BERLET’S PACK SEASON PREVIEW

By Bruce Berlet

After the Hartford Wolf Pack missed the playoffs for the first time in their 13-year history last season, several players did some serious soul-searching among themselves.

Sure there had been exit meetings with general manager Jim Schoenfeld, head coach Ken Gernander and assistants J.J. Daigneault and Pat Boller, but the core players needed to figure out exactly what went wrong so it wouldn’t be repeated.

So after captain Dane Byers, fellow forwards Dale Weise, Brodie Dupont and Kris Newbury and goalie Chad Johnson conferred, they came away with a motto for this season, which begins Saturday night at the XL Center against the Charlotte Checkers.

Stick together, stick to the game plan, have success.

If you want an addendum, you can try: If things are going good, you can’t go too high. If things are going bad, you can’t go too low.

Sure sounds simple enough, and the subject was discussed again during offseason phone calls and before the start of training camp, when newcomer Jeremy Williams tossed in his thoughts.

But togetherness and consistency weren’t always present last season, especially in the dressing room at times. Selfishness rather than chemistry apparently ruled too often, and despite the Wolf Pack’s winning five of their last six games, a horrid 3-12-5-1 stretch from late January to mid-March put the team in a hole from which they couldn’t escape. They finished only three points out of the postseason, but despite a plethora of injuries that left the Wolf Pack with only one defenseman who started the season on Asylum Street at one point, it shouldn’t have happened.

“We don’t want to dwell too much on last season,” said Johnson, who spent large parts of his rookie pro campaign on the Hartford-New York shuttle. “It was a little bit embarrassing not winning with all the skill we had and the team we had. We went sort of hot and sort of cold, not very consistent. If you look at the teams that were successful like Manchester and Worcester, they were consistent every game and throughout the season. They didn’t have too many bad stretches. They all stuck together and worked as a team. It didn’t matter if they were the best player or the worst player, they all did their part and were happy just winning.”

In the Wolf Pack’s case, the letter “I” became part of the word team, so the long-distance phone calls and continued talks before training camp emphasized the urgency of the situation and how much the players want to win.

“We sort of realized we had the guys in place to really do things, but the biggest thing was we weren’t a good hockey TEAM,” Johnson said. “We didn’t have that camaraderie that we probably should have had. You can have all the skill in the world, but if you don’t have a group of guys buying into the systems, buying into the team concept, you’re not going to win games.

“Sometimes we were working together and other times we were all on our own page. This year we’ve kind of realized that we all have to stick together as a team through tough times and good times. You can’t get too high, can’t get too low during the season. We’ve all got to work together and do our jobs. Stick together, stick to the game plan, have success.”

Newbury exemplified the new mindset late in the Wolf Pack’s final preseason game Sunday. After the Worcester Sharks pulled standout goalie Alex Stalock for a sixth attacker, Newbury and rookie Kelsey Tessier broke in on an empty net. Newbury could have scored easily, but he passed the puck to Tessier, arguably the Wolf Pack’s nicest surprise in training camp, for the clinching goal in a 5-2 victory, their third in four starts.

Nothing selfish about that play. Just a classy move by an assistant captain.

“We’ve talked about just putting individual stats aside and focusing on the team so we can make a good push,” Newbury said. “The summer was long for everyone. You’re going to have bad games during the season, but in order to be a good hockey team, the key is not to have bad weeks. If you have two bad games, you have to get ready for the next week in practice and be ready to play the next weekend.

“We’ve got a lot of first-year guys, so I think they’re going to kind of have to understand the work load, like three games in three days. It’s going to take some time, but at the end of the day, hard work and doing your job is all you can ask for.”

Weise said the disappointment of missing the playoffs had him chomping at the bit months ago.

“I was watching the (Calder Cup) finals on TV back home (in Winnipeg, Manitoba), and I was disappointed not being a part of it,” said Weise, who had career highs of 28 goals and 50 points last season. “We had a really good team last year, but we couldn’t put it together for long enough stretches. But I like what we have this year. If you look at our guys coming back, I think we’ve got a good mix. Guys can play with some jam, we’ve got some skill and I think Chad looks good. He’s got his swagger back.”

Weise said more players are on the same page, and he looks forward to playing again on a line with Byers and Newbury.

