PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Marlies, Game 12
Back at Home!
TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (7-3-1) return to PPL Center for the first time in 15 days as they host the Toronto Marlies (6-4-1), AHL affiliate of the Toronto Maple Leafs. Lehigh Valley enters this three-game homestand having won its last three straight. This is Game 12 of the 2025-26 season and also the first of two meetings between the Phantoms and Marlies.
Tonight’s game features Phantoms Ballcaps for the first 5,000 fans courtesy of Service Electric Network and also includes a Postgame Skate with the Phantoms players presented by NJM Insurance.
Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for tonight’s game at www.phantomshockey.com/media/media-materials/
LAST TIME – Denver Barkey (2nd) racked up a four-point night with one goal and three assists as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms pulled away with four straight goals in the third period en route to a hard-fought 6-2 win at the Bridgeport Islanders on Wednesday. Bridgeport had just tied the game in the third period on Matthew Highmore’s power-play deflection goal when Barkey went to work. Anthony Richard (3rd) scored on the power play on a set up by Barkey to put Lehigh Valley in front. Then Barkey converted on the breakaway on a nice feed by Christian Kyrou which was followed just 12 seconds later by Barkey rotating a centering pass over to Lane Pederson in the left circle to make it 5-2. Pederson’s empty-net strike at the end capped the evening. Alex Bump (3rd) and Cooper Marody (2nd) also scored while Carson Bjarnason racked up a career-high 35 saves in perhaps his best game of the season. The Phantoms limited Bridgeport to 1-for-9 on the power play.
TRANSACTIONS –
11/3/25 Del Emil Andrae (D) – Recalled to PHI
11/6/25 Add Jacob Gaucher (F) – Loaned to LV by PHI
11/7/25 Add Alekseo Kolosov (G) – Loaned to LV by PHI
11/7/25 Del Yaniv Perets (G) – Loaned by LV to Reading
11/7/25 Del Carl Grundstrom (F) – Recalled to PHI
ON THE MOVE – The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled forward Carl Grundstrom and have loaned forward Jacob Gaucher and goaltender Ameksei Kolosov to the Phantoms. Earlier in the week, the Flyers recalled defenseman Emil Andrae.
Grundström, 27, has scored three goals with three assists for the Phantoms in 11 games this season. Last weekend at Hartford, he scored tying power-play goals in the third period on back-to-back nights as Lehigh Valley rallied for consecutive overtime wins. The NHL veteran of 292 games with Los Angeles and San Jose 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.
Kolosov, 23, has started five games for the Phantoms this season going 3-2-0, 2.60, .918. He recorded his first career professional shutout in North America on October 17 with a 35-save gem at the Cleveland Monsters. The Flyers’ third-round selection in the 2021 NHL Draft played in two games with the Philadelphia Flyers last week allowing just two goals in 74 minutes while going 0-1-0, 1.62, .929.
Gaucher, 24, is a right-handed center who has played in eight games with the Phantoms this season recording one goal with one assist. He played three games with the Flyers last week on his recent recall. He tied for the team lead in goals last season scoring 20-18-38. Last season, he made his NHL debut and played in four games with the Flyers. He has played in 137 career games with the Phantoms over parts of three seasons scoring 29-27-56.
ROAD WARRIORS – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms carry a three-game win streak back to Allentown with them and went 3-1-1 on their recent five-game road trip. The Phantoms are 5-2-1 overall on the road having played eight of their last nine away from PPL Center. Lehigh Valley has played the most road games of any team in the AHL and is tied for the most road victories.
HOT START – Lehigh Valley’s 7-3-1 mark after 11 games is the best for the team since the 2017-18 season (*). The franchise record is an 9-2-0 start by the Philadelphia Phantoms in the 2004-05 season.
Additionally, John Snowden’s 6-3-1 mark in his first 10 games as a head coach also set a new franchise record.
Lehigh Valley – Best Record After 11 Games
2017-18: 7-2-2
2025-26: 7-3-1
(*) Not including 7-2-2 record in the 2021 shortened season
Phantoms Franchise – Best Start After 10 Games for Head Coach
John Snowden (2025-26) 6-3-1
John Stevens (2000-01) 5-4-1
Greg Gilbert (2009-10) 5-4-1
Bill Barber (1996-97) 4-3-3
OVERTIME MANIA – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms won back-to-back games in overtime for the sixth time in team history and they did it for just the third time ever on consecutive days. It was also the first time for Lehigh Valley to defeat the same team back-to-back in overtime. The Phantoms are 3-1 in games decided after regulation including 2-0 in OT and 1-1 in shootouts.
