As things go in sports, playing more games (especially meaningful ones) usually leads to more exposure. This seems to be the case with the Youngstown Phantoms this year, who won the Clark Cup as the best team in the United States junior program. The Jackets clearly made some trips up to northeast Ohio and liked what they saw, picking two of the top players from the team.
Andrew Strathmann, 5’11”, 185 pounds
Youngstown Phantoms (USHL) (University of North Dakota commit)
4th round (#98 overall)
Playstyle comparisons: Sam Girard, Torey Krug
NHL upside: bottom four defender
Professional ETA: 2025 or 2026
The Strathmann selection also continued another trend: undersized players.