General Game Notes: After going down two goals to zero after the first period, the Phantoms scored back to back three goal periods to complete a convincing win. Tonight, a lot of skill from both teams was on display with a total of ten goals being scored throughout the game.
| Blake Bechen | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | R | C | 6’0″ | 188 | Dubuque, IA | 2005 | 2023-2024: C 2022-2023: C |
Game Grade: B+
Bechen earned 15:28 in ice time (8th among fwds) including 4:07 on the PP (4th among fwds). He did not play PK. He finished -2 with 1 goal, 2 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, received 2 hits, 8 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 45% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Bechen showed tonight that he sprints hard after the puck, and if he can’t outright win the race, he tries to win the ensuing battle, then, he looks for a teammate. He feathers pucks off the backhand through defenders, slips them under sticks on the forehand, and completes all sorts of crafty one and two touch plays to teammates moving in space. If the pass isn’t available he has the awareness and skill to extend his possession and attack scoring areas. He will not throw pucks rather, keep it close and look to challenge one on one.
| Libor Nemec | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | L | RW | 6’3″ | 187 | UMass Lowell | 2024 | Bardejov, SVK | 2003 | 2020-2021: C+ |
Game Grade: A-
Nemec earned 18″49 in ice time (3rd among fwds) including 4:11 on the PP (tied for 2nd on team). He did not play PK. He finished -3 (tied for team worst) with 1 goal, 3 shots, 3 grade “A” opportunities, 1/2 on face-offs, received 1 hit, 5 giveaways, 4 takeaways and for the season he is winning 50% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Nemec showed tonight with a larger frame he will bully himself into a scoring space and with a variety of releases and a willingness to improve his shot location at all costs, he doesn’t pass up a shot opportunity. He is a consistent defensive presence and is always a nuisance on the back check and the defensive zone. He did a good job tonight scanning for threats, tying up his check at the right time, reading passing lanes, and finding space to support the puck carrier.
| Mike DeAngelo | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | L | LW | 5’11” | 178 | Michigan State | 2024 | Itasca, IL | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A-
DeAngelo earned 23:49 in ice time (fwd high) including 4:17 on the PP (team high) and 3:34 on the PK (2nd among fwds). He finished -3 (tied for team worst), 2 assists, 4 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 4/13 on face-offs, 1 hit, received 1 hit, 9 giveaways, 5 takeaways and for the season he is winning 49% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Along the boards, DeAngelo shows grit and patients. He waits for the defender to arrive, throws out a quick fake, then turns in the opposite direction. With the defender on his back, he shows finesse to attack the inside and a bit of playmaking to find teammates on the inside lane. His defensive impact comes in the same manner with a motor and intelligence. He out-works players in pursuit. Off-puck, he supports down low, scans for threats, and sprints to close distance.
| Julian Lutz | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | L | LW | 6’2″ | 187 | Sault Ste-Marie Greyhounds | 2021 | Weingarten, GER | 2004 | 2021-2022: B- |
Game Grade: A-
Lutz earned 18:40 in ice time (4th among fwds) including 3:39 on the PP (5th among fwds). He did not play on the PK. He finished -2 with 2 assists, 4 shots, 3 grade “A” opportunities, 1/2 on face-offs, 1 hits, received 3 hits, 6 giveaways, 4 takeaways and for the season he is winning 47% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Lutz is a bigger center forward with mobility, point production, and flashes of skill. He has a deep bag of skating skills, surveying the perimeter with heel-to-heel skating and separating from opponents with powerful cutbacks. Opponents bounce off him as he drives the inside and is at his best when he is using his size to his advantage. He combines handling and passing skill to hook pucks back into space or pull pucks closer to his feet before releasing.
| Brady O’Malley | Green Bay Gamblers | USHL | L | D | 6’2″ | 197 | Bowling Green | 2024 | Ann Arbor, MI | 2005 | 2023-2024: C 2022-2023: C |
Game Grade: B+
O’Malley earned 14:49 in ice time (5th among D) including 4:27 on the PK (1st among D). He did not play on the PP. He finished -1 with 1 assist, 5 giveaways, 4 takeaways and for the season he is winning 59% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: O’Malley plays a two way defensive role where he is reliable in his own end and occasionally have the instincts to create something offensively. He is quick to close his gaps along the wall and in the slot, rarely tonight did he lose an assignment and was quick to react if an opponents was floating untouched. His game tonight was more in his own end, but showed flashes of offense where he created movement down the back side looking for pucks. He would get lost and get a puck in space but quickly shoot his shot on net where he could have re-attacked.
| Tomas Machu | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | R | D | 6’4″ | 195 | Providence | 2024 | Ostrava, CZE | 2003 | 2020-2021: C |
Game Grade: B+
Machu earned 17:44 in ice time (3rd among D) including 3:38 on the PK (team high). He did not play PP. He finished +2 with 1 assist, 2 PIMs (tripping at the offensive blueline after a puck hopped his stick), had 1 shot blocked, 0 giveaways, 9 takeaways and for the season he is winning 60% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Tonight, Machu’s success starts in the neutral zone. Defensively most players jump into the passing lane; he stays behind his opponent, reaches in to deflect the puck, and then wraps them up. Primarily a shooter, Machu loads up for booming one-timers, walks into space before firing, and occasionally beats defenders off the point with his hand. His pre-possession movement helps him get lost in the offensive one and is a reason why he is able to find the puck so much.
