Paetsch named new Phantoms coach
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On Tuesday, the Youngstown Phantoms announced the hiring of head coach Nathan Paetsch. Paetsch is the seventh head coach in club history.
Paetsch, 43, comes to Youngstown following a 17-year professional career split between the NHL, AHL and German DEL, and more recently, a six-year stint coaching in the Buffalo Sabres system.
"They reached out and asked if I was interested in interviewing, and I talked with my wife and people I trusted, and I learned a lot of great things about Youngstown, the staff, the ownership, so that obviously piqued my interest incredibly," Paetsch said. "During the interview process, it just felt really good. Just talking to the staff, it seemed like a great fit where my vision really matched up with what they're looking for. I wanted to be a head coach. Rochester's home. It's been home for 23 years. I've been in the Sabers organization in some capacity for 16 years, so the Sabres organization is essentially my family. Leaving was not an easy decision, but I just couldn't pass up the opportunity. It just really felt like a good fit."
The Phantoms were attracted to Paetsch for his experience in developing players. While winning hockey games is, obviously, an important part of coaching in the USHL, it's equally important to get players ready for the next steps of their hockey careers.
Developing players and preparing them for college and professional hockey on both an individual and team level has been the Phantoms' top priority over the years, and don't expect that to change.
"We are extremely excited to welcome Nathan and his family to Youngstown," Jason Deskins, Phantoms president of hockey operations and co-general manager, said in a press release announcing the hire. "Nathan has spent his entire career around high-performance environments and understands what it takes to develop players for the next level. His experience in the NHL, AHL and Europe, combined with his player-development work in Buffalo and his time behind the bench in Rochester, gives him a unique perspective that will be extremely valuable to our players and our organization."
Immediately following his retirement from playing, Paetsch was hired as a Development Coach for the Sabres. His role was essentially to act as a bridge for drafted prospects to guide them between junior hockey and professional hockey. One of those players Paetsch was around was former Phantom Stiven Sardaryan (2021-22).
Helping those players achieve their dreams has been arguably the most rewarding part of the job for the Phantoms' new helmsman.
"One thing I've loved about player development during my last couple years as a player in AHL and now and then a coach in the AHL is helping young men realize their dreams," Paetsch said. "I can't tell you how satisfying it is when somebody gets called up that I've coached or helped mentor. Their dreams have come true, and that's a dream for me, and I'm hoping whatever these young men's dreams are to being a positive influence and hopefully getting them to their ultimate goals, whatever that may be. Obviously, it's different for every kid. That excites me a ton."
Having experience in bridging the gap between being a prospect and becoming a professional, Paetsch has a leg up in getting his kids ready for that jump on an individual level. Having been behind the bench in Rochester, he also knows how to develop on the team level as well.
Every coach does things differently, so expect to see some changes in the way the Phantoms operate this season. That's only natural as each coach has a series of influences that shape the way they view the game.
With a young roster awaiting him this year, Paetsch is excited to get rolling.
"I think we're probably a little younger than they've been in the past, and I'm excited about that. My son's a 2010; he's at the (US National Team Development Program), so I know that age group really well," Paetsch said. "We have a lot of talented older guys as well too. ...There's a lot of top players that left. I think there's a ton of opportunity for some of these players that maybe didn't have as big of a role last year to have real big roles and have big-time seasons for us. That's exciting to see a kid progress from, you know, maybe having some struggles in his first year to really exploding and being a dominant player in the league. I think we have some players that can take that jump."
With just over a month between his hiring and the team's first game, it's going to be a hectic time for Paetsch as he and the staff get settled in. The Phantoms will kick their season off on Sept. 17 in Chicago with a contest against the Des Moines Buccaneers as a part of the USHL Fall Classic.