The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are the top American Hockey League affiliate of the Philadelphia Flyers, beginning play in the 1996-97 season when the Flyers moved from the Wachovia Spectrum to their current home, the Wells Fargo Center. The Phantoms were created to have their affiliate right across the parking lot in their old home.
They were originally known as the Philadelphia Phantoms until 2009, when they would move out of the Keystone State in 2009 when the Spectrum was torn down, packing up and moving to Adirondack, New York, from 2009 until 2013. They were then known as the Adirondack Phantoms. The team would find its way to Allentown at the start of the 2013-14 season at the newly completed PPL Center as part of a redevelopment project in the central business district of Allentown. In 2014, they became the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, the name they still use today. The 2023-24 campaign marks ten years since the Phantoms first took to the ice in their new home, a successful move that will be a hallmark of the city for years to come.
One noteworthy piece of Lehigh Valley Phantoms trivia stems from the 2018 Calder Cup Playoffs, where the longest game in AHL history took place against the Charlotte Checkers. Goaltender Alex Lyon made 94 saves on 95 shots and Alex Krushelnyski scored 6:48 into the fifth overtime period to earn a 2-1 win in Game Four.
In the 2022-23 season, the Lehigh Valley Phantoms finished with a record of 37-29-3-3, sixth in the Atlantic division. They lost in the play-in round to the Charlotte Checkers in three games. The series was the first time the Phantoms played in the postseason since 2018.
Their current head coach is Ian Laperriere and they do not currently have a GM.
Notable Lehigh Valley Phantoms include Patrick Sharp, Antero Niittymaki, and Travis Sanheim.