Representing Youngstown carries a different meaning for Cal Huston.
Huston, who grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, is playing his first full season in the USHL for the Phantoms.
“There’s nothing better,” Huston said during the USHL Fall Classic. “The support from the community, friends and people I haven’t talked to in years, just reaching out, saying congratulations and things like that surely means the world to me. It might mean a little bit more to me to represent Youngstown, but I’m happy to do so.”
Huston has been a lifelong fan of the Phantoms. Now, he’s a defenseman with the team he grew up watching.
Prior to the Phantoms, the SteelHounds represented Youngstown in the Central Hockey League (CHL), and a young Huston eagerly watched games in the Covelli Centre, the 5,700-seat arena the Phantoms currently call their home.
By the time the Phantoms arrived to the USHL in 2009, Huston was already hooked.
“My parents would take me to SteelHounds games and eventually I fell in love,” Huston said.
Huston’s parents Jim and Kathy still live in Youngstown, and they made the 50-mile trip to watch their son’s first game of the season during the USHL’s annual Fall Classic, which took place Sept. 18-22 at the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex in Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania.
Huston’s father played college baseball. Cal said that his father initially didn’t know much about hockey, but he cultivated his son’s newfound passion.
Huston played for the Phantoms Youth Hockey Association. During that time, he had a chance to learn from players who were with the USHL-based Phantoms. He was also close with Anthony Noreen, who was the coach and general manager of the Phantoms from 2011-15 who now serves as the head coach at Miami University of Ohio.
“I got to meet him, go in the locker room, meet all the guys and practice with them,” Huston said. “Buddying up with some of those older guys and them just showing me the right ways. Honestly, that’s helped me a ton in my career and allowed me to find the success and prosperity that I’ve found today.”
As Huston grew older, he joined the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite amateur hockey organization and flourished. Huston grew up a fan of the Pittsburgh Penguins and specifically tries to model his game after star defenseman Kris Letang.
“He’s just a great two-way defenseman, a great teammate and leader on and off the ice,” Huston said. “I love every aspect of his game.”
The Pittsburgh Penguins Elite are based out of the UPMC Lemieux Sports Complex and Huston had a chance to meet Letang several years ago during a skate with the amateur organization.
In four seasons with the Penguins, from 14U to 18U, Huston recorded 22 goals and 85 points.
“I couldn’t be more grateful for Pens Elite,” Huston said. “They made me into the player and person I am today. They just really breed great, young hockey players and great, young men and women.”
During the 2023-24 season, Huston moved to the NAHL where he played for the Maryland Black Bears. The standout defenseman had 21 assists in 50 regular-season games and five helpers in 11 playoff contests, as Maryland lost to the Lone Star Brahmas in the Robertson Cup championship.
Still, throughout his own playing career, Huston kept an eye on his hometown Phantoms. Huston continued to support the Phantoms as they qualified for the playoffs six of the last seven seasons. He was there in 2018 when Youngstown lost in the Clark Cup Final. And he saw the Phantoms capture the Clark Cup for the first time in 2023.
“It was great watching from afar and especially to see the city of Youngstown win,” Huston said. “It was a special group when they won the Clark Cup two years ago and we always preach the same thing in the locker room. We feel we have a special group and we’re ready to make that happen.”
Ryan Ward coached that Clark Cup-winning Phantoms team. He also had a hand in drafting Huston in the 10th round of the USHL Draft in 2022.
Huston said he was “ecstatic” to be drafted by his hometown club; the feeling was mutual for Ward.
“He’s worked extremely hard to get to where he’s at,” Ward said. “To come as far as he has, especially being a local kid, it’s a great story and all of the credit really goes to Cal. I’m proud of Cal and we expect big things from him as we move forward.”
Huston had an assist in his first USHL game of the season, a 4-3 overtime win against the Tri-City Storm. After the game, the team exchanged fist bumps and celebrations with a group of young players standing next to the entrance of the locker room wearing Phantoms jerseys.
Huston can relate. He knows the feeling all too well as a young Phantoms fan standing outside the locker room at one point in his life.
“It’s great when the kids stand down here, they give us high fives and ask for autographs,” Huston said. “You just want to set a good example for them.”
Glenn Hefferan, president and commissioner of the USHL, said it’s important to see players like Huston grow up in a local market, move through the ranks and eventually play for the same team.
“It’s an interesting dynamic,” Hefferan said. “It doesn’t happen very often. I think that’s a special moment.”
There’s a pyramid at the Youngstown practice rink that displays local hockey clubs. The Phantoms Youth Hockey Association is identified at the bottom, and the pyramid works its way up to the USHL club.
Huston, the homegrown defenseman, could be the poster child for the full-scale development within the organization.
“All the guys tell me that they need to put a picture of me right next to the pyramid,” Huston said. “Now I’m here and I couldn’t be more grateful.”
Story from Red Line Editorial, Inc.
