Staff file photo / Brian Yauger Youngstown Phantoms forward Michael Mesic jostles for positioning in front of the net with Cedar Rapids’ Cayden Casey during a game on Nov. 16 in Youngstown.

When deciding where he was going to spend the 2024-25 season, Youngstown Phantoms forward Michael Mesic had his choice.

His stint at Northern Michigan didn’t work. The coaches there when he committed were leaving, as were his teammates, a new reality of college sports.

Instead of hitting the portal, Mesic thought a return to the USHL would suit him best. With a year left of eligibility at the junior level, the season would give him a chance to refocus, find a new school that suited him better and still play some high-quality hockey.

Mesic was able to pick his destination. While the Lincoln Stars held his rights, the Stars and Phantoms arranged a deal that would let the 5-foot-11 forward suit up in Youngstown.

“A big thing for me was that I wanted to be one of the (go-to) guys on the team. I’ve never been that before, and I thought that’d be a good goal to go for,” Mesic said. “Another goal was to commit to a school that I want to go to and that I can have success at, hopefully. I’ve gotten some of my goals completed, and pretty much my only goal left now is to win the Clark Cup.”

It’s been going well for Mesic, as he’s gotten to be one of Youngstown’s go-to guys this season. Mesic is currently third on the team in points with 31 points (11 goals, 20 assists) in 37 games so far.

The forward has spent much of the season with forward Adam Benak. While the Phantoms tend to blend up the lines often, Mesic and Benak keep finding themselves back together.

They’ve complemented each other well and it’s allowed Mesic to blossom as a player in ways no one expected when he arrived.

“We’ve tried a lot of different things this year, and we’ve always just kind of come back to Mesic and Benak playing together,” Phantoms coach Ryan Ward said. “I think when we put those two together, they kind of clicked. We tried some other things (but kept going back). One of the really cool things about Mesic is that I don’t think he’s played any center in junior or college hockey, but for us this year, he’s kind of taken on the role of our top-line center. He’s playing in the middle of the rink to give (Benak) some of that leverage and allow him to get behind defenders and manipulate space. I think that’s been a huge surprise, like I never in a million years expected he would be playing center for us, and he’s done a really, really good job.”

Returning from the college level is an adjustment, but Mesic thinks that college experience has been super helpful in finding his place this season.

“It’s helped so much. Compared to my first time in the USHL, I feel like I’m just way better everywhere,” Mesic said. “My whole game. I’m a lot more confident. I’ll hold on to the puck a lot more to just make a lot more plays and I feel like I’m doing a lot more to help my team than I did the first time.”

Mesic committed to Bentley University earlier this month and is set to make the jump for the 2025-26 season.

“It’s the coaching staff,” Mesic said about what made Bentley the best fit. “It’s in Boston. It’s a great area, and I think they’re going to be pretty good for the next few years to come. It was a good spot.”

After taking five of six on their most recent road trip, the Phantoms return to the Covelli Centre tonight for the first game of a three-weekend homestand. Tonight and tomorrow, the Phantoms take on Muskegon for a crucial four points. Currently sitting at 55 points in the standings, wins on Friday and Saturday would put the Phantoms in a tie with Muskegon for second place.

With just one goal left to accomplish for Mesic this season, he’s focused on making it happen. This weekend series is just the next step toward that goal.

“I think we’ve started to play some really good hockey here,” Mesic said. “We have some really important games coming up. We’ve gotta just play hard and play our game, and you got to try and (finish top 2 in the conference and) get a bye. If we get a bye, I think we’re set up really good to make a run for the Clark Cup.”