S-U-R-P-R-I-S-E!!! 

Forty-five players gathered at the XL Center Sunday morning for their second practice with the Hartford Wolf Pack. It was an interesting morning that featured a player move that may leave some scratching their heads and a fan favorite spectator in the stands.

The biggest surprise by far was watching 6-6, 230 pound Rangers former first round draft pick Hugh Jessiman lined up on the right side of Thomas Pock as a defenseman. Of the move, Jessiman said, “I wasn’t looking to make a career change, but I’ll do my best at whatever this team asks me to do.”

Jessiman had moments where he looked like, with more work, he could become a pretty decent physical blueliner. On the other hand there were other times when Jessiman clearly looked completely lost, over-matched and out of place. Perhaps this was just a practice experiment, but if it’s not, Head Coach Ken Gernander and his staff, J.J. Daigneault and Pat Boller will need to give Hugh a lot of work if this is going to be successful.

Meanwhile up in the stands taking in practice was none other than Rangers legend, Mark Messier with his father Doug Messier. The Hall-of-Famer was in the building to watch his son, Lyon, attempt to make the Wolf Pack team as a defenseman. The young Messier showed he plays a physical brand of blueline patrol. He had a solid performance during drills, but demonstrated that he might still be another year away from playing at the AHL level. It would not at all be surprising to see him start play this season in Charlotte with the Checkers and given his obvious solid work ethic, could at least get a look by the Pack later in the season.

While some knew that they were certain to make the 2008 – 2009 edition of the team, many are out there working hard to make an impression.

Among the more familiar names to Pack faithful in practice, last year’s leading scorer P.A. Parenteau, the Pack’s lone representative to the AHL All-Star game, Greg Moore , and Dane Byers, who impressed many observers with his play at the Rangers training camp these past couple of weeks.

Some of last season’s regulars, Artem Anisimov, Brodie Dupont, Thomas Pock, Jessiman and his former Dartmouth teammate Mike Ouellette also attended.

The Charlotte Checkers supplied the Pack with some solid contributors last season. Most of them should at very least start the season in the colder climate up north. Among those participating from this group include goaltender Matt Zaba, ECHL All Star forward Jordan Owens, defenseman Jared Nightingale and explosive forward Tommy Pyatt.

Late season junior/college call-ups who will vie for jobs this season included, former first round pick, defenseman Bobby Sanguinetti, center Mike Taylor and forward Tomas Zaborsky.

Rangers organization fans will recognize some of these other names involved this morning; goaltender Antoine LaFleur, center, Joe Barnes, defenseman Michael Busto, forward Sergei Demagin, defenseman Vladamir Denisov, Evgeny Grachev, Ryan Hillier, Andreas Jamtin, center David Skokan, and Dale Weise.

Besides young Lyon Messier, one other familiar name was among those attending. Maxim Kondratiev, who came to the organization in the Brian Leetch trade is fighting to make a comeback and is looking for a job on the defense corps.

Among the less recognizable names are forwards Will Bodine, PJ Corsi, Matt Ford, Marty Guerin, Michel Leveille, Ben Nelson, Guillaume Parenteau (yes, he’s P.A.’s brother), David Rutherford, and Peter Tsimikalis.

Fighting for jobs on the blueline include, Julien Brouillette, Tysen Dowzak, Ethan Graham, Chris Murray, Kyle Radke, and rookie David Urquhart.

There is competition aplenty in the nets for the job backing up Miika Wiikman, who should return to Hartford after the Rangers’ European Vacation. In addition to the aforementioned Zaba and LaFleur, also strutting their stuff is Andrew Gallant, Martin Houle, and Jeff Jakaitis.

The players were broken up into two teams, Red and Blue.

For the Blue team the lines were as follows:

G. Parenteau – Leveille – Rutherford
Dupont – Tsimikalis – Guerin
Zaborsky – Pyatt – Ford
Taylor – Ouellette – Demagin
Byers – Moore – P.A. Parenteau

Brouillette – Kondratiev
Denisov – Murray
Dowzak – Messier
Pock – (Jessiman…during drills)

Goalies
Houle
LaFleur

For the Red team the lines were as follows:

Soryal – Skokan – Owens
Bodine – Corsi – Weise
Grachev – Nelson – Jamtin
Hillier – Anisimov – Jessiman (during the scrimmage)

Urquhart – Nightingale
Graham – Busto
Radke – Sanguinetti

Goalies
Zaba
Gllant
Jakaitis

The Blue team defeated the Red. Ouellette had a nice goal on Zaba and Rutherford scored on a penalty shot over Gallant.

Other notes:

* At the end of practice, Dupont stayed out to practice one timers from the top of the circle on the right side. He buried 18 of 20 into the opposite corner of the net at one time hitting on 12 straight.

* There were a lot of one-on-one, two-on-one, three-on -two and situational scenarios that the team worked on.

* Coaches extended a lot of advise to Anisimov.

* Sanguinetti had a very solid practice.

* Gernander and Daigneault spent some time working on conditioning with Moore, P.A. Parenteau, Byers. Pock and Jessiman separately.

* Some of these photos came out looking like a scene out of the old Disney film, “Tron.” [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-3ODe9mqoDE&hl=en&fs=1]

(Thomas Pock and Hugh Jessiman)

(All photos taken by Mitch Beck)