CANTLON’S CORNER: WOLF PACK OFF-SEASON REPORT VOLUME 2 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The name of the game this week in hockey is, “Transaction-Time!” 

On Tuesday, the New York Rangers made a big move in a trade with the Carolina Hurricanes. The Blueshirts acquired a right-handed shooting defenseman, Adam Fox, and signed him to a contract on Thursday.

The highly-regarded two-way playing Fox couldn’t come to a deal with the Hurricanes, so Fox, who was drafted originally in the third round (66th overall) in 2016 by Calgary was traded in the Doug Hamilton deal.

The junior defenseman said he would return for his senior year at Harvard. Then he would be able to go the free agent route since he would be 22 and unsigned next spring. This allowed him under the current CBA to become an unrestricted free agent and seek a deal with any of the other 31 NHL teams.  Carolina opted to make a move now, gaining a second-round pick in this year’s draft from the Rangers and a third rounder in 2020.

The third-round pick will be converted to a second-round pick if Fox plays 30 NHL games next season.

Fox’s early hockey resume is quite extensive. He had 116 points in 97 games with the Crimson and led the NCAA in points scored. He was a Hobey Baker finalist and played on two US WJC teams, winning gold in 2017 and bronze in 2018.

He was a First team All American all three season at Harvard, this season he captured ECAC Player of the Year and Ivy League Player of the Year. He was named the 2019 Walter Brown Award winner as the best American college player in New England and was named Harvard’s John Tudor team MVP for the season.

This makes the already defensive slot (presently 18 defensemen as of today) an even more crowded field. Among the blueliners, the Rangers have four making upwards of $4 million plus, which means trades and contract burials are coming. This answers the question on two Group 6 defenseman, John Gilmour and Rob O’Gara, who will more than likely not be resigned come July 1st.

Fox, with his newly minted Rangers credentials, will play for Team USA at the upcoming World Hockey Championships in Slovakia. Part of that is because Rangers GM Jeff Gorton is on the US squad’s Advisory panel, and the team’s GM is current Rangers assistant GM, and Hartford GM Trumbull native, Chris Drury.

The Fox deal was announced last Thursday, and Friday morning the team officially announced that they signed last year’s number one selection, (9th overall) the 6’4 right-winger, Vitali Kravtsov, to a three-year entry-level deal. The 18-year-old, left-handed shooting right-winger played for Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia-KHL0 and had a very strong WJC in Vancouver/Victoria, BC.

Both Kravtsov and Fox will make $925K-NHL/$70K-AHL on their ELC deals. Kravtsov has a European assignment clause in his deal. It might be classified as an anti-Hartford clause. It likely has a pre-determined time frame for him to play in Hartford. If it’s exceeded then he could invoke the clause and be assigned to Europe to continue his development.

The Rangers announced the signing of Kravtsov in the morning and in the afternoon they made it known they had signed Russian goalie Igor Shestyorkin, 23, a fourth-round (118^th overall) pick in 2014. He gets a two-year ELC contract at $925K-NHL/$70K-AHL and he too has the same clause as Kravtsov.

Shestyorkin’s (translated American version is Shesterkin) numbers are jaw-dropping, but a word of hockey caution. Russian hockey in the KHL is played differently than the NHL or the AHL. The international ice surface 200 x 100 skews the numbers a bit. That’s not to diminish his obvious talent, but like Alexander Georgiev, he will require an adjustment to the ice surface that is 10 feet shorter.

The stats he has are gold-plated. This season, he posted a 24-3-1 record, a KHL record 1.11 GAA, a .953 save percentage with 10 shutouts for SKA St. Petersburg. In his KHL career, his record was 88-16-7 with a 1.68 GAA and 27 shutouts in total and career .935 save percentage.

Shestyorkin was a two-time KHL All-Star and captured one KHL Gagarin Cup in 2016-17.

There is a chance the trio could start next season in Hartford to make the pro adjustment for possibly a month or two, but the new coaching staff in Connecticut’s capital has not been named and it won’t until the Rangers announce their new President either at the middle or end of this month.

The trio will be at the Rangers post-draft Prospects Camp starting on June 24 at Chelsea Piers in Stamford while the Rangers regular practice facility in Tarrytown, NY is undergoing renovations.

No signing is expected for defenseman Yegor Rykov who played for HK Sochi (Russia-KHL) this year and was acquired from the Devils at the trade deadline in the Michal Grabner deal.

One other prospect of note is on another goalie, Olof Lindbom (no relation to former Wolf Pack Johan Lindbom) who was drafted in the second-round (39th overall) last year. He will play next season for both Mora IK (Sweden-SHL) and Mora IK J-20 team in the Super Elite junior-level league. Lindbom, now age 18, would be eligible to play for the Sweden WJC team.

