Former Phantoms Mayfield, Saad taken in second round of NHL draft

Staff report

A gloomy Friday night turned into sunshine Saturday morning for two former Phantoms hockey players at the NHL draft in St. Paul, Minn.

Defenseman Scott Mayfield of St. Louis, a Youngtown Phantom from 2009-11, and forward Brandon Saad of Gibsonia, Pa., a Mahoning Valley Phantom in the 2008-09 season, had hopes of being first-round selections.

But both were still available after Friday’s 30 picks were announced.

They weren’t on the market long. With the fourth pick of the second round, the New York Islanders selected Mayfield. Nine picks later, the Chicago Blackhawks took Saad.

“It was a little tough sitting there on Friday night but now I have some extra motivation moving forward,” Mayfield said.

Saad, who played last season for the Ontario League’s Saginaw Spirit, said not hearing his name called on Friday was “kind of hard with all the anticipation. You never know exactly where you will go but it’s nice to get drafted.”

On Friday, East Palestine native J.T. Miller was selected by the New York Rangers with the 15th overall pick.

Later Saturday, goaltender Matt Mahalak, a goalie with the Youngstown Phantoms from 2009-10, was taken in the sixth round by the Carolina Hurricanes.

Mayfield, the first NHL pick for the USHL Phantoms, called the draft experience “surreal. To share this experience with my family and friends was really special.

“I am very excited to be going to a great organization and I am going to get ready for their camp on July 11.”

Most likely, Mayfield will continue his development with the University of Denver program which has captured seven national championships.

“There is a great connection between the Islanders and Denver,” Mayfield said. “I am very happy to be headed to Denver and I just want to continue to improve and get ready to make their team come the fall.

“I am going to take a few days off and let this all sink in, but I am very excited.”

Phantoms coach Curtis Carr said, “It’s great to see this dream come true for Scott. This is a great honor for our entire organization.”

Carr was the Phantoms assistant coach to Bob Mainhardt when Saad was on the Mahoning Valley team in the North American Hockey League.

“Brandon [is] an unbelievable talent,” Carr said. “He has worked hard and he has shown he can be an elite player. He is skilled and he has the hard work and dedication that continues to make him better.”

Saad said it was “exciting” to hear his name called after a frustrating Friday.

His next step will be to attend a rookie camp the Blackhawks will conduct this week in Chicago. What happens next, he said, is up to the Blackhawks management. Saad has another year of eligibility with Saginaw.

“It’s pretty much up in the air right now,” Saad said. “I’m going to camp with a goal of trying to make the team.”

After selecting defenseman Joe Morrow of Portland of the Western Hockey League with Friday’s pick, the Pittsburgh Penguins added a defenseman and three forwards with their Saturday selections.

The Pens drafted: defenseman Scott Harrington, London (Ontario Hockey League), second round; center Dominik Uher, Spokane (Western Hockey League, fifth round); winger Josh Archibald, Brainerd High School (Brainerd, Minn.); and forward Scott Wilson, Georgetown (Ontario Junior Hockey League).

The Columbus Blue Jackets selected six players on Saturday and traded disappointing former first-rounder Nikita Filatov to the Ottawa Senators for a third-round pick.

“We are pleased with our results in this draft,” Columbus general manager Scott Howson said. “Not having a first-round pick made it a challenge, but we managed to add to the depth of our organization at all positions.”

The Blue Jackets, who fired their top amateur and pro scouts earlier this year, chose center Boone Jenner of the Oshawa Generals in the second round.

With the 66th overall, they took forward Thomas Tynan, who played last year for Notre Dame. He had 23 goals and 31 assists in 44 games with the Fighting Irish of the Central Collegiate Hockey Association.