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Phantoms will roll the dice with two youngsters
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New Youngstown Phantoms Dylan Margonari and Ty Loney
By TOM WILLIAMS
williams@vindy.com
BOARDMAN — With this season’s USHL playoff hopes extinguished, the Youngstown Phantoms have started making moves to bolster the team for next fall.
In February, the Phantoms (16-32-2, 32 points, seventh place in the East Division) took advantage of two roster openings to secure two members of the Pittsburgh Hornets AAA midget hockey team — forwards Dylan Margonari and Ty Loney.
“We had roster spots available [because] we tried to make some trades that fell through,” Phantoms interim coach Curtis Carr said. “For a few years now as an organization, we’ve been watching Dylan develop in Pittsburgh. He’s a kid we want in our future.”
In December, the Phantoms had traded Joe Zarbo to a Tier II team in an Ontario league. Brian Dowd was released about five weeks ago.
The Phantoms took advantage of their openings to make room for the two undrafted 18-year-old players who become Phantoms’ property after playing 10 games. Lack of draft picks for this spring’s USHL draft was a motivation.
“Without us having a second-, third- or fourth-round draft pick we’d didn’t think [Dylan] would be sitting around in the fifth round,” Carr said. “Same with Ty. We thought if we add them now before the draft, we secure them for the future.”
If Loney’s name seems familiar to hockey fans, it should. His father, Troy Loney, was a Pittsburgh Penguins left winger from 1983-93 and a member of the Pens’ Stanley Cup championship teams in 1991 and 1992.
In 1993, Loney was drafted by the Anaheim Mighty Ducks in the NHL expansion draft and served as their first team captain. He retired in 1995 after playing with the New York Rangers and New York Islanders.
In 14 games with the Phantoms, Margonari has scored two goals. In eight games, Loney has an assist.
“Dylan is a hardworking playmaker who can score goals,” Carr said. “He’s more of an all-around solid player.
“Ty is a little bit more skilled and gifted offensively. He has the ability to score goals.”
Both say speed is the difference in the USHL.
“There are just all-around better players and a quicker pace,” said Margonari whose parents Craig and Kim live in Greensburg, Pa. “My mom, she was kind of sad at first, letting me go ... but she was excited for me.”
Margonari is staying with a host family and is a senior at Ursuline High.
“Just being here is a dream for me, especially being this close to home and playing junior hockey,” Margonari said. “It’s great. My parents can come up to watch every game.”
Loney, a senior at Pine-Richland High in Gibsonia, Pa., commutes from home. “It takes about an hour,” Loney said of the drive.
His mother’s name is Aafke.
Of the USHL, Loney said, “It’s all faster. It’s a little more intense but other than that it’s just better hockey all around.
“It’s all been fun. It’s a good team, a bunch of good guys.”