Transactions: Flyers Return Akeson, Cousins, Manning to Phantoms

Lehigh Valley Caps Weekend Series vs. Norfolk Tonight at PPL Center

April 11, 2015

Lehigh Valley, PA – The Philadelphia Flyers, parent club of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, have returned on loan forwards Jason Akeson and Nick Cousins along with defenseman Brandon Manning to the Phantoms. All three will be available for Lehigh Valley’s final week of the 2014-2015 regular season, which begins Tuesday, April 14th at PPL Center against the rival Hershey Bears.

JustSports PhotographyAkeson returns after playing in Philadelphia’s regular season finale this afternoon against the Ottawa Senators. A 24-year-old winger from Orleans, Ontario, he appeared in 13 total games with the Flyers this year and has now compiled three goals, two assists and five points across 22 career NHL outings (regular season and postseason).

In 53 games with Lehigh Valley this season, Akeson has recorded a team-leading 22 goals to go along with 29 assists. The Phantoms leading scorer in each of the last three seasons, he’s now fourth on the franchise’s all-time scoring list with 223 total points.

Cousins2 11.19.14Meanwhile, a 21-year-old forward from Belleville, Ontario, Cousins returns to Lehigh Valley following an 11-game stint with the Flyers. He was recalled from loan on March 15th and made his NHL debut just two days later as part of a 4-1 setback to the Vancouver Canucks. Cousins recorded two penalty minutes and a plus-one rating during his time with Philadelphia.

Despite missing 12 Phantoms games while with the Flyers, Cousins is still Lehigh Valley’s leading scorer having compiled 55 points (21 goals, 34 assists) in 60 games prior to his recall.

Manning Zepp 2.13.15Finally, a 24-year-old defenseman from Prince George, British Columbia, Manning appeared in 11 games with Philadelphia this season and registered three assists, seven penalty minutes and a plus-three rating across his four NHL recalls this year. He inked a one-year, one-way contract with the Flyers yesterday for the 2015-16 season.

Like Cousins, Manning returns to Lehigh Valley as one of the Phantoms top point producers. The 6’1″, 205-pound blueliner is third among all Lehigh Valley skaters and sixth among all AHL defenders in scoring with 43 points (11 goals, 32 assists).

The Phantoms conclude their weekend series with the Admirals tonight in a 7:05 PM showdown in downtown Allentown. It’s Fan Appreciation Night at PPL Center as hundreds of prizes will be given away in celebration of the best fans in the AHL. Lehigh Valley will also be wearing its specialty Allentown Police Department jerseys again which will be auctioned off through a live post-game auction immediately following Saturday’s game. Proceeds from the auction will benefit the Allentown Police Department.

A limited number of tickets for tonight’s showdown are available now at pplcenter.com, by calling 610-347-TIXX (8499) or in-person at the Mealey’s Furniture Box Office at PPL Center (701 Hamilton).

Check it out! Reserve your season tickets now for the 2015-2016 season of Lehigh Valley Phantoms hockey. For more information on how to reserve your seat at PPL Center to the hottest ticket in town call the Phantoms front office today at 610-224-GOAL (4625)!

Upcoming Home Games:

Saturday, April 11, 2015 Norfolk Admirals at Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 7:05 PM
(Fan Appreciation Night! Hundreds of prizes given away throughout the game.)
(Post-Game Jersey Auction! Specialty Allentown Police Department jerseys auctioned off following the game. Proceeds will go to the Allentown Police Department.)

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 Hershey Bears at Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 7:05 PM

Sunday, April 19, 2015 Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins at Lehigh Valley Phantoms, 5:05 PM
(Giant Canned Food Drive! All donations will be collected by the Volunteer Center and distributed to Second Harvest.)

In their 19th season of operation, the Phantoms are currently in the midst of their Inaugural Season as the Lehigh Valley Phantoms playing at the brand-new PPL Center. Established in 1996, the Phantoms spent their first 13 seasons at the Spectrum before re-locating to Glens Falls, New York in 2009 where the team spent the next five seasons as the Adirondack Phantoms. A new era of Phantoms hockey began in the fall of 2014 when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms began play at the state-of-the-art PPL Center. Through 18 incredibly successful campaigns, the Phantoms have captured two Calder Cup Championships (1998, 2005), two Conference Championships (1998, 2005), two Regular Season Titles (1996-97, 1997-98) and four Division Championships (1996-97, 1997-98, 1998-99, 2003-04).