CANTLON: WOLF PACK OFF SEASON VOLUME 15 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Another week closer to the start of the 2019-20 hockey season. While the bulk of the hockey news has already happened with the draft, free-agent signings, and buy-outs, there’s still plenty of news to share.

The Hartford Wolf Pack are bringing back Greg Chase for the upcoming season after signing him to a one-year AHL deal.

Chase enters his fifth professional season, after skating in five games with the Wolf Pack in 2018-19. He went scoreless with four penalty minutes and two shots on goal. The 6-0, 190-pound Edmonton, Alberta native also logged a total of 64 ECHL games with three different teams last season.  In 41 contests with the Wolf Pack’s ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners, the 24-year-old Chase notched 21 goals and 21 assists for 42 points, as well as 72 penalty minutes.  He also suited up for ten games with the Wichita Thunder (1-5-6, 12 PIM) and 13 games with the Allen Americans (1-2-3, 19 PIM).

Chase was taken in the seventh-round draft pick (188th overall) by the Edmonton Oilers in 2013 and has seen action in 102 AHL games in his career. He’s played with the Wolf Pack, the Oklahoma City Barons, Bakersfield Condors and Springfield Thunderbirds and has tallied seven goals and 20 assists (27 points) and amassed 55 penalty minutes. In 124 career ECHL contests with the Mariners, Thunder, Americans and Norfolk Admirals, he has totaled 48 goals and 57 assists for 105 points, as well as 159 PIM.

Prior to turning pro, Chase played five seasons junior hockey action in the WHL with the Calgary Hitmen and Victoria Royals.  In 265 career WHL games, he registered 78 goals and 143 assists for 221 points, along with 247 penalty minutes.

Chase is the nephew of former Hartford Whalers forward Kelly Chase.

Kris Knoblauch and Gord Murphy start their first full week as the Hartford coaching tandem as they prepare for the Traverse City Prospects tournament. Looking at the WJSS in Plymouth, Michigan, two defensemen for the US squad really stood out. They are two Ranger draft picks, K’Andre Miller (University Wisconsin – Big10) and Zac Jones (Tri-City – USHL).

Ex-Pack Layne Ulmer is not done yet. He left Cardiff Devils (Wales-EIHL) and signed with Manchester Storm (England-EIHL) for next season.

Nice update on ex-Pack/CT Whale goalie Cam Talbot now in Calgary now on the other side of the Battle of Alberta, by Luke Fox of Rogers Sportsnet. Read it HERE

Ex-Pack Shane McColgan was named Head coach and GM of the Valencia Flyers (WSHL) an AAU Tier III junior level league.

The San Antonio Rampage announced Jim Johnson was let go in Edmonton. Johnson has a long NHL background with Tampa Bay, San Jose, and Washington as a head coach and assistant. He is the Rampage’s new assistant coach to replace former Wolf Pack assistant coach JJ Daigneault,

Daigneault took a head coaching job with Halifax (QMJHL). The other Rampage assistant is ex-Sound Tiger Daniel Thaczuk and the head coach is ex-Wolf Pack Drew Bannister.

Great piece from the Sunday Toronto Sun column from long-time hockey writer columnist Steve Simmons and a great line from Ray Ferraro.

A WHALE OF A STAFF

The 1984-85 Hartford Whalers were not a very good team, finishing with 69 points, last in what was then the Adams Division, 14th in a 21-team NHL with a load of lousy teams.

But here we are, 35 years later and the Whalers leading scorer, Ron Francis, was recently hired as the general manager of the expansion Seattle franchise, a week before, former teammate Paul Fenton was fired surprisingly as GM in Minnesota.

From that forgettable Whalers team, there are coaches such as Joel Quenneville (Florida-NHL), Dave Tippett (Edmonton-NHL), Mark Johnson (University Wisconsin Big 10-W) and Kevin Dineen (San Diego-AHL), who have done quite well for themselves. There are broadcasters such as Ray Ferraro (TSN), the best in the game, and the long-serving Hockey Night in Canada color man, Greg Millen. There’s even career assistant coaches or minor league coaches like Ulf Samuelsson (presently not in coaching), Dean Evason (Minnesota-NHL) and Kurt Kleinendorst (Nuremberg Germany-DEL) from that team and a prominent player agent in former goalie, Mike Liut.

Pretty amazing that ordinary NHL team could produce so many hockey lifers in prominent positions.

“When I look back, we had Joel, Kevin Dineen, Dave Tippett, Doug Jarvis (Vancouver-NHL), John Anderson (Retired), Dean Evason — a lot of guys who became coaches on that team,” Ferraro said. “Maybe that was our problem with the Whalers. We had too many coaches, not enough players !!”

Kevin Shattenkirk (Greenwich/Brunswick Prep) after just being bought out of his deal with the New York Rangers last Wednesday, officially signed a one year $1.75 million deal with Tampa Bay Monday.

Another AHL’er leaves North America for Europe. Jonathan Dahlen, the son of former Ranger, Ulf Dahlen, gets loaned to Timra IK (Sweden-Allsvenskan) by the San Jose Sharks. Dahlen had been playing for the Sharks affiliate, the Utica Comets

That makes 64 AHL’ers have signed in Europe and Asia and now 25 of 31 teams have lost at least one player.

