2026 Main Camp: Part 1 - Brody Berard & Lukas Zajic

We kick off the 2026 Main Camp Recap with Phantoms defenseman Brody "One Punch" Berard, along with the newcomer, forward Lukas Zajic!

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This recording is the sole view of the members of the Dump & Chase Podcast.  This is a non-commercial fan production. We are not affiliated with or compensated by the Youngstown Phantoms, the United States Hockey League, or any league, club, or team.

© 2026 Dump & Chase Podcast. All Rights Reserved

Transcript

SPEAKER_01 0:14

Hello Phantom fans and welcome to the Dump and Chase Podcast 2026 Phantoms Main Camp Recap Series. My name is Sam Olmstead. Back for another one of these. What is this now? The fifth year in a row we've done this? Joined at yeah. Joined as always by Dan Conley.

SPEAKER_02 0:34

There's no place like home.

SPEAKER_01 0:36

And Justin Irwin. If you have any poo, fling it now. What did that have to do with that? Okay, the whole setup you gave for that, that made no sense.

SPEAKER_03 0:50

Um I I believe that's how our weekend went.

SPEAKER_01 0:56

Yeah, it yeah, it's like our fourth, fifth year, whatever it is, doing this now. This definitely did not set up and pan out like it has in the past.

SPEAKER_03 1:07

Um no, and I mean uh it was a little bit different of a format on the ice and definitely off the ice.

SPEAKER_02 1:15

You guys didn't get to like stare at the uh sticks of former penguins players.

SPEAKER_01 1:19

No, we weren't anywhere near that. We were we were set up in Bubba's Burgers, which I I I mentioned pretty much at the beginning of every one of these because I didn't know how we were gonna do this. Uh story time, children, gather around. Uh so leading into camp this year, we were trying to come up with like some new idea or just do something different than we have been doing. That did not come to fruition at all. Uh, we came up with nothing. Um, and pretty much like two weeks before camp, we I I I won't put this on you guys, I made the decision we weren't gonna be doing anything. We were just we were just gonna go and watch.

SPEAKER_03 1:58

I I'm I was happy with that. You know, I I like going these to watch the players. I mean, yes, sometimes having to, you know, do the podcast thing uh does get in the way of that.

SPEAKER_01 2:09

So that was pretty much the plan. Was we had no plan. We were just gonna go and watch. This was this was gonna be our vacation weekend. And then the night before I had uh we were to arrive down there, so Thursday night, I'm packing, uh, getting everything together, I get a text message from Ryan Ward um asking what time we were getting there and who we were interviewing. And I was like, oh, um like we'll be there tomorrow, but we're not interviewing anybody. Um Ryan Ward did not like that answer. Um and basically in a very short amount of time, like basically set up interviews for us and a location and everything else. And we're not saying this disparagingly, uh, actually, for everything Ryan Ward had going on this uh, you know, going on that weekend, uh, yeah, he was he was above and beyond. Yeah. Um, so we instead of uh kind of locked away in the basement, we were set up in uh up in Bubba's burgers, more of a live atmosphere, which was a nightmare for editing, I gotta tell you.

SPEAKER_03 3:12

Um I I assume, especially the last one, you know, um when the band is setting up.

SPEAKER_01 3:18

Yeah, that was that that was a little bit of a trick, kind of getting a lot of that noise out of there, so you could actually hear what people were saying, but I did manage to pull it off, so I'm very happy about that.

SPEAKER_02 3:27

Um you guys just have like the scent of cheese sticks in the air all the time.

SPEAKER_01 3:30

Yes, it was I I gained five pounds just sitting there smelling the food over the weekend. Um Dan did not join us this year.

SPEAKER_02 3:39

I took it to heart the whole do nothing that weekend. As far as making it goes, yeah. Yeah. Life schedule did not have other plans for me that weekend, so sadly I had to miss it. I was not happy about that.

SPEAKER_01 3:52

Once again, Dan's family took precedent over this show.

SPEAKER_02 3:55

But you know what? I get to listen to these interviews as a fan, and I can't wait to do that.

SPEAKER_01 3:59

So that's a lazy cop out, Dan. I gotta tell you. When you're one of the members of the podcast and you're like, Oh, I didn't do anything, but I just get to listen to that's a lazy cop out.

SPEAKER_03 4:12

You're welcome. See, be like be more like me. If you're not there, you still don't listen to it.

