PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Comets, Game 22

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Phantoms

11-7-1-2

Today

7:05 PM

Comets

4-12-2-1

PPL Center

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12/6/25

PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Comets, Game 22

Home Game for meLVin’s Holiday Party

TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (11-7-3) are in a festive mood tonight for meLVin’s Holiday Party as they take on the Utica Comets (4-12-3), AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils. The third-place Phantoms are looking to bounce back into the W column after opening the weekend with a setback at rival Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on Friday. Utica is in last place in the North Division and has the worst record in the entire league with only four wins in 19 games. However, the Comets have recently shaken off an eight-game losing slide to win their last two in a row.

For meLVin’s Holiday Party, kids 14 and younger will receive a Winter Youth Knit Cap courtesy of Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital. Pictures with Santa, ornament painting and a holiday light show also highlight the festive fun.

Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for tonight’s game at www.phantomshockey.com/media/media-materials/

LAST TIME – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms wouldn’t go away quietly no matter the margin. Multiple late scraps in Wilkes-Barre led to four separate early dismissals from the Orange and Black via 10-minute misconducts as the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins eventually emerged with a 6-2 rivalry win on Friday night. Tucker Robertson (3rd) and Anthony Richard (8th) scored for the Phantoms while Ethan Samson collected a pair of assists but it wasn’t enough. Aidan McDonough (4th) led the way for the Penguins with a three-point night on one goal and two assists while two recent returnees from Pittsburgh both had a goal and an assist as Tristan Broz (9th) and Danton Heinen (6th) scored back-to-back in the second period to break a 1-1 tie as the Baby Pens eventually pulled away. The Phantoms had a season high for goals allowed in a game and also a season high with 54 combined penalty minutes.

TRANSACTIONS –
12/1/25 Del Carter Berger (D) – Loaned Reading
12/1/25 Add Adam Ginning (D) – Assigned to LV by PHI
12/1/25 Add Oliver Bonk (D) – Loaned to LV by PHI (activated IR)
12/2/25 Add Sawyer Boulton (F) – Recalled by LV from Reading
12/2/25 Del Carl Grundstrom (F) – Recalled to PHI

BONK ARRIVES – The Philadelphia Flyers have activated defenseman Oliver Bonk from injured reserve and have assigned him to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Bonk, 20, has been unavailable due to injury since Flyers’ Training Camp in September. The 6’2″ righty shot from Ottawa was selected in the first round, #22 overall, in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft. With the London Knights of the OHL last season, he scored 11-29-40 in 52 games and eventually went on to win the Memorial Cup along with teammate Denver Barkey. Bonk also twice represented Canada at the World Juniors Championships where he was teammates with Carson Bjarnason, Jett Luchanko and 2025 round 1 selection Porter Martone. Oliver Bonk is the son of Radek Bonk, former first-round selection of Ottawa (#3 overall) from Czechia, who played in 969 NHL games scoring 194-303-497 with Ottawa, Montreal and Nashville.

CALLING ON CARL – Carl Grundström has been recalled to the Philadelphia Flyers for a second time this season. Grundström, 28, has been one of Lehigh Valley’s most consistent players and has scored 6-9-15 in 19 games with Lehigh Valley this year to rate third on the team in points. He also played in one game with the Flyers this season on November 8 vs. Ottawa. The veteran of 293 NHL games with Los Angeles, San Jose and Philadelphia has scored 43-33-76 in his career. The 6’0″ lefty shot was acquired from the San Jose Sharks on October 5 along with Artem Guryev in exchange for Ryan Ellis. This season has represented his first extended stay in the AHL following six years in the NHL.

NOVEMBER WRAP UP – The Phantoms went 6-3-2 in November and scored 38 goals for an average of 3.45 per game. The Phantoms began the month with four straight wins as part of a five-game win streak but Lehigh Valley has gone 2-3-2 since November 15.

