Dump & Chase Podcast
Since 2019, the Dump & Chase Podcast has been the Unofficial Fan Podcast of the 2023 USHL Clark Cup Champion Youngstown Phantoms. Hosted by season ticket holders Sam Olmstead, Justin Irwin, and Dan Conley, the show gives weekly insight and analysis into Phantoms games, roster moves, and much more. The show also features interviews with Phantoms Staff, Coaches and Players. Check it out today!
Dump & Chase Podcast
2026 Main Camp: Part 3 - Ryan Ward & Ollie Ward
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Welcome back to Part Three of the 2026 Main Camp Recap. We welcome Phantoms Head Coach Ryan Ward, and his handpicked special guest, his son Ollie! Buckle up, the kid doesn't hold back!
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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
The Dump and James Podcast. It's the Dump and Jones Podcast. It's the Dump and James Podcast. Dump and Chase.
SPEAKER_03Hello, Phantom fans, and welcome to part three of the Dump and Chase Podcast 2026 Main Camp Recap. We're rewriting the show's history books in this episode, and in keeping with the father-son theme, here is my youngest son, Dash, to introduce our guests.
SPEAKER_00For part three, my dad and Justin sat down with the Phantom's head coach Ryan Ward and his son, Ollie Ward. We hope you enjoy it. What does this button do?
SPEAKER_03No, don't touch that button. I told you not to touch that button.
SPEAKER_02Oh no.
SPEAKER_03All right, back here at Bubba's Burgers, we are joined by the head coach of the Youngstown Phantoms, Ryan Ward. So, Ryan, we've had you at camp uh with Jason Deskins, we've had you with Matt Lipsack. Um, this is a new one for us. Um, I I believe by far uh the youngest uh person we've ever interviewed on this podcast. Would you would you like to uh introduce your uh your uh special guest here?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, and it's wonderful to be back on and uh really excited to have my son Oliver on the podcast today. And he's gonna give some insight as to probably how crazy of a dad I am.
SPEAKER_03Ollie, how are you doing, bud?
SPEAKER_01Good.
SPEAKER_03Good. Um so I'll I'll ask you right away. Uh is he a better coach or a better dad?
SPEAKER_01I think he is he's a better coach.
SPEAKER_03That's not that's not a good one. All right. Those are the controversial takes we like. Yeah. Has your dad ever actually coached you like in games or he's never like been my like coach.
SPEAKER_01I think there was maybe like once when I was six where like our coach wasn't there and he just filled in.
SPEAKER_05He coached you in baseball.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, but he's never like been like the head coach and like ran the team.
SPEAKER_03I'd rather be a dad than their coach. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So with with with the younger kids, does he swear as much as he does with the older kids?
SPEAKER_01Uh I think no. I think when he swears around us, it's usually when he's like on the phone.
SPEAKER_03All right, Ryan, we'll give you a little bit of a break here. Um first off, congratulations, yeah, your first nomination for USHL Coach of the Year. I I I would think the guy that wins wins the Anderson Cup would have a leg up. So I uh I I'm offended on your behalf. Yeah, it doesn't I I I know it doesn't matter to you guys, so uh we're we're offended on your behalf.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, no, I appreciate that. I I think the the coach of the year is the guy that's lifting the cup at the end of the year, and um I think uh Ryan did a great job with his team in Sioux Falls, and um obviously we had a great regular season, and it's an honor to get nominated for everything. I I'm really proud um as you know, from an organization standpoint, um we we had a uh someone up for every award in the USHL, and and I would venture to guess that that hasn't happened very much. And uh, it's a testament to what we do here in Youngstown. I think it's a testament to our players, um, our our management group, our ownership. Um so yeah, I mean those things can go anyway, and it's a kind of a popularity contest at the end of the day. But um, you know, I I I'm really proud of what our organization did this year and um the individual success of a lot of our players, and and they were recognized for it, and that's what is most important to us.
