CANTLON: HOLIDAY WRAPPINGS 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – After dropping five in a row, the Hartford Wolf Pack have now won three straight games including a weekend sweep of the North Division-leading Rochester Americans and in the process climbed back to .500 at 14-14-1-2.

On Friday night, Steven Fogarty scored the game-winning goal in the third period off a great short pass from Vinni Lettieri. Fogarty made a great wraparound lighting the red light for the first time since November 3^rd and his first point since November 9^th.  Fogarty then set up Chris Bigras for his first goal since opening night a 29 game span to seal the win.

Dustin Tokarski started his second straight game and came through with another sterling performance making 20 saves in the process.

In the Saturday game, the Pack received big efforts from their top six forwards. Peter Holland had two goals in the first period, a backhander in front, and then a sharp angle drive on the goal line. He assisted, captain Cole Schneider with two goals. The first completing a great three-way passing sequence with a one-timer and the other banging off of an Americans defenseman’s left leg, the assist against his former team.

Lettieri was alone in the slot and scored for the second game in a row. He had two points and has four points in his last five games. The 5-1 win was the third consecutive 60-minute total Wolf Pack team effort. The team also demonstrated grit and feistiness as they picked up three fighting majors over the weekend including a pair in the last minute of play on Saturday

Marek Mazanec has been simply sensational for over a month since he last played. He stopped all 23 shots in the first period and 40 of the 41 for the game.

The Wolf Pack returns to action two days after Christmas as they begin a home-and-home with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, holders of second place in the Atlantic Division.

There’s a poor piece of Pack news. The team’s attendance continues to sputter. They are 28^th out of the 31 AHL teams.

Belleville’s Yardmen Arena seats 4,400 and Binghamton’s Floyd Main’s Arena holds 4,600.

A lot of work needs to be done to rectify this ghastly number.

US WORLD JUNIOR SQUAD SELECTED

The 2018-19 US World Junior team that starts in Vancouver and Victoria on Boxing Day was announced and there are plenty of Connecticut connections throughout the lineup.

For Team USA – The two goalies are Spencer Knight (Darien/Avon Old Farms), and Cayden Primeau (the son of ex-Hartford Whaler, Keith Primeau). K’Andre Miller, a New York Rangers draft pick, joins two defensemen from Yale, Phil Kemp (Greenwich/Brunswick Prep/Edmonton pick)) and Jack St. Ivany (Philadelphia). Another defenseman is Mattias Samuelsson from Western Michigan (NCHC), who’s also a Buffalo Sabres draft pick, who’s the son of former New Haven Nighthawks and current Philadelphia Flyers development coach, Kjell Samuelsson.

Up front, there’s Jack Drury of Harvard (ECACHL). He is the son of Ted Drury, an ex-Whaler, and the nephew of Trumbull’s Chris Drury, the Wolf Pack’s GM.

The selection makes the Drurys part of an elite company of US hockey families to have two or three players on a US World Junior team. Atop the list of those families is the Tkachuks who have five players starting with their father, Keith, his sons Matt (Calgary) and Brady (Ottawa) and their cousin Casey Fitzgerald (Boston College) as well as Jimmy Hayes (Wilkes Barre/Scranton-AHL). Some of the other brother and family combo’s include; the Broten brothers, Neal and Aaron, plus a nephew, Shane Gersich. There is also one-time Ranger draft picks and ex-Pack’s, twin brothers, Peter and Chris Ferraro, and the Eaves brothers, Patrick and Ben Eaves, the sons of former NHL’ers father, Mike, and Uncle Murray.

There are other countries with Connecticut and AHL connections as well.

The Czech Republic includes on their roster, Martin Necas (Charlotte-AHL), Jachym Kondelik (UCONN-HE), Filip Zadina, (Grand Rapids-AHL), and Martin Kaut (Colorado-AHL).

The Russian team has Vitali Kravtsov, a Rangers draft pick, and Klim Kostin (San Antonio-AHL).

On the Sweden roster is Nils Lundkvist, also a Rangers draft pick, Erik Brannstrom (Chicago-AHL), Rasmus Sandin, and Michael Lilejgen (Toronto-AHL), Isac Lundeström (San Diego-AHL).

The Swiss team has another Rangers draft pick, Nico Gross, and Tobias Greisser (Hershey-AHL)

WHALER REDUX

There was a lot of teeth gnashing over the Whalers throwback jersey worn by the Carolina Hurricanes on Sunday against the Boston Bruins. After watching the Hurricane broadcast of the game of the throwback Whaler jersey game, they did it proud, and very well, albeit 22 years later than they should have.

If you bleed green check it out online.

From Mike Rogers at the opening face-off to all the superb video vignettes, including a very heartfelt one by Ray Ferraro, who’s now an analyst for TSN in Canada, were well-produced and truly made the green and blue shine.

Current Hurricanes TV voice, John Forslund, who is one of six employees still left from the Whaler days who’s still with the team. He was perfectly attired in his white Whaler pullover sweater with the logo. He gave all the names he could come up with to honor, from all the players, right down to the equipment staff for their part in the Whalers historical tradition.

He even threw a jab at former majority owner, Peter Karmanos, after his broadcast partner, Tripp Tracy, a former Beast of New Haven, remarked about the sweater. Forslund reminded him that once they came to Raleigh he couldn’t wear it or say the name Whaler or he would be out of here.

Many ask why now?

For sure it’s a cash grab for the new ownership. The Whalers jersey is the hottest selling NHL retro jersey and the NHL had to fight off a lawsuit last year over the trademark name and jersey color scheme from a yet unnamed set of individuals in Delaware. The suit was dropped either for lack of merit or an outside settlement was reached, who knows.

Sadly, of course, there are people who never know how to be decent and kind. First the aforementioned Karmanos; HERE

The current Carolina head coach Rod Brind’Amour HERE

Timing, of course, is everything. It came a day before after long tome Whalers assistant GM, under Emile “The Cat” Francis, and longtime New England regional scout for the Whalers, Rangers, and his last team the LA Kings, Mr. Bob Crocker passed away at the age of 90 at his home in Cape Cod.

A finer gentleman is hard to find. He was polite, courteous, funny, knowledgeable, decent, and a major booster of American college hockey kids getting into the NHL. He scouted a young Chris Drury at prep school games at Taft and Avon Old Farms and at Ingalls Rink at Yale. He never turned away anyone asking hockey questions.

The hockey world will miss him greatly. He was the model that should be emulated by every professional and junior scouting staff organization.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

Ex-Pack, Josh Gratton, left Scotland and has signed with South Carolina (ECHL).-

Charlie Millen, the son of ex-Whaler Greg Millen, was traded from Reading (ECHL) to Orlando (ECHL).

Ex-Pack, Danny Kristo, and ex-CT Whale, Casey Wellman, are both linemates with SC Rapperswil – Jona Lakers (Switzerland-LNA) also signed a one-year extension with the club.