BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT: The NHL draft is over. The free-agency period has kicked off and players and teams are filing for arbitration for their salary issues. Yes, hockey summer has begun.
WOLF PACK 2018-19
The Pack got there first AHL veteran, Bobby Butler, a sniper on the RW.
Butler, a veteran of eight pro seasons, was a member of the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team. He skated in five games for Team USA at the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. The 31-year-old Marlborough, MA native played in 67 AHL games in 2017-18 with the Milwaukee Admirals. Butler led the Admirals in goals and was second in points, with 24-21-45 in 36 games.
The 6-0, 188-pound Butler has seen action in 130 NHL games in his career, with the Ottawa Senators, New Jersey Devils, Nashville Predators, and Florida Panthers. His ledger shows totals of 20 goals and 29 assists for 49 points. He has logged 288 career games of AHL action, with the Admirals, Binghamton Senators, Albany Devils and San Antonio Rampage, registering 111 goals and 100 assists for 211 points. He won the Calder Cup as a rookie with Binghamton in 2010-11. Butler has four 20-goal AHL seasons to his credit and was selected to three AHL All-Star Classics (2010-11, 2012-13, and 2014-15).
Prior to signing with Ottawa, he was an undrafted free agent. Butler played four seasons at the University of New Hampshire (HE) where, in 153 career games as a Wildcat, struck for 61 goals added 60 assists (121 points) and earned Hockey East Player of the Year honors as a Senior in 2009-10. In 39 games that year, Butler had 29 goals and 24 assists for 53 points.
The team also inked two players to AHL contracts who finished their collegiate careers and played with the Wolf Pack at the end of the season.
One is very familiar to the New York Rangers new head coach, David Quinn. He is Drew Melanson, who finished up with the Terriers and then played five games in Hartford where he got his first professional point, an assist.
Justin Salvaggio also completed his Hockey East career, but with the UNH Wildcats. He played in four games and didn’t earn a point.
Steven Fogarty was the only RFA forward on the Wolf Pack roster that was given a qualifying offer. It was a one year, two-way deal paying $700K – NHL, $70K – AHL). Having worn the A in the past, Fogarty might be a candidate for team captain, should the team go that direction. The Pack has traded their last three captains… all in a row. Those three were Ryan Bourque, Mat Bodie, and Joe Whitney.
Goalie Marek Mazanec was a UFA. The Rangers smartly offered him a deal and he liked and signed for the season.
Adam Tambellini, Ryan Sproul, Dan Catenacci as well as players in New York, Paul Carey and David Desharnais were not given offers and can freely negotiate with other teams.
The only three players with RFA status still not publicly announced whether they were signed or not are Boo Nieves, Chris Bigras, and Peter Holland.
Defenseman Tyson Helgeson, who played four games at the end of the season after completing his junior career with the Spokane Chiefs (WHL), returns to his native Alberta to play Canadian college hockey in Calgary and continue his academics at Royal Military College (CWUAA).
PLAYERS & COACHING MOVEMENT
Former UCONN Husky, Tage Thompson, was on the move. The very active St. Louis Blues moved the Orange resident to Buffalo in the Ryan O’Reilly deal.
At the NHL level, former Wolf Pack, Brian Gibbons (Salisbury Prep), who struggled mightily while wearing a Hartford hockey sweater got himself a one-year, $1 million dollar deal from Anaheim after leaving New Jersey. Wow!
Former Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Matt Martin, returns to the Islanders family for Sound Tiger goalie Eamon MacAdam? Martin, a player with over 500 NHL games for a goalie with 36 AHL games experience and over 40 in the ECHL? Obvious salary dump.
It was no surprise when ex-Pack, Chris Bourque, announced via Twitter that he would not be returning to the Hershey Bears next season. It wasn’t a big surprise that at $400K and at age33, there aren’t many teams going to pay that much. Hershey also did not make a qualifying offer to former Pack, Adam Chapie.
Former Sound Tiger, Calvin de Haan, struck gold in Carolina signing a four-year deal valued at $18.2 million and leaving Long Island.
A brand newly minted pair of ex-Pack that were acquired from Hershey late in the year have moved on. Defenseman Hubert Labrie signed with Syracuse while center John Albert, as expected, went to Europe to play for EHC Wolfsburg (Germany-DEL) for 2018-19.
Scott Kosmachuk gets a sweet deal that pays him $650K-NHL and $250K-AHL. He was one of the first three signees to the 31st AHL franchise, the Colorado Eagles. They will be the top farm team of the Colorado Avalanche. Ex-CT Whale, Jayson Megna, leaves Vancouver and signs a nice deal with Washington paying $700K-NHL and $315K-AHL. Meanwhile, ex-Sound Tiger, Alan Quine, gets the “Brinks Armored Car Award” signing with Calgary for $700K-NHL and $400k-AHL.
Some other movement for various CT players.
Kenny Agostino, a former Yale product, goes from Providence to Laval on a one-year deal paying $650K-NHL and $275K-AHL.
Defenseman Tommy Cross (Simsbury/Westminster Prep) leaves New England for the first time in his hockey career as he signs with Cleveland for $650K-NHL and $300K-AHL. Paul Carey (Salisbury Prep) goes from the Rangers to Ottawa on a 700K-NHL and $350K-AHL deal. Ex-Pack, Adam Cracknell, goes leaves Laval after starting the year mostly in Hartford and a brief pit stop in New York and heads to Toronto on a $650K one-way contract.
Ex-Sound Tiger, Matt Mangene, goes from Texas to Springfield (AHL). Wade Megan (Salisbury Prep) signs with Detroit on a $650K-NHL and a $275K-AHL deal. Brian Flynn (Pomfret Prep) leaves Texas to sign with St. Louis/San Antonio for $650K-NHL and $350K-AHL. Mike Mersch, the son of the late Nighthawk, Mike Sr., leaves Ontario and signs with Dallas/Texas for a $650K-NHL and $250K-AHL contract.
Three OHL coaches get AHL gigs.
Former Ranger, Joe Cirella, leaves Sault Ste. Marie to be named the new assistant coach for Stockton (AHL). Jay Varady goes from Kingston to be the new bench boss for Tucson. Bob Jones, the head coach at Oshawa, becomes an assistant with Texas.
After 913 NHL games, Alexandre Burrows retires and becomes the assistant coach with the AHL Laval Rocket.
Zach Tolkinen, a former QU Bobcat, goes from Wheeling (ECHL) to Maine (ECHL).
The AHL to Euro list grew when former Pack, Marek Hrivik, went from Stockton to Vityaz Podolsk (Russia-KHL). Joining him will be Miro Aaltonen from the Calder Cup champion, Toronto Marlies.
Ed Wittchow of Springfield went to KooKoo (Finland-FEL) and his former Thunderbird teammate, Curtis Valk, went to Barys Astana (Kazakhstan-KHL). They also signed Patrice Cormier of Manitoba. Iiro Pakarinen goes from Bakersfield to Mettalurg Magnitogorsk (Russia-KHL).
Brett Findlay of Stockton moves to HC Bolzano (Italy-AEHL) while Beau Bennett goes from the Chicago Wolves to Dynamo Minsk (Belarus-KHL).
That makes 43 players from 21 teams with Springfield and Binghamton seeing the most leave with four each.
Ex-Pack, Danny Kristo, goes from Dynamo Riga (Latvia-KHL) to Brynas IF (Sweden-SHL). Justin Fontaine leaves Dynamo Minsk (Belarus-KHL) for Kunlun (China-KHL).
Another Ex-Pack, Kyle Beach, heads from ESV Villacher (Austria-AEHL) to EC Bad Tolz (Germany-DEL-2)
Shaun Pauly, a former UCONN Husky, leaves Kansas City (ECHL) for HC Lyon (France-FREL).
Drew Omicioli, (Gunnery Prep) switches teams to coach in Italy in the Alps Hockey League (AlpsHL). He goes from SG Cortina to HC Milano Rossoblu.
All player salary figures are from capfriendly.com
COLLEGE HOCKEY
The UCONN Huskies have two new recruits coming in the fall big difference in size.
On defense, at 6’2 and 210 lbs, Corson Green of Potsdam, NY goes from Central Illinois (USHL) while forward Jonny Evans from Delta, BC and the Powell River Kings (BCHL) checks in at 5’7 and 125 lbs.
Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) extended the contract of the only Division I coach they have ever had in Rand Pecknold till 2022-23.
Drew Hickey (New Canaan/Taft Prep) commits to the University of New Hampshire (HE) in the fall. The 5’11 right-hand shooting defenseman was the captain of the CT Jr. Rangers (NCDC) this past season.
Colton Point, the 6’5 goalie from Colgate (ECACHL), leaves early and signs a three-year deal with Dallas. That makes 212 collegiates in total and 160 Division I to sign pro deals.
New college coaches as well. Dallas Ferguson goes from Alaska-Anchorage to become the assistant at the University of Denver (NCHC) and Brent Bekke, a long-time Miami (OH) assistant, takes the same role with Clarkson (ECACHL).
Three colleges are getting rink upgrades. First Northeastern (HE) with the Matthews Arena, the oldest operating rink in Division I at 108 years old is adding a 50-foot video board and two ribbon panels. Awesome!
The other two are Cheel Arena at Clarkson, Their $3.45 million addition will add 300,000 square feet over the next two years in a multi-phase campaign. The building will be operational during the work. Also, the St. Lawrence University’s Appleton Arena is part on a donation from the estate of the late NHL upper management icon Bill Torrey and was over a million dollars.
Minnesota Hockey Day is January 17-19 and will be played out on Lake Bemidji with two NCAA men’s and women hockey games comprised of Minnesota’s boys and girl’s high school teams in action. One of the schools is Greenway High school. They will feature a new import player-Micah Gernander (Newington), the son of former Wolf Pack great player, and head coach Ken Gernander. He has taken a job as an amateur scout for the Islanders covering college and junior hockey in Minnesota and the US Midwest.