“Two years ago, we had a really, really skilled team with Artem (Anisimov) and P.A. (Parenteau), who were third and fourth in the league (in scoring) on one line,” Weise said. “But I didn’t feel like we had four lines that could compete. You’ve got to be able to roll four lines or you just wear down by the end of the season.

“Now we’ve got four lines that can play. The defense is going to be tough to play against, and our goalie is going to be good. In the three years I’ve been here, I think this will be the hardest team to play against. We’ve got three guys on our line who can easily put up 30 goals and 200 penalty minutes across the board.

“And this is the toughest decisions the coaches have had to make (as far as who to keep). Five days before opening night, we still had (31) guys around, so nothing was cut and dried.”

Byers, always a standup guy and team player, said unhappiness over missing the playoffs permeated the group. He had career highs in goals (25) and points (51) and also scored his first NHL goal during two brief stints with the Rangers, but that meant nothing when he was relegated to spectator during the playoffs.

“We realized we had a tough month, and when you have a tough month with some injuries, that’s all it takes to miss the playoffs in this league,” Byers said. “Now we have to get off to a hot start and maintain it. You can’t get too high or too low. It’s not a sprint, it’s a marathon, and I think that’s the approach you have to take. The guys who are returning are going to try to adjust that.”

Byers would like to see young players such as forwards Kelsey Tessier, Chris McKelvie and former Quinnipiac University standout Brandon Wong and rookie defensemen Ryan McDonagh, Jyri Niemi, Tomas Kundratek and Lee Baldwin be brought along faster. The young defensemen will have to by necessity, while some of the forwards might be sent to Greenville of the ECHL once Rangers captain/Trumbull native Chris Drury and Vinny Prospal return from injuries, though Prospal could be out long-term with an ailing knee.

“(The young players) have to get adjusted to the league a little quicker, and I think everybody will benefit from it,” Byers said.

“McDonagh is going to be a helluva player here, one of the best defensemen in the league,” Weise said. “He just plays so well positionally and has got all the tools. I don’t think he’ll be here very long to be honest with you. And Valentenko plays with some jam, too, so he’s going to be good.

“We’re going to be tough to play against. Me, Newbury and Byers were really good down the stretch last season, and I already feel as comfortable with those guys as I’ve felt with anyone in my career. I think we’re ready for a big year.”

Byers said he feels the chemistry and consistency was good with Weise and Newbury last season, but other players struggled, especially rookie Evgeny Grachev, who started well but scored only one goal in the last 38 games and finished 0-for-29. Grachev has gone from wing to center, a move he said he likes, and should have plenty of support on a line with Dupont and Norwegian fireplug Mats Zuccarello, the leading scorer and MVP in the Swedish Elite League last season.

Byers said the camaraderie has been better since he was assigned by the Rangers two weeks ago.

“Everybody seems to get along and are going out and hanging out together, which are all good signs,” Byers said. “But that means nothing if you don’t produce on the ice, so we have to come together as a group, and I think we’ll be more of an ‘in your face’ team. I think we’ve got more guys who are willing to put their (bodies) on the line, and that’s exciting to me.

“We can’t have all the exact same players, but I think Jeremy Williams is going to pick up some of the scoring and an older guy like (Wade) Redden on the back end is going to help along the young guys. And we’ve got Chad returning in goal. He was very good when he was here, but I think going up and down is hard on a goalie because you’re not playing a lot at certain times. But we all trust him in net, so we’ve got a good mixture. I’m excited for the season to start.”

The Wolf Pack lost their No. 1 and 4 scorers, All-Star center Corey Locke (31 goals, 54 assists) and right wing Parenteau (20 goals, 25 assists in 35 games), who was injured part of the season and also had his first extensive time in the NHL with the Rangers (three goals, five assists in 22 games). Locke signed with the Ottawa Senators and is with the Binghamton Senators. Parenteau signed with the New York Islanders and played most of the preseason on the No. 1 line with John Tavares, the first overall pick in 2009, and former Bridgeport Sound Tigers forward Blake Comeau, who spent most of the last three seasons in the NHL and had career highs in goals (17), assists (18), points (35) and games played (61) last season.

“Anytime you lose guys like Locke and Parenteau, it’s going to hurt the hockey team up front,” Newbury said. “But a guy like Jeremy is a gifted goal scorer, Zuccarello established himself in the Swedish League, and it’s always helps when you’ve got Wade Redden, who has played a lot in the NHL.”

