CANTLON’S CORNER: HOCKEY NEWS AND NOTES OFF SEASON Volume 10 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – After a vote by its membership, the NHLPA has approved the NHL’s decision to move to a 24-team playoff format to bring to a conclusion the 2019-20 NHL season. With that announcement coming earlier this week, it capped off a seven-day period of a great deal of hockey activity.

PLAYER TRANSACTIONS

Some AHL players have confirmed their decision to head to Europe while several others are patiently awaiting the NHL’s final decision about their season.

Ex-Pack Brian Gibbons (Salisbury Prep) is said to be close to signing a deal with HC Lausanne (Switzerland-LNA) after spending a part of this past season with the Charlotte Checkers and 50 games with the Carolina Hurricanes (NHL).

Gerry Fitzgerald of the Lehigh Valley Phantoms has signed with Vasterviks IK (Sweden-SHL). He joins Vile Saarijarvi, who split the year with the Tucson Roadrunners and the Grand Rapids Griffins. He heads back to Finland to play for Lukko Rauma (Finland-FEL) making 17 players in total who have moved and 13 of 31 AHL teams who have lost players.

In the college ranks, Cam Wright of Stonehill College (NE-10) signs with Amals SK (Sweden Division-2). The signing makes 29 college players signing in Europe and a total of 156 college players to sign pro deals in North America and Europe combined.

Jeff Kopek of Gunnery Prep (Washington, CT) commits to Utica College (UCHC).

COLLEGE HOCKEY

The WCHA’s University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers announced late on Friday that effective immediately the school was canceling their Division I hockey program.

The program has been a Division I team for 20 years and have had an active varsity program in Division I and II, plus an ACHA club team for 31 years. It was the only program in the Southern portion of the US for years until Arizona State launched a Division I independent program four years ago.

The team was coming off a horrible season, 2-26-6, the worst in the nation and in the program’s history. In fact, over the last nine years, the program has struggled to amass a record of 54-230-22 over that time span.

The hockey program started in 1979 and won ACHA National Club titles in a three-peat from 1982, 1983, and in 1984. They won two Division II national titles in 1996 and 1998. From 1986-1999 the Chargers bounced between Division I (originally in the NAIA conference) and Division II, but after the NCAA eliminated Division II level hockey, they made it to the top tier again.

Despite the poor on-ice performance and terrible gate receipts, averaging just 1,419 last season (47th among 60 Division I teams), they also had the second-worst capacity of attendance at a meager 21.5%.

Even though the school knew the numbers issue, they said last year they were planning to build a new on-campus arena taking them from their home rink, the Von Braun Center, which is also the home of the SPHL Huntsville Havoc.

The most famous graduate of UA-H was ex-Hartford Wolf Pack goalie, Cam Talbot, who’s now playing for the Edmonton Oilers. The first player to make it to the NHL from their program was forward, Jared Ross. of the Philadelphia Flