CANTLON’S CORNER: VINNI LETTIERI PLAYS BIG PIECE OF WOLF PACK PLAYOFF RUN 

Vinni Lettieri

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

CROMWELL, CT – Prior to his departure for the AHL All-Star Classic in Ontario, California Vinni Lettieri was in a good spot as the final 22 games of the regular season.

The last stretch commences in a home and home divisional pair of games with Springfield starting Friday at 7:15 pm at the XL Center.

Lettieri returns along with teammate Joey Keane and head coach Kris Knoblauch as part of Atlantic Division winners of the 2020 AHL All-Star Classics.

Lettieri popped in two goals the first came on a breakaway 2:13 into the first period for the Atlantic Division squad.

The second was vintage Vinni off wing slapshot on a cross-ice feed from Providence’s Jack Studnicka 26 seconds into the action against the North Division.

Then Joey Keane scored the next goal a little over two minutes later en route to a 5-2 win. He would also add an assist on the night.

Now that all festivities are over Lettieri gets back to the task at hand.

Practice is the key to his growth and progress. A few weeks ago in Cromwell, he and Keane spent a half hour or so taking extra shots and in one sequence hit the post three times in a row and he tossed his stick up in the air in baton tossing fashion.

“That was one day because it’s every day. To get better you have to do it every day.

Joey and I do it a half-hour or so and it’s important because it helps me to know where I am now and where I wanna go, work every day.

It’s always good to work with someone on those one-timers and Joey has been really good at it. Our powerplay has to improve, so we put in the extra time.”

He has admitted his season was a slower start than he would have liked, but on and off-ice work has helped his game improve.

“I have watched videos that have given me of Artemi Panarin (Rangers), ex-CT Whale Jonathan Marchessault (Las Vegas) and David Pasternak, (Boston the NHL’s leading goals scorer).

It’s learning how to hold onto the puck to make a better shot just not shooting randomly. So it’s just one thing that changes everything it’s a combination of things. It’s not a pattern that I see its learning each game is different.

Using the coaches and all the other resources plus my teammates have helped make me a better all-around player,” remarked Lettieri.

Panarin, the Rangers leading scorer and who has a high-end skill set is not a bad guy to pattern some of your game after.

“Watching how he holds the puck in preparing for a shot is something, it’s one of the little things of the game you learn. Pasternak’s shoots so well from any area he’s at its amazing.

Marchessault, he seems to be everywhere and he is really dynamic and has great acceleration,” said Lettieri showing his keen scouting skills.

Over the roller coaster past few weeks haven’t left Lettieri having seen the valley of the last two seasons.

“For the better part of the year we have played the same way and stuck to our game plan and it’s a long season nothing is perfect. Yes, we could have played better in some ways, but overall I like this group and think more often than not will come out on top,”

As they prepare for a weekend with Springfield a year ago same building he was adamant about making the playoffs three days the captain was traded and the team never recovered. This is obviously a very different group.

“We certainly want it, but that is always important that we have to focus and continue to grow and get better and those things will take care of themselves.”

AHL NEWS

-Two pieces of new AHL arena news coming out of the AHL All-Star Classic.

The San Jose City Council Tuesday night approved the expansion of the Solar4 American Ice Center that will become the new home of the AHL San Jose Barracuda.

The arena located in central San Jose 3.6 miles about from the SAP Center aka Shark Tank where the Sharks and their AHL affiliate have shared the building for the past five years since the creation of the AHL Pacific Division.

The upgrade slated to start this April that will see the complex go from four to six sheets of ice including a 4,200 seat competition arena that is to be completed by April 2022.

The arena sits on a 21.2-acre site that also includes Excite Ballpark, home to the high, Class A eight-team California League San Jose Giants.

The building has been the only secondary off-site training facility for the Sharks and Barracuda.

The facility is also home to the collegiate varsity club hockey squad, the San Jose State Spartans (ACHA Division-2) and local high school hockey.

This new facility combined with the AHL coming 32nd team, the expansion Palm Springs, CA team the affiliate for the expansion NHL Seattle team further solidifies the western growth of hockey both NHL, AHL and soon collegiately.

-The West will also be solidified by the announcement from outgoing AHL President and CEO Dave Andrews that the Vegas Golden Knights are actively seeking to buy a current AHL team and move them to the Las Vegas area.

The arena would be in nearby Paradise called, the Orleans Arena that was home to the ECHL Las Vegas Wranglers from 2003-20014. The building is 7,773 seats- a perfect AHL size building but would have to undergo a serious overhaul of its operating systems to be ready by the fall of 2020.