SPEAKER_03Now, after the uh end of the season a couple years ago, uh, you know, uh with that final series with you guys and Muskegon, you know, and and a lot of people we talked to said, you know, a lot, you know, they all felt like maybe the team didn't play up to its full potential in that Muskegon series. You look at the end of this past season with Madison, I'm not sure if you guys could have played much better than you did. Um I I you know, and I I imagine to us as fans, I mean, it was frustrating to watch. I can't imagine what it was like for you guys. Obviously, all four games, the better team out on the ice, but just Caleb Hale doing what he did for Madison. I mean, when it's all said and done, you know, I mean, the amount of effort the guys put in night in and night out, just I mean, what I mean, what do you say to the guys after a series like that?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, it's hard to win. You need a lot of things to go right. Um, you need luck, you need to be healthy. Um, and I think for me, like I was proud of our team. Like, no matter what, even I mean, the microcosm of it all was there was six seconds left with an empty net, and Madison was trying to score, and we were in our own zone, and Ryan Rosinski blocked a shot, and clearly we weren't gonna score. There was six seconds left, and um, so right to the bitter end, uh, those guys were all in. Um, I I could I couldn't have asked for a better team, couldn't have asked for a better group of players. Um ultimately it just didn't fall our way. And and you know, we had an open net to tie the game and Zemlika hit a guy's ass. Like uh we had a wraparound wide wide open net and he got his toe of his blade on his stick. And um, when you look at the analytics, when you look at you know everything, and and it's funny, as a coach, when you don't win it win win the whole thing, um, it's a failure. Like that's the expectation in Youngstown. The expectation is that we are going to to be Clark Cup contenders every single day or every single year. And uh when you don't win, it's it's hard. Like it's depressing, it's hard. Like you go into a funk, and um I I you know, but but all that being said, it's hard. It's hard to win. Like you look at Tampa Bay, right? Like I was watching Montreal Tampa, and I think Montreal had nine shots on net, and it was like I was like, I know what that feels like. Um we averaged 38 shots a game in that playoffs, and we averaged 16 against. Um the time of possession in the offensive zone was four to one. Um at the end of the day, we didn't score. We hit seven posts, our power play went cold, um miss nets, and and at the end of the day, like that's hockey. And and to be honest with you, I've I've thought about this a lot. That's what keeps you going. Like, that's sports, and that's the the wonderful thing about it. Like, there it's it's it's the true measure of of a man, like it's a true measure of of life, is like anything can happen, and you just gotta keep believing, you gotta keep going, um, and you gotta turn the page. Like, for us in Youngstown, we're very proud of what we built. Like, we're gonna have another three or four NHL draft picks. We've you know, we have the most draft picks in in North America in the last four years. Um, we have the most draft picks in the world in the last four years, and um, we didn't lose a single player with all all the volatility going on right now in the game. Um, we haven't lost a single player. Our draft, our management did an unbelievable job with our 2010 draft and our phase two draft. So you turn the page and and ultimately like the expectation is next year we're gonna compete for a Clark Cup.
SPEAKER_04So how long after you know, that does it take for you to be like, well, you know, we didn't win the Clark Cup, but we got it to Anderson. We, you know, we accomplished so much. I mean, so much, you know, uh historical for the Phantoms last season. Yeah. How how long does it take before you start dwelling on that more than you know, the bad side?
SPEAKER_05I don't know, Molly, what do you think? How how long was I depressed?
SPEAKER_01Till you went to Austria.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I took my son to a uh a tournament in Austria, uh, my my middle son Teddy. So that was a good escape. But I I'll say that um I don't think we I it's different here, like you're proud of that stuff, right? Um, you know, you win the Anderson Cup and you see the guys have individual success and the draft. I I think you're proud of all that when you're going through it, but at the end of the day, there's one goal here every year, and and you know, you're you're always proud of that stuff. And actually, yes, uh we we brought Jackson Conroy to the Cavalli Center um to show him around Youngstown, and the Anderson Cup banner was on the other side of the rink, and I said, Well, now it's our job to fill up that side. So I think uh I think for us, like we're you know, we're looking forward. Um we have a we have a great group coming in. And it's a it's a different year. Like we lost, we lost a lot of players this summer um to college. And um and I think um it's a really, really good opportunity for us to to get back to um, you know, to it's a it's almost a fresh sheet of ice. Like we have a new team, um, we have some younger guys that are gonna step up in huge ways. Um so I think we're just turning the page here. And this this camp is kind of when you turn the page. Um, you know, you get to you get a re-energized juice about you um going into next season.
SPEAKER_03Now, with conversations with you, with conversations with uh Jason Deskins and Ryan Kosecki over the years, um, you guys don't like the word rebuild. There's no rebuild every year, it's reload.
SPEAKER_05Yeah.
