Phantoms announce 2003-04 roster
October 7, 2003 - American Hockey League (AHL)
Adirondack Phantoms News Release
(PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 7, 2003) - The Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League revealed their roster for the upcoming 2003-04 season today at the annual Meet the Team Media Luncheon and Press Conference. The event was held at Bullies Sports Bar & Restaurant inside the Wachovia Spectrum.
Head coach John Stevens' squad will once again feature the goaltending tandem of Neil Little and Antero Niittymaki. Entering his seventh season with the Phantoms, Little finished 11th in the AHL last year in goals-against average (2.49), and holds virtually every club goaltending record. Niittymaki had a respectable 2.58 GAA as a rookie in 2002-03. Goaltender Chris Houle will also begin the season with the team as Niittymaki recovers from a minor injury.
John Slaney, a two-time Eddie Shore Award winner for being the AHL's top defenseman, returns to anchor the Phantoms back line. Slaney played in his fourth straight AHL All-Star Game last season and ranked second on the Phantoms with 33 assists.
Slaney will be joined by a promising group of young defensemen, including former Flyers draft picks Jeff Woywitka and Dennis Seidenberg. Others to make the team on the back line are Wade Skolney and rookies Joey Hope, Randy Jones and Freddy Meyer.
Center Peter White, the Phantoms' all-time leading scorer, heads up a formidable group of forwards. Returning players on the frontline are Kirby Law, Peter Vandermeer, Ian MacNeil, Andre Savage, Patrick Sharp, Jeff Smith and Ben Stafford. Newcomers include Mike Peluso, who scored 24 goals for the Norfolk Admirals a year ago, Boyd Kane, Mark Murphy and rookies Nick Deschenes and B.J. Abel.
In order to pare down the final roster, defenseman James Laux (Cherry Hill, N.J.) and forward Mathieu Brunelle were assigned to the Trenton Titans of the East Coast Hockey League, and forward Robert Snowball and defenseman Kirk Furey were released. All told, the 2003-04 Phantoms roster includes 13 returning players and 10 newcomers, as well as seven defensemen and 13 forwards.
The Phantoms open the 2003-04 regular season on Friday, Oct. 10 at 7:05 p.m., when they host the Binghamton Senators at the Wachovia Spectrum. Tickets to all Phantoms home games are $19, $18 and $14 for adults, and $8 for all children 14 and under, and are available now at the Wachovia Center box office and all Ticketmaster locations throughout the Delaware Valley. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling (215) 336-2000, (856) 338-9000 or (302) 984-2000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com. Contact the Phantoms office at 215-465-4522 or log on to www.phantomshockey.com for information on group discounts, birthday packages and the Family Four Pack.
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