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Connor figures to be Youngstown's most-watched player
YOUNGSTOWN
Kyle Connor arrived in Youngstown a sheepish high school sophomore with a bright hockey future.
Kids, they sure do grow up fast.
Since his first shift in a Phantoms uniform, Connor has played at a level that demanded attention from both his teammates and opponents. His 127 games played, including nine in the postseason, 48 goals, 70 assists are all team highs over the past two seasons.
So what will the University of Michigan commit focus on for his final act?
“Off the ice, I think I’m just going to have to be a little more of a leader this year,” Connor said at Thursday’s media day at the Covelli Centre. “[I’m going to] lead by example and be a little bit more vocal in the locker room.”
Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen has been with Connor since his arrival in 2012. He’s watched his star forward develop into one of the premier playmakers in the United States Hockey League.
So, naturally, he wants to see more.
“I’m looking for him to become a complete player,” Noreen said. “Obviously, he’s a guy who’s going to be picked apart by everybody. We saw it a couple years ago with Scott Mayfield when we had him here as a potential first-rounder and what starts happening is a lot of people start looking for what he does wrong — what can’t he do.
“Our goal with Kyle is to make him a complete player. We want people to come in and watch him and there not to be any question marks or hesitation in their mind that he’s a guy that they can build a franchise around at the NHL level. That’s our job, and my job, to make sure that we make him into that and we hold him accountable.”
Connor and NHL mentioned in the same breath isn’t just coachspeak, either. The 6-foot-1, 182-pound center from Shelby Township, Mich. has been soaring up prospect lists and draft boards around the country.
Just last month he was named to the CCM/USA Hockey All-American Prospects game, where he was able to skate with the top players in the country.
He was also a member of the Team USA in the IIHF Under-18 World Championships in Finland last April. Connor was the only American skater to register a point (four goals, three assists) in each of the team’s seven games on the way to a gold medal.
As part of Connor’s growth into a leadership role on the Phantoms — which is something Noreen expects from his most-seasoned player — grooming linemate Trey Bradley also is at the top of the list.
The son of former NHLer Brian Bradley, Trey is excited for his first full season in Youngstown and another chance to learn from Connor.
“He’s great to be on a line with, because he just creates so many chances,” Bradley said. “Last year, playing with him for just half the year, I feel like I’ve gotten so much better. My game’s gotten a lot better and this year I feel like there are no limits for us in what we can do.”
Newcomer Bryan Lemos will join Connor and Bradley on arguably the Phantoms’ most important line this season. In 32 games last season, Bradley recorded 21 points.
“You don’t know if you’re going to have chemistry with a guy coming in, but just to see us making plays out there, being on the same page on the ice, knowing where each other are, it’s great,” Bradley said. “With that comes a lot of offense and clearly we like to put points on the board, so I think that’s great to have.”
Noreen believes this year’s team will go as Connor goes, so hearing him embrace a leadership role has to have the fourth-year coach feeling good.
“He’s gotta have a sense of that,” Noreen said. “Make sure that he’s a good teammate, which I have no doubt that he will be, and I look forward to seeing him grow this year.”