SPEAKER_01 4:19

I mean, Justin was there, and if you listen closely, you might hear him during a couple of the interviews. We we reverted back to old habits pretty quick there.

SPEAKER_03 4:28

Well, I mean, uh you there was no prep work here, so I mean you were obviously taking the lead. Um, I tried to get my shots in where I could. Um I did not want to try to derail the whole thing.

SPEAKER_01 4:44

We we reverted back to old habits really quick there when it was just the two of us. But no, yeah, like you said, we had no prep work into this. We honestly did not know who we were interviewing, and we got to Saturday morning, and Wardo was just kind of rapid firing people at us, and we didn't know who we were getting until they sat down at the table.

SPEAKER_03 5:04

Yeah, uh, keep in mind, people, this was all recorded in one day.

SPEAKER_01 5:08

Yeah, every yeah, everything we did for this was all recorded on Saturday. And we still got to watch games, yeah. And we still got to watch a good amount of games. So I mean, I can't complain on that front. And in the yet, in the midst of all this, with no prep and just kind of flying off the seat of our pants and everything else, um, definitely panned out to be an interesting weekend. Um, not only, I mean, uh, I mean, a lot of firsts for the show. I mean, absolutely, not only um our first uh father-son interview, we had two of them.

SPEAKER_03 5:39

Uh yeah, and very, very different um father-son interviews.

SPEAKER_01 5:45

Um of course, uh, you know, as is camp tradition, we had uh Ryan Ward in one of the interviews. Uh, there was kind of a question of who he would interview with, because at this point we've pretty much put him with everybody. Um and Ward had the idea, actually brought his son Ollie along. So uh definitely the uh youngest uh person we've ever interviewed on the show. And you know what? And and Ollie held his ground, I'll tell you what. Yeah, yeah. That'll be very good analysis in in this series. That'll be episode three. Uh so uh yeah, that's one to listen to. Uh, not only good analysis, not afraid to chirp his dad.

SPEAKER_02 6:26

And that was household. I don't think anyone's afraid to chirp anybody.

SPEAKER_01 6:29

It's a dog eat dog world over there. Uh um, and then um, like we said, two father-son interviews. And again, this was a first. Uh we sat down with uh Jackson Adams, and uh he brought along his dad, who was there at camp this that weekend, uh, because we're recording this like two weekends after um all of this took place. So as far as going in the past tense here. Um, yeah, we we got to sit down and talk with Jackson Adams, and uh his dad happened to be there. His dad, the uh former general manager of the Buffalo Sabres. Uh, either either I didn't do the math, either 10 or 12 year NHL veteran, uh Stanley Cup champion with the uh I believe the 2006 Carolina Hurricanes.

SPEAKER_03 7:11

Yep, yep, yep.

SPEAKER_01 7:12

Not only the first time having a former NHL player on the show, but an NHL general manager as well. Um, that was a fun one. It's I you know uh certainly, you know, certainly, you know, wanting to focus on Jackson in that, and that was, you know, certainly uh, you know, Kevin Adams, his father, didn't want to take away from Jackson. I I'm hoping at some point during the season maybe we can get Kevin Adams back on because I feel like that could be a two-hour episode. There's there's a there's a there's a lot to plum there. And Dan wasn't there, Dan wasn't there for it, and we made sure to let him know right afterwards.

SPEAKER_03 7:46

Yeah, yeah. If we get him on for two hours, I will not be complaining how late the um the episode goes.

SPEAKER_01 7:53

Um no, that was a fun one, and you know, great dynamic between like father and son in that one. Yeah, so we'll get to hear from you know, you'll get to hear from some of the new guys. Uh Austin Hall, the uh Phantom's Tender uh for this season, uh looked great in camp. If you if you want comedy, you're you're gonna get a double dose of it in uh part six. Uh that that's uh two to separate interviews in that one. That was uh Braden Thompson and Sean Miller, who their uh bromance has been uh well documented over the past year. And then followed up by Jesse Orloski kind of breaking down that bromance and uh everything that is wrong with it. And them. Yeah, it and them. Everything that is wrong with it and them. Uh that was that was a good like 25 minutes between those two interviews. Just just just some real good classic uh well uh well it I can't say slapstick comedy, but it's audio. But if you were there in person, I think there was a bit of slapstick going on as well.

SPEAKER_03 8:53

Yeah, and I uh it's apparent that our returning crew has a little bit of character. Yeah, I'm not sure what kind of character you would have called this.

SPEAKER_01 9:05

Hey, that's that's that's always good for us.