Former UConn Husky, Derek Pratt, the son of former New Haven Nighthawk, Tom Pratt, was involved in a two-for-one trade. He and Garrett Cecere were sent by the Maine Mariners to the Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL) for Jordan Klimek.

Ex-Sound Tiger, Josh Holmstrom, signs with Norfolk (ECHL).

Evan Wiscocky transfers out of UConn (HE) after two years to attend and play at Sacred Heart University (AHA). At age 21, he can play immediately this season and not sit out a full year. Wisocky, will meet his former school on opening night of the college hockey season in Bridgeport at the Webster Bank Arena October 5th.

Five more collegians sign professional deals. John Marino leaves Harvard (ECACHL) a year early and signs and an entry-level deal with the Pittsburgh Penguins. He will likely start the season with the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). Anthony Crosten, of Arizona State, the NCAA Division I independent, signs with Adirondack (ECHL).

Brendan Robbins of the University Maine (HE) signs with Reading (ECHL) and Devin Campbell, of Division III SUNY-Oswego (SUNYAC), signs with Wichita (ECHL). C.J. Stubbs departs Morrisville State College (SUNYAC) and signs a one-year deal with Roanoke (SPHL) and a try-out deal with Utah (ECHL) making 191 Division I players to have signed, and 258 overall college players to sign pro deals.

Patrick Mullen, the nephew of ex-Nighthawk, Tom Mullen, and the son of former NHL great, Joey Mullen, moves from Vienna (Austria-EBEL) to Belfast (Northern Ireland-EIHL). Ex-Sound Tiger, Kirill Kabanov, goes from Krefeld (Germany-DEL) and heads back to Aalborg (Denmark-DHL). Brian Flynn (Pomfret Prep) goes from EV Zug (Switzerland-LNA) and goes to HC Ambri-Piotta (Switzerland-LNA).

Steven Seeger (Stamford/Brunswick Prep/CT Oilers-EHL) leaves EHC Freiburg (Germany DEL-2) and heads to EC Kassel (Germany DEL-2).

Matej Baca, the nephew of former Whaler, Jergus Baca, goes from HC Liptovsky (Slovakia-SLEL) to HC Bratislava (Slovakia Division-2)

Former Ranger, Josh Green, goes from Winnipeg Blues (MJHL) in Junior A hockey to the just relocated Winnipeg Ice (WHL) in the same role as an assistant coach under ex-Ranger, James Patrick, the team’s heads coach.

Ty Pochipinski, the son of former Nighthawk, Trevor Pochipinski, played four games with Colorado College (NCHC) and then the rest of the year with Penticton (BCHL), commits to Air Force (NCAA Independent) next year.

David Bell leaves Ontario to take the same position as an assistant coach with Belleville, leaving only Springfield and Hartford without a second assistant coach.

On the heels of seven schools announcing they’re leaving the WCHA conference to form their own new hockey conference in two years, the University of Alaska’s two programs; the Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks and the Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves may become a combined program in the very near future because of serious state budget cuts. Read a story from the  Anchorage Daily News HERE.

The Nutmeg State has another Division III hockey program as the Post University Eagles (Waterbury) have officially joined the Northeast-10 for hockey. Other schools in the program include St. Anselm (Manchester, NH), Assumption College (Worcester, MA), Southern New Hampshire University (Manchester, NH), Franklin Pierce (Rindge, NH), Saint Michael’s College (Colchester, VT), and Stonehill College (Easton, MA).

The seven teams now comprise the only Division II college hockey conference in the nation. Presently five Division III level programs exist in the state.

The Eagles head coach in his second season is Pete Whitney, who spent 11 years coaching at Gunnery Prep of Washington, CT. He also spent two years at Central Connecticut State University (ACHA Division-2).

One of his three assistant coaches enters his third season, Tim Richter (Naugatuck). Richter played junior hockey with the CT Clippers and the Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack. He then spent two years with the Danbury Whalers (FHL) and played six games with the Danbury Titans.

The Eagles’ home arena is The Sports Center of Connecticut, formerly known as the Twin Rinks of Shelton. Read more about it HERE.

The Carolina Hurricanes dysfunctionality is an open case study of poor ownership and Tom Dundon seems not to care. Cantlon’s Corner has not had one pro source spoken with that has a positive word to say about how he is handling the Hurricanes. Read that HERE

The Danbury Colonials (N3HL) the newest junior team in the state has added its first four players to its roster.

Goalie Shane O’Brien from the Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC) and CT Chiefs (Newington) (EHL) last season was their first signee. Nate Mastrony (Trumbull) is the first CT signee played last season with Notre Dame – Fairfield.  He was also coached the past two seasons in Spring HS hockey by Howlings Editor-In-Chief, Mitch Beck.

Kolby Donovan was just signed from the Boston Jr. Bruins (USPHL – Premier) and Wesley Westendorf, who comes from a very non-traditional hockey market, Little Rock, Arkansas.