Staff photo / Brian Yauger Phantoms defenseman Charlie Lieberman skates up the ice during one of the team’s split-squad scrimmages at Phantoms camp in Canonsburg, Pa.

CANONSBURG, Pa. — Not even a month removed from lifting the Clark Cup for the first time in club history, the Youngstown Phantoms are back on the ice as they prepare to defend their title.

The first step of that is with the team’s training camp held down in Canonsburg, Pa. at the Printscape Arena.

Despite the quick break, Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said that he and the players are eager to get back to work.

“It’s actually worked out. To have the run that we had winning a Clark Cup championship and then continue in work mode is a lot easier than I thought it would be,” Ward said.

“For us, it’s been really exciting like riding the wave and the momentum of winning a championship and seeing how happy the guys are still, our returning players and how excited the new guys are to come in and join the fold. Overall, the past six or eight weeks have been a great ride and a great experience, and this is kind of the turning the page moment where we get ready to defend the Clark Cup in Youngstown next year.”

NEW FACES

The 2007-born duo of defenseman Sascha Boumedienne and forward Zach Morin have been turning heads so far at camp. The pair are bringing in a large amount of high-end skill to a lineup that is already filled with talent

The two have garnered attention for the 2025 NHL Draft, but as they mature, expect them to continue to make names for themselves.

“So far it’s been pretty good,” Morin said about his time at camp. “It’s been a lot of fun and we’re getting to know each other. It’s my first time here, so it’s nice.”

Futures Draft selection Finn McLaughlin made the trek down from Alberta and has had a good showing as well.

On the veteran side, USHL Entry Draft selection Charlie Cerrato and recent trade acquisitions Michael Burchill and Nathan Lewis each are carving out their role into the new Phantoms lineup.

“Those guys are going to immediately impact our team,” Ward said about the added veteran talent. “They’re great character guys. They’re veterans in the league. They have a ton of experience. They’ve been on playoff teams and have come up through the ranks with their respective organizations.”

RUN IT BACK?

In addition to the new players coming in, the Phantoms are returning a glut of talent to their roster, more than expected.

Barring any last-minute changes, defenseman Andrew Strathmann and forwards Brandon Svoboda and Martin Misiak are expected to return to Youngstown this fall and help lead the chase for a back-to-back.

“I will never ever be able to say enough about what they’ve done to our organization and what they’ve done as a group,” Ward said. “They’ve proven to be just an immensely important group of people. They’re great players, but they were also the tip of the spear with our culture with how we wanted to do things and how we wanted to work, so having the returners that have been through the process and understand what we expect and understand what it’s like to be a Youngstown Phantom hockey player every day, that experience is invaluable. They’re just a great group of mentors to the young guys that are coming in next year and we’re excited for them to be our leaders.”

THE ROAD TO REPEATING

Now that the team has a target on its back, the Phantoms have a lot of added pressure. Every team is going to be gunning for them, but that’s not going to put a damper on what they hope to achieve.

No USHL team has won the Clark Cup in back-to-back seasons since Omaha in the 1992-93 and 93-94 seasons.

With that said, Ward and the Phantoms now want to keep that meteoric rise going.

“We’ve said it from day one, that we want to be the premier place to play junior hockey in the entire world. Not just the USHL, but we want to be a place where guys come and develop and get to live their dreams and check boxes on their goals,” Ward said. “We’ve worked hard to get to that point. I think now Charlie (Cerrato) and the rest of the guys have to understand that next year, we’re going to have targets on our back. We’re the defending champions and we’re going to have to work. Every night is going to be extremely competitive, and we can’t take anything for granted. We’re excited for that opportunity. We’re definitely excited for the responsibility of that and we’ll be ready come August when we report to Youngstown.”

The Phantoms open the season at the Covelli Centre on Sept. 30 with a game against the US National Team Development Program. The USHL Fall Classic games will be held beforehand, but have yet to be announced.

byauger@tribtoday.com