Goalie and Winger Add Experience and Depth
November 23, 2021
Lehigh Valley, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have announced that they have signed goalie Jon Gillies and right wing Nick Lappin to PTO (Professional Try Out) contracts.
Gillies, 27, is a 6’6″ goalie who led Providence College to a Frozen Four National Championship in 2015. The Phantoms had just seen Gillies on November 12 in a game at the Providence Bruins where Gillies stopped 31 of 34 shots in a 6-3 Providence win. That was his most recent game in the AHL. Gillies was released from his PTO with Providence shortly after that game. He was outstanding with the P-Bruins in his short stay going 3-0-0, 1.67, .948 with one shutout in a 31-save performance at Hershey on November 6.
Gillies was born in Concord, NH and grew up in South Portland, Maine. He played one game for his hometown Maine Mariners in the ECHL earlier this year.
Originally a Round 3 selection of Calgary in 2012, Gillies played in the Flames system for over four seasons with Stockton of the AHL while also appearing in 12 games in the NHL with Calgary. He has played in 168 career AHL games, mostly with the Stockton Heat, going 73-62-30, 2.88, .906. In his 12 career games with Calgary he went 4-5-1, 2.71, .903. He played 11 of those NHL games in the 2017-18 season after making his NHL debut with a single game the year prior. He spent the 2020-21 season with the Utica Comets playing in five games and going 3-1-1, 2.37, .902 while he was on a two-way deal with the St. Louis Blues.
Leading the Providence College Friars to the 2015 National Championship included a run in which Gillies was the NCAA Tournament Most Valuable Player and Hockey East Goaltender of the Year when he went 24-13-2, 2.01, .930 with four shutouts. Providence College edged Boston University 4-3 to take the National Championship. Gillies was also the starting goalie for the 2014 United States World Juniors team playing almost every minute of the tournament.
Jon’s father, Bruce Gillies, was also a goalie and is a member of the University of New Hampshire Hall of Fame. Bruce also helped lead the Muskegon Lumberjacks of the IHL to the 1986 Turner Cup Championship.
Lappin, 29, is a 6’1″ right wing from Geneva, Ill. The righty shooting forward signed as an undrafted free agent with the New Jersey Devils following his four-year collegiate career at Brown University. Lappin played in 60 NHL games with New Jersey from 2016-19 scoring five goals with three assists.
In his AHL career of six seasons, Lappin has played in 221 games scoring 73 goals with 63 assists for 136 points while playing for the Albany Devils, Binghamton Devils, San Antonio Rampage and Cleveland Monsters. Last year on an AHL deal with Cleveland he played in 11 games scoring 1-1-2.
In the 2017-18 season, Lappin finished tied for fourth in the AHL with 31 goals while finishing second on the Binghamton Devils with 53 points. During his time at Brown University, Lappin scored 51-55-106. He was named to the 2015-16 ECAC First All-Star Team and also 2014-15 All-Ivy League Second Team.
His father, Peter Lappin, played in seven NHL games with the Minnesota North Stars and San Jose Sharks in 1989-90 and 1991-92 while spending most of his pro career in the IHL with the Salt Lake Golden Eagles, Kalamazoo Wings and Kansas City Blades.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms next play on Friday night at the Syracuse Crunch.
The next home game for the Lehigh Valley Phantoms is Saturday, November 27 with a Thanksgiving weekend clash against the Bridgeport Islanders on Hockey Fights Cancer Night also featuring LIQUID-A as the featured guest in the Saturday Night Hockey Live concert series.
Tickets for upcoming Phantoms game available HERE
Upcoming Home Games:
Saturday, November 27 vs. Bridgeport Islanders – Thanksgiving Weekend! Hockey Fights Cancer Night. Saturday Night Hockey Live featuring LIQUID A.
Family Value Packs, 3 tickets and Mystery Bobblehead for $48 Upper Level or $63 Lower Level.
Wednesday, December 1 vs. Hershey Bears
Friday, December 3 vs. Charlotte Checkers – WFMZ Coat Drive. $2 Miller Lites pregame.
Saturday, December 4 vs. Hershey Bears – Service Electric Phantoms Ballcap Giveaway Night
Saturday, December 11 vs. Cleveland Monsters – Teddy Bear Toss Presented by Dan’s Camera City. Bring your new teddy bears and stuffed animals to throw onto the ice after the Phantoms score the first goal!
Sunday, December 12 vs. Hartford Wolf Pack (3:05) – $2 Boar’s Head Hot Dogs
Phantoms tickets available HERE