On defense, assistant captain Corey Potter signed with the Pittsburgh Penguins but is now with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, 2006 first-round draft pick Bobby Sanguinetti was traded to the Carolina Hurricanes and Ilkka Heikkinen signed with Sibir Novosibirsk of the Kontinental Hockey League in Russia. Backup goalie Matt Zaba signed with Bolzano of the Italian Serie A League.

But the Rangers restocked the Wolf Pack with something old, something new.

It starts with Redden, who was put on waivers to clear his $6.5 million from the Rangers’ $59.4 million salary cap. When the 12-year veteran defenseman with four years and $23 million left on a six-year, $39 million contract he signed in 2008 cleared waivers, he was sent to Hartford. Though Redden didn’t play in the preseason so coach Ken Gernander and his staff could see more of their young defensemen, Redden will be counted on heavily for leadership on and off the ice.

“I have no complaints whatsoever,” Gernander said of the 33-year-old Redden. “He has been totally professional since Day One.”

Redden also has been helpful to the players.

“I think he can make a huge difference,” said Johnson, whose success often depends on communication with the defense. “Having him around will benefit the whole team, especially the young players, learning from a guy who has obviously been a premier defenseman (in the NHL) for awhile. He had a tough time in New York, but he’s a solid defenseman who has been an All-Star. He can do a lot of things, and in the beginning, he’ll probably get a lot more attention on him and what he’s doing, but I think guys can see how he handles practice.

“From Day One, he has worked hard and really been open to the team. It means a lot to the young guys, myself included and especially the defense, to be able to work with him and talk to him about the game and what you have to do as far as work ethic. Having him is just going to make everybody better. It’s a tough situation for him, but he has to make the most of it, too, and I think he’s going to be happy to help out and be an experienced guy for us.”

Johnson said Redden communicates well on and off the ice.

“He’s kind of a quiet guy, but he’s very approachable,” Johnson said. “He’s very pleasant and friendly, but he kind of really focuses on making sure he does his job. And once he gets to know guys more, he’ll probably be more open to talking more. I know he’s fitting in perfect down here. Guys like him. He’s a really good team guy.”

Redden also represents the business side of hockey with the salary cap, which is something AHL players can’t worry about. Their job is to try to improve and get more consistency so they can reach their ultimate goal of playing in the NHL.

“You can’t worry about the salary cap and why things happen,” Johnson said. “You just have to worry about where you’re at. That’s always the way I’ve looked at it. You can’t dwell on going down here and complain about how plain it is. Somebody is shooting on me, and I will stop the puck. That’s what I said this summer. It doesn’t matter who it is. Obviously guys like (Alex) Ovechkin are unbelievable, but you really have to make sure you prepare the exact same as you always do, try and do as best you can no matter where you’re at.”

Other newcomers on defense include the Rangers’ final cuts, rugged Russian Pavel Valentenko and Ryan McDonagh, along with Jyri Niemi and Tomas Kundratek. Valentenko played one full season (2007-08) with the Hamilton Bulldogs and then missed most of the past two seasons because of family matters and shoulder surgery. McDonagh bypassed his senior year at the University of Wisconsin, where he and new Rangers center Derek Stepan led the Badgers to the NCAA championship game. Valentenko and McDonagh were part of the trade that sent center Scott Gomez to the Montreal Canadiens.

Others blueliners are holdovers Nigel Williams, Lee Baldwin, who played only seven games with the Wolf Pack after arriving from the University of Alaska-Anchorage, and rugged Jared Nightingale, who started last season with the Charlotte Checkers but never returned to the ECHL after being called up Nov. 29.

“The way I look at it, it creates a lot more spunk to the adjustment,” Johnson said of working behind nearly a largely new cast of defensemen. “Maybe you lost experience, but the new guys can move the puck and have a little spunk. And they’re energetic to learn and get out there, and that’s kind of what you want in a team, too.”

The major additions up front are wings Jeremy Williams and Zuccarello, both of whom were free-agent signings by the Rangers in the offseason. Williams is a six-year veteran with a NHL shot who is coming off a season in which he had career highs in goals (32) and points (63) with the AHL’s Grand Rapids Griffins. Zuccarello was the leading scorer (23 goals, 41 assists in 55 games with Modo) and MVP in the Swedish Elite League last season and is trying to adjust to the smaller ice surface in North America.

