Staff photo / Brian Yauger. Phantoms defenseman Cal Huston carries the puck up the ice during the team’s home-opening series against Lincoln. Huston is the first-ever Youngstown native to suit up for the Phantoms.
Youngstown Phantoms defenseman Cal Huston will always be the first.
Huston’s debut on Covelli Centre ice earlier this month marked the first time a Youngstown native suited up in a Phantoms’ uniform on home ice. His one appearance last season during a road trip was the blueliner’s debut with his hometown team.
So far through the 2024-25 campaign, Huston has been a mainstay for the Phantoms, playing quality minutes throughout the team’s 10 games thus far.
“Cal’s worked really hard to get to where he’s gotten to, and it’s always special for a hometown kid to play in front of his friends and family,” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “Credit to him. He’s done a great job.”
As a hometown kid who found his love of the sport in the same seats Phantom fans sit in today, the full-circle moment has been a special feeling.
“A lot of people asked me how it was, and it was truly unreal,” Huston said. “It was weird. I really had a lot of butterflies and my stomach was nervous for the game, because the biggest thing to me was just take it all in. You only really get that chance once. I wanted to enjoy every moment of it. I’m just super grateful for that opportunity, and especially starting that night to hear the crowd kind of roar for me, that was truly amazing.”
Huston was born in 2005, around the same time the Youngstown SteelHounds were preparing to drop the puck on their first season of play.
The SteelHounds ceased operations in 2008, and the Phantoms joined the USHL and moved to the Covelli Centre a year later. By then, Huston was hooked.
“I don’t really remember a ton from the games themselves, but I do remember sitting in section 217, at the very top — that’s actually where I used to watch the Phantoms games as well,” Huston said. “I think the thing that really drew me to it was just a fast pace. Honestly, I liked everything about that, and I liked how things were constantly moving. Different parts were meshing that created more and more. Ultimately, hockey I thought was just really cool.”
As the years went on, Huston found himself not only a growing fan of the sport, following the Pittsburgh Penguins, but also playing the sport. That included a stint with the Phantoms Youth Hockey Association.
Coming through the Phantoms youth program, Huston interacted with several players and coaches with the USHL program. Guys like Sam Anas, Kyle Connor, Ryan Lomberg, and then-coach Anthony Noreen.
Noreen is now the head coach of Miami University of Ohio’s hockey program, where Huston committed to attend. Just before his debut in Youngstown, Huston posted the news on social media.
“Coach (Ward) texted me pretty much as soon as I got on campus to Miami, and I told him ‘I’m not 100% sure yet, but this just feels right,’” Huston said. “I hadn’t met the entire coaching staff yet, or any guys or anything like that. I was still at the hotel there at Miami, waiting for the game later that night, and I told him that things just felt right. What he told me, and it was a super simple piece of advice, ‘Just trust your gut.’
“I had a good couple days there. Fell in love with the campus itself. Fell in love with the message that the coaches had, just the culture they have there and big plans and good things turn around. I think that was really what did it for me, and that’s something I want to be a part of.”
It’s a full-circle moment for both Huston and Noreen.
“We’ve joked about that for a while, texting back and forth,” Huston said. “Things have finally come full circle, and obviously, that’s super cool. I’m super excited to play for (Noreen).”
When he was younger, longtime Penguins defenseman Kris Letang served as Huston’s inspiration. As he’s grown, the Phantoms blueliner has taken bits from another defenseman and worked them into his game.
“When I was younger, I always modeled myself after Kris Letang,” Huston said. “He’s a great leader, on and off the ice. Obviously, a lot of young kids model their game after him. But now I think I’ve grasped understanding of the game and know the player I am. I think today I want to model my game more like (Toronto Maple Leafs defenseman) Jake McCabe. More of a 200-foot player playing both sides of the puck. Really sort of like a Swiss army knife, can play in all situations, can be trusted in all situations.”
Huston and the Phantoms sit 5-5-0-0 through the first 10 games. After a shaky start, which is expected with a young group, the team is turning a corner and has started gelling. Last weekend’s sweep of Sioux City has been a big source of optimism in the locker room.
“Obviously, we’re still a fairly young team, but I think this past weekend really showed our grit and determination,” Huston said. “We played a top team in the West this past weekend, and getting the sweep was huge. I think we have really good depth, and I think that’s what will take us very far.”
The Phantoms have a two-game road set against Madison this weekend. They’ll return home the following weekend to take on Chicago.