Now, which team would they purchase?

The most likely candidate could be Rockford whose arrangement with the Chicago Black Hawks ends after this season.

In that scenario, the Golden Knights would purchase Rockford and then move the team to Las Vegas.

Meanwhile, the Golden Knights have the Chicago Wolves as their farm team would vacate that arrangement.

That could allow the Black Hawks to skate into an arrangement as the Wolves’ new parent team.

The Wolves are one of the few independently owned teams left in the league in which 19 of the 32 teams are NHL O & O (owned and operated) and is one of the best attended and promoted teams in the league.

When Wolves were firstborn in the old IHL under its present owner Don Levin the two were arch enemies. 20 plus years have passed.

Rocky Wirtz, not his father Bill is running the team I can see a marriage being formed with the Black Hawks.

There are some other possibilities, but Andrews’s comments at the State of the AHL press conference made it clear it was more of a matter of when–not if–the AHL would be in the Las Vegas area.

“I think that at some point there will be an (AHL) team in Vegas, or (the Golden Knights) will own a team, but would have to happen pretty soon.”  Andrews remarked who is as cautious as NHL President Gary Bettman is regarding announcements or speculations about team transfers, relocations or disbanding.

NOTES:

-Wolf Pack GM and Trumbull native, Chris Drury added another piece to his executive resume as he was named to the GM post of Team USA that will play in early May at the World Championships in Zurich, Switzerland.

-Now that the NHL and AHL All-Star breaks have concluded temporary roster moves for that time period have ended and movement has begun once again.

Goalie Adam Huska who went 1-1 with a 1.53 GAA win and Lewis Zerter-Gossage who scored his first ECHL in his two games were returned from Portland officially Monday.

Maine’s goalie Francois Brassard in a paper transaction was released from his PTO with the Wolf Pack.

Conversely, officially recalled on Wednesday by the Rangers was goalie Igor Shesterkin, but I don’t think this is the last time we will see him.

If Alexander Georgiev is not traded by the NHL Trade deadline (February 24th) he would likely be returned by then.

The Rangers could keep him in New York till their officially eliminated from playoff contention presently the Rangers are in the seventh spot for the wild card 10 points back.

Expect Shesterkin to be here when the Wolf Pack start the Calder Cup playoffs and with Igor, the Wolf Pack’s chances for a long run are significantly improved.

-Other notables from the AHL All-Star Classic were two former Quinnipiac Bobcats Sam Anas (Iowa) with two goals and Brogan Rafferty (Utica) with a goal and an assist. Ex-Pack and Sound Tiger Matt Ford (Grand Rapids) scored twice.

-Lias Andersson’s suspension was officially lifted and was formally reassigned to HV 71 (Sweden-SHL) for the rest of the season.

-Ex-Wolf Pack Dale Weise was recalled back to Montreal from Laval, Jarred Tinordi son ex-New Haven Nighthawk Mark Tinordi was recalled by Nashville from Milwaukee,

Jansen Harkins, son of former Whaler Todd Harkins was recalled to Winnipeg from Manitoba and Max Jones, son of former New Haven Nighthawk/Senators Brad Jones goes from San Diego to Anaheim.

-Goalie Callum Booth (Salisbury Prep) was assigned to Atlanta (ECHL) by Charlotte.

-Former UCONN Husky, Karl El-Mir was sent from Indy (ECHL) as the future consideration of a trade made last week with Greenville (ECHL).

-Ex-Sound Tiger John Persson signs a deal with Brynas IF (Sweden-SHL) for the rest of the season and for 2020-21 leaving SaiPa (Finland-FEL) who were having a poor season.

-Ex-Sound Tiger assistant coach Matt Bertani is an assistant coach with Team South Korea at the IIHF U-20 Division II Group B tournament being held in Gangnueng South Korea till February 3^rd.

-We’ll be seeing a goalie named Stauber a few times over the next few years.

Jaxon Stauber, son of the former Wolf Pack and Nighthawk netminder, Robb Stauber has made a commitment to Providence College (HE) next year 2020-21.

The 6’3 undrafted netminder played one game with Minnesota- State Mankato Mavericks (WCHA) before suddenly returning to Sioux Falls (USHL) for this season who are the defending USHL Clark Cup champions, where he was the playoff MVP last season.

Father Robb just completed his AHL honorary captain duties at the AHL All-Star Classic in Ontario, California at the Toyota Center, Sunday and Monday.

-Easton Armstrong, son ex-Pack great Derek Armstrong played his first two WHL with Regina picking up a one shot on goal.