PHANTOMS: Net Return
Mahoning Valley Phantoms goalie Jordan Tibbett defends a shot
By Tom Williams
Veteran Jordan Tibbett is back as goaltender for new Phantoms
By TOM WILLIAMS
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BOARDMAN — When Jordan Tibbett first came to the Mahoning Valley two years ago, his hockey coach felt there was a wealth of potential to be developed from the 17-year-old goaltender.
As the Youngstown Phantoms prepare for their initial season in the United States Hockey League, head coach Bob Mainhardt continues to have high hopes for the Indianapolis native to go far.
“His ability and his potential always [have been] off the charts,” said Mainhardt of Tibbett who was the Mahoning Valley Phantoms’ top goalie in their final season in the North American Hockey League. “With him, it’s a situation of maturing into a man.
“We feel he’s done that,” Mainhardt said. “Over the two years that we’ve watched him, he’s moved closer and closer to becoming a man.
“We feel this is the year that he will show that he’s an NHL prospect and make the step to the next level.”
The 6-foot-1, 180-pound Tibbett says he’s not looking past the immediate future’s challenges.
“School is always my first priority,” said Tibbett, hoping a college scholarship offer is looming. “Definitely, college is the next step after I leave here.”
Asked what he will major in, Tibbett admitted that he’s undecided.
“I’ve been thinking about a lot of things, everything from business to philosophy or a religion major,” Tibbett said.
In Tibbett’s first season with the Phantoms, he served as Garrett Bartus’ backup. But last fall, he emerged as the team’s top goalie, posting a 24-9-1 record with one shutout and a 2.47 goals-against average.
Tibbett started all but one of the Phantoms’ 10 playoff games, leading them to two series wins and a trip to the NAHL Robertson Cup Tournament.
A few weeks after the Phantoms returned home from Iowa, owner Bruce Zoldan announced he was dropping his NAHL franchise in favor of creating a USHL expansion team.
One of the Youngstown Phantoms’ first moves was to offer Tibbett a tender that kept him out of the USHL draft.
“It worked out pretty well for myself,” Tibbett said. “I really wanted to make another transition to keep getting better.
“To have a USHL team in the same place with the same people that I’ve already been with was really a blessing for me all in all,” Tibbett said. “After the North American league season was over, they asked me to sign a tender to get my rights so I wouldn’t go into the USHL draft.
“I was pretty excited to be invited here,” Tibbett said. “This is the place I wanted to be.”
Tibbett said his mother, Jodi, and father, Jeremy, backed his decision to return to Ohio.
“They were a huge part of my decision,” Tibbett said. “We made the decision as a family to come back here. Everyone was in agreement that this is a good place for me to be.”
Tibbett said his parents “are able to come over quite frequently” during hockey season.
This season, they’ll be watching him face top-level amateur talent.
“The big difference is there is now more size, more speed, more skill,” said Tibbett of USHL players. “Everything is definitely a big step up from last year.”
Because of the move to a more-skilled league, the goaltender said he’s changing his approach to training.
“There are a lot of mental adjustments, it’s just not physical adjustments,” Tibbett said after a recent workout at The Ice Zone. “I have to increase my training, not just one the ice but off the ice as well.”
As a result, summer zipped for the Phantoms.
“Summer did fly by, but I was excited to come back [so soon],” Tibbett said. “We weren’t too disappointed that summer ended quickly.”
The Phantoms will spend the next three weeks preparing for the USHL’s Fall Classic that will be Sept. 24-26 in Sioux Falls, Iowa. Their home opener will be Oct. 3 at the Covelli Centre.
Mainhardt expects to see Tibbett continue to blossom.
“There’s no doubt we knew his ability right away or at least we thought we had a good handle on his potential right away,” Mainhardt said. “It was really just going to come down to how he would develop mentally.
“So far, so good,” Mainhardt said. “He’s got a big hurdle, a big challenge this year again. Obviously, we’re confident he’s going to make it.”
williams@vindy.com