January 8, 2022
Lehigh Valley, PA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms have announced that defenseman Mason Millman and goalie Kirill Ustimenko have been reassigned by the Philadelphia Flyers to the Reading Royals of the ECHL.
Millman, 20, has played just three games for the Phantoms this season. He sustained a lower body injury on October 17 in the second game of the year and, more recently, returned to play his first game back with the Phantoms on January 5 at Hershey in which he played as a forward for the first time in his career. Millman also played his second game of the season with Reading on Friday night. Last year with the Phantoms, the 6’1″ native of London, ON had three assists in 13 games with the Phantoms. The product of the Saginaw Spirit in the OHL scored 13-31-44 in the abbrieviated 2019-20 season.
Ustimenko, 22, recently returned from an assignment on the Flyers’ Taxi Squad. Ustimenko was a Round 3 pick of the Flyers in the 2017 NHL Draft from Gomel, Belarus. The 6’3″ backstop has played in two games with the Phantoms this season and has also gone 1-4-2, 3.77, .895 with Reading in the ECHL after picking up his first win of the season on Friday night in a 3-2 victory over the Worcester Railers. “Usti” was especially strong in his first season in North America in 2019-20 when he went 19-4-5, 2.40, .919 with Reading while also playing in five games with the Phantoms. Ustimenko missed most of the 2020-21 season when he had hip surgery after playing only two games in the Belarus League.
The Phantoms next play on Friday, January 14 at the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins.
The Phantoms return to PPL Center for a weekend homestand on Saturday, January 15 against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and Sunday, January 16 against the Toronto Marlies.
January 15 is United Way Night presented by Air Products. Fans are encouraged to bring boxed pasta donations for a chance to win big prizes such as a game worn Phantoms jersey.
January 16 is Youth Jersey Day for the first 1,000 kids age 14 and younger presented by Service Electric and Velaspan.
Tickets for upcoming Phantoms games available HERE
