KEELEY / CRAWFORD: (WED) GROPP, RACINE HEADED TO AHL 

Gropp recalled to Hartford, Racine loaned to Stockton

BY: Michael Keeley, Maine Mariners

PORTLAND, ME – December 11, 2019 – Two Mariners players are AHL bound, the team announced on Wednesday. Forward Ryan Gropp has been recalled to the Hartford Wolf Pack by the New York Rangers and defenseman Jonathan Racine has been loaned to the AHL’s Stockton Heat. Both players already have significant AHL experience

Gropp, 23, is a second-round draft pick of the Rangers in 2015 and was reassigned to the Mariners in early November. In 10 games for Maine, Gropp has scored three goals with four assists. He spent nearly all of the prior two seasons in Hartford, playing 59 games there in 2017-18 and 61 last season – with a brief eight-game stint in Maine. Gropp has registered 47 career points (25 goals, 22 assists) in 121 career AHL games.

Racine, a 26-year-old defenseman is in his first season with the Mariners but has played 268 career games in the AHL since turning pro in 2013, including a full season with the Portland Pirates in 2015-16. A native of Montreal, QC, Racine signed a standard player contract with the Mariners in the offseason after spending the 2018-19 season with the Brampton Beast. Racine has also seen ECHL time with the Manchester Monarchs, but played the rest of his pro career at the AHL level, in San Antonio, Portland, St. John’s, Syracuse, Ontario, and Belleville. Racine was drafted in 2011 by the Florida Panthers in the third round. In 15 games for the Mariners this season, Racine has six assists and a team-leading 35 penalty minutes.

The Mariners have a four-game road trip leading up to the holidays but return to the Cross Insurance Arena for home games on December 26^th and 27^th. On the 26^th, they host the Adirondack Thunder at 7:00 PM for “Nickelodeon Takeover Night,” featuring Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles specialty jerseys. It’s also Jewish Heritage Night, in celebration of Hanukkah. December 27^th is a 7:15 PM faceoff against the Reading Royals. It’s STEM Night, focusing on science, technology, engineering, and math. Groups of 10 or more can get discounted tickets by calling 833-GO-MAINE. Individual tickets can be purchased at MarinersOfMaine.com, at the Trusted Choice Box Office inside the Cross Insurance Arena, or by calling 207-775-3458. Four tiers of holiday packs for all gift-giving budgets are also available at MarinersOfMaine.com

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CRAWFORD: FORWARD RYAN GROPP RETURNS TO WOLF PACK

Has Seven Points in Ten Games with Maine Mariners

BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack 

HARTFORD, December 11, 2019:  Hartford Wolf Pack general manager Chris Drury announced today that the parent New York Rangers have reassigned forward Ryan Gropp to the Wolf Pack from its ECHL affiliate, the Maine Mariners.

Gropp, who has played one game with the Wolf Pack this season, has three goals and four assists for seven points in ten games with the Mariners.  The third-year pro also has posted a +4 and served six minutes in penalties.

A second-round selection (41^st overall) by the Rangers in the 2015 NHL Draft, Gropp has suited up for 121 career AHL games with the Wolf Pack, notching 25 goals and 22 assists for 47 points, along with 34 penalty minutes.  In 18 career ECHL contests with the Mariners, the 23-year-old 6-3, 187-pounder has totaled eight goals and seven assists for 15 points, plus six PIM.

The Wolf Pack are back in action on home ice tonight, with a 7:00 PM contest vs. the Binghamton Devils.  That is another chance to take advantage of the Wolf Pack’s “Click It or Ticket Hat Trick Pack”.  The Hat Trick Pack includes two tickets, two sodas, and one large popcorn, all for just $40.

Tickets for all 2019-20 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $10 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.

To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (860) 722-9425, or click here to request more info.  To visit the Wolf Pack online, go to hartfordwolfpack.com.