USHL Youngstown Phantoms

Carr And Driver: New Phantoms Coach Outlines Plan For Improvement

Published on February 24, 2010 under United States Hockey League (USHL)
Youngstown Phantoms News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - Three games into Curt Carr's tenure as Youngstown Phantoms interim Head Coach and General Manager, his optimism about this group of young hockey players hasn't waned a bit.

"I'm excited about our team right now, even more so than a week ago when I got the job," said the native son of Georgetown, Ontario. "I'm very proud of these guys for handling a difficult situation with maturity. I'm pleased with the mood in the dressing room."

Prior to his promotion to bench boss, Carr was serving his first season as Associate Coach and Director of Player Development after three years with the Tier II NAHL's Mahoning Valley Phantoms under former Head Coach Bob Mainhardt, who was relieved of his duties Feb. 16 after posting a 15-26-2 record through 43 USHL games.

"I learned a lot from Bob and consider him a friend," said the former head coach of Kent State University, his alma mater, from 2004-2006. During that time he took the Golden Flashes to the American Collegiate Hockey Association's National Tournament, earning him finalist honors for ACHA coach of the year.

Carr maintains that his experiences at KSU, also during which he was twice named Third-Team ACHA All-American as a four-year player, have combined with his previous Phantoms duties to prepare him for his current position.

"Although it's a different type of athlete I'm working with now, I realize that it takes time to turn things around," said Carr prior to last weekend's home games against Omaha. "It takes holding guys accountable and being positive...it means pointing out the things they're doing wrong in a manner they can understand. It's going to be a lot of work and a lot of teaching."

Instruction is a part of coaching that Carr is very comfortable with, considering he earned an undergraduate degree in education from Kent State in advance of his Master's in administration and management. Working with four full practice days this week, Carr and new Assistant Coach Brad Patterson have begun implementing needed changes to the Phantoms' game.

"We're trying to take care of priority areas in the defensive zone, and we saw a big improvement in that aspect against Omaha," Carr said. "[The Lancers] are the best offensive team in the league and we really cut down on their scoring opportunities."

But while the Phantoms did a much better job of protecting their net last weekend, their lack of offense - just two goals in two games - prevented them from gaining any points in the East Division standings, where they are tied with Team USA for sixth place. Youngstown has generated just one goal in eight of nine February games; not surprisingly, they've dropped the decision in all eight of those instances.

Equally as predictable, Carr has a plan for increased production in that area as well.

"We need to start shooting with a purpose," he said on ESPN 1240's Phantoms Phever talk show Tuesday night. "We can shoot 40 times from the perimeter but that won't help us much. We're trying to convince the team that where we get shots from is more important than how many."

Fixing the Phantoms' 10th-ranked power play will be a large part of getting the offense back to where it was during the season's first half, when it was among the top scoring units in the USHL at nearly four goals per game.

"I've installed a power play [strategy] that I've used before," Carr said. "It's more systematic and takes away some of our creativity, but the simplicity of it should be effective. Instead of unlimited options, you might have one or two depending on what the defense does. Creativity can be good but it can also get you into trouble."

All of the above is part of the "fresh start" Carr has spoken of many times during the past week. For a team that went 2-15-0 in its last 17 games under the previous regime, it's an approach Carr didn't have to ponder for very long.

"We're starting anew," Carr said. "I'm not really talking about our previous 43 games. I told every guy they have a fresh slate and a new beginning if they weren't happy with their role or situation before.

"What they make of [the next few games] will determine whether they have a role and where they fit with the team going forward."

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United States Hockey League Stories from February 24, 2010


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