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Ruggiero returns to Phantoms
By Tom Williams
YOUNGSTOWN
By missing a New Year’s Eve ball drop by 18 minutes, returning Phantoms defenseman Steven Ruggiero has an extra year to decide his best path to becoming a professional hockey player.
Ruggiero celebrated his 20th birthday Sunday. But because he was born on Jan. 1, 1997 at 12:18 a.m., the USHL (ages 16-20) considers him to still be 19. That gives him an extra 12 months to find another school.
Last week, Ruggiero rejoined the Phantoms after spending a year-and-a-half at Providence College. The defenseman who was with the Phantoms during the 2013-14 season was struggling to get playing time with the Friars.
He’s hoping to make the most of his return.
“It was definitely the hardest decision that I’ve had to make in my life,” said the Long Island, N.Y., native of giving up his scholarship. “Providence was really a home for me and my family.
“Ultimately it came down to me having to make the decision of how badly I wanted to be a pro,” said Ruggiero, a sixth-round pick by the Anaheim Ducks in the 2015 NHL Draft. “I felt that with my situation there and my playing time, coming back to Youngstown would allow me to take the next step in my career in hopes for a better situation with another university.”
Phantoms coach Brad Patterson said Ruggiero is likely to see more game action at the junior level.
“The schedule is longer,” Patterson said. “He wants to play and develop as a player.
“The things that he wants to get better at, that’s what you want in every player.”
Ruggiero’s goal is to play well enough to earn another college scholarship. He has the rest of this season and the next to chase that dream.
His new teammates welcome his experience.
“It’s nice to have a guy who’s played at the next level,” defenseman Micahel Karow said. ”He has experience to share with us.
“Obviously, it’s going to drive the competition more for playing time.”
This is not the first time in the Phantoms’ eight seasons that a college-experienced player has joined the team (goaltender Jordan Tibbett in 2011, forward Ryan Lomberg in 2014). But it’s the first time the decision wasn’t made because of response to discipline.
Ironically, Ruggiero’s first game with the Phantoms was against another former team — the USA’s National Team Development Program. Saturday afternoon, the Phantoms (17-9-3, 37 points) won their sixth straight game with a 3-1 victory over Team USA’s 18-under squad.
“It came full circle,” Ruggiero said of stepping back onto the Covelli Centre ice. “It was a surreal moment — playing one of your former teams against another of your former teams. It was kind of crazy.”
Ruggiero was one of the youngest players in the USHL when he made his debut four seasons ago at age 16.
“I started here at such an early age and coming back, it’s a completely different situation,” he said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for me to be a leader.”
The next season, he played for Team USA’s 18-under squad coached by Don Granato. Then it was off to Providence.
Once he decided to make a change, Ruggiero had other options in addition to retuning to Youngstown. Going to a Canadian junior team and forfeiting his college eligibility was one. Turning pro was another.
“To go major junior, I would only have had a year-and-a-half to earn a contract,” Ruggiero said. “Coming back to the USHL would [preserve] two-and-a-half years of eligibility at another school.
“That would give me a lot more time to continue to fill out my frame and honestly play the minutes that I feel like I’ve miss out on playing.”
Reuniting with Patterson, who was the Phantoms assistant coach until last summer, was a perk.
“He was great to me when I was here at 16,” Ruggiero said of Patterson. “A lot of time, he would pick me up from school at Ursuline and drive me to practice.
“He’s someone that I’m very comfortable with — he’s a relaxed guy but at the same time he’s very intense. He holds you accountable.”
Tonight, the Phantoms, who have surged to third place in the USHL’s Eastern Conference, will look for another win with a game in Muskegon, Mich., against the fourth-place Lumberjacks (16-11-2, 34 points).