We’ve got another season of hockey on tap from the corner of 7th and Hamilton in downtown Allentown! Tonight was supposed to be the second night of preseason hockey, but then something happened. Here are a few words for tonight’s game:
Where did you find these guys, Moosic?
The 2026-27 Phantoms were supposed to start their pre-season slate with a game at the Mohegan in Wilkes-Barre last night. Unfortunately, the Penguins’ arena could not figure out ice. Did they hire the grounds crew from the RailRiders*? How many baseball games have been lost in Moosic because they couldn’t take care of the field?
*Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders set to re-brand this fall. Electric City Song Dogs is my guess.
Don’t tell Mrs. Kram about soccer yet, OK?
The AA Reading Fightin Phillies won the Eastern League championship at home this past Tuesday, over on the baseball side. Thus closes the baseball season for us around here. Imagine Mrs. Kram’s surprise when she learned that home hockey games start tonight! It’s a nice transition for a sports fan but a continued nuisance for someone trying to plan for who will be home for dinner. Let’s keep quiet about Spirits Soccer (“Slow Hockey”) for now, OK?
Roster
We got a couple important pieces back from the Flyers yesterday, in Bonk, Luchanko, and Knuble–not to mention old friend Jacob Gaucher. The Flyers will need to send three more, thought to be Helge Grans, Aleksei Kolosov and Garrett Wilson. But remember, trades, waivers, injuries and other curveballs could change things going forward. Here’s what I have for the roster right now–unfortunately not in an easy printable PDF this time:
LEHIGH VALLEY PHANTOMS 2026-27 TRAINING CAMP ROSTER
1 Yaniv Perets – G – AHL
4 Ty Murchison – D – NHL
8 Brady Berard – F – AHL
9 Riley Thompson – F – AHL
10 Kyle Haskins – F – Camp Invite
11 Dalton Bancroft – F – Camp Invite
12 Zach Aston-Reese – F – NHL
13 Alex Ciernik – F – NHL
15 Noah Powell – F – NHL
16 Jack Page – D – Camp Invite
18 Danila Klimovich – F – NHL
19 Hunter McDonald – D – NHL
21 Devin Kaplan – F – NHL
22 Cole Knuble – F – NHL
23 Jack Studnicka – F – NHL
24 Artyom Kulakov – D – Camp Invite
25 Nolan Foote – F – NHL
26 Cooper Wylie – D – AHL
27 Owen McLaughlin – F – AHL
29 Hunter Strand – F – Camp Invite
32 Mikael Robidoux – F – AHL
33 Ian Shane – G – Camp Invite
38 Luke Reid – D – Camp Invite
40 Connor McMenamin – F – Camp Invite
41 Braeden Kressler – F – Camp Invite
42 Spencer Gill – D – NHL
44 Cam Dineen – D – NHL
46 Vincent Sevigny – D – AHL
48 Wyatt McLeod – D – Camp Invite
54 Jeremy Michel – F – Camp Invite
56 Jacob Gaucher – F – NHL
59 Oliver Bonk – D – NHL
64 Carson Bjarnason – G – NHL
74 Zayde Wisdom – F – AHL
76 Carson Bantle – F – Camp Invite
77 Jett Luchanko – F – NHL
80 Keith Petruzzelli – G – AHL
90 Ilya Pautov – F – NHL
92 Jackson Edward – D – NHL
What To Look For Tonight–And Tuesday:
- Check the starting lineup. It could be important for some of the tryouts and invites to stake a claim on a roster spot for the Phantoms or Royals. But also look at the line combos as we may get a peak at a line or two we’ll see in the future.
- Cashless. Recall the arena is mostly cashless. Check if Burger Prime, Bru Daddy bar, and Chickie’s Fries still take cash.
- Merch. We’ve heard good things about new merch in the store–they really needed that. Take a walk over there tonight and don’t forget to use your season ticket discount. Personally, I’ll be looking for a smart quarter-zip, perhaps a polo or long-sleeve shirt, a new hat, and maybe a hoodie.
- Any new arena things? Perhaps you’ve been to some recent concerts, events or the rookie games, but this will be our first time back in a while, so we’ll be looking for anything new and different.
- McCall’s Downtown. Bru Daddy has moved into production and distribution for their beers and McCall’s Collective has taken over the restaurant across from the arena. They’re open, but they’re still ramping up, and we’ve been big fans since they opened down on Susquehanna Street during the pandemic. They make a variety of beer styles well, and generally do things right on the food side. We’re glad to have them Downtown! Check them out when you have a chance.
- Parking. Of course be observant of any surprise Parking Authority parking fee increases. Also, follow along on socials as I update my annual battle to avoid the Evil Parking Overlords.
Looking Ahead
We’re generally feeling optimistic about this team right now, but time will tell. Tonight is pre-season against Hershey, while Scranton will be here for an odd Tuesday tilt. The regular season starts on Saturday, October 3 versus Hartford. [Spirits Soccer starts December 5. Shhh!]
See you at the arena,
@Kram207