Other newcomers up front are Tessier, Wong and McKelvie, who arrives from Bemidji State University. Besides Byers and Newbury, key holdovers are Weise (28 goals, 22 assists), Grachev (12, 16), Brodie Dupont (17, 22) and Ryan Garlock (7, 13). Rugged wing Justin Soryal (5, 4) has recovered from several injuries, but feisty wing Devin DiDiomete won’t be back until at least early November after extensive offseason hip surgery.

In goal, Cameron Talbot replaces Zaba as Johnson’s backup after playing in one game with the Wolf Pack last season following his third season at the University of Alabama-Huntsville.

“The top two lines have a lot of returning guys,” Byers said. “We know how each other play, and I think that’s going to help us at the start of the season when we’re getting familiar with each other. As far as the defense, we’ve got some young guys, but we have a couple of veterans, too, so it’s a good mixture on the back end. It could take some time to jell, but I like the look of it.”

So now the quest begins to right the wrongs of last season and add a championship banner to the Calder Cup won in 2000. It’s the only pro hockey title in Hartford hockey history, which will be revisited around Thanksgiving, when the Wolf Pack will be renamed the Connecticut Whale.

The renaming will culminate the extensive work of Whalers Sports and Entertainment, founded by former New England and Hartford Whalers owner and managing general partner Howard Baldwin, who wants to revitalize the local hockey market and hopefully get the NHL back in Hartford.

Baldwin and his staff were encouraged by the Whalers Fan Fest on Aug. 13 at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, where about 5,000 people showed up, many standing in line for more than three hours to get autographs from 22 former Whalers. Baldwin & Co. hope that carries over to attendance, which was an all-time low 4,188 at the XL Center last season, and Whalers Hockey Fest 2011 at Rentschler Field. There has been so much interest in the Hockey Fest that it has been expanded to at least Feb. 8-22 with 35-to-40 outdoor games for youth, junior, high school, prep school and college games. There also will a celebrity game, a Whalers-Bruins alumni game, a NHL legends game commemorating the 25th anniversary of the 1986 NHL All-Star Game in Hartford and hopefully a Wolf Pack/Whale game against the Providence Bruins on Feb. 19. A Whaler Village will feature exhibitors, games and the Whalers Mobile Hall of Fame in which players to be named will be inducted.

“We want to be part of a winning team,” Johnson said. “I think guys are just really focusing on winning and playing together. Last season, guys maybe got frustrated because things weren’t going their way and kind of started worrying too much about their individual statistics. Obviously you’re here to be successful, but I think with team success comes individual success.

“Now I think guys realize that with our team doing well, guys will get recognized, too. You just can’t dwell too much on things. As an individual, you have to work together and help each other out. If one guy is struggling, you’ve got to help him, pick him up. I think that’s what I mean by last season.”

But last season is last season, and now there’s a whole new beginning.

“We all have to stick together,” Johnson said. “You can’t dwell on one guy not having a good game. We have to say, ‘Hey, let’s help him out.’ If a goalie’s not playing well, they have to help him out, or if we take bad penalties, it’s the goalie’s job or the defense’s job to help out or step up. We just have to stick together and make sure we stay positive. I kind of go back to not too high, not too low. If things are going good, you can’t go too high. If things are going bad, you can’t go too low.”

That would be quite the turnaround from a forgettable season.

“Last season, whenever we were doing well the next game the guys would be too relaxed thinking we were back on track,” Johnson said. “Then when we were doing bad guys are worrying. You can’t be like that. You’ve got to worry about being consistent and doing your job every single day. That’s all you can do.”

Gernander, starting his fourth season as head coach after two as an assistant to Jim Schoenfeld, liked most of what he saw as the Wolf Pack won three of four preseason games but is more focused on seeing improvement over the next six months.

“I’m obviously pretty optimistic,” Gernander said. “I think our skill level on defense and upfront has been elevated and enhanced. You lose Locke and Parenteau, but Williams is a good offensive player and Newbury will be with us all season. And if some of these guys mature in their second and third years that level of maturity should enhance our level of play.

“I don’t know what the Rangers are going to do down the road, but I’m comfortable with what we’ve got here right now, and it’s nice to have so many good players that we had to pare down rather than just cut guys. One area where we’ll be better than we were last year is character, competitiveness and tenacity. At the core, we’re trying to develop something as our identity. It’s an ongoing process where we want it to become habitual and then instinctive where it’s ingrained.