The fourth Desert Sun Classic hockey tourney returns to Gila River Arena in Phoenix, home of the NHL Coyotes, with Arizona State, Minnesota, University Minnesota-Duluth and Clarkson.
IN MEMORIAM
One of the biggest names in the CT hockey scene for close to five decades, Dick Gagliardi, passed away on Monday at the age of 84.
He was truly a student of the game.
For Gagliardi, the town of Hamden was tattooed on his heart as he spent most of his adult life there. He became a fixture on the hockey scene in its genesis of the sport at the organized level in the late 1940’s. He was a three-sport athlete for the Green Dragons. Before there was a CIAC that governs high school sports, he helped the hockey team to the 1952 New England championships.
He moved onto Boston College football and hockey under the late Len Ceglarski Sr. and played in two NCAA national tournaments that are now known as the Frozen Four. They won two ECAC championships then the only Division I level in New England.
He would become the head coach for the Yale University Bulldogs (1965-1972) for seven years and while he didn’t have the success on the ice as he would have wanted, he did establish his trademark work ethic and game preparation schedule. He would also strike up and develop a friendship with his successor at Yale, the late Tim Taylor, whom he had the highest admiration for his entire career.
He returned to Hamden High succeeding the late, Louis Astorino, for whom the rink is named, in 1987. Gagliardi would win just one state title in 1989 when they beat Notre Dame-WH 1-0 at the Hartford Civic Center (nee XL Center). He would win 196 games before stepping down in 2001 and handing the reigns over to his longtime assistant coach Billy Verneris.
He was honored along with Astorino and Bill Belisle of Mt. St. Charles (RI) in a ceremony in 2005 honoring their career and service in high school hockey in Hamden.
After 37 years of teaching math at Hamden, he found a new challenge around the corner from Mix Avenue in Hamden on Denslow Hill Road. He became the AD for the all-girls Catholic school, Sacred Heart Academy (1993-2005) where he helped to oversee the upgrade both of the athletic programs and the facilities.
The current Hamden head coach, just the fifth in the school’s history of the program that began in 1948, is former Wolf Pack, Todd Hall.
Gagliardi made an impression on him from the beginning.
“I didn’t try out for the freshmen team, but my older brother, Robert, was the goalie and I got the advanced report on Coach Gags; dress right, speak right and listen. He commanded respect the minute you put that sweater on.”
Gagliardi was not teaching only about X’s and O’s puck handling and skating skills, it was about life, something Hall uses today as he helps guide the current group of Green Dragons every winter.
“He had such attention to detail it down to the minute, we always tried to peak and see what was on his sheets. He left them for us, I can’t say I’m as organized as he was, but I keep it structured because it was a benefit to me. He was also aiming to apply this in your life as a son, father, and part of your community I keep that in mind all the time now. He was a Marine through and through and handled himself that way at all times.
“I was very fortunate to call him a coach and a friend.”
Gagliardi loyalty knew no bounds. He was just as proud of Boston College as he was his beloved Hamden. When Hall went there in his sophomore year, the new head coach, Steve Cedorchuk, who succeeded Ceglarski, wanted to rebuild things in his image. Hall wasn’t his recruit, so he did his best to make his life miserable. Gagliardi wasn’t amused as a BC alum, hockey coach or man.
He came to his aid and while Hall did eventually transfer to New Hampshire, the letter Gagliardi wrote to then Whalers owner, Richard Gordon, (his son was on the BC football team) regarding Hall – then a Whalers draftee – in how he was being treated started a chain reaction. That got the ball rolling and eventually, the school discovered problems under Cedorchuk’s brief tenure and he was dismissed and never has coached in college hockey again.
He underestimated the BC Marine.
A point of personal privilege, I got to become friends with Coach Gagliardi first starting as part of a radio broadcast team with Tony Bonetti doing Hamden High games on WXCT-AM (1220) for three seasons and another seven years covering the program for the Hamden Chronicle, then part of the Elm City Citizen newspaper chain, a division of ABC/CapCities.
Gagliardi would give me a free Ph.D. lesson in the tactics, strategies, history, and breath of the game. Anatoly Tarasov, the true father of the Soviet Big Red machine from 1960’s and 1970’s, was a man he and Taylor admired and studied. In the mid-1960’s and early 1970’s, studying coaching and tactics of USSR hockey was not fashionable, but his unorthodox approach of combining several different disciplines in forming a cohesive team structure appealed to both men and that’s how their friendship that he cherished was born.
I would get the book on Tarasov and read it and it opened my eyes from the teacher at heart.
He looked upon the sport as a footprint for life not just wins and losses I would hope this winter the CIAC would introduce, the Dick Gagliardi Award to be given to a hockey athlete who truly combines athletics, academics and community service.
We were blessed to have had him.
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