The Team | History | ||||
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The Youngstown Phantoms—in their seventh season of heating up the Valley with great hockey action—are entering their first year in the United States Hockey League, America’s only Tier 1 league. The USHL is the premier producer of professional and collegiate talent in America, with 178 players securing collegiate scholarships while boasting 95 active alumni in the NHL during the 2008-2009 season alone.
The Phantoms were founded by Bruce J. Zoldan in 2003 as a part of the North American Hockey League Tier 2 league. The team was originally named the Youngstown Phantoms and played their games out of the Ice Zone in Boardman.
The Phantoms changed their name to the Mahoning Valley Phantoms before the 2005-06 season before returning to the Youngstown Phantoms as part of their move to the USHL in 2009.
The organization is well-known around the Valley for its generous support of various local charitable efforts, including the United Way, Relay for Life, the Make-a-Wish foundation, the American Red Cross, Toys for Tots and the YMCA. They have also created their own “Hockey for Health” program, which encourages physical activity amongst the Mahoning Valley’s youth.
Additionally, the Phantoms are the primary sponsors and operators of the Youngstown State ACHA Division I Men’s Hockey Club and the Phantom Fireworks Youth Hockey program, both based out of the Ice Zone.
The team is proud to be playing all 30 of its home games in the 2009-2010 season at the Covelli Centre, the premier sports venue in the Mahoning Valley. |
