FROM THE CREASE with Bruce Berlet 

By Bruce Berlet

Tyler Donati had been hanging around his home in Oakville, Ontario, Canada, for several months hoping for a two-way American Hockey League–East Coast Hockey League contract.

It seemed a formality after Donati led the ECHL in scoring and was named league MVP for getting 38 goals and 76 assists in 67 games with the Elmira Jackals after going scoreless in three games with Thurgau of the Swiss B League.

“I was waiting at home not thinking a two-day deal was going to be possible so I was waiting for Elmira to trade my rights,” Donati said Saturday night. “I figured I would start down there, but it just worked out where my agent called me Thursday and told me that he and Hartford were working things out.”

And it was quick work as Donati signed a two-day deal with the Wolf Pack and Greenville of the ECHL and watched the last two periods of a 1-0 loss to the Binghamton Senators on Friday night.

“I’m surprised things worked out so fast,” Donati said. “I had been hoping for something like this at the beginning of the summer, a two-way (contract) or maybe a one-way AHL deal where I could have a chance in the American League. But it didn’t look like it was going to happen, then out of nowhere it happened on Thursday, so I’m excited to be here. It’s a good opportunity in a great organization.”

Wolf Pack coach Ken Gernander hoped some of Donati’s offense followed him from Oakville. After the loss Friday night, Gernander said the Wolf Pack needed to find some offense after having scored one goal in two games.

Donati set Elmira records for goals (38), assists (76) and points (114) last season, and twin brother Justin finished second in the scoring race with 104 points. They became the first brothers in pro hockey history to each score 100 points on the same team in last season. The Jackals finished third in their conference but lost in the first round of the playoffs.

“It was a fun year, for sure,” Tyler said. “Both of us scoring 100 points was pretty cool.”

Tyler, a fourth-year pro who turned 24 last Sunday, was named to the All-ECHL first team after getting the most points in a season since Wheeling’s Darren Schwartz had 114 points in 1992-93. Justin signed a two-way deal with Binghamton and Elmira and had two goals and four assists in the Jackals’ first three games.

The 5-foot-10, 180-pound Donati previously played in the AHL with the Binghamton Senators (six goals, 12 assists in 53 games in 2007-08) and Philadelphia Phantoms (one assist in four games in 2008-09). He also has 44 goals and 93 assists in 87 ECHL games with Elmira. Before turning pro, Donati had 131 goals and 169 assists in 252 games with Oshawa, Toronto St. Michael’s and Belleville of the Ontario Hockey League.

Donati watched his new teammates again Saturday night when the Wolf Pack played Syracuse. He knew Devin DiDiomete, Justin Soryal and Ryan Garlock from his time in the ECHL and OHL.

“I hope I can bring some offense, but I have to work out the cobwebs first,” said Donati, who practiced with his new team Saturday morning. “My last game was in April, and I’ve skated for about a month. I’ve been in the gym a little bit, but I have to get back into hockey shape. My strength seems fine, but they worked me out pretty good after the morning skate. We’re going to keep pushing it and pushing it and see how far we can go, and hopefully I’ll be in game shape in no time.”

The Wolf Pack’s next game in a five-game homestand is Wednesday night against the Albany Devils.

The Wolf Pack also scratched injured goalie Cameron Talbot and healthy center Brandon Wong and defensemen Jyri Niemi and Nigel Williams. 

Times Have Changed on Broadway

As New York Post writer Larry Brooks pointed out in a story Saturday, the Rangers are relying more than ever on graduates from the Wolf Pack.

With the Rangers clinging to a 2-1 lead in the final 1:45 of Thursday night’s game in Toronto, a line of former Wolf Pack players Brandon Dubinsky, Artem Anisimov and alternate captain Ryan Callahan was used almost exclusively, including the 45 seconds when the Maple Leafs had pulled goalie Jonas Gustavsson for a sixth attacker.

And for part of that time, the Blueblood Line as Brooks calls it, skated with the defensive pairing was former Wolf Packers Dan Girardi and Marc Staal. Fittingly, Anisimov’s second-period goal was the game-winner.

Rangers coach John Tortorella has been relying more and more on his younger players in critical situations, though part of that is out of necessity because of injuries to leading scorer Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal and captain/Trumbull native Chris Drury.

None of the Pack grads have elite talent, but they form a hard-working homegrown nucleus that also includes former Wolf Pack defensemen Michael Sauer and Matt Gilroy, Michael Del Zotto, rookie Derek Stepan and Henrik Lundquist.

Voting Underway for All-Wolf Pack Team

Voting for the All-Time Wolf Pack Team began Wednesday and continues through Nov. 7. The team will be announced at the Nov. 13 game against the Springfield Falcons, the last at the XL Center for the Wolf Pack before they become the Connecticut Whale two weeks later. Fans can vote at CTWhale.com and at various retailers courtesy of Hartford Distributors and Bud Light.

Fans can choose one goaltender, two defensemen and three forwards. Candidates for the team are goaltenders Jason LaBarbera, J.F. Labbe and Steve Valiquette, defensemen Dan Girardi, Mike Mottau, Thomas Pock, Corey Potter, Dale Purinton and Terry Virtue and forwards Ken Gernander, Dane Byers, Derek Armstrong, Nigel Dawes, Alexander Giroux, Todd Hall, Greg Moore, P.A. Parenteau, Richard Scott, Brad Smyth, P.J. Stock and Craig Weller.