Firebirds Acquire Forward Cooper Marody From Lehigh Valley Phantoms

The Coachella Valley Firebirds added a significant piece to their March roster on Wednesday, acquiring forward Cooper Marody from the Lehigh Valley Phantoms in exchange for future considerations.

Marody, 29, arrives with credentials that dwarf most of the AHL's current player pool. In 344 career games split between the Bakersfield Condors and Lehigh Valley, he has posted 110 goals, 187 assists, and 297 points, along with a plus-29 rating. He participated in the 2019 AHL All-Star Classic and earned a postseason Pacific Division All-Star selection after leading the entire league with 21 goals during the COVID-abbreviated 2020-21 season.

His production hasn't faded this season. In 41 games with Lehigh Valley, Marody recorded 8 goals and 17 assists for 25 points before the trade. Over parts of four seasons with the Phantoms, he amassed 43 goals, 79 assists, and 122 points across 162 games, making him one of the most productive players in franchise history.

The Brighton, Michigan native was originally drafted by the Philadelphia Flyers in the sixth round, 158th overall, in the 2015 NHL Entry Draft. His rights were later traded to Edmonton while he was still at the University of Michigan, where he had been a point-per-game player over three collegiate seasons. He went on to play seven NHL games with the Oilers, registering one assist, before settling into the AHL as one of its more reliable offensive forwards. Earlier in his career, Marody helped the Sioux Falls Stampede win a Clark Cup Championship in 2015 during his USHL days.

Coachella Valley, the AHL affiliate of the Seattle Kraken, announced the transaction on March 12 out of Palm Desert, California. The Firebirds were set to host the Ontario Reign the very next evening at Acrisure Arena for Fuego's Birthday, presented by LiUNA, with puck drop scheduled for 7 p.m.

For Lehigh Valley, the move closes a chapter on one of the more productive relationships in Phantoms history. When the team re-signed Marody to a two-year AHL deal running through 2025-26, he was coming off a season in which he had scored 19 goals and posted 56 points in 68 games, leading the Phantoms in both categories. Now, with future considerations heading back to Allentown, the Phantoms continue a road trip that takes them to Syracuse and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton before returning to PPL Center on March 15 against Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and March 18 against the first-place Providence Bruins.

For the Firebirds, Marody represents a proven scorer and a player who knows how to produce in tight stretches of the season. With 297 AHL points already on his resume and 25 more added this year, he steps into Coachella Valley's lineup at exactly the moment they need depth and experience to matter most.