Phantoms conclude another strong season despite playoff loss

The Youngstown Phantoms’ season came to a close on Tuesday, falling in three games to Muskegon in the second round of the Clark Cup Playoffs.

While the season ended far earlier than anyone in the locker room had hoped, the 2024-25 Phantoms group still has plenty to hang their hats on.

We have a lot to be proud of,” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “We accomplished a lot as a group. Obviously, it wasn’t the ending that we wanted, but I think this group had a lot of special players. We have a lot to be proud of and hopefully we learn from this and get better and be back next year.”

It was a season of milestones for the Phantoms. Captained by blueliner Coleson Hanrahan, the Phantoms finished the year as the regular season Eastern Conference Champions with a 42-18-0-2 record and 86 points in the standings. The 42-win mark stands alone as the new high, and 86 points ties the total set by the 2014-15 team.

Netminder Melvin Strahl set a club record with 33 wins, finishing with a .903 save percentage (seventh in the USHL), and a 2.42 goals-against average, which was second in the league.

Defenseman Luke Osburn became the team’s all-time leading goal scorer as a defenseman, surpassing Scott Mayfield (New York Islanders) with his 18th career goal in the team’s regular season finale against the US National Team Development Program. Osburn also finished fourth in the league in total points from a defenseman, ending the year with 41 (10 goals, 31 assists).

“He’s probably the best defenseman in the league,” Ward said. “His confidence and poise with the puck is unmatched. He’s a great teammate, great leader, great kid. He set the standard for what a USHL defenseman should be. (Osburn has) got a great career ahead of himself.”

Forwards Adam Benak (17 goals, 42 assists, 59 points) and Jamison Sluys (16 goals, 42 assists, 58 points) finished ninth and 10th in the league respectively in points.

Benak is a top name to watch out for during the upcoming NHL draft cycle. On the last NHL Central Scouting list, Benak was the 58th-ranked North American skater and 41st-ranked forward.

“Adam came over here, got adjusted to the league. He’s a dynamic player. I thought he had a great year,” Ward said. “He was a wonderful teammate, very coachable. Think he really enjoyed his year. He’s a top talent in the world for a reason, and thought he did a great job.”

Phantoms forward Michael Mesic returned to the USHL from college with the goal to be one of the team’s top guys. Mesic reached that goal, finishing as the team’s leading goalscorer with 24.

“It was definitely one of my goals,” Mesic said. “It was just nice for that to happen. It made me feel pretty good to just have a good season.”

The 2024-25 campaign also saw the emergence of rookies Benak, Jack Hextall (8 goals, 26 assists, 34 points), and an expanded role for forward Evan Jardine, who finished fourth on the team with 44 points (20 goals, 24 assists).

Another player who really came into his own this season in Youngstown, was Ryan Rucinski. The Broadview Heights native exploded this season after a 14-point rookie year, scoring 19 goals and finishing with 42 points in 49 games this winter. Rucinski also led the Phantoms in goals during the postseason, with three. Rucinski finished the year on the NHL Central Scouting ranking list as the 204th North American skater.

“His work ethic and his brain, he’s a really good player,” Ward said. “He’s smart, he cares, he works at it every day. He’s a competitor. He’s not afraid. And when you put that work ethic with his skill together, it’s a pretty deadly combination.”

The Phantoms also have finalists for three major league awards. Osburn finished as a finalist for the league’s Defenseman of the Year, Benak is a finalist for the league’s Rookie of the Year award and Strahl is a finalist for Goalie of the Year.

The award winners will be announced with the All-USHL teams on April 29.