Youngstown Phantoms Tender Jacob Tortora

The Youngstown Phantoms have signed Don Mills Flyers forward and Boston College commit Jacob Tortora to a tender. This is a shocking tender, but it's good news for Eagles fans as it likely puts the major junior talk to rest -- at least for a little while.

USHL teams lose a first round pick in the Futures Draft if they use a tender and any player a team tenders must play in at least 55 percent of the teams's games. The Phantoms have almost certainly done enough research on Tortora to know he wants to play in the USHL.

Tortora is a highly skilled winger who is crafty, speedy and has exceptional hands. He's very small, but he's the type of player who isn't afraid to mix it up with opposing players much bigger than him.

He had an exceptional season with the Flyers, including several terrific performances in various showcase events. He was selected 19th overall in the first round of the Ontario Hockey League (OHL) Draft by the Barrie Colts. Usually, major junior teams won't spend such a high pick on a player if they aren't certain of CHL interest.

--

Jeff Cox covers college, junior, high school and prep hockey, NCAA recruiting and NHL Draft prospects. Follow him on Twitter @JeffCoxSports.