PREVIEW: Phantoms vs. Charlotte, Game 39

Division Rivalries to Heat Up Your Weekend

TONIGHT – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (19-15-4) return to PPL Center as they host the Charlotte Checkers (22-12-3), AHL affiliate of the Florida Panthers. The Phantoms are looking to snap out of a four-game losing slide that has immediately followed a four-game winning streak and seven-game point streak. Lehigh Valley is in fourth place in the Atlantic Division and aims to close a five-point gap behind third-place Charlotte. The Checkers are on a five-game point streak (4-0-1) including a split in a pair of overtime games with Hershey last weekend. Charlotte squeaked past the Phantoms in overtime in the first encounter on December 29. This is Game 2 out of 8 in the season series and is also Game 39 on the season overall.

Fans can browse rosters and Media Materials for tonight’s game at www.phantomshockey.com/media/media-materials/

LAST TIME – Early power-play chances aided the Bridgeport Islanders in establishing a 4-0 lead and the Phantoms weren’t able to dent into the deficit enough in a 6-2 defeat on Monday afternoon. Garrett Wilson (4th) and Jacob Gaucher (8th) got on the board for the Phantoms. Adam Beckman (13th, 14th, 15th) led the Isles attack with a hat trick in the first period as part of a four-point effort. Bridgeport racked up a 4-for-6 performance on the power play as early penalty issues impeded the Phantoms for a second matchup of the holiday weekend against their Atlantic Division foes. The Islanders were 3-for-3 in the first period en route to a four-goal opening frame, the most goals allowed in a period by the Phantoms this season.

GETTING THE CALL – The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled defenseman Hunter McDonald and center Lane Pederson from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms.
McDonald, 23, is in his second full season of professional hockey and can potentially make his NHL debut with Philadelphia. He has played in 33 games with the Phantoms this season recording five assists. He has played in 115 career games with the Phantoms scoring 4-22-26. A 6’4″ product of Fairport, NY, McDonald was a Round 6 selection of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2022. He can become the third Lehigh Valley Phantoms player to make his NHL debut with the Flyers this season joining Ty Murchison and Denver Barkey. Other Phantoms to receive recalls to the Flyers this season include Emil Andrae, Jacob Gaucher, Carl Grundstrom, Aleksei Kolosov and Adam Ginning.

Pederson, 28, is the leading scorer on the Phantoms this season with 13-15-28 in 37 games played. The 6’0″ right-handed shooting center from Saskatoon, SK has been centering Lehigh Valley’s top line this year. Pederson has played in 73 career NHL games scoring 4-7-11 with Arizona, San Jose, Vancouver, Columbus and Philadelphia. He also has played in 348 career AHL games scoring 124-134-258 Tucson, San Jose, Chicago, Abbotsford, Bakersfield and Lehigh Valley. He had not appeared in the NHL since the 2022-23 season when he played 11 games with Vancouver and 16 games with Columbus.

JOINING THE PHANTOMS – Lehigh Valley has received forward Hunter Johannes and defenseman Artem Guryev who had been with the Reading Royals of the ECHL.
Johannes, 27, was acquired by the Phantoms from the Charlotte Checkers in a trade for future considerations on December 12, 2025 and he was immediately loaned to Reading after beginning the season with the ECHL’s Savannah Ghost Pirates. He recorded his first career hat trick in his Reading debut on December 13 in a win against Norfolk and has now played in 14 games with Reading scoring 7-7-14. He also played in 17 games with Savannah scoring 1-7-8. Last year, as a professional rookie, he played in 51 games in the AHL with the Grand Rapids Griffins scoring 2-2-4.
Guryev, 22, is a 6’4″ left-handed shooting defenseman who was acquired from the San Jose Sharks along with Carl Grundstrom in a trade for Ryan Ellis on October 5, 2025. He played in four games with the Phantoms in October and has also played in 27 games with the Reading scoring one goal. He has played in 35 career games in the AHL with San Jose and Lehigh Valley with zero goals and four assists. He was a Round 5 selection of San Jose in 2021 out of the Peterborough Petes and Flint Firebirds of the OHL.

