Submitted photo / The Youngstown Phantoms staff and players at the 2023 NHL Entry Draft in Nashville, TN on Thursday.

While no Youngstown Phantoms heard their name called on Day 1 of the 2023 NHL Draft, they flew off the board on Day 2.

Five Phantoms were picked in the first 100 selections of the draft, and six heard their name called in total, doubling the previous club-high of three from 2018.

“For all of us and for our players, it’s obviously a great experience and something that we feel privileged to be a part of,” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “Being here to support Youngstown, the Phantoms and all of these guys on draft day is something that we certainly don’t take for granted and are extremely lucky to be able to do.”

Martin Misiak got the day started, getting called at pick No. 55 by the lottery-winning Chicago Blackhawks. He’s the highest-selected Phantoms player since Cam Morrison (Colorado Avalanche, 2016).

According to Misiak, Chicago was at the top of his wishlist, citing the interview process,

“I had the best feeling about (Chicago) to be honest,” Misiak told the media in Nashville. “I kind of hoped to get to Chicago and I’m really glad it worked out. The interviews were fun, I had a great, great interview, probably the best one with them. It was fun and I’m super glad to be here.”

With the second pick of the third round, Columbus dipped from the Youngstown well, selecting forward William Whitelaw. The scrappy forward is off to the University of Wisconsin after this season, but is set to return to Ohio after being selected by the Blue Jackets.

That pick kickstarted a surge of Phantoms as three Youngstown players were selected in the first seven picks of the third round. Whitelaw, Fowler, then Brandon Svoboda each came off the board early in the third round.

“It was unbelievable,” goaltender Jacob Fowler said about the rush of picks. “To be able to give Whitelaw, Svoboda and those guys hugs when they got picked was super special. To see all those guys down below doing the media stuff and to know you accomplished your dream with four or five of your best friends, I can’t even describe it.”

After a string of netminders came off the board in the second round, Fowler fell into the lap of one of the league’s most historic franchises. The Boston College commit was the 69th overall pick by the Montreal Canadiens.

“That’s a franchise looking to get back on top, so there’s a lot of pressure,” Fowler said. “There were a few interviews at the combine and over the last couple of weeks, so it was pretty special to finally get the interviews out and just kind of just know you’re going to be set in stone now.”

Svoboda came next as the San Jose Sharks moved up to the 71st pick to take the Pittsburgh-area native.

In the midst of Svoboda’s introductory press conference with the media, the centerman was mobbed by Whitelaw congratulating him on the accomplishment.

“Will’s one of my best friends,” Svoboda told the media in Nashville. “We’ve grown up playing together at a lot of events and (Jacob) Fowler, (Andrew) Strathmann, (Martin) Misiak, we’re all really close and I feel like that’s why we had a lot of success in Youngstown and it’s just pretty special to be able to share this special moment with them.”

Speaking of Whitelaw, defenseman Andrew Strathmann joins his Youngstown teammate – and roommate in Nashville – in Columbus, being selected at the top of the fourth round, 98th overall.

Unfortunately for the defenseman, he missed the call, but quickly found his way back to the concourse to hear the news.

“Actually I was in the bathroom, so I didn’t really hear my name called, but when I got on the concourse my buddy’s there, and he’s like, ‘You just got drafted,’ and I’m like, ‘No way.’ I go up to my family and they’re all giving me hugs,” Strathmann said. “So it was just an unbelievable feeling being able to do that with them.”

The Blue Jackets drafted two pairs of teammates with their top four picks this year, selecting both Strathmann and Whitelaw, as well as pairing their top selection this year, University of Michigan forward Adam Fantilli, with linemate Gavin Brindley.

The Vancouver Canucks rounded off the afternoon from a Youngstown perspective, selecting Matthew Perkins with pick No. 119 in the fourth round.

Perkins went through the draft process last year, but went unselected. The Minnesota-Duluth commit doesn’t have to wait anymore as he’ll join former Phantom Jack Malone in the Canucks organization.

For Ward, seeing these kids’ dreams come true is why he does what he does.

“Personally why I coach is for days like today,” he said. “Seeing them win and have success at the end of the year and then move on to an event like this, for me, is the reason why I do it. It’s the most important thing in my life, obviously outside of my family. I think to be here and to see these players that you’ve gone to war with each and every day, you ride them and you’re hard on them and you’re teaching them with the expectation to keep pushing them, and to see them go through a day like today is a feeling thing you can’t ever beat.”

Svoboda, Strathmann and Misiak are all expected to return to Youngstown this season. Once rookie camps wrap up, it’s back to Youngstown to work toward another Clark Cup.

“I’m just going to go to Youngstown next year and hopefully be a leader on that team, and not really prove people wrong, but just play the game of hockey that you grew up loving and just do the best you can,” Strathmann said. “Hopefully we can go out there and do something similar to what we did last year, and win a Clark Cup. That’s our plan and that’s the end goal. If we can do that, that would be another amazing feeling.”