Letunov commits to Boston U.

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

Youngstown Phantoms forward Maxim Letunov has committed to play college hockey at Boston University following his USHL career.

Letunov, 17, is the 12th player on the Phantoms’ current roster to earn a scholarship to play NCAA Division I hockey. He joins teammate JJ Piccinich as a Terriers recruit.

“We’re extremely happy and proud of Max,” Phantoms assistant coach Brad Patterson said. “He was highly sought after and that shows in his decision to choose BU, one of the top programs in the nation.”

A native of Moscow, Russia, Letunov is third on the Phantoms in scoring. He has three goals and eight assists for 11 points through 14 games.

The 6-foot-2, 155-pound center recorded a point in each of his first six games and leads all USHL rookies under the age of 18 in scoring.

Youngstown’s second-round pick (19th overall) in the 2013 USHL Phase II Draft, Letunov led the Dallas Stars Elite Under-16 AAA team in scoring last season with 29-37-66 in 40 games.

He is on NHL Central Scouting’s “Players to Watch” list for the 2014 NHL Entry Draft.

“Every day he touches the ice he gets better and that’s all you can ask,” Patterson said. “He’s made leaps and bounds since his first game with us.”

Boston University is one of the most storied college programs in the nation and plays in the powerhouse Hockey East Association.

The five-time national champion Terriers are 4-4-0 this season and are second in the Hockey East standings with a 2-1-0 conference record.

Goaltender Matt O’Connor, Youngstown’s all-time wins leader, is the starting goaltender for BU.