The Lehigh Valley Phantoms, American Hockey League (AHL) affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, ended the 2023-24 campaign with a record of 32-31-6-3, sixth place in the Atlantic Division of the league’s Eastern Conference. The Phantoms made the playoffs and defeated an instate rival, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins in the first round 2-0. Lehigh Valley’s playoff momentum ended in the Atlantic Division Semifinals series against eventual AHL champion, the Hershey Bears, falling 3-1.
As the 2024-25 campaign approaches, Flyers and Phantoms front office staff have been actively making moves to not only build the opening day roster but also ensure that the Phantoms are poised to provide adequate depth to the big league club. A number of Phantoms players, including Olle Lycksell, Emil Andrae, and Cal Petersen were called up to the big league roster throughout the season to fill in for injured Flyers players. This additional depth allowed the Flyers to remain a competitive team up until the closing days of the 2023-24 season.
Related: Philadelphia Flyers 2024-25 Prospect Pyramid
The following is a recap of notable personnel moves and transactions by the Phantoms up to this point of the offseason.
Keith Petruzzelli
Goaltender Keith Petruzzelli signed with the Phantoms for the 2024-25 campaign on Aug. 15. The Massachusetts native has played in parts of three minor league seasons in the ECHL and AHL since the 2021-22 campaign. Last season, he appeared in 17 games with the AHL’s Toronto Marlies, recording a 3.55 goals against average (GAA) and .867 save percentage (SV%). Drafted 88th overall in the 2017 NHL Draft by the Detroit Red Wings, Petruzzelli is 25 years old.
The left-catch goalie was a standout player for the Quinnipiac University Bobcats. During his senior year, the 2020-21 campaign, the 6-foot-6, 190-pounder recorded an excellent 1.89 GAA and .926 SV%. He won 17 games, which included four shutouts. A recipient of numerous Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) honors that season, he was named a Hobey Baker Award Finalist. This award is presented annually to college hockey’s top performer.
Xavier Bernard
On Aug. 13, the Phantoms signed 24-year-old left-shot blueliner Xavier Bernard to a one-year AHL contract. The 6-foot-4, 209-pound native of Mercier, Quebec will enter his fourth season of minor league hockey when he suits up for Lehigh Valley in October. Last season, he appeared in 64 games with the ECHL’s Fort Wayne Komets and two games with the AHL’s Bakersfield Condors. With Fort Wayne, he recorded 16 points (three goals and 13 assists) and 92 penalty minutes. Drafted 110th overall by the New Jersey Devils in 2018, the big defenseman is expected to add depth to the Phantoms’ pool of players at the position.
Sam Sedley
A product of the Ontario Hockey League’s (OHL) Owen Sound Attack, defenseman Sam Sedley signed a one-year AHL contract with the Phantoms on Aug. 13. Since the 2019-20 campaign, the 5-foot-10, 154-pounder has played four seasons with Owen Sound. A two-way blueliner, the 21-year-old appeared in 64 games with the Attack last season, racking up 63 points (nine goals and 54 assists) and 35 penalty minutes. The Ontario native is considered by scouting reports to be an outstanding passer and puck handler. He is also expected to add depth on defense to the Flyers’ farm system this season.
Jacob Gaucher
Center Jacob Gaucher signed a one-year contract with the Phantoms on Aug. 8. Gaucher spent the bulk of his time during the 2023-24 campaign on the Phantoms. In 59 regular season appearances, the right-shot centerman had eight goals and eight assists. During the postseason, the Quebec native recorded two points. An AHL playoff highlight came on April 26 when he scored the game-winning, overtime goal in Game 2 against the Penguins to send Lehigh Valley to the second round of the postseason against the Bears. In the Bears’ series, he had one assist in a losing effort during the deciding Game 4.
Parker Gahagen
Parker Gahagen signed a one-year deal with the Phantoms on Aug. 1. The goaltender and officer in the U.S. Army Reserve split time between the Phantoms and Reading Royals (Flyers’ ECHL affiliate) last season. In 18 appearances with Lehigh Valley, he had a 2.59 GAA and .914 SV%. With the Royals, the now 31-year-old recorded a 2.28 GAA and .936 SV%. His 10 wins included a shutout.
Since graduating from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point (Army), the left-catch goalie has appeared in parts of six seasons of professional hockey. He was a member of the 2022 ECHL Kelly Cup champion Florida Everblades. That season, the New York native won 20 regular season games, including four shutouts, with a 2.32 GAA and .916 SV%. During the playoff run, he appeared in two games, recording a 3.56 GAA and .863 SV% on his way to a postseason record of 1-1.
Cooper Marody
Cooper Marody, a Phantoms’ fan-favorite, will rejoin the club for the 2024-25 campaign. He signed a two-year contract with the organization on July 30. The 27-year-old is a veteran of parts of seven professional seasons, most of which have been spent in the AHL. Prior to coming to Lehigh Valley before the 2022-23 campaign, the right-shot forward played in a total of seven NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers.
Over the last two seasons, Marody has been an important contributor to the club’s offense. During the 2022-23 campaign, he had 40 points in 47 appearances for the Phantoms. In 68 regular season games during the 2023-24 season, the Michigan native scored 19 goals and tallied 37 assists. He added another five assists in six playoff games over the course of two postseason series. The 6-foot, 195-pound right wing ended the season fifth overall on the team for scoring and points.
Sawyer Boulton
Right-shot forward Sawyer Boulton signed his first professional deal, a two-way contract with the Phantoms, on July 3. A member of the 2024 OHL champion London Knights, the Long Island native was teammates with Flyers prospects Denver Barkey and Oliver Bonk last season. The 6-foot, 209-pounder had five points (three goals and two assists) and 63 penalty minutes in 40 games for the Knights last season. He added another point in 16 games during the OHL playoffs. Boulton also appeared in three 2024 Memorial Cup games for the Knights.
Boulton comes from a hockey family. The 20-year-old’s father is former left-winger Eric who appeared in 654 NHL games with the Buffalo Sabres, Atlanta Thrashers, Devils, and New York Islanders. He worked as a pro scout with the Islanders last season. Brother Ryder, a forward, was Sawyer’s teammate in London last season.
Ian Laperrière
Phantoms’ head coach Ian Laperrière signed a two-year extension through the 2025-26 season with the club on June 19. The 50-year-old former forward appeared in 1,083 NHL games with five different clubs. Despite only playing one season in Philadelphia (82 games in 2009-10), Laperrière remains popular in the “City of Brotherly Love” for his physical style of play. A native of Montreal, he was hired as head coach of the Phantoms leading up to the 2021-22 campaign. Prior to taking this role, he was an assistant coach with the Flyers from 2013 to 2021. Laperrière has been at the helm of the Phantoms for 220 games, recording a record of 98-92-30. He has been credited with assisting in the development of Flyers players such as Tyson Foerster, Bobby Brink, Cam York, Egor Zamula, and Samuel Ersson.
The 2024-25 Season
The Phantoms’ 2024-25 season opener is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 12 at the PPL Center in Allentown. Lehigh Valley will square off against the Hartford Wolf Pack, a team that finished the 2023-24 campaign in fifth place, just ahead of the Phantoms, in the Atlantic Division. The Phantoms will play first-round playoff series opponent Wilkes-Barre/Scranton on the road for the first time on Oct. 18. Lehigh Valley’s first game against the AHL champion Bears is scheduled for Oct. 30 on the road.