ANTHONY ACHIEVEMENT – This weekend will mark Anthony Richard’s milestone 600th career pro game. The veteran winger is in his second season with the Phantoms and rates second on the team in scoring with 10 goals and 10 assists for 20 points. Richard has played in 555 AHL games scoring 171-185-356 in various stints with Milwaukee, Chicago, Syracuse, Laval, Providence and Lehigh Valley. He has also played in 39 career NHL games scoring 6-8-14 including stints with Nashville, Boston, Montreal and Philadelphia and he set a career high last year when he played in 15 games with the Flyers. The speedy sniper also played in five games in the ECHL early in his career.

TRANSACTIONS –
1/15/26 Add Yaniv Perets (G) – Recalled by LV from Reading
1/15/26 Del Aleksei Kolosov (G) – Recalled to PHI
1/17/26 Add Artem Guryev (D) – Reassigned to LV from Reading by PHI
1/17/26 Del Hunter McDonald (D) – Recalled to PHI
1/18/26 Add Hunter Johannes (F) – Reassigned to LV from Reading by PHI
1/18/26 Del Lane Pederson (F) – Recalled to PHI

CHECKING OUT THE CHECKERS – Third-place Charlotte (22-12-3) is dangerous and the Checkers are also on a five-game point streak (4-0-1). The high-flying Checkers cranked out back-to-back 8-2 routs over Springfield last week and also took three of four points from Hershey last weekend. This is Game 2 out of 8 in the season series with Charlotte squeaking past the Phantoms in a 3-2 overtime verdict on December 29 at PPL Center on Nolan Foote’s overtime strike. Charlotte is blasting out 30.7 shots per game, most in the conference, while limiting opponents to just 24.8 shots per game, 2nd best in the AHL. Rookie Jack Devine (11-15-26) out of the University of Denver leads the team in scoring and will represent Charlotte at the AHL All-Star Classic. 20-year-old Gracyn Sawchyn (6-13-19) is a second-rounder who had 78 points last year with the Edmonton Oil Kings of the WHL and also scored a goal in Allentown in the previous matchup. Brian Pinho (6-12-18) is a former Hershey Bear who scored a shootout winner against his ex-team last Sunday. 6’8″ netminder Cooper Black (15-6-2, 2.57, .900) is thriving in his second pro season.

In the December 29 encounter, Charlotte was largely dominating but Carson Bjarnason gave the Phantoms a chance which allowed Lehigh Valley to dramatically tie the contest with a pair of goals in the final 32 seconds on an Alexis Gendron strike and an incredibly equalizing tally by Tucker Robertson with just 1.7 seconds left. Nolan Foote scored the overtime winner for Charlotte in the 3-2 final.

SCORING LEADERS
Phantoms Scoring Leaders
x – Lane Pederson 13-15-28
Anthony Richard 10-10-20
Alex Bump 7-13-20
Alexis Gendron 7-10-17
x – Denver Barkey 7-9-16
Christian Kyrou 5-11-16

Charlotte Scoring Leaders
Jack Devine 5-11-16
Ben Steeves 14-11-25
Wilmer Skoog 14-10-24
Nolan Foote 10-13-23
Gracyn Sawchyn 6-13-19

Special Teams PP / PK
LV 17.4%, 19th / 75.7%, 31st
CLT 17.4%, 19th / 85.8%, 2nd

Season Series vs.Charlotte Checkers: (0-0-1)
12/29/25 Home OTL 2-3 (OT)
1/23/26 Home
3/6/26 Home
3/7/26 Home
3/21/26 Away
3/22/26 Away
4/18/26 Away
4/19/26 Away

LOOKING AHEAD – The weekend homestand continues on Saturday against the Hershey Bears.

Next weekend, the Phantoms begin with a road game at Springfield on Friday, January 30 but return to PPL Center hosting the Bridgeport Islanders on Saturday, January 31 and then taking on the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins on Sunday, February 1 in a 3:05 p.m. start in Allentown.

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