PREVIEW: Phantoms at Utica, Game 53

Offense Heating Up as Phantoms Head to Central NY

TODAY – The Lehigh Valley Phantoms (24-23-5) are racking up the goals and have exactly 20 games to go in the final one-and-a-half months of the regular season as they visit central New York for a Tuesday contest against the Utica Comets (18-25-9), AHL affiliate of the New Jersey Devils.

The Phantoms have jumped ahead of Bridgeport for fifth place in the Atlantic Division with points in four of their last five games (3-1-1), largely due to the team’s surging offense, which has cranked out four or more goals per game for the last five in a row to tie an all-time Lehigh Valley record. Today is Game 53 of the 2025-26 season. There are 20 games to go in the final two months of the regular season before the Calder Cup Playoffs. Lehigh Valley’s Magic Number to clinch a Playoff spot is at 35 points.

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

LAST TIME – The Phantoms’ offense kept it up and made it five consecutive games with four or more goals as they wrapped up their three-game homestand with a 6-3 victory over the Hartford Wolf Pack on Sunday afternoon at PPL Center. Anthony Richard (14th, 15th) led the way as he extended his point streak to five games. Oscar Eklind (4th) scored for a second consecutive game while Alex Bump (11th), Lane Pederson (18th) and Cooper Marody (7th) also converted. But the Phantoms also required brilliance from Aleksei Kolosov (23/26). And he delivered with a perfect second period while the Phantoms were hemmed in and protecting a one-goal lead. Mark Alt scored the goal to finally end the night making a winner of Brian Boucher between the pipes.

TRADE! WELCOME, BORIS KATCHOUK – The Philadelphia Flyers have acquired forward Boris Katchouk from the Minnesota Wild in exchange for defenseman Roman Schmidt. 
Katchouk, 28, joins the Phantoms from the Iowa Wild where he has played eight games this season scoring one goal with two assists. He also has played in 21 games with the Syracuse Crunch this season scoring 4-6-10 as well as three NHL games with Tampa Bay. Last season, the veteran forward from Vancouver, B.C. scored 21-28-49 with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins setting career highs for goals and points. He also racked up an impressive Hat-Trick-Plus-One on December 11, 2024 scoring four goals in a game for Wilkes-Barre/Scranton against Charlotte. Katchouk has played in 269 career AHL games with Syracuse, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Rockford and Iowa scoring 65-92-157 and also 179 career NHL games with Tampa Bay, Chicago and Ottawa, scoring 15-21-35.
Schmidt, 23, appeared in 16 games with the Phantoms this year after being traded to the Philadelphia Flyers’ organization from Tampa Bay in exchange for Ethan Samson. He was teammates with Katchouk on the Syracuse Crunch at that time where he had played in 13 games this season.

GINNING RECALLED – The Philadelphia Flyers have recalled defenseman Adam Ginning from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. Additionally, defenseman Vincent Sevigny has been recalled by the Phantoms from the Reading Royals of the ECHL. 
Ginning, 26, has played in 31 games with the Phantoms this season scoring 1-3-4. The 6’3″ right-handed shooter began the season with the Philadelphia Flyers where he played in five games. For his career, the fourth-year pro has played in 226 games with the Phantoms scoring 8-47-55. The 2018 second-rounder from Linkoping, Sweden is approaching the all-time Lehigh Valley record for games by a defenseman held by Reece Willcox with 232.
Sevigny, 24, has played in six games with Lehigh Valley and five games with Syracuse this season on separate PTO’s and then signed an AHL contract with the Phantoms on February 9. The 6’3″ lefty shooter has also played in 10 games with the Reading Royals this season scoring 1-5-6. Sevigny has played in 102 career AHL games with Bridgeport, Laval, Lehigh Valley and Syracuse scoring 6-16-22.

TRANSACTIONS –
3/1/26 Del Adam Ginning (D) – Recalled to PHI
3/1/26 Add Vincent Sevigny (D) – Recalled by LV from Reading
3/1/26 Del Roman Schmidt (D) – Traded PHI to MIN
3/1/26 Add Boris Katchouk (F) – Acquired trade from MIN, loaned to LV
3/2/26 Add Ben Meehan (D) – Recalled by LV from Reading

BOMBS AWAY – The Phantoms have been cranking out the goals and have now scored four or more goals in five consecutive games. That is tied for the longest streak ever for Lehigh Valley to score four or more goals in a game and is just the fourth time it has happened in Lehigh Valley history. It was last done January 8-20, 2017.

Lehigh Valley – Consecutive Games with 4 or more Goals
5 – February 20 – March 2, 2026
5 – January 8-20, 2026
5 – November 2-12, 2016
5 – January 17-30, 2016

STREAKS –
Phil Tomasino, 5 game point streak (2-5-7)
Oliver Bonk, 5 game point streak (2-3-5)
Anthony Richard, 5 game point streak (2-4-6)
Oscar Eklind, 2 game goal streak and goals in 3 of last 4 games played
Cooper Marody, 2 game goal streak and goals in 3 of last 4 games played

COMETS TALES – Utica (18-25-9) won back-to-back over Belleville last weekend, 5-3 and 5-1, but the last-place Comets are still 11 points behind Rochester for the last playoff spot in the North. Former Phantom Kyle Criscuolo (9-16-25) paces the Comets’ offense which rates last in the conference at 2.5 goals per game. Criscuolo has 308 points in 542 career AHL games in a career spent primarily with Grand Rapids, Rochester and Utica. But he also played for the Phantoms in the 2019-20 season. Brian Halonen leads the team with 15 goals in his fourth year with the Comets to tie with former longtime Belleville Senator Angus Crookshank who also has 15. Third-rounder Nico Daws (10-13-7, 2.96, .886) has 53 games of NHL experience with New Jersey but has spent almost the entirety of 2025-26 with Utica in his fifth professional season. Former Philadelphia Phantoms and Flyers forward Ryan Parent is the head coach for the Comets.
Alex Bump scored the overtime winner against Utica on December 8 at PPL Center in the only previous meeting between the two clubs.

SCORING LEADERS
Phantoms Scoring Leaders
Lane Pederson 18-18-36
Anthony Richard 15-18-33
Christian Kyrou 8-23-31
Alex Bump 11-15-26
Jacob Gaucher 11-13-24
Tucker Robertson 11-13-24

Utica Scoring Leaders
Kyle Criscuolo 9-16-25
Brian Halonen 15-9-24
Xavier Parent 13-11-24
Angus Crookshank 15-8-23
x – Lenni Hämeenaho 9-13-22
Shane Lachance 10-10-20

Special Teams PP / PK
LV 18.8%, 16th / 76.2%, 30th
UTC 17.3%, 23rd / 81.2%, 18th

LOOKING AHEAD – The Phantoms return to PPL Center for a pair of games on our PA-250 weekend hosting the Charlotte Checkers on Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7.

Lehigh Valley has a three-game road trip March 8-14 to Bridgeport, Syracuse and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and then returns home on Sunday, March 15 against the Penguins.

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