Phantoms sign high-upside forward Jackson Conroy for 2026-27

The Youngstown Phantoms locked up Jackson Conroy for the 2026-27 season on July 4, adding a 2010-born forward who has already put up one of the most eye-catching scoring lines in his age group. Youngstown signed the Dorval, Quebec, native to a USHL Standard Player Development Agreement after taking him in the ninth round of the 2026 USHL Phase I Draft, 121st overall.

Conroy arrives with real offensive weight behind him. Last season with Bishop Kearney Selects, he produced 66 points in 62 games, scoring 33 goals and setting up 33 more. Elite Prospects lists him at 6-foot-1 and 161 pounds, and Bishop Kearney Selects’ 2025-26 15U AAA roster places him in that age group as a center, underscoring how early Youngstown has moved to secure him.

The signing fits the new player-development framework the USHL put in place on April 7, when it announced the SPDA as a standardized agreement that formalizes academic support programming, strength and performance resources, billet family housing, travel support, mental wellness services, offseason training reimbursement, accredited secondary education support and career-ending injury insurance reimbursement. The league also has pointed to its broader developmental pipeline, saying on May 7 that more than 50% of NCAA Division I men’s hockey players and nearly 25% of NHL players have USHL experience, with more than 285 direct NHL Draft picks since 2020.

For Youngstown, Conroy is not an immediate lineup fix so much as a targeted investment in upside. The Phantoms selected him in a Phase I Draft that the club described as a Futures Draft for 16-year-old prospects, players usually a season or more away from USHL games. Conroy is expected to report to Youngstown’s training camp ahead of the 2026-27 season, and the organization is leaning into the same development-first profile that has become central to the league’s selling point.

Co-general manager Jason Deskins, who also serves as vice president of hockey operations after previous scouting and executive roles with the Omaha Lancers, Maryland Black Bears and Sarnia Sting, framed Conroy as a player who can drive offense with skill and vision. Deskins called him a “difference-maker” with the puck, pointing to his ability to create chances for himself and his teammates while carrying legitimate NHL Draft potential as his game matures. For the Phantoms, the move is another bet on a young forward whose best hockey is still ahead.