SPEAKER_03 9:09

Uh yes, definitely looking forward to um this coming season in terms of the interviews.

SPEAKER_01 9:15

We're we we miss the day of days of like the Chase Patilla and Colin Wynn interviews, so yeah. Um I oh this definitely yeah, yeah. I I feel like we're gonna be getting more of that this season with these guys, so I've I've missed that dynamic. So uh Justin, just real quick here, just kind of your your your overall impressions of what we saw over the weekend in uh Cannonsburg.

SPEAKER_03 9:36

I mean, in terms of the the hockey, it's really kind of hard to you know quantify. Um, obviously, you know, we did see a lot of talent. Um Hall, I I would say in camp was one of the more complete tenders we've ever seen.

SPEAKER_01 9:54

Yes, yes.

SPEAKER_03 9:55

Uh Orloskey, I mean, Jesse was just running people over, yeah, yeah. So, I mean, how this translates during the regular season, it's hard to say. And then, you know, as mentioned several times in this interview, um, some of the younger players, the uh 2010 draft, um absolutely uh amazing talent there. We're gonna see a lot of these guys. I mean, maybe not next season, but down the road, a lot of good talent there.

SPEAKER_01 10:30

Uh Dan, what was your takeaway from camp?

SPEAKER_02 10:32

I'm gonna echo what Justin just said.

SPEAKER_01 10:41

I I mean, did the text messages sound good?

SPEAKER_02 10:43

Uh yeah, I mean the graduation party was.

SPEAKER_01 10:46

Well, the what the one the ones we the ones we answered, you had a really bad habit of texting us right in the middle of an interview.

SPEAKER_02 10:52

I texted you when an idea came in my head. If I don't do it right away, that idea leaves forever.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

And if I don't answer you right away, I forget that you texted.

SPEAKER_02 11:00

And I take that personally, just so you know.

SPEAKER_01 11:03

Just we're sitting there doing interviews, and it's like, watch is buzzing, Dan, watch is buzzing, Dan, watch is buzzing, Dan.

SPEAKER_02 11:10

Even I wasn't there physically, I was still still there, a being a pain in your ass.

SPEAKER_01 11:13

Is this guy there? Is this guy there? Is this guy there? It's like, Dan, you're already on the show, you don't have to do this anymore. Because that that's what started you on this path to begin with.

SPEAKER_02 11:24

Mr. Kuzie, Kuzma Verunan. Yeah, you're right.

SPEAKER_01 11:27

Is Kuzma at camp? Is Kuzma at camp? And it's like, fine, we'll put you on the show, knock it off. Because that's exactly how that played out. All right, so without any further ado, we are gonna get into part one here. The three of us will be uh back together uh the for the uh last episode of this part eight to uh kind of sign this off and then discuss what we'll be doing uh coming up the rest of this summer here. Uh so yeah, this is part one with Brody Berard and Lucas Zajic. All right, and back here at Main Camp, we are joined by Brody Berard and Lucas Zajik. Uh Brody, starting out with you. Uh, welcome back for another season, bud.

SPEAKER_04 12:12

Yeah, thanks. Appreciate it. Happy to be back.

SPEAKER_01 12:15

So, right away, right off the bat, I want to say to you, I'm offended on your behalf. Um, I saw a lot of people around the league calling Macy O Phillips the toughest guy in the league. I I feel like I feel like that was a bit of uh revisionist history. Uh and believe me, I've been wanting to ask you this since last year. Going into that fight, like what was I mean, you're not a small guy yourself, but I mean he probably had what five, six inches, about 40 pounds on you?

SPEAKER_04 12:40

Yeah, he's a big dude.

SPEAKER_01 12:41

What what went into making the decision that yeah, I'm gonna do this?

SPEAKER_04 12:44

I don't know. I mean, I think no one else is gonna do it, and he was just kind of running around out there, so I figured I would just take it in my own hands and handle it myself.

SPEAKER_01 12:54

Did you think it was only gonna take one shot?

SPEAKER_04 12:56

No, I don't know what I was expecting, but I mean, I wasn't gonna lose. That's all I had to do. That's all I knew going into it. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 13:06

Did you have to reassure Bree after the game that you were okay?

SPEAKER_04 13:09

Yeah, they were my parents are there too, and uh we've pulled up like a spidio cam, and the uh the the camera angles of my billets and my parents are pretty funny. They're both going pretty crazy. So it was it was pretty cool after.

