Phantoms Conclude Season This Weekend
May 11, 2021
Lehigh Valley, PA – The Philadelphia Flyers have announced that forward Wade Allison and defenseman Cam York have been loaned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms from the Flyers and that goalie Felix Sandstrom has been loaned to the Phantoms from the Flyers’ Taxi Squad.
Allison and York both made their pro debut with the Phantoms this season and later made their NHL debuts with the Flyers. They represent two out of the five Lehigh Valley Phantoms’ players to earn a call-up for an NHL debut with the Flyers this season joining Maksim Sushko, Tanner Laczynski and Egor Zamula.
Allison, 23, is a Carman, Manitoba product in his debut pro season. He impressed in his 14 games with the Flyers scoring 4 goals and 3 assists for 7 points after making his pro debut with the Phantoms in March with 9 points in 8 games registering 4 goals and 5 assists for Lehigh Valley.
Allison began the season on the sidelines following ankle surgery just a few days into Flyers’ Training Camp in Voorhees, NJ. When he was ready to join the Phantoms, he made an immediate impact with a goal in his first-ever pro game on March 14 at Hershey. The Flyers’ second-round selection in 2016 out of Western Michigan University would go on to score again in his second pro game on March 21 vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and followed that up a couple games later with a three-point performance against the Binghamton Devils on March 27 with one goal and two assists.
Allison made his NHL debut with the Flyers on April 15, 2021 against Pittsburgh and scored his first goal with Philadelphia in his next game on April 17 vs. Washington. He ended the season with points in four of the last five games including a two-goal performance at Washington on May 7 and a two-assist game in the season finale on May 10 against New Jersey.
York, 20, is also enjoying success at the professional level after a winter and spring that saw him captain the USA World Juniors team to a Gold Medal in Edmonton in January and then win Big Ten Defenseman of the Year honors at the University of Michigan.
The Flyers’ first-round selection in 2019 made his pro debut with the Phantoms on April 21. In his fourth game as a pro, he scored a goal and two assists for his first pro points during an April 27 contest at the Binghamton Devils.
York’s most recent game with the Phantoms was last Wednesday, May 5, in which he electrified the crowd with a spectacular breakaway goal on the power play receiving a stretch-pass from Tyson Foerster with 12:00 left to break a 3-3 tie against Hershey.
The Anaheim Hills, California product played in the last three games of the season for the Flyers and looked comfortable and confident in his first NHL games beginning with his Flyers’ debut on Friday, May 7 against Washington. York averaged almost 20 minutes of ice-time per game in his three-game stint with the Flyers.
Sandstrom has had a strong surge in the final month of the season now that he has had a regular opportunity for game action. In his second pro season in North America, Sandstrom has gone 4-3-2, 3.45, .897 with the Phantoms while also spending significant chunks of the campaign as a reserve option on the Flyers’ Taxi Squad.
The Gavle, Sweden native has been especially sensational in his last four starts with a 2-1-1 record and 2.00 goals-against average and .947 save percentage during that stretch. He backstopped an exciting 3-2 win over the Binghamton Devils on April 24 with 37 saves on 39 shots. On April 28 he made 32 saves on 33 shots through regulation in an overtime thriller at Wilkes-Barre that included several phenomenal denials but the Penguins eventually prevailed in overtime.
Sandstrom followed that up with a season-high 40-save performance at Hershey allowing just one goal on the 41 shots he faced in what ended up as a 2-0 loss after the Bears added an empty-netter at the end. And he was also up to the task on May 5 with 34 saves in a 5-3 win against the Bears in his most recent outing.
The Phantoms play their last away game of the season on Wednesday night at Prudential Center against the Binghamton Devils. They conclude the 2021 campaign with home games on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon against the Penguins and Devils back-to-back. Tickets for both home games are available HERE
The Battle on Hamilton is Back! This Thursday at 7:05 p.m. the Phantoms will compete in a FREE event with 3-on-3 Hockey and skills competitions. Come cheer for your favorite Phantoms at PPL Center this Thursday night. Use the promo code PHANCHALLENGE to get free tickets HERE