SPEAKER_03Um so I mean, not only that, uh, you know, talking about the players you lost last year, but especially when you look at last year's leadership group. Um I would I would argue, you know, even in the cup year, in a lot of ways, I would argue that leadership group leadership group last year, probably the strongest you've had in your time here. How not not only reloading for next year, but kind of building up that next group at the same time?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, I think the comfort that I have in in everything we do, like our leadership group every year has done a great job of passing down the culture. Um, and you look at Rizzo and you look at um Jards and Hexi and even like Coop and like those guys set such a great standard for what we are. Um and I'm extremely confident that they showed the way to guys like Malachi and guys like Brody. Um so it's never a question of you know, our leadership's always gonna be good, and that's a credit to the guys who have been before. Um from LC, it got passed down to Stratty, then the Stratty got passed down to Hanny, um, and Hanny to Rizzo, and all those guys coming up together, they taught, they they leave it better than they found it, and the next group just takes over, and it's it's you don't miss a beat. Um, so for me, that's the comforting thing that I have is we have such a great group of of returners that are gonna take a huge step and that have learned from unbelievable human beings before them. So the comfort of it all is knowing that you know, once the puck drops next year, it's gonna be more of the same. Like we don't have to rebuild, we retool. Like it's not those guys do such an unbelievable job of passing the torch. Like it's just like here we go, like we're in it, we're gone.
SPEAKER_03How how how long is it gonna take you to get used to walking into a locker room and not seeing junior there?
SPEAKER_05Oh man, I it's so funny. I I said that yesterday, like it's so weird not having junior at camp. Um he uh he was great, and I and you know what? It is not easy to play junior hockey for four years in one place. Like it is a very difficult thing with you know, you the routine, like you know, the practice drills, the routine, like it but he did such a wonderful job um and and he was such a wonderful person that um it it's difficult. It's difficult to not see him. And you know, I'm so happy he you know he he's going to Arizona State and um he deserves everything. Like the d him winning defenseman of the year with he went through a lot of stuff. He had uh labrum surgery, and um you know, when he came back from his hip, we were kind of rolling, so um, he didn't play a ton. Um and then he came back and he was the defenseman of the year. And I think I think what he went through and what he did um is exemplary as far as dealing with adversity, and it goes to you know his parents, uh the way he was raised. And um, but it's definitely it's definitely weird not seeing him. Um, but the legacy he left in Youngstown um is something that he can be proud of for the rest of his life.
SPEAKER_03I mean, it it's a it's a weird almost I mean, it's a very weird thing to say that refer to an injury as like a blessing in disguise. Because you know what I mean, if he didn't get injured that season, if he played the full year, you know, most likely would have moved on after that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah.
SPEAKER_03I I think him having that energy, you know, having that injury coming back this past year, uh, you know, I feel like it put him in so much of a better position moving on to college than maybe he would have the year before.
SPEAKER_05Yeah, and and that's that you obviously don't want anyone to get injured and have surgery, but just at the end of the day, I think it's more of I think it's more of a conversation about um everybody's path is different.
SPEAKER_03Yeah.
SPEAKER_05And I think in in this day and age, social media and you know, everybody is in a rush to get somewhere. And um Junior was never he he was never like that. Like he was he was always like, okay, I'm gonna win this day, I'm gonna I'm gonna be the best I can today. And um, you know, I'm sure in his head, the monotony of it all, I'm sure he would have loved to go to school uh after year two. Um but you know, you look at the guys that haven't rushed their path, and like Chase Patilla, Andrew Strathman, Chase Patilla's gonna play in the NHL next year. Yeah, Shane Lachance, you know, Jacob Fowler, like like Luke Osburn is a great example, played U 16 two years for us, he could sign in Buffalo right now. He'd be a first round pick. Like he played 38 minutes in a national championship um as a freshman defenseman. So I think when you look at guys that are where their feet are, um they have a ton of success. And when I always say this to the players, when you're 40 and you're looking back on your career and you got mortgages and kids, and you you'd do anything to go back and play one more year of hockey, right? So um, you know, we we're lucky here that no one wants to leave Youngstown, like no one, so I think when it comes to like Jack, like he he he was there was not a not a real conversation. He was happy. He's like, all right, let's go, you know, and and I think that that is a credit to him and and how he does things. And um his path ended it ended up you know being exactly where he should have been.
SPEAKER_03Um so Ollie, you're around these guys a lot. Uh you know, we all the returners guys were here last year, coming back this year. Um, in your opinion, we're gonna get your scouting report here. Um, some of these guys coming back, who who pick one of these guys who's somebody that the fans should be really be paying attention to this season, this coming season.
SPEAKER_01I think one of the oh man, I think someone who he's not a returner, but he's played in the USHL. Uh I think Lucas Zayik could be pretty good this year. Um, but Bob Z is gonna have a pretty good year. Brady Burrard. And um, I don't know, I think Logan Anderson and Malachi could step up and play pretty good this year.
SPEAKER_03Do you do you do you think uh Lucas is gonna be another Charlie Serato?
