BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
CROMWELL, CT – It’s been a rollercoaster of a first season for Hartford Wolf Pack rookie defenseman, Ryan Lindgren. His play has earned him a passing grade for his effort, despite not going to the postseason for a second straight season
A majority of Lindgren’s season was spent partnered with John Gilmour as the Wolf Pack’s top defensive duo.
The expectation for the remainder of the season is that there will be new combinations tried at both the forward and defensive positions. Lindgren played with Brandon Crawley last weekend.
“It was a lot of fun playing with John, and we also got along well off the ice too. I’m happy for him to get a recall. He’s a heck of a hockey player. I played most of the year with him, with the exception of a few games. He’s such an easy guy to play with, just give him the puck, and he’s such a good skater, you let him fly.
“Now we’re all going to have to make changes and adjustments with so many new faces,” said Lindgren.
Lindgren is acutely aware of what coming into a locker room at the end of a tough, and a difficult season can be like for a player.
“I came here last year for the last ten games, so I know what it’s like when you’re the new face and everything is new to you. It’s a very exciting time for them to start playing (pro hockey). It’s still a big time for myself and all the other players to show management what you got. We’ve got to make sure nobody is taking any nights off. It’s an important final ten games for everybody here.”
Lindgren had one advantage last year that helped in in his transition. His former college teammate, Vinni Lettieri, who was just recalled to the Rangers, was there to greet him last spring.
“I went through the same thing they did in coming from college. It’s just a different lifestyle going from class and knowing all your buddies to a place where you really don’t know anyone. To go from the structure of going to classes to where you go to practice in the morning and then the rest of the day is yours, it’s a lot different as the hockey is different from the college game.”
The Lettieri factor was big for him.
“I was very lucky to have Vinni here when I got here, of course, I knew him from playing at (University of) Minnesota, so I was able to move in with him and he’s a guy who was always on the move, on and off the ice,” Lindgren said with a laugh. “He had family come in and always had something going on. I was very lucky to just not to sit in a hotel by myself, doing things with him or cooking meals at home. I was very fortunate.”
Lindgren’s game is a physical, grind-it-out style that is a throwback to the players of 10-15 years ago. At that time, having a physical rearguard would be prized, but in today’s game, defensemen are more like defensive backs in football. Their hands are tied in how to defend against the opposing forward in their own end.
“When I was playing for the US at the World Juniors with coach Bob Motzko (now the head coach at the University of Minnesota). He used to say to play as close to the line as you can. To crossover is a huge thing. I like to play a physical style. I do trash talk a bit, and run my mouth,” Lindgren said with a wry smile and wink. ”But you have to be careful not to carry it too far. In general, you have to stay focused on your game, so you don’t hurt the team with bad or ill-timed penalties. So that’s the game I bring and that’s not going to change, you just have to be smart to know when the right time is.”
The first year has seen Lindgren’s potential tempered with reality. It was a season of ups-and-downs for the Wolf Pack as a team and individually. He now sports an “A” with Rob O’Gara out for the past 21 games since early February with a lower-body injury.
“I have been happy about it there a very good group of guys here and I got time in New York which of course very special,” said Lindgren. The Second year pro was originally drafted by Boston, whose rights were acquired in the Rick Nash deal last spring “I have learned a lot in my time here. (Pack Head Coach) Keith (McCambridge) and (Assistant Coach) Joe (Mormina) have been huge for me in getting to learn the pro game, and the call-up, of course, to the Rangers was something else. I was fairly consistent for the year and the Rangers seem happy with me,”
The season, however, boils down to one bad stretch, a ten game losing streak that ran from mid-January to mid-February just after the trade of then, team captain, Cole Schneider.
“We were right in contention (three points out of fourth place) and we lost ten in a row and it’s hard to make that up and others were winning (Hershey Bears) and next thing you know we fell out of it (playoff contention). It’s a very tough time of the year. Everybody is playing for a playoff spot and you’re not.
“We let up at that time and this is where we’re at. Losing Schneids was tough, but we didn’t play as well as we should have.”
The Checkers with a 44-15-7-1 record (96 points) are 31 points ahead of the Wolf Pack. They clinched a playoff berth last weekend by sweeping the Pack in a pair of games. Syracuse has also clinched a playoff berth last weekend as they lead the North Division.
The Pack takes on the Checkers for a third straight game on Friday night at the XL Center at 7:15 pm which will be the last meeting with the Checkers this year.
“They are the league’s best team. We got a lot of new faces, so it’s going to be a big test for us if we play well,” said Lindgren last weekend as they departed for North Carolina.
NOTES:
No week is complete without some roster moves.
Greg Chase, the nephew of former Hartford Whaler, Kelly Chase, had a two-goal game for the Maine Mariners (ECHL) against the Worcester Railers including an OT winner. He was signed to a PTO by Hartford while Dean Melanson was returned to the Mariners.
Former UCONN player Karl El-Mir was released by Providence from his ATO deal without having played a game. Michael Doherty (Yale) was released by the Bruins too and sent back to Manchester (ECHL).
