PREVIEW: Phantoms vs Bridgeport, Game 68
Last Home Games of the Season
TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (28-33-6) have just two home games remaining on the schedule beginning with tonight’s clash against the Bridgeport Islanders (31-28-8) on Wrestling Night at PPL Center. The penultimate home game on the docket is also the last-ever meeting against the Bridgeport Islanders who are concluding a 25-year run in the AHL. The team will be moving to Hamilton, Ontario next season.
Fourth-place Bridgeport has a Magic Number to clinch a playoff berth at three points and is also in the driver’s seat for home-ice advantage in the first round.
Lehigh Valley is in seventh place. The Phantoms are still alive in the Atlantic Division race but needs wins this weekend in its efforts to catch Hershey or Springfield.
Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for tonight’s game at www.phantomshockey.com/media/media-materials/
LAST TIME – Wilkes-Barre/Scranton has been a menace to the Phantoms for most of the rivalry series this season and that trend continued into the final game of the Keystone State set as the Force was with the Penguins, and Aaron Huglen, on Saturday night in a 6-2 final at PPL Center. A point-shot off the backside of Huglen deflected in past Aleksei Kolosov as the rookie forward completed his first career hat trick to pace the Baby Pens with a four-point performance. A three-goal burst in the opening four minutes from Aiden McDonough and then Huglen back-to-back staked the visitors to an early 3-0 advantage. Cole Knuble scored his first career goal late in the game firing a laser to the upper corner. Scoring leader all season, Lane Pederson (23rd) converted on the power play as well.
JUMPIN’ JACK BERGLUND – The Philadelphia Flyers have signed center Jack Berglund to a three-year entry-level contract set to begin in 2026-27 and he now joins the Lehigh Valley Phantoms on a PTO (professional tryout) for the remainder of the 2025-26 season. Berglund was selected by the Flyers in the second round (51st overall) of the 2024 NHL Draft. The new arrival also celebrated his 20th birthday yesterday. Berglund captained Sweden to its first World Juniors gold medal since 2012, finishing tied for the team lead in scoring with 10 points (3g-7a) in seven games while also leading the tournament with a +9 rating. He becomes the fourth player from Philadelphia’s 2024 draft class to ink an entry-level deal and is the sixth prospect to sign with the Flyers in the last month, joining Porter Martone, Noah Powell, Cole Knuble, Alex Ciernik, and Riley Thompson. The Karlstad, Sweden native recently completed his first full season in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) with Färjestad BK, scoring 7-5-12 in 40 games.
WILSON NOMINATED FOR NHL’S MASTERTON TROPHY – Garrett Wilson has been nominated for the NHL’s 2025-26 Bill Masterton Memorial Trophy. The trophy is awarded annually under the trusteeship of the PHWA and is given to the player who best exemplifies the qualities of perseverance, sportsmanship, and dedication to hockey. Wilson, 35, has spent the past six seasons with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms and is the longest-tenured player in team history with 341 games played. The Phantoms captain signed a two-way NHL contract with Philadelphia on March 5, 2026 and made his NHL return on March 19 against the Los Angeles Kings, marking his first NHL appearance in almost seven years since the 2019 Stanley Cup Playoffs as a member of the Pittsburgh Penguins.
“Garrett’s commitment to the Flyers organization and journey in hockey is a true testament to his dedication and pure love of the game,” said Flyers General Manager Daniel Briere. “He helped establish a level of professionalism and has made a profound impact with the young players in our system for the last six years. His return to the NHL this season speaks volumes about his character and he has earned everything that’s come his way.”
The pro player of over 900 career games in the NHL, AHL, and ECHL was humbled by the recognition.
“It’s a huge honor to be nominated for the Masterton Trophy,” said Wilson. “My journey in professional hockey isn’t necessarily a common one and looking back, I’m grateful for the time I spent in the minors. It wasn’t always easy, but it’s played a huge role in shaping who I am today as both a player and person. I’m especially thankful to the Flyers organization for giving me another opportunity to play in the NHL. To get that chance again after so many years means everything to me, and it’s something I’ll never take for granted.”
BJARNASON IS BACK – The Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned goaltender Carson Bjarnason to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms from the Reading Royals of the ECHL. Additionally, the Phantoms have loaned goaltender Yaniv Perets to Reading.
Bjarnason, 20, is in his professional rookie season and is the youngest goaltender in the AHL. In 30 games this season, Bjarnason has gone 13-11-4, 3.45, .877. He played two games with Reading last week going 1-1-0, 3.57, .881. The 6’4″ left-catching goaltender was a second-round selection of the Flyers in the 2023 Draft. The Carberry, Manitoba native played four seasons with the Brandon Wheat Kings of the WHL going 75-61-3, 3.14, .903 in 156 games played and also represtned Canada at the 2025 World Junior tournament.
Perets, 26, is a Dollard-des-Ormeaux, Quebec product who is a 6’1″ left-catching goaltender. He has played in three games this season with the Phantoms going 1-2-0, 3.21, .873. Perets has also played in 25 games with Reading going 13-8-3, 2.92, .906. Perets was just named ECHL Goaltender of the Week with a pair of shutouts against the Norfolk Admirals on March 25 and March 28 racking up 52 total saves.
TEAM LEADERS – With five games remaining, team statistical leaders still remain up for grabs.
Lane Pederson (23-25-48) has led the team in points for most of the season but Anthony Richard (18-26-44) is still within striking distance to catch his teammate.
Pederson also leads the team in goals with 23 and holds a five-goal margin ahead of Richard.
It’s neck-and-neck for most assists on the team with Pedewrson (26), Richard (25) and Christian Kyrou (24) all in contention.
Ty Murchison will take the plus-minus category with a +12 rating in 29 games but his injury in January knocked the rookie defenseman out of action for the rest of the season Tucker Robertson’s +7 rating is best among currently active players.
Garrett Wilson is up with the Flyers but still led the team in penalty minutes tacking on an additional 101 to his career total of over 1,500. Hunter McDonald is next with 82 penalty minutes.
MILESTONES –
Helge Grans – 299 pro games
Anthony Richard – 396 pro points
ISLANDS IN THE STREAM – Bridgeport (31-28-8) has zipped up the standings into a playoff spot and all the way into fourth place for home-ice in the first round. A home-and-home sweep of Hershey a couple weeks ago served notice to the rest of the league that the B-Isles aren’t messing around. After after an incredible rally from a 5-2 deficit to down the W-B/Scranton Penguins in overtime on Thursday, the Islanders are on the verge of a playoff clinch with a Magic Number of just three points. And Bridgeport is also in the driver’s seat for home-ice advantage in the first round.
The AHL and the New York Islanders have announced that the team’s tenure in Connecticut will conclude after 25 seasons withthe team moving to Canada to establish a new affiliate in Hamilton, Ontario. Sunday will be the last regular-season home game in team history. Adam Beckman (27-20-47) and Liam Foudy (25-20-44) are the team’s top scorers and both have hat tricks against the Phantoms this season. Foudy has scored 7-4-11 in the season series while Beckman has racked up 6-4-10. And now the team is bolstered with the arrival of a pair of exciting first-rounders: 2024 #20 overall selection Cole Eiserman has joined from Boston University at just 19 years old. Eiserman has impressed in back-to-back World Juniors appearances for Team USA. 2025 #16 overall selection Viktor Eklund is also 19 years old and joined two weeks ago from Sweden. Big 6’8″ Henrik Tikkanen (17-7-1, 2.47, .903) has been especially strong between the pipes and the 2020 seventh-rounder from Finland rates ninth in the AHL in GAA.
Former Flyers assistant coach Rocky Thompson has spearheaded the B-Isles resurgence this season. The Islanders have gone 5-2 against Lehigh Valley.
SCORING LEADERS
Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Lane Pederson 23-25-48
Anthony Richard 18-26-44
Christian Kyrou 9-24-33
Jacob Gaucher 16-16-32
Tucker Robertson 13-15-28
Bridgeport Scoring Leaders
Adam Beckman 27-20-47
Liam Foudy 25-20-45
Matthew Highmore 15-23-38
Matt Maggio 10-20-30
Marshall Warrne 6-24-30
Special Teams PP / PK
LV 19.1%, 16th / 77.5%, 29th / PP vs. BRI, 3-19, 15.8%
BRI 16.7%, 24th / 81.3%, 18th / PP vs. LV 10-33, 30.3%
Series Leaders
Lehigh Valley
Jacob Gaucher 5-1-6
Christian Kyrou 1-5-6
Lane Pederson 3-2-5
Zayde Wisdom 3-1-4
Bridgeport
Liam Foudy 7-4-11
Adam Beckman 6-4-10
Ethan Bear 2-5-7
Chris Terry 3-3-6
Season Series vs Bridgeport Islanders: (2-5-0)
11/5/25 Away W 6-2
12/19/25 Home L 1-5
1/16/26 Home L 1-3
1/19/26 Away L 2-6
1/31/26 Home W 5-3
2/7/26 Away L 1-5
3/8/26 Away L 4-5
4/11/26 Home
LOOKING AHEAD – The Phantoms play their final home games of the regular season this weekend including Wrestling Night on Saturday, April 11 against the Bridgeport Islanders and Kids Take Over Day on Sunday, April 12 against the Cleveland Monsters in the last home game of the regular season.
The Phantoms conclude the season with three straight away games beginning Wednesday, April 15 at the Springfield Thunderbirds followed by a two-game set at the Charlotte Checkers on Saturday, April 18 and Sunday, April 19.
Springfield Thunderbirds
Charlotte Checkers
Charlotte Checkers