SPEAKER_01I think that would be if he played to like his full potential, I think that's who he could end up being, which I think he's good enough to end up being the next Charlie Serato.
SPEAKER_03There you go. That's Lucas Ajax been other I mean like I mean he was in one of these interviews, but so far he's been brought up in every one. Um, you know, and we asked Guda about that, just kind of if you look at the path of Charlie Serrado coming in here, maybe not all the confidence in the world when he came in, coming out of NTDP. Sure. You know, is you know, is that kind of the same thing maybe you're looking for in Lucas?
SPEAKER_05Well, you know, it's it's it's actually a a really interesting story with Zage. Um, and these guys have played been playing video games with Zage since he was 13. Um I coached against Zage when he was at the Chicago Mission. I was at the Windy City Storm. So I coached uh the U-13 team with Jack Hextall and um Zage Zage played against us and we we played in the uh we we faced each other in the state championship in in Illinois and he scored the game winner against us uh in double overtime. Beautiful breakaway goal. And um Zage, we we actually tried to tender him um way back when um he came into Youngstown, skated, ultimately made the decision to go to the NTDP. Um, you know, and I and I think when he had the opportunity to come to Youngstown, it's something that he and his family felt really comfortable with. And and I've known Lucas for a long time. Um, and it was not even a question about who we were gonna tender with that phase two tender. Like we didn't even have a debate. It was Zage the entire time. And uh I think sometimes NTDP is great. I think sometimes you get pigeonholed a little bit into a role and you don't get to play to your full potential. Um and Zage is gonna come in here and lead the league in scoring. Like that's what's gonna happen. Um, he's a great kid, he's gonna work his nuts off. Um, and we're gonna we're gonna get Zage to uh where he should have been the whole time.
SPEAKER_03Um one more player I want to ask you about uh before we let you go here. Um Camden Kaiser. Uh right now, uh the these uh development deals the team's been announcing uh throughout the past couple of weeks. Uh right now, the only OA that's been announced uh spent last year with El Paso and the Nall. What what what are you looking for in Camden and bringing him to Youngstown? What are you looking to get out of him this season?
SPEAKER_05Yeah, Kaiser, uh he's a relentless worker. Um we actually had conversations about adding him to our team last year. Um so he's someone that's been on our our radar for a long time. Um he's got a rocket of a shot, he's gritty, protects his teammates. And we want to get a little bit we want to get back to that a little bit. Like we want to get back to scaring the shit out of people. And I think um that's what we're gonna do this year. Like we're gonna get back to gritty city hockey. Um there's not gonna be a night that people come into Youngstown and it's gonna be an easy night. And Cam's gonna fit that mold. Uh, we got a couple other things in the works here that will come out in the next couple weeks, but um we're we're gonna get back to uh to our brand of hockey a little bit. And um there's not gonna be a shift that people are gonna enjoy playing the Youngstown Phantoms, and Cam's gonna be a big part of that.
SPEAKER_03All right, Ollie, uh how do you how do you feel here after your first interview?
SPEAKER_01It's been fun, you know, learning this side of things, seeing how they work.
SPEAKER_03That's what that's what we told you. From now on, when we have your dad on the show, you can be the warm-f warm-up act beforehand. We'll get we'll get you some practice here. But by the time you get to junior age, you'll be a pro at here.
SPEAKER_05He's like he's like my little my little uh GM, like before we make trades and things like that, or add people. I'm always like, hey, what do you think of this? And he's got the whole statistical breakdown already. So yeah, he's my uh he's my north star when it comes to this stuff. So this has been a lot of fun to do with you, bud. And um excited uh that you got to come on.
SPEAKER_03All right. Uh so head coach of the Youngstown Phantoms, Ryan Ward. For I've I've completely lost count how many times he's been on. I think at this point counting is kind of Yeah, probably 15, 16. You're you're ahead of Lipper right now. I know that. I know that's I better be ahead of Lipper. I I know that's been the thing the past few years now, but yeah, I'm pretty sure you're ahead of him at this point. All right, um, but yeah, good luck the rest of this weekend. Uh yeah, and we'll see you here end of August. Yeah, thanks for all you guys do.
SPEAKER_05This is great, and I love the uh live version of this in Bubsberg.
SPEAKER_04It is kind of different being up here.
SPEAKER_03And there you go, that was part three. A big thanks to Ryan and Ollie for sitting down with us during a very busy weekend, and a special thanks to Wardo for helping to coordinate everything for us during our time down at Prince Cape Arena. So, coming up in part four is another main camp tradition as we talk with last year's tender Logan Anderson, who is joined by this year's tender in Camp Standout, Austin Hall. Stay tuned.
