Connauton to Spengler Cup
December 22, 2022 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Lehigh Valley Phantoms News Release
Phantoms defenseman Kevin Connauton has been named to the Team Canada roster for the upcoming Spengler Cup tournament in Davos, Switzerland. The upcoming tournament runs from December 26 through December 31 and pits invited European teams and Team Canada. It is considered the oldest invitational ice hockey tournament in the world.
Connauton will return to the Phantoms on January 1. In an additional transaction, the Philadelphia Flyers have reassigned defenseman Mason Millman to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms from the Reading Royals.
"They reached out and asked and it's a no-brainer for me," Connauton said of the privilege of representing Canada in an international tournament. "I've never had the opportunity to do something like that and I've never had the opportunity to wear the Maple Leaf on my chest at any level. It's something that me and my family are really looking forward to."
This is the first time the Spengler Cup will be held since 2019 with the past two tournaments cancelled due to COVID concerns and restrictions.
"Being from Canada, it's something that we would watch a lot of growing up," Connauton said. "It runs alongside the World Juniors. Some different teams come every year and apparently, they do a really good job hosting. I've never been to Switzerland so that will be a cool experience to check that off the bucket list too. I'm going to miss a few games here. But it's a once-in-a-lifetime experience for me and where I'm at in my career and it's something I've got to jump on."
Connauton, 32, has played in 23 games with the Phantoms this season and wears an "A" as an alternate captain with the team. The veteran of nine NHL seasons has played in 360 career games with Philadelphia, Florida, Colorado, Arizona, Columbus and Dallas. The Edmonton native has also played in 282 career AHL games with Lehigh Valley, Colorado Eagles, Tucson, Texas, Chicago Wolves and Manitoba.
Millman, 21, was a Round 4 selection of the Flyers in 2019. He has played in 23 games with Reading this season scoring 4-10-14. He has 25 career games with the Phantoms over the previous two seasons scoring 0-4-4.
The Lehigh Valley Phantoms are back in action on Friday night at the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Phantoms return to PPL Center on Wednesday, December 28 hosting the Bridgeport Islanders.
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