“There are all kinds of factors about what happened last season, but you address specifics with each individual at their exit meetings. At some meetings, you know full well that that’s probably someone we’re going to move past for whatever reason. But that’s why you make changes in the offseason. There were things that we could do better and things we could improve. There were some guys we would have liked to retain, but they saw opportunity elsewhere. But at the end of the day when you’re making moves, you’re doing it to improve and strengthen your team.

“If someone was deficient or lacking and you don’t see either the potential for improvement or the willingness to improve, then you have to move on.”

Arrive Early Saturday

A large walkup is expected for the start of “A Whale of a Season” on Saturday night, so Wolf Pack officials are encouraging fans to arrive early so there won’t be a major logjam at the box office. The XL Center atrium will open at 5:30 p.m., the doors at 6. The walkup could be large because fans can get tickets to Saturday night’s game and Sunday’s 3 p.m. game against the Worcester Sharks for $15. Plus, the first 5,000 fans to the opener receive a free commemorative poster and a static cling schedule courtesy of “Click It Or Ticket.” Tickets for home games are available at the XL Center box office, through Ticketmaster charge-by-phone at 1-800-745-3000 and on-line at www.hartfordwolfpack.com. For ticket packages, group sales and VIP packages, call 860-728-3366. … Media Day on Thursday included the unveiling of four new video screens brought in from the Staples Center in Los Angeles, which is another facility run by AEG. It took two days to transport the Mitsubishi screens 3,000 miles east after the Lakers beat the Celtics in the NBA Finals and two weeks to install the screens, which are 30 percent larger than the previous ones. The installation forced the Wolf Pack to practice at their home-away-from-home, Champions Skating Center in Cromwell, until Thursday morning. The media and personnel from the Wolf Pack and Whalers Sports and Entertainment got a preview of the video that will be shown before Saturday night’s game. The second part of the video is highlights of the Whalers and Wolf Pack, including a celebration of the only pro hockey championship in Hartford’s 35-year hockey history, the 2000 Calder Cup. … Gernander and Garry Swain will drop the ceremonial first puck Saturday night. Gernander has been with the Wolf Pack from Day One as captain (eight years), assistant coach (two years) and coach (three years). Swain played with the New England Whalers for 21/2 seasons and scored the winning goal in their first game at the Hartford Civic Center, a 4-3 victory over the San Diego Mariners on Jan. 11, 1975, and a 5-2 upset of the Soviet National Team on Dec. 28, 1976.

Bob Crawford BACK, BACK, BACK as Announcer and PR Director

Bob Crawford has agreed to remain the play-by-play announcer and public relations director for the Wolf Pack/Connecticut Whale. The Chicago native has broadcast for 22 years in the AHL, the last 13 with the Wolf Pack. He previously worked for the Binghamton Rangers, Providence Bruins and Adirondack Red Wings, including two Calder Cups. He began his career on the student radio station at Harvard.

“Bob is a real fan favorite and one of the best broadcasters in the business,” said Howard Baldwin, Whalers Sports and Entertainment chairman Howard Baldwin. “Bob’s return was one of our main priorities upon taking over management control of the Wolf Pack. We are looking forward to working with him this season and beyond.”

Said Crawford: “I’ve had 13 great years in Hartford, and it has been a great home for me and my family. I’m thrilled to be continuing and really excited about the future with all of the energy that Howard brings to the franchise and the great group he has put together with Whalers Sports and Entertainment.” … ESPN’s Chris “Boomer” Berman has done a radio ad for the Wolf Pack that includes his familiar “Back, Back, Back” call about Howard’s return to Hartford, his promise for “A Whale of a Season,” a plug for the special ticket price this weekend and a few strains of the legendary “Brass Bonanza.” … Scott Stajcer, the Rangers’ fifth-round pick in 2005, has been named the CHL’s Goalie of the Week. He started the season with Owen Sound with three victories and a 1.00 goals-against average after a so-so training camp. The Rangers are high on Stajcer and hope he can help atone for the disappointment of recent high-round picks Antoine Lafleur and former Wolf Pack goalie Al Montoya. Stajcer can be in Hartford and Johnson in New York in two years after Biron’s deal ends.