Youngstown Phantoms Select Eight Players in 2023 USHL Phase I Draft
 
Youngstown, Ohio ­­­--- The Youngstown Phantoms selected eight players in the 2023 USHL Phase I Draft on Monday evening.
 
After tendering Little Caesars 15O left wing Zachary Morin and Ohio AAA Blue Jackets 16U defenseman Sascha Boumedienne previously, the Phantoms sat out the first two rounds of the draft.
 
With the first of two picks in the fourth round, Youngstown selected Dallas Stars 16U defenseman Carter Murphy. The Houston, Texas, native is a smart, poised, puck-moving blue liner. In 53 games, Murphy scored two goals and 22 assists. An `07 playing up, he served as a team captain.
 
Next up was Shattuck-St. Mary's 16U defenseman Dylan Lebret. From Mead, Wash., Lebret had success playing up in his first year at the school. He scored three goals and 35 assists in 57 games. Lebret was a reliable, right-shot, steady defenseman who earned an invitation to USA Hockey's NTDP Evaluation Camp in March.
 
Little Caesars 15O center Evan Jardine was the team's fifth round. The Bloomfield Hills, Mich., native played on one of the top midget teams in the country this past year. Jardine scored 47 goals and 90 assists in 81 games. With elite hockey sense, Jardine was the second leading scorer on the team.
 
Avon Old Farms and River Rats 15O left Michael Munroe went to the Phantoms in the sixth round. Munroe, a skilled winger from Hanover, Mass., scored 30 goals and 23 assists in 36 games to lead the River Rats, the Massachusetts Hockey state champion, in scoring. His Avon Old Farms team won the NEPSAC Elite 8 Championship this past March.
 
In the seventh round, Youngstown selected Fox Motors 15O defenseman Aiden Lawson of Eagle River, Alaska. In his first year playing in the continental United States, Lawson scored seven goals and 37 assists in 60 games. A mobile, puck-moving defenseman, he helped lead his team to the state championship game in Michigan.
 
Jan Chovan was Youngstown's eighth round draft pick. From Bratislava, Slovakia, he played up on Tappara 18U. Chovan also has international experience playing for Slovakia. He scored two goals and four assists in four games while skating for his country.
 
Youngstown picked Toronto Marlboros 16U center Matheas Stark. A smart, cerebral, powerful two-way center, he scored 16 goals and 24 assists in 30 games in the GTHL. From Toronto, he's a top player in Ontario. He skated for his province in the Canada Winter Games, scoring a goal and two assists.
 
With its final pick of Phase I, Youngstown pegged Fox Motors center Owen Boucher. The Grand Ledge, Mich., native scored 23 goals and 34 assists in 57 games. A big, strong, physical power forward excels along the wall and in corners.

Youngstown will partake in the 2023 USHL Phase II Draft on Tuesday. The proceedings start at 12 noon. After the draft Tuesday, all attention turns to the Eastern Conference Finals of the USHL Clark Cup Playoffs. The Phantoms head to the Chicago Steel for the first contest of the best-of-five game series on Friday. Youngstown hosts Chicago for games three and four on Monday and Tuesday. For ticket information, call (330) 747-PUCK or visit www.youngstownphantoms.com.