YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown Phantoms have now gone seven years straight with a player selected in the NHL Draft, with two names joining the list after the second and final day of the 2020 draft.

It started in the early afternoon. With the 89th overall selection, the Boston Bruins selected Phantoms forward Trevor Kuntar.

Kuntar, who is attending Boston College in the fall, is excited to get started.

“It honestly meant the world to be here with my parents and it’s just a dream come true,” Kuntar said. “All the hard work, all the sacrifices my parents made and that everyone has made for me. It just shows that it was all worth it. I just couldn’t be more grateful for this opportunity and the work starts now. I’m excited.”

The Phantoms were practicing during the draft, but they had a broadcast going in another room.

“Just as we finished practice actually, our trainer came out and let us know,” Phantoms coach Brad Patterson said. “Then the guys could see on the jumbotron showing that it was Trev. So all the guys were banging their sticks and tapping their sticks.

“It was a neat moment. For all the things that Trevor has done here over the past three years, I think he would’ve been moved by the guys and how excited they were for him.”

Kuntar joins former Phantoms center Curtis Hall as a part of the Boston farm system. The two were teammates on the 2017-18 Phantoms team.

“It’s funny how these teams seem to be connected,” Patterson said. “Trevor actually roomed with Curtis Hall, another Bruins draft pick a few years ago, in Trev’s first year here.”

The Boston connection continued as later on in the afternoon, the Bruins targeted Youngstown once again, taking Riley Duran in the sixth round, 182nd overall.

“It’s exciting to see what the future is going to hold for these three players,” Patterson said.

Duran played one game with the Phantoms during the 2018-19 season and is expected to be a regular in the lineup this season. He plans to attend Providence College after the 2020-21 season.

Patterson compared Duran’s game to Hall’s, mentioning how tough the two are to play against.

“He’s heavy. He’s hard to play against. He’s got tremendous offensive upside and he’s good in all areas,” Patterson said.

A right-handed center out of Woburn, Mass., Duran spent the 2019-20 season in the high school ranks with Lawrence Academy (Mass.) where he tallied 44 points (22 goals, 22 assists) in 27 games.

Both forward Ben Schoen and goaltender Colin Purcell were eligible for the 2020 draft, but went unselected this time around. The two Ohio natives return to the Phantoms this season and look to ensure that their names are called in 2021.

Kuntar wasn’t selected in his first year of eligibility either and used it as motivation this past season.

“It was definitely super motivating,” Kuntar said about being passed over last draft. “I’ll never forget that day for the rest of my life. I thought about that day every day and that’s one of the things that motivated me to keep pushing and keep going.”

The Phantoms are set to begin their season in November, with the home opener scheduled for Dec. 4 against Muskegon.