Hockey secures 150 dates at Covelli SFlbSFlb

New USHL team, city reach 5-year deal in principle

By DAVID SKOLNICK

CITY HALL REPORTER

YOUNGSTOWN — The city has come to an agreement in principle with the incoming Youngstown Phantoms hockey team to play its 30 regular home games each season at the Covelli Centre.

The board of control signed a letter of intent that outlines the provisions of a final contract at a meeting Thursday.

Bruce Zoldan, owner of the new team, which will play in the United States Hockey League, had already signed the letter.

The deal should be finalized in about 30 days.

“The team is something Youngstown will be proud of, and they’ll be impressed with the level of hockey to be played,” Zoldan said.

The USHL is the top amateur hockey league in the country.

The contract is for five years with various provisions that could end the deal after four years if the team’s annual attendance is below 60,000, an average of 2,000 a game for the 30-game regular season.

The Phantoms are replacing the Mahoning Valley Phantoms, also an amateur hockey team, which played in the North American Hockey League, a lower league, this past season at the Covelli Centre, which was formerly called the Chevrolet Centre.

Zoldan said he’s still searching for a new location for the Mahoning Valley Phantoms to play next season, but it won’t be in this area.

The rental fee for the new team, which starts playing in October, is similar to the money paid to the center by the NAHL Phantoms.

The rent is based on attendance.

For games with attendance of 2,999 and under the rent is $2,750. It’s $3,500 a game for attendance between 3,000 and 4,000 fans, and $4,000 for attendance above 4,000. The only difference in the rent is the NAHL team paid $3,000 to the center for games that had crowds between 3,000 and 4,000.

The fees will increase by 3 percent in the fourth year of the deal and by another 3 percent in the fifth year.

The contract includes language requiring the team to pay a penalty if it draws poor crowds, something the Mahoning Valley Phantoms did this past season.

That language was unnecessary, Zoldan said, but “it’s in there and those numbers are minimal” compared to the expected attendance.

Zoldan said he purchased the team from the USHL for $750,000, and its annual operating expenses will be between $1 million and $1.2 million.

Eric Ryan, the center’s executive director, said he thinks the deal is fair to both sides.

“We received assurances in there for attendance,” Ryan said. “That’s a pretty important part of the contract.”

The deal should be finalized shortly. The price for tickets will be kept as low as possible, Zoldan said. Final prices haven’t been determined, but it should be $1 to $2 more than the NAHL Phantoms prices of $8.50 and $12.50 for most seats, he said.

Part of that is because of fees the team is paying the center and city under the contract, Zoldan said.

The center would receive 50 cents for each ticket sold for games. If, after the second year, season attendance exceeds 45,000, the center’s share would be increased to $1.