Wroblewski finds right fit with Phantoms

August 19, 2015 at 12:10a.m.

YOUNGSTOWN

Since retiring as a player in 2007 to join the coaching profession, John Wroblewski has always had a pretty good idea of what was ahead.

That streak ended in May when Buffalo Sabres general manager Tim Murray fired the Rochester Americans’ coaching staff.

“I looked into a lot of different jobs, said Wroblewski, the new head coach of the Youngstown Phantoms. “There were some opportunities and some different avenues [to pursue].

“Nothing seemed to have the right fit.”

On July 21, three days before his wedding, the Phantoms announced that the former American Hockey League assistant coach would become the junior hockey team’s fourth head coach in seven USHL seasons.

Tuesday, Wroblewski held his first news conference at the Covelli Centre in his USHL return. His coaching career began with a USHL team — the U.S. National Team Development Program.

After spending three seasons in the ECHL (two as head coach of the Gwinnett Gladiators), Wroblewski joined the Americans two summers ago and spent two seasons coaching professional players one league removed from the National Hockey League.

“Honestly, Ashley and I kept a very positive attitude [even though] we had a lot on our plate, a lot of uncertainty,” Wroblewski said of his unexpected job search.

“This opportunity came around at the right time,” said Wroblewski, 34. “I felt it was the perfect situation for us to get immersed in.

“The age group is so unique,” Wroblewski said of USHL players who range in age from 16-20. “You get to work with young men just on the cusp of their careers.

“It’s a hungry group and a group that doesn’t get picked over.”

In late June, the Phantoms job opened up when four-year head coach Anthony Noreen was hired by the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears.

What Wroblewski won’t miss about the AHL is the constant roster changes.

“Being able to work [with players] for the entire season to me is the most important thing,” Wroblewski said of returning to junior hockey.

His style? Aggressive.

“We’re going to be a team that’s in the opposition’s face all the time,” Wroblewski said. “[We want to be] a team known to be very hard to play against.”

The Phantoms are coming off their most successful season. A 17-game winning streak helped them finish 40-14-6, earning 86 points and the league’s Anderson Cup that is awarded to the regular-season champion.

Most of the top scorers from that team have moved on to college careers.

“It’s a cyclical league,” Wroblewski said of the turnover. “A lot of times in junior hockey, you’re going to be really good one year and then things could fall off because obviously you lose your best players to college. That’s the nature of this league.

“[General manager] Jason Koehler does a tremendous job of refueling the cupboard and making sure that we have good, competitive players.”

Wroblewski said he will rely on assistant coaches Brad Patterson and John Ronan, who are returning to the team. Patterson has been with the Phantoms since their first season while Ronan is beginning his second season.

“I feel very lucky to inherit these men,” Wroblewski said. “They’re going to be the pulse of this team in regard to making sure I know what to expect.”

Wroblewski has a Youngstown connection. At Notre Dame, he took a finance class with Jed York, the Cardinal Mooney High graduate who is the CEO of the San Francisco 49ers.

Wroblewski anticipates working with eager-to-learn players.

“The last five years, I worked in an environment where you were at the mercy of a lot of [management] factors,” Wroblewski said. “Guys are in it for professional reasons.

“The guys I am looking forward to working with this season are the players who are hungry and we can really cultivate them as young men and hopefully turn them in to excellent college players and then professionals.”