By Marissa Masano / The Jambar
Only one mile from Youngstown State University’s campus sits the City of Youngstown’s premier hockey organization — the Youngstown Phantoms. The team began its 17th season in the U.S. Hockey League’s Eastern Conference with a 5-0 win over the Tri-City Storm on Sept. 19.
The Phantoms are led by fourth-year Head Coach Ryan Ward. In his previous seasons with the organization, the team reached the playoffs each year and captured the Clark Cup championship in 2022-23.
Youngstown opened the season with four straight wins before suffering its first loss — an overtime defeat to the Muskegon Lumberjacks.
Ward reflected on the team’s early success and the identity forming within the program.
“We have a certain style we like to play here in Youngstown. I think we’re off to a bit of a hot start. These guys, like our returning players, have really set the bar to where we want to be. So, we’re excited about our group. We have depth at every position and for us that’s an exciting thing. Our ceiling is really high,” Ward said.
During the 2024-25 campaign, the Phantoms posted a 42-18 regular-season record, and earned the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference for the USHL Playoffs. The team set a franchise record with 42 wins and tied the program mark for most points in a season with 86.
This year, the Phantoms return several key players, including last season’s second-leading scorer and top power-play producer, forward Evan Jardine. The Ohio State University commit scored 20 goals last season and led the team with 13 power-play tallies. During the preseason, Jardine again led the Phantoms with five goals.
Forward Ryan Rucinski also returns after notching 19 goals last season. In the playoffs, he led the team’s scoring efforts with three goals over three games.
Although the Phantoms lost four of their top five assist leaders, forward Jack Hextall returns after recording 26 assists and eight goals last season. Over the offseason, Hextall helped Team USA win gold at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup, contributing seven points in the tournament.
A new name for the Phantoms this season is forward Matous Kucharcik. The 2025 NHL Draft pick for the Buffalo Sabres scored his first goal for Youngstown on opening night.
Ward bolstered the team’s offense by acquiring forward Cooper Simpson in an offseason trade with Tri-City. The Boston Bruins draft pick scored seven goals in nine games for the Storm last season.
The Phantoms also lost starting goaltender Melvin Strahl, who led the USHL with 33 wins last season and set the franchise record for most victories by a goaltender in a single season. With Strahl’s departure, Youngstown is turning to rookie goalie Tobias Trejbal and returner Owen Lepak to share time in net.
Trejbal recorded his first start and shutout as a Phantom on opening night against the Storm, stopping all 28 shots he faced.
Defensively, the Phantoms lost Luke Osburn, who last season set the franchise record for most goals by a defenseman with 18. To strengthen the blue line, the team drafted defensemen Brody Berard and Melker Morin. Returning to anchor the defense is veteran Cal Huston, who appeared in 61 games last season.
With a mix of new talent and returnees, Ward said leadership will be key inside the locker room.
“You don’t get anywhere without good leadership and our returning players, Rucinski, Jardine, Hextall, Houston [and] Jack Wilson — those guys have done a great job of letting our new guys know what the expectation is here in Youngstown. Those guys do a great job of carrying the flag of what it means to be a Phantom,” Ward said.
The Phantoms’ regular season runs through April 2, 2026, as the team looks to make the playoffs for the fifth-consecutive year and chase its second Clark Cup.