Submitted photo Highly-touted prospect Zachary Morin signs his tender agreement with the Youngstown Phantoms.

The Youngstown Phantoms inked another huge up-and-comer Tuesday, completing a deal to acquire 15-year old forward prospect Zachary Morin.

Morin, a power forward from Lachenaie, Quebec, is a highly-touted prospect for the 2025 NHL Draft. While it’s still early — Morin’s 16th birthday isn’t for another week — the 6-foot-2 centerman is absolutely a name to watch going forward.

Had Morin stayed in Canada, like so many Quebec natives do, his name was being floated as a top pick in the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League draft.

So why Youngstown?

“It’s an amazing organization,” Morin said. “I really liked the fact that they were really interested in me and they showed a lot of love. … I think the town is awesome, the rink and everything the Phantoms showed is really cool.”

He’s garnered plenty of hype. Since the announcement of his signing Tuesday afternoon, Morin has been the third most-searched name on eliteprospects.com.

“Zach is one of the top 2007-born players in the world,” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “He’s been playing this season at Little Caesars for their AAA team. He’s an extremely dynamic forward that plays every facet of the game. He’s an electric playmaker. He has an NHL shot, he’s super competitive and we’re really just super excited to have him.”

At the age of 15, Morin is already approaching NHL size and will continue to grow. Last season, he played for College Esther-Blondin Phenix in Quebec and put up 20 points in 37 games. Morin was 14 and was playing with and against kids three to four years older than him.

He’s shown flashes of greatness in a short time and Ward is overjoyed at his future player’s potential.

“Zach’s a power forward that can do everything. He’s got every tool in his toolbox, he can make plays, he can score, he can play heavy down low, he’s a quintessential power forward,” Ward said. “I think Zach will charge his own path right from the get go. The thing that’s great about Zach is, he’s done just that. He’s carved his own path. It’s very rare to see a player from Quebec leave the province and come down to the states and he wanted to be different, he wanted to carve his own path, and he’s done that.

“I think even choosing Youngstown, he wants to be a driver. He wants to be that someone that is part of an organization that is building things in a way and making sure that number one, his development is at the forefront and obviously helping our team win our first Clark Cup Championship. He is completely dialed into that and I think the path that Zach will carve for himself here in Youngstown as a Phantom is going to be special to watch.”

Quebec native players don’t leave the province often, let alone come to the United States to play in junior. Like Ward said however, Morin has decided to carve his own path to the NHL.

That being said, it’s a pretty good path.

The Little Caesars hockey program is one of the top AAA programs in North America, producing such talent as Zach Werenski (Columbus), Jason Robertson (Dallas) and Jakob Chychrun (Arizona).

Historically affiliated with the Detroit Red Wings organization, Little Caesars is no stranger to talent. In 56 games with Little Caesars, Morin has tallied 94 total points off 41 goals and 53 assists.

“We’re really lucky because we have, I would say, like an NHL coaching staff,” Morin said. “Our practices are really intense because I think we have all the best kids in the country and I think everyone wants to get better, every practice. I think that’s really awesome.”

Ironically, the Little Caesars 15U coach is a former Phantom. Derek Roehl played with the Phantoms back in 2004-05 in the North American Hockey League.

As a result of signing Morin, the Phantoms will have to give up their second round pick in Phase I of the USHL Draft. The Phantoms used their first round tender to sign defenseman Sascha Boumedienne back in November.

Ward credits the whole staff in scouting these prospects and the top-to-bottom work that has been done in bringing them to the Mahoning Valley.

“We have an unbelievable staff, our GMs, Ryan Kosecki and Jason Deskins, along with our scouts, assistant GMs Jeff Cox and Tim Parkos. The one thing I can say about all of those guys is that they are the hardest working people in the league,” Ward said. “Every single day they’re watching guys, pounding the pavement and ultimately identifying the right talent for how we want to play on this team and the right character that we want in our organization to drive our culture.”

This is another high-level acquisition for an organization that has had lofty goals for making Youngstown the premier junior hockey destination.

“We’ve got a ton of support from our ownership group in terms of providing resources to our players that are necessary for elite-level talents. I think there are a lot of people around the hockey community that appreciate the investment that we’ve made in our program and the general shift that we’ve made in terms of trying to become a more skilled cerebral and competitive hockey team,” Deskins said. “We’re starting to see some of the results but obviously, signings like this all indicate where we’re heading in the future even more.”

This marks the third time in club history that the Phantoms have used two tenders in a single season. They last did it in 2016 with Curtis Hall and Max Ellis and also did it in 2012, selecting Kyle Connor (Winnipeg Jets) and JJ Piccinich.

Like Boumedienne, Morin won’t suit up in a Phantoms uniform until next season, but the two are shaping up to be a top duo in the USHL.

“I’ve heard a lot of good things about him,” Morin said about his future teammate. “I’ve heard that he’s a really great kid and I honestly can’t wait to play with him.”