SPEAKER_01 13:22

Um, we also have uh Lucas Ajack here. Lucas, uh, number one, welcome to Youngstown. Yeah, thank you. Um so just so far, uh just your first kind of interactions with the team and everything like that. How's it been?

SPEAKER_05 13:32

Yeah, it's been great. I mean, I'm super excited to be here. I'm super pumped for next year. Um just super excited. The team's been great. Everybody that I met, coaching staff have been great, a lot of new friends, so I'm excited.

SPEAKER_01 13:42

Um, so you know, being with the NTDP last year, um, I think you did hang a goal on us last year. So as long as you get one back for us this year, uh we'll we'll call it even. Um as somebody that had to play Youngstown last year, like kind of what was the planning like going into games like that when you guys were going up against the Phantoms?

SPEAKER_05 14:00

Yeah, I mean it's obviously like great team, so I mean hard team to play against. Um I mean, always one of the biggest like rivalries of the year, I say for us. So um I'd say we take it pretty seriously. Um it's hard to play against Youngstown.

SPEAKER_03 14:13

So So what's what's it like being um in uh USHL camp as opposed to you know the NTDP? I mean, it's a little bit different of an ecosystem to start out the season.

SPEAKER_05 14:26

Yeah, I mean uh definitely a little bit of a different uh start here, but um obviously it's great. Um it's a little bit different, like real junior hockey. Um a lot different to uh a lot of different ages at the camp too. Uh you know, NTDP is everybody's the same age as you, so it's definitely different in that way.

SPEAKER_01 14:43

Um so uh Brodie going through this process last year with Youngstown. So far, how how do you feel like it's different for you this year compared to last year?

SPEAKER_04 14:50

Yeah, I mean, I have a whole year under my belt now. I know the coaching staff really well, the returners really well. So I feel like just that level of confidence coming in, being a veteran and knowing I gotta be a leader and trying to help the young kids that were in my shoes last year be as prepared as they can. So I I love it. I think it's uh a great opportunity for me to become a leader here and just take another role on.

SPEAKER_01 15:14

Um so you got um, I mean, not much younger than you, but you know, the younger guys coming in this year, maybe like some of the phase one guys. Like is there anybody you've seen that's kind of impressed you so far?

SPEAKER_04 15:23

Yeah, our tender obviously is a really, really uh well-rounded good player. Uh the one of the kids, Jack Hare, and our other defensive knowing Druin, I know they I uh got to know them during the defenseman skills, so they're really good players and good kids. But honestly, everyone that was drafted has as much potential as they want. There's a scott sky's limit. So, I mean, yeah, there's a lot of a lot of good players here.

SPEAKER_01 15:45

So, Lucas, um, you know, you spend your time uh with the NTDB coming into Youngstown this year. As far as your game, as far as your development, kind of like what are your goals for this year uh coming into Youngstown?

SPEAKER_05 15:56

Yeah, I think just uh get a lot of confidence back. I think Wardo's gonna be a big help with that. Um, I've known him for a long time, so um, I know what I'm gonna get from him. I'm super excited for this year, um, just to see how it plans out for me and um just develop more.

SPEAKER_01 16:11

Have have you gotten any have you gotten any of the compar like the uh Charlie Serrado comparisons or because he was somebody we brought in from NTP, like you said, maybe confidence wasn't as high as you wanted it to be. Yeah. And you know, somebody that came in here and just absolutely flourished in Youngstown.

SPEAKER_05 16:24

Yeah, definitely. Yeah, I think so. Um obviously great player. I'm he kind of flourished here in Youngstown too, so obviously I'd I'd be glad to take after him.

SPEAKER_01 16:33

So um I I get the opportunity, I and I never asked Charlie about this when he was here, so I get the opportunity to ask you. It always kind of made me wonder playing for the NTDP, how is that when you are going back and forth between like a USHL schedule and then like either like a tournament schedule or some of these like uh NCAA games that you guys would do? Uh kind of what was that like kind of hopping back and forth between the two?

SPEAKER_05 16:56

Yeah, it's it's super unique. You know, we travel um internationally, I think, six times over the course of the two years, and uh we play internationally, we play our own age, so it's a lot different than you know, USHL, and then we'll also bounce to college, play a lot of good college teams. Um, so you know that's that's also a big challenge. It's also good for us. I think it helps us mentally and physically on the ice, you know, playing playing teams like um in the Big Ten, Nodak. We played a lot of really good teams this year, and they're all heavy guys, good hockey players. So um it's great for us at that age for sure.