Phantoms Scoring Leaders – November
Carl Grundstrom 4-9-13
Christian Kyrou 4-9-13
Anthony Richard 5-7-12
Lane Pederson 5-7-12
Denver Barkey 6-5-11
Alex Bump 2-9-11

AHL CAREER LEADERS
Most goals since 2017-18 season (last 9 seasons)
Chris Terry (Bridgeport) – 182
Andrew Agozzino (Tucson) – 171
Anthony Richard (Lehigh Valley) – 165
Gerry Mayhew (Iowa) – 164

PHANTASTIC –
– Anthony Richard (8-10-18) is on a 3-game goal streak and also has 4 goals in the last 5 games to take the team lead in scoring
– Alex Bump is second in the AHL with 74 shots and is first among all rookies.
– Bump (4-12-16) is third in AHL rookie assists
– Christian Kyrou (4-10-14) is 8th in AHL defensemen scoring and is 3rd in the Eastern Conference.
– Kyrou has 3 goals in the last 6 games

– The Phantoms are 7-0-1 when scoring 4 or more goals
– The Phantoms are 8-0-2 when scoring the first goal of the game
– The Phantoms are 10-2-1 when allowing 3 goals or fewer
– Adam Ginning played in his 200th game with the Phantoms last Saturday. Ginning’s conditioning loan has expired but he has since been assigned to remain with the Phantoms.

IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE – Lehigh Valley is 11-1-2 when playing any team that is NOT in the Top 3 in the conference (any team that is NOT W-B/Scranton, Providence, Laval).

UNIQUELY UTICA – The Utica Comets (4-12-3) are rising from the cellar and showing signs of life with back-to-back wins following early-season losing slides of seven straight and then eight in a row. The AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils is still dead last in the league but has since doubled its win total in just the past week with an overtime win against Rochester on Wednesday followed by a 5-1 trouncing of Bridgeport last night. Last year, Utica racked up 13 straight setbacks before finally tasting victory. The Comets are scoring a paltry 2,16 goals per game, worst in the conference and 30th out of 32 in the AHL. Fourth-year Comet Xavier Parent (6-6-12) scored the Wednesday night OT winner at Rochester. Former forward of the Rockford IceHogs and Chicago Blackhawks Mike Hardman (5-4-9) had 18 goals last year. Former Belleville Senator Angus Crookshank (5-2-7) has been recalled to New Jersey. Rookie winger Lenni Hameenaho (4-1-5) was a Round 2 selection of New Jersey in 2023. 33-year-old veteran and one-time Phantom Kyle Criscuolo (1-3-4) recently joined after scoring 19 goals with Charlotte last year. German product and third-rounder Nico Daws (3-7-2, 2.92, .886) has done the best he can to keep his team in games. Head coach Ryan Parent had been an assistant coach for the Devils’ farm clubs in Binghamton and Utica for seven seasons before becoming interim head coach last year. Parent played 74 games for the Philadelphia Phantoms and 102 games for the Flyers from 2006 through 2010.

SCORING LEADERS
Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Anthony Richard 8-10-18
Alex Bump 4-12-16
x – Carl Grundstrom 6-9-15
Denver Barkey 7-7-14
Lane Pederson 7-7-14
Christian Kyrou 4-10-14

Utica Scoring Leaders
Xavier Parent 6-6-12
Mike Hardman 5-4-9
Calen Addison 2-7-9
Ethan Edwards 2-6-8
Seamus Casey 0-7-7

Special Teams PP / PK
LV 20.8%, 13th / 75.0%, 28th
UTC 10.9%, 30th / 78.3%, 22nd

LOOKING AHEAD – The Phantoms travel to Chocolatetown tomorrow afternoon for a 3:00 p.m. tilt with the rival Hershey Bears. Next weekend, the road trip continues with a pair of Empire State contests at the Syracuse Crunch and Rochester Americans.

The Phantoms have a big six-game homestand coming up from December 17 through December 31 including the annual Teddy Bear Toss presented by Big Woody’s on Saturday, December 20 against the Hartford Wolf Pack.