A slew of El-Mir’s Hockey East opponents have all signed pro deals this week.
Boston College saw Michael Kim and Chris Brown both sign with Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). Casey Fitzgerald (Buffalo-NHL/Rochester-AHL) and goalie Joseph Woll sign with the Toronto Marlies (AHL) and a report from TSN’s Bob McKenzie says that freshmen, Oliver Wahlstrom, has told BC he will turn professional and is working on a deal with the New York Islanders and may wind up with the playoff-bound Bridgeport Sound Tigers.
Woll’s departure will allow Darien’s Spencer Knight (US National Development Team) and one-time Avon Old Farms product to head to BC. He will likely be a first or second round pick in this upcoming summer’s NHL Draft in Vancouver.
Boston University, saw top-end defenseman, junior, Dante Fabbro sign with Nashville. Ridgefield native, Chad Krys, sign an ATO deal with Rockford (AHL). Goalie, Jake Oettinger (Texas-AHL), Bobo Carpenter (Islanders) and, a surprise freshman, Joel Farabee (Flyers) have all left.
A total of 27 Hockey East players have signed pro deals so far. There has been 105 Division I players and 118 college players in total have all signed North American/European pro deals.
Matthew McGroarty (Westport/Brunswick Prep) has made an oral commit to Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) in 2021-22.
Congrats to the state high school hockey champions.
Early in March in the NEPSAC prep school boys tournament at St. Anselm College in Manchester, Kent School won the large Division title beating Cushing Academy 2-1. Kent grads include current Rangers head coach, David Quinn, and current Ranger and ex-Wolf Pack, Boo Nieves.
In the Open Division, Salisbury Prep lost in the finals to Kimball Union 4-3.
Salisbury features Thomas Richter (Greenwich), the son of the Rangers all-time great goalie, who is a Union College (ECACHL) commit 2020-21.
In the public school tournament held at Yale University, in Division I Fairfield Prep captured their 17th Division I title (one Division II title in their first year as a varsity program) in the fifth championship meeting between ND-West Haven. They won by the score of 5-2. Mason Whitney and Thomas Quinn had a goal and an assist apiece to pace the Jesuits win.
The final four for the first time in Division I history featured all four teams from parochial schools.
In Division II, the Branford Hornets shutout Glastonbury 2-0 to capture the first title as David Engstrom’s goal and assist and Jared Yakimoff’s 20 saves paced the title win.
It was Branford’s first title since 1988 when they beat Shepaug Valley (Washington, CT) by the score of 5-3 and only the third championship final in the history of the program.
In Division III, the co-op program Lyman Hall/Haddam-Killingworth/Coginchaug knocked off the other Wallingford school, Sheehan, in the Battle of Wallingford by the count of 6-2 for their first ever hockey title.
Senior Kyle Roberts had two goals and an assist and nine shots on goal and sophomore Aidan Weir’s tallied two goals on two shots, including what became the game-winner help the Trojans victory.
The University of Wisconsin won the NCAA Women’s Frozen Four this past weekend in Hamden at Quinnipiac University with a 2-0 shutout win over Minnesota for their 5th national title.
Loren Gabel of Clarkson (ECACHL-W) won the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, the Hobey Baker Award for women’s hockey.
The Calgary Inferno captured the CWHL (Canadian Women’s Hockey league) championship shutting out the Les Canadiennes of Montreal, 2-0 at the Coca-Cola Coliseum in Toronto, home of the AHL Toronto Marlies.
CT Jr. Rangers forward, Jay de Ruiter, who played for the Netherlands WJC team in Division 2 Group B is playing for his home country national team at the U-18 World Championship Group B Division 2 in Belgrade, Serbia.
Ex-Pack, Matt Carey, signs with Schwenniger (Germany-DEL) for next season.
Four more European, Asian or Scandanavia titles have been decided.
In Iceland, SA Akureyri Vikings of Northern Iceland (southern Iceland much warmer !) swept SR Rekyavik in four straight 2-0, 3-2 (OT), 3-2 and a final game at 4-1. The playoff MVP and top goalie was Adam Beukeboom, the second cousin of former Ranger player and coach and Wolf Pack assistant coach, Jeff Beukeboom.
In Lithuania, Engergie Elektrenai won their 4th straight title over Hockey Punks Vilnius sweeping best of five series by the scores of 6-4,7-4 and 7-3.
In Spain, Txuri Urdin beat CG Pulgcerda for their third straight title and 16th Spanish title winning the championship game 3-2.
Turkey, saw Zeytinburnu Istanbul capture its sixth straight Turkish Super League (TSL) title beating Buz Adamlar. They swept the best of five series winning by the scores of 2-1, 4-3 (OT) and 4-3 in the short-season league. The leading regular-season scorer was former Danbury Whaler Matt Puntureri of KOC University-Istanbul with 52 goals and 21 assists and 73 points in just 14 games!