Miles Gunty | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | R | RW | 5’10” | 191 | Brown | 2024 | Bethesda, MD | 2004 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A-
Gunty earned 13:28 in ice time (11th among fwds) including 0:31 on the PK (6th among fwds). He did not play PP. He finished +2 with 1 goal, 1 assist, 2 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, had 1 shot blocked, 1 giveaway, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 43% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: The puck absolutely explodes off Gunty’s stick, no matter how compromised his body positioning appears to be during release. He rips it off either leg in just about way: two-touch, one-timer, and catch-and-release. He takes every single puck directly into his shooting pocket, prepared for the next play. With his head up and consistently staying in motion this allows him to open the ice up use his creativity.
| Zachary Morin | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | L | C | 6’1″ | 186 | Boston University | 2025 | Lachenaie, QC | 2007 | 2024-2025: A- |
Game Grade: A-
Morin earned 11:44 in ice time. He did not play special teams. He finished +1 with 1 goal, 1 assist, 1 shot, 1 grade “A” opportunity, received 2 hits, had 2 shots blocked, 3 giveaways, 1 takeaway and for the season he is winning 35% of his 50/50 puck batttles.
Comments: Off-puck, Morin is always scanning, anticipating, and eliminating threats. He applies pressure without over-extending, coming across the hips to force dump-outs, intercepting passes, and getting steals. He works hard in every zone and you can see this with how well get creates turnovers. Was able to get on the score sheet tonight and it started with moving his feet and putting himself in a position to be available.
Charlie Cerrato | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | L | C | 5’11” | 186 | Penn State | 2024 | Fallston, MD | 2005 | 2023-2024: B- |
Game Grade: B+
Cerrato earned 16:46 in ice time (3rd among fwds) including 3:44 on the PP (4th among fwds) and 0:56 on the PK (5th among fwds). He finished even with 1 assist, 4 shots, 4 grade “A” opportunities, 8/16 on face-offs, 2 hits, received 1 hit, 5 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 52% of 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Cerrato plays a pro-style quick-touch game. He moves pucks to open teammates, slipping them through defenders when necessary. He is a consistent threat on the forecheck. He doesn’t just sprint; he angles and times his engagements. It’s visible on the back check as well. He is a distributor through and through and sees the ice well enough to find teammates back door with a saucer seam pass. His skills and confidence with the puck is why he has it so much.
| Sascha Boumedienne | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | L | D | 6’1″ | 185 | Boston University | 2025 | Oulu, FIN | 2007 | 2024-2025: A- |
Game Grade: A-
Boumedienne earned 19:27 in ice time (2nd among D) including 3:06 on the PP (2nd among D) and 0:39 on the PK (4th among D). He finished +3 (team high) with 1 assist, 1 hit, 6 giveaways, 9 takeaways and for the season he is winning 56% of his puck battles.
Comments: When Boumedienne has the puck, good luck figuring out what’s coming next. He fakes passes to shoot, fakes shots to pass, and constantly throws out different handling feints to confuse defenders. Even as pressure leans on him, he keeps up the deceptive act to escape with the puck. Then, he uses the inside, sets up entries with two-line passes through opponents, and constantly activates.
Ryan Rucinski | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | R | C | 5’10” | 167 | Ohio State | 2026 | Broadview Heights, OH | 2006 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A-
Rucinski earned 14:12 in ice time (7th among fwds) including 0:07 on the PP and 2:15 on the PK (1st among fwds). He finished +2 with 2 goals, 1 assist, 2 shots, 2 grade “A” opportunities, 7/14 on face-offs, 2 hits, received 1 hit, 8 giveaways, 6 takeaways and for the season he is winning 51% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Rucinski was able to show tonight some one on one skill that provides the flash, and he’s capable of beating players off the backhand, usually to get inside. Occasional deception keeps passing lanes open and he consistently builds runways of space for his passing recipient to skate into. His quick movements combined with his smaller stature makes him hard to play against.
| Adam Pietila | Youngstown Phantoms | USHL | R | RW | 6’0″ | 190 | Northern Michigan | 2024 | Howell, MI | 2003 | Free Agent |
Game Grade: A-
Pietila earned 15:59 in ice time (5th among fwds) including 3:48 on the PP (2nd among fwds). He did not play PK. He finished +2 with 2 assists, 2 shots, 1 grade “A” opportunity, 2 PIMs (third period trip at the offensive blueline trying to poke check the puck in a 1 goal game), 2 hits, received 2 hits, had 1 shot blocked, 2 giveaways, 3 takeaways and for the season he is winning 50% of his 50/50 puck battles.
Comments: Pietila showed his speed tonight by sprinting into a lane, draw a defender, then hit the brakes, creating a passing lane for his teammate and space for his shot. Where most players plant themselves in front of the net, he sneaks away from defenders to the far post. Those off-puck instincts is why he touches the puck so much in the offensive zone. He doesn’t dust off the puck, he uses the momentum of the pass to transfer his weight for the shot, to get the most power he can behind it.
Photo Credit: Dan Hickling/Hickling Images
Scout: Ben Marshall