SPEAKER_01 17:29

Um now, Brody, I mean, obviously I mean, obviously there's been the uh the the rivalry between Youngstown and USA over the years. So how are you feeling when you're seeing an NTDP kid walking into camp here?

SPEAKER_04 17:39

Uh I mean, he's a good dude, so he's accepted. I mean a lot of my buddies are over there, so um I talked to them about Lucas when he uh when I found out he tendered here and I heard nothing but good things about him. So I'm super set. I was super psyched to meet him, and now he's one of my good buddies, so I'm happy it worked out this way.

SPEAKER_01 17:57

Now we've guys coming in from, you know, especially if somebody comes in from a Skegan Rebuke or something like that. We've had these conversations with guys over the year. Is is is there anything that like needed hashed out with any of the guys on the roster when you came in or from maybe from something from the past couple of years?

SPEAKER_05 18:10

No, I don't think so. I I think we all kind of click together pretty easily. Yeah, I I think uh it's just the game of hockey, you know. Um I don't think I really we don't really hold grudges with people, so it's a s it's a small world, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 18:24

You never know.

SPEAKER_01 18:25

Yeah. I was gonna uh what was it? Uh Nathan Lewis and uh Mikey Birchell with uh Madison and Dubupe, they both came in here in the same offseason, and I believe Nathan Lewis cost like a few thousand dollars worth of dental damage to uh yeah, that might be a different story. So they they had they they had to have a conversation there when they found out they were gonna be teammates.

SPEAKER_03 18:44

That was a fun interview.

SPEAKER_01 18:46

Um so as we're talking right now, Saturday morning, um, you know, games throughout the day. We got the first All-Star game tonight, uh, you know, second one tomorrow morning. Um, what are you guys looking forward to? Uh Brody, we'll start with you.

SPEAKER_04 18:57

Yeah, just uh, you know, playing hockey, getting to meet everyone, and really just building connections with the guys that are gonna be gonna be here in the future and stuff. That's all I'm really looking forward to.

SPEAKER_05 19:06

Yeah, I agree with Brody there. Um just building connections. I think this is the perfect time for that, just to build connections. And you know, I'm just excited for um for the pace. I think those are gonna be good games and just you know get to meet everyone, get to know everyone much better.

SPEAKER_01 19:18

So um, so we'll have main camp here, and then uh, you know, you guys will be back up end of what end of August, yeah, reporting for uh training camps. So uh but uh Lucas between now and then kind of what's your summer look like?

SPEAKER_05 19:31

Yeah, just like you know, all always in the gym, um working hard in the gym, obviously, um just developing, getting bigger, faster, stronger, you know, the basics. And then, you know, obviously um developing on the ice too, uh skating skill sessions, and then you know, hopefully coming to camp, uh into training camp prepared and ready for the season.

SPEAKER_04 19:49

Uh, what about you, Brody? Yeah, similar thing, just training, uh skating on the ice, also getting some good golfing, some hanging out on the beach with my friends, seeing my hometown friends, but yeah, just being as prepared as I can to coming next season.

SPEAKER_01 20:01

How's your how's your game?

SPEAKER_04 20:03

Uh it's okay right now. Do you do you do you feel like it'll be better? Do you feel like it'll be better now that Rizzo's gone? Uh Rizzo, it was more Jared's affecting my game. He'd get in my head, but yeah. Is he chirping you on the golf course? Yeah, it's him and Hexie were we're two guys that'd get in my head pretty easily out there. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01 20:23

So now you'll get to be the guy doing that to the younger ones.

SPEAKER_04 20:26

Yeah, I mean, you will see. I mean, my golf game isn't too good, so I can't chirp much, but we'll see what happens.

SPEAKER_01 20:32

All right. Um, so Lucas Ajack, Birdie Barrard, guys, thank you so much for joining us. Uh, good luck the rest of this weekend, and yeah, we'll see you here at the end of August. Yeah, no, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 20:40

Thanks, guys. Thank you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_01 20:44

And there you go, that will do it for part one. A big thanks to Bertie Berard and Lucas Ayek for sitting down and spending a few minutes with us. So, coming up in part two will actually be two interviews, starting off with Phantom's phase two pick, Camden Kaiser, and two of the Phantom's phase one picks, forward Jackson Conroy and Defenseman Jack Hare. So, again, that's coming up in part two. Thanks for listening.