He played with Djurgarden IF (SHL) and J-20 teams this season but missed most of the year with an injury. He was available for the just completed league championship final which they lost. 

AHL CALDER CUP PLAYOFFS

Call ups still affect AHL teams even in the playoffs.

The Charlotte Checkers whose start their Atlantic Division Final series with Hershey on Friday lost AHL Baz Bastien winner  Alex Nedejlkovic because Carolina’s Petr Mrazek was injured in Game 2 of their series with the Islanders so Nedejlkovic was recalled, Now the Hurricanes now have a commanding three games to none lead in the series.

Ex-Pack Dustin Tokarski who will start Game 1 has been his back up and was loaned to Charlotte with the Hurricanes loaning back Josh Wesley on February.

Tokarski is likely heading to Sweden next year according to Swedish Hockey News.se,  He is being pursued by four teams in the Swedish Hockey League in Rogle BK, Oskarshamn, Leksands IF and Orebro HK, they are in the hunt.

Charlotte recalled goalie Jeremy Helvig Florida (ECHL) to be Tokarski’s backup while they are battling in ECHL Southern Division Finals with Orlando up two games to one.

Jake Bean, AHL First Team All-Star defenseman was also recalled with the injury to Hurricanes rearguard Jake Muzzin than seems to be a longer-term injury than Mrazek’s.

Hershey recalled goalie Parker Milner (Avon Old Farms) from South Carolina (ECHL).

Toronto with a three-goal second captured Game 1 of North Division Final with Cleveland. Jeremey Bracco’s four assists, Trevor Moore two goals and an assist, ex-Pack Chris Mueller’s goal and an assist and defenseman Rasmus Sandin paced the Marlies’ efforts. Simsbury’s Tommy Cross had a goal and assist for the Monsters.

Toronto reassigned ex-Sound Tiger goalie Eamon MacAdam to Newfoundland (ECHL) currently in the ECHL North Division Finals against Manchester.

The Central Division Final between Iowa and Chicago is a good matchup saw the Wolves capture game one as Cody Glass scored the game-winner late in the first overtime for a 3-2 win. AHL regular season MVP Daniel Carr posted two assists to lead the Wolves offense. Iowa’s Gerald Mayhew’s scored his sixth goal of the postseason to pace the Wild offense.

Out West in the Pacific Division Final San Diego will take on Bakersfield starting Friday and the Gulls got a nice reinforcing shot for the postseason with #1 Anaheim draft pick Maxime Comtois arrival from Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) who were eliminated in the semifinals by the Halifax Mooseheads in a seven games as they won Game 7 in overtime 2-1.

PLAYER & COACHING MOVEMENTS

Mathieu Olivier, son of ex-New Haven Knight Simon Olivier, was signed to a two-year, two-way contract by Nashville after a strong season on Milwaukee. The contract is a free agent one-year AHL deal.

As we first reported, defenseman Julius Bergman, who played just eight games for the Wolf Pack and who was acquired from Belleville in a trade, will return to Sweden to play with HC Frolunda in the Swedish Hockey League (SHL) next year.

Ex-New Haven Nighthawk and Ranger, George McPhee, relinquishes his Vegas Golden Knights GM title and has promoted Kelly McCrimmon, the brother of the late Whaler Brad McCrimmon, from assistant GM. McPhee will retain his President title and be overseeing all of the hockey operations all the changes are effective September 1st.

In the German DEL Championship finals Adler Mannheim knocked off EHC Munich is six games.

On the victorious side, the Eagles featured ex-Sound Tiger Mark Katic, Ben Smith (Avon/Westminster Prep), ex-Wolf Pack’s Luke Adam and Chad Kolarik.

Adam is heading to Dusseldorfer EG next year and Kolarik is heading to Austria and EC Salzburg (Austria-EBEL).

EHC Munich featured former CT Whale John Mitchell who after three years with the team announced his retirement from pro hockey at the conclusion of the playoffs.

Ex-Wolf Pack, Evgeni Grachev, leaves Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (Russia-KHL) to Avangard Omsk (Russia-KHL) next season.

Ex-Pack Malte Stromwall leaves KooKoo (Finland-FEL) for HK Sochi (Russia-KHL).

Ex-Wolf Pack and Sound Tiger Andrew Rowe leaves Mora IK (Sweden-SEL) for SC Rapperswil-Jona (Switzerland-LNA).

The Swedish LeMat Trophy final is over with HC Frolunda Indians winning the title with 4-2 series-clinching win Thursday at home over Djurgarden IF. HC Frolunda won all their playoff games at homes.

The team features captain Joel Lundqvist, the twin brother of Rangers goalie Henrik Lundqvist, and ex-Sound Tiger Rhett Rakhshani.

Ex-Pack Carl Klingberg re-signs with EV Zug (Switzerland-LNA) for next year.

