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PHANTOMS NOTEBOOK | Season finale
Moving on: Thirteen Phantoms are moving on to play college hockey. Three will attend Miami University — forwards Ryan Lomberg, Josh Melnick and Kiefer Sherwood. The other forwards are: Kyle Connor, University of Michigan; Max Letunov, Boston University; Tyler Sheehy, University of Minnesota; Taylor Best, Mercyhurst; and Josh Nenadal, not yet committed. “Don’t know yet — it’s all a mystery,” Nenadal said. “It’s exciting.” Defensemen leaving are: Tommy Parran, Ohio State; Connor Yau, Dartmouth; Alec Vanko, Minnesota State Mankato; and Connor McDonald, Bowling Green. Goaltender Chris Birdsall will attend Boston College.
Eligible to return: Head coach Anthony Noreen says four defensemen are expected to return: Matt Miller, Vas Kolias, Kris Myllari and Ty Farmer. Goaltender Colin DeAugustine, the team’s leader in victories the past two seasons, will return. Also eligible are forwards Kevin Conley, Matt Alvaro, Chase Pearson, James Winkler and Lukas Craggs.
Staying in the USA: Letunov said he’s not sure what he’s doing before enrolling in Boston University in June, but said he’s not returning home to Russia. “It’s a big step up from the USHL to the NCAA.” Letunov said. “I’m really excited about it, been looking forward to it for two years after I committed to [BU].” Last June, Letunov was drafted by the St. Louis Blues in the second round of the NHL Draft. In March, his rights were traded to the Arizona Coyotes.
Draft is next: Connor is projected to be taken in the first round of this June’s NHL Draft. “Best player in the league this year,” Melnick said. “He’s going to go on to do great things. It’s going to be fun watching the draft.”
Bright futures: Parran and Sherwood say Connor and Letunov aren’t the only Phantoms who will someday be professionals. “There’s Myllari, there’s Pearson — the amount of guys on our team who have pro futures is unbelievable,” Parran said. “I will probably never be blessed to play with as much talent as I played with this year.” Sherwood called Connor and Letunov “very talented and we tried to make the most of it, tried to learn from them. They are both great leaders in their own respect. And there’s a lot more guys in this lockerroom who have potential.”