Lehigh Valley Record Book – Consecutive Overtime Wins
Nov 29-30, 2019 – T.J. Brennan vs WBS, Andy Welinski vs HFD
Dec 31-Jan 1, 2022 – Cal O’Reilly at UTC, Adam Clendening vs BRI
Feb 21-24, 2024 – Cooper Marody at WBS, Bobby Brink at CLT
Nov 9-13, 2024 – Rhett Gardner vs UTC, Olle Lycksell vs WBS
Nov 27-29, 2024 – Samu Tuomaala at HFD, Olle Lycksell vs HER
Oct 31-Nov1, 2025 – Lane Pederson at HFD, Cooper Marody at HFD
WELCOME KYROU – Christian Kyrou, 22, made his Phantoms debut last Friday in Hartford and has since recorded five points with one goal and four assists in just three games with the team. The right-handed shooting defenseman was acquired on October 30 from the Dallas Stars in exchange for Samu Tuomaala. Kyrou was drafted by the Dallas Stars in the second round of the 2022 NHL Draft and had appeared in 97 career AHL games with the Texas Stars scoring 12-27-39 in parts of three seasons. In 2023-24, he ranked second among Texas blueliners in scoring (8-15-23). The Toronto, ON native played parts of three seasons in the OHL with the Erie Otters and Sarnia Sting. He is also the younger brother of Jordan Kyrou of the St. Louis Blues.
MILESTONES –
– Zayde Wisdom, 200th game with Phantoms (Nov 5 at Bridgeport)
– Christian Kyrou, 100th pro game (Nov 5 at Bridgeport)
– Tucker Robertson, 97 pro games
– Garrett Wilson, 895 pro games
– Garrett Wilson, 297 games with Phantoms (Lehigh Valley record)
TANGLE WITH TORONTO – Toronto (6-4-1) ended a four-game winless slide and are now on a three-game win streak led by veteran Travis Boyd who had two goals on Friday in a 5-2 win at Hershey and before that scored the overtime winner on Wednesday at Wilkes-Barre/Scranton when the Marlies finished the dramatic comeback from a 3-0 deficit in the third. Jacob Quillan (1-10-11) and Alex Nylander (5-4-9) lead the team’s scoring attack. Quillan is a second-year pro out of Quinnipiac University and is tied for third in the AHL in helpers. Nylander spent three seasons with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and Pittsburgh from 2021-24. Travis Boyd (7-4-11) played for Hershey for three seasons a decade ago before accumulating 299 NHL games and 47 career goals mostly with Washington and Arizona. 33-year-old captain Logan Shaw (3-2-5) is in his fourth season with the Marlies after playing 232 career NHL games mostly with Florida and Anaheim. Shaw was teammates with Garrett Wilson a decade ago with Florida. Fourth-rounder Dennis Hildeby (2-2-1, 2.74, .890) is in his third season with the Marlies. John Gruden is in his third season as Marlies head coach after serving as an NHL assistant coach for five seasons with the Bruins and Rangers.
SCORING LEADERS
Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Anthony Richard 3-5-8
Alex Bump 3-4-7
Denver Barkey 2-5-7
x – Carl Grundstrom 3-3-6
Tucker Robertson 2-4-6
Garrett Wilson 2-4-6
Lane Pederson 4-1-5
Toronto Scoring Leaders
Jacob Quillan 1-10-11
Travis Boyd 7-4-11
Alex Nylander 5-4-9
Borya Valis 5-2-7
William Villeneuve 1-6-7
Bo Groulx 3-3-6
Special Teams
LV PP 24.4%, 8th / 77.8%, 26th
TOR PP 18.2%, 18th / 78.9%, 23rd
LOOKING AHEAD – The homestand continues on Friday, November 14 against the Springfield Thunderbirds and Saturday, November 15 taking on the Hershey Bears with our second annual Phan Con!
Hershey Bears
