipated 10th Season of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, presented by Service Electric, begins on Saturday, October 14 with an Opening Night clash against the Cleveland Monsters. Opening Weekend continues with a big 1:05 p.m. matinee on Sunday, October 16 taking on the Belleville Senators.
UPCOMING –
Tuesday, October 3 (7:05) – W-B/Scranton Penguins at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Preseason)
Saturday, October 7 (6:05) – Lehigh Valley Phantoms at W-B/Scranton Penguins (Preseason)
Sunday, October 8 (1:05) – Hershey Bears at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (Preseason)
Saturday, October 14 (7:05) – Cleveland Monsters at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (OPENING WEEKEND!!)
Sunday, October 15 (1:05) – Belleville Senators at Lehigh Valley Phantoms (OPENING WEEKEND!!)
Phantoms Premier Memberships provide a true year-long membership that includes tickets to all Phantoms home games as well as year-round benefits and experiences that are exclusive to Premier Members only. Receive early entrance, presale ticket access for PPL Center events, 20% team store discount, enhanced insider access and experiences, and so much more!
