Lehigh Valley is 27-11-2-0 going into its home game against the Binghamton Senators on Wednesday. The Phantoms are third in the AHL and they have moved to within seven points of the league-leading Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. They've also averaged 7,986 fans per game, fifth-best in the AHL.
The Phantoms arrived in Allentown, Pennsylvania, for the 2014-15 season, providing the Philadelphia Flyers with an AHL affiliate 90 minutes from the Wells Fargo Center. Though the Phantoms missed the Calder Cup Playoffs in their first two seasons, they have been a box-office success playing in their downtown arena. Last season they sold out 24 of their 38 home games and have seven sellouts this season with a busy second-half home schedule approaching.
Rob Brooks co-owns the Phantoms with his brother, Jim, and they brought them to Pennsylvania from Glens Falls, New York. The arena is part of a downtown revitalization program that also features restaurants, a hotel and several other businesses.
"[The All-Star Classic is a] real showpiece for the American Hockey League every year," Rob Brooks said. "We're very honored to host it.
"It's something we want to show off, show off the revitalization of Allentown. We're really proud of building the relationship [with the Flyers], especially with the American Hockey League getting closer and closer to the NHL, and more and more guys making an impact, more first- and second-rounders [from the NHL Draft] playing every year. It's great for our city, it's great for the Valley, it's great for the Flyers to have and show off their relationship with the Phantoms."
A quality on-ice product also helps and the Phantoms are a blend of top prospects and high-end AHL veterans. Among them are defensemen Samuel Morin, selected with the No. 11 pick in the 2013 NHL Draft, and rookie Travis Sanheim, a first-round pick (No. 17) in 2014. Goaltender Anthony Stolarz is closing in on full-time NHL duty and they also boast a number of intriguing young forwards.
"Everybody can see it now with Morin and Sanheim, and they're watching them develop and watching them get better every game," Rob Brooks said. "Pretty soon they're going to be watching a long career [in Philadelphia]. The stronger the AHL gets, you're going to see more and more of these prospects really developing there into impact players in the NHL."
Fans also watch those prospects in one of the top arenas in the AHL.
"We visited a lot of buildings and in baseball," Rob Brooks said of the process of designing the arena. "We wanted a great place for the players to develop and all the tools but also a great place for the fans to experience. You'll see things in our arena that you won't see in other arenas, little perches, things we brought from other arenas in hockey and baseball."
