Youngstown’s Sluys Making An Immediate Impact

Jamison Sluys was held off the scoresheet last Friday in Dubuque, putting an end to his six-game point streak.

However, it was just the second time Sluys had been held point-less since Youngstown acquired him on Dec. 3. The left-shot forward made up for lost time too with a pair of goals on Saturday.

The two tallies give Sluys seven goals and 10 points through his first nine games with the Phantoms, and the Western Michigan commit has been nothing short of a tremendous addition.

“He’s been great for us,” Youngstown head coach Ryan Ward told The Hockey News. “Jamo has a very unique brain on the ice and he sees the game so well, and his ability to make plays in-tight and around the net has been fantastic.

“He’s really added to our depth and I think as he’s gotten more comfortable and adjusted to Youngstown and our team, we’re only seeing him get better and he’s obviously taken off from a production standpoint. So he’s been everything he was advertised as and he’s been a tremendous addition for our team, our locker room and our culture.”

Sluys came to Youngstown after playing 96 games over parts of three seasons with the Omaha Lancers. He’s a Washington native but moved to Omaha at 17 and spent most of the 2022-23 season playing for the Omaha Mastery AAA program – along with a handful of USHL games.

However, the Lancers finished at the bottom of the standings last season and are once again in the same position. Omaha was 6-14-2 at the time of the trade and is currently 6-20-4 through its first 30 games, and the Lancers have dropped 12 straight (0-10-2).

Now Sluys finds himself on a team that’s tied for third in the Eastern Conference and just two years removed from a Clark Cup.

“When my advisor told me it was Youngstown, I was pumped," Sluys said. "Because it’s a high-octane team and they’ve always been hard to play against. So I’m glad to be here now and I’ve loved it here so far.

“I kinda expected the trade and honestly was ready to move on, but my first few weeks have been awesome. Getting used to new faces and new systems is a little hard at first, but all the guys and the coaches here made it really easy, and we are treated so good. I’ve just really been able to take advantage of everything we have here.”

Taking advantage indeed.

Sluys had just one goal and 12 points through 22 games with the Lancers this season but has nearly matched that point total in just nine games. He’s already halfway to tying his career-high goal total too, as Sluys lit the lamp 14 times over 61 games last season.

So what’s led to that immediate success?

“Playing in Omaha prepared me well and I can’t thank the coaches there enough for helping me get where I am now. But I think I’m just using my experience and playing with a lot more confidence right now,” said Sluys, who has 105 USHL games under his belt. “I’ve got a little bit more pep in my step right now and I think I came into Youngstown excited and ready to show what I can do. And there’s a lot of talented players around me.

“I’d say the biggest thing though is I want to win, and that was what I was looking forward to the most when I got here. I want to help our team accomplish the ultimate goal and win a Clark Cup however I can. Whether that’s my physicality or putting the puck in the net, I just want to use my style of play and bring whatever I can to help us win.”

That style of play is what initially attracted Youngstown’s staff, and they had plenty of familiarity with the player too.

“We targeted Jamison because of his skill, smarts and work ethic,” said Ryan Kosecki, one of Youngstown’s co-GMs. “We have known Jamison as a hockey player for years. Jason Deskins actually drafted him while he was the (assistant GM) in Omaha before we both were hired in Youngstown. So we’ve tracked him.

“We’ve always liked his ability to put up points and make his teammates better. And most importantly for us, he’s a great young man that fits our culture.”

“I loved how Jamo competed and he’s someone that always seemed like he was a thorn in our side,” Ward added. “He was always engaged in the game and was really hard to play against, and he always made things happen on the ice against us. So he was someone we thought would fit perfectly with our organization. And so far, he’s just been very coachable and brought a great attitude and a ton of enthusiasm to the rink.”

Now the hope is he can continue bringing that same enthusiasm to the rink and help the Phantoms get hot down the stretch.

“I just want to help this team win as many games as possible and do whatever I can to contribute,” Sluys said. “It’s been a great spot so far but my main goal is to just keep getting better and help us win more games.”