Staff file photo / Brian Yauger. Youngstown Phantoms forward Evan Jardine puts a shot on net during a game last season against Team USA. Jardine is expected to be a key contributor this year.

As they enter the 2025-26 season, the Youngstown Phantoms did things a little differently.

Under Ryan Ward, who is entering his fourth year at the helm, the Phantoms have been a strong identity-based team. This season, they really honed in on the basics of what makes the Youngstown Phantoms who they are.

Instead of throwing a little bit of everything at the players, the coaching staff dove deep into the basics of what this team needs to be to succeed.

“We really were detailed in a simplistic way,” Ward said. “We really focused on a few things that we wanted to get good at right off the bat, and I think with that, we were very pointed in how we approached the last three weeks of training camp. We didn’t want to overwhelm our team with details. We wanted to build our identity. We wanted to make sure everyone knew what it was like to be a Youngstown Phantom and we really wanted to just hone our identity and our foundational structure, and I think we did that.

“I was very, very pleased at the progress from game to game (in the preseason). We had a lot of really, really difficult decisions to make. And these guys, for a team that has a lot of new faces, the intensity, the buy-in, the willingness to learn and be coached has been probably the best it’s been in four years for me here. I’m really excited about that. We have a great group of kids, and they work extremely hard.”

New names to watch for this season include forwards Matous Jan Kucharcik, Cooper Simpson, Logan Anderson, Malachi McKinnon and defensemen Brody Berard and Melker Morin.

Kucharcik, the Italian-born Czech forward, is a 2025 Buffalo Sabres draft pick. Playing alongside returning Phantoms forward Ryan Rucinski, Kucharcik is expected to be an impact piece this season.

“He’s a big, rangy centerman, extremely good hands, really smart, good with the puck,” Ward said. “His stick is excellent. His IQ is off the charts, so he’s going to be fun to watch. His ceiling for growth is huge, so we’re excited about that, and he’s excited to be here.”

Simpson joins the team from Tri-City after being traded to Youngstown during the offseason. Fishing when he learned about the move, the forward is excited to spend the season with the Phantoms.

When asked what type of skillset he brings to the team, the Boston Bruins draft pick highlighted his offensive prowess.

“A lot of offensive ability, a lot of goals scored hopefully and also still working hard to get better every single day and push each other (as teammates),” Simpson said.

The Phantoms have no shortage of talent returning to the team this year either.

Evan Jardine, who was second on the team in goals (20) last year, will be taking on a larger role this season.

“This group has really everything,” Jardine said. “We’re really tight already. I think we’ve bonded in these last few weeks. It’s going to be a really good year. I’m excited.”

Jack Hextall, who turned heads at the Hlinka Gretzky Cup over the offseason, is also returning. Hextall scored seven points in five games to help Team USA bring home the gold medal. He scored 34 points (8 goals, 26 assists) in his rookie year.

Now entering his draft year as one of the top names to watch, Hextall hopes to hear his name called come June. But not before helping the Phantoms get their second Clark Cup.

After playing on the wing for much of his rookie year, Hextall has been shifting back to center and is excited for the change.

“I think I rounded out my game,” Hextall said. “I was playing winger a lot last year, and I played center the whole summer. I think playing center the whole summer is definitely going to help me this year playing center in Youngstown.”

Rucinski is back with the team and is someone that’s going to be counted on for his skills and his leadership ability.

With great leadership groups in years past guiding him along, Rucinski is excited to take that mantle and be a leader for the Phantoms this season.

“With (Andrew Strathmann) and Coleson (Hanrahan) last year, those were two great leaders that helped me,” Rucinski said. “When I was a younger guy, (Strathmann) kind of brought me under his wing, helped me out a lot that season, and then Coleson last year was just an unbelievable leader. He was actually my roommate, so I learned a lot from him being at the rink and at home with him.”

On the blueline, Jack Willson returns for his fourth season with the team.

Having been around the team for a while now, Willson sees something in this group.

“I feel like everyone just works their butts off,” Willson said. “We all work hard in practice, we challenge each other, we compete very hard, guys care, and we’re just looking to work hard and win a championship.”

Hometown defenseman Cal Huston also returns this season for the Phantoms.

There’s a three-way battle in net with no clear leader as of yet.

Owen Lepak is the returning man in the crease after playing in 19 games last year. Vladimir Nikitin, an Ottawa Senators prospect, and Tobias Trejbal are the newcomers.

“We have unbelievable competition (in net),” Ward said. “Tobias Trejbal is expected to go somewhere at the top of goalies for the NHL Draft. Vladimir Nikitin, who’s in the Ottawa Senators system, he’s been excellent at camp, and we have Owen Lepak, who’s been really good. We’re excited about the depth we have, and they’re going to push each other.”

Despite teaching things a little differently this year, the goal is the same as always. The Clark Cup.

“The expectations here are always very high,” Ward said. “This is a championship-caliber team, and we have to play to that. We have to win games. We have to make sure that from Sept. 19 until the middle of May, that we’re playing our best hockey. I think that we want to always develop our players and make sure that we are leading the world in NHL Draft picks. If we do our job and do it right, we should be able to take care of the scoreboard.”

The Phantoms open the season on Friday against Tri-City as a part of the USHL Fall Classic. They’ll also take on Cedar Rapids on Saturday.

The first home game of the season at the Covelli Centre is set for Oct. 10 against Cedar Rapids. Puck drop is set for 7:05 p.m.