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HE’S BLUE NO MORE
MAX LETUNOV’S NHL RIGHTS BELONG TO ARIZONA AFTER ST. LOUIS TRADE
By Tom Williams
YOUNGSTOWN
A funny thing happened to Youngstown Phantoms forward Max Letunov, a second-year USHL player, right before the NHL’s trading deadline expired. The St. Louis Blues sent the rights to their second-round pick in last June’s NHL Draft to the Arizona Coyotes for defenseman (and former Pittsburgh Penguin) Zbynek Michalek.
“It’s pretty rare for a [USHL player] to be a key piece of [an NHL] deal,” Phantoms head coach Anthony Noreen said.
The Blues are one of the top teams this season in the NHL’s Western Conference so Noreen wasn’t surprised they were beefing up their lineup for a Stanley Cup run.
“You only get so many shots at those,” Noreen said.
Letunov, a native of Moscow, smiled recounting what happened when his hockey future changed hands.
“I didn’t hear rumors,” Letunov said. “An hour before the trade, my adviser called and said there was a possibility.
“When the trade happened, they didn’t say [who] Phoenix got for [Michalek],” the second-year Phantom said. “Maybe 30 minutes later, my adviser called.”
Letunov admitted surprise at the news it was him.
“My first reaction was ‘wow — that’s not what you usually see with a prospect who plays in the USHL,’ ” Letunov said. “But it shows how much confidence they have in me.
“It shows they really like me and want me to be part of their organization.”
Noreen said it also shows what the Phantoms’ league showcases.
“He was moved for a NHL proven player,” Noreen said. “It just speaks so much about our league, about our level, about the hockey that we have here.
“It shows how lucky we are to have this caliber of talent, guys with [big] futures playing in Youngstown.”
The Phantoms (31-13-5, 67 points) are in second place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference, one point behind first-place Cedar Rapids (34-16-0, 68 points).
This weekend, the Phantoms will host the league’s top team, the Sioux City Musketeers (32-14-5, 69 points), for two games, with the opportunity to overtake the Musketeers in points.
It will be the biggest regular-season weekend in the team’s six seasons at the Covelli Centre.
Letunov said last year’s last-place finish is a distant memory.
“Last year was frustrating, we just didn’t win enough games,” Letunov said. “This year, we’ve a bunch of great players.”
Letunov’s teammates have had some fun with his good fortune, “We joke around that his head has gotten a little big, sometimes he can’t fit through doorways,” Phantoms co-captain Ryan Lomberg said. “But obviously, it’s awesome for him.
“They made a trade in order to get him specifically which I think is unbelievable,” Lomberg said. “Obviously they’ve been watching him and like what they’ve seen.”
Forward Josh Melnick said it was fun watching Letunov react to be in national news.
“Even prior to him being traded, we’d always mess around with him,” Melnick said. “He was pretty excited about [the trade].”
Melnick said the Phantoms weren’t sure what to say to their teammate when they found out he was now a future Coyote.
“Before we talked to him, some of the guys [wondered] is he going to be happy, or sad? We weren’t sure,” Melnick said. “But he’s been in a great mood. He’s excited for the opportunity at hand.”
Letunov and the Phantoms have been rolling with a 12-game winning streak. His goal in Saturday’s 6-2 victory over the Sioux Falls Stampede was the 100th point of his USHL career.
“It feels amazing, and it’s a big honor to hit 100 points in the USHL,” Letunov said.
With 57 points, Letunov is third in the league scoring race with 23 goals and 34 assists. He’s four points behind teammate and league leader Kyle Connor (25 goals, 36 assists, 61 points). Connor is expected to be taken in the first round of this June’s NHL Draft.
“Max as been playing awesome this year and there’s a huge upside to him,” Lomberg said. “He will be a pro player and it’s exciting to see that happening plus the buzz around Kyle with the Draft.
“It’s cool.”
Noreen admitted his coaching grapevine told him that Letunov might be part of a deal.
“it was rumored, but I didn’t know anything until they announced it,” the Phantoms’ four-year head coach said. “I know St. Louis has been very happy with Max’s year.
“According to multiple reports, [Arizona] wasn’t going to budge unless Max was in the deal.”
Hours after the trade, Melnick offered Letunov a tip.
“I looked at his phone and he still had the Blues background on,” Melnick said of the music-note logo. “I said, ‘Max, what are you doing?’ He came in [the next day] and showed me his phone with the Coyotes background on it.”
Letunov said, “Switching [the background] is like a 15-second deal.”
Last weekend’s sweep of Sioux Falls has the Phantoms fired up for the next showdown.
“It was a very well-put together six periods of hockey for us this weekend,” Phantoms co-captain Josh Nenadal said. “Outside of the first half of the opening period [in Friday’s 7-3 win], I thought we were lights out on the weekend.”
Next season, Letunov will play for Boston University.
I’m very excited to be part of the Coyotes organization. Next year, I’m going to Boston University. That’s also what they want me to do for my development.
“It’s a really good school, they really do a good job of developing players.”
Letunov said the next step for him is to develop more strength.
“You always have to work on the ice as as well as off the ice,” Letunov said. “You never know what’s going to happen in a year.”
Or at the trade deadline.