Ex-Sound Tiger and Canadian Olympic goalie, Kevin Poulin, is likely to be leaving Eisbaren Berlin (Germany-DEL) for Cologne (Germany-DEL).

Ex-Sound Tiger Sebastian Collberg heads from Timra IK (Sweden-SHL) to EC Graz (Austria-EBEL) for 2019-20.

Ex-Wolf Pack/CT Whale Andrew Yogan goes from HC Innsbruck (Austria-EBEL) to Alba Valon (Hungary-EBEL).

Ex-Sound Tiger Tyler McNeeley departs from SC Bietighein-Bissen (Germany DEL-2) for Tolzer Lowen (Germany DEL-2).

Jared Mudryk, the last member of the first Danbury Trashers team (UHL) team that is still playing active, played with ECDC Memmingen (Germany Division-3). He has announced his retirement.

That leaves Jean-Michel Daoust from the second Trashers team as the only one left playing. He split this season with three teams, Thetford Mines and St. Jerome (LNAH) and a new six-team senior league that popped up this season, Vaudreuil (OASHL).

Not until November when the Canadian senior hockey season begins will we know if Daoust will be the last Trasher to play or will share the honor with Mudryk.

In the Czech Elite League (CEL) Final HC Ocelari Trinec captured just their second ever CEL title beating HC Liberec four games to two winning Game 6 by the score of 4-2.

HC Kladno, led by 47-year-old Jaromir Jagr, won the relegation round and will be promoted to the CEL from Division 2 level.

In the IIHF Division Group-A tourney underway in Kazakhstan, a few familiar names abound on some of the six teams.

South Korea has an assistant coach former Ranger Sergei Nemchinov, while the head man was the Olympic team head coach, Jim Paek, Belarus has former New Haven Nighthawk Andrei Kovalev as an assistant coach and Lithuanian head coach is former Ranger player and Islanders assistant coach and NHL player, Daniel Lacroix.

The World Championship that starts in Slovakia saw Canada name former CT Whale Jonathan Marchessault to the team along with Sean Couturier, the son of former New Haven Nighthawk, Sylvain Couturier.

Team Sweden added William Nylander, the son of ex-Whaler/Ranger Michael Nylander.

Some more AHL’ers head to Europe. Jakub Jerebek San Antonio leaves for Vityaz Podolsk (Russia-KHL) and Axel Holmstrom officially leaves Grand Rapids for HV71 (Sweden-SHL). Goalie Eddie Lack of Binghamton is according Swedish Hockey News close to signing a deal with Leksands IF (Swede-SHL) and former Ranger Josh Jooris is expected to leave Toronto (AHL) for HC Lausanne (Switzerland-LNA).

That makes 10 players so far to leave for Europe and there will be more to come.

UCONN get another college commit in Russian Yan Kuznetsov who played for Sioux City (USHL) for this coming fall.

Stefan Miklakos is leaving Avon Old Farms (CTPREP) to play juniors for the Lone Star Brahmas (NAHL) and will be at Army (AHA) in 20-21. Zach Tonelli, the youngest son of Islander great John Tonelli, and who plays at Taft Prep in Watertown, announced a commit to Brown University (ECACHL) for 20-21.

Colby Audette, from the Lewiston/Auburn (ME) Nordiques (NA3HL) commits to the brand new Albertus Magnus College (NESCAC) program that starts in New Haven in the fall.

He is no relation to the former NHL player Donald or his son Daniel who plays in Laval.

Emmett Powell, from Milton Academy (MAPREP) commits to Wesleyan University (NESCAC) located in Middletown.

Brady Berard, the son of former UCONN assistant coach (AHA years) David Berard (Holy Cross AHA head coach) announced his commit to Providence College (HE) in 2022-23 at the age of 15. He is expected to attend Mt. St. Charles (RIPUB) next year.

Another quartet of college players signed pro deals. Peter Krieger from the University of Minnesota-Duluth (NCHC) heads to Vasterviks IK (Sweden-Allsvenskan) and teammate Parker MacKay also goes from the two-time defending national champion University Minnesota-Duluth (NCHC). He signs with Texas (AHL), Mario Ferraro leaves UMASS-Amherst (HE) signs with San Jose (NHL/AHL) and Sasha Larocque Ohio State (Big 10) signs with Colorado (AHL).

That makes 169 Division I players who signed pro deals and a total of 193 collegians at all levels to sign pro deals in the US and Europe.

Andrew Gaus (Taft Prep) has completed his Yale degree but will be a graduate transfer and play next year with Colorado College Tigers (NCHC) joining him as a fellow grad transfer will be goalie Ryan Ruck of Northeastern (HE).

Cam MacDonald of the Selects Academy at South Kent Prep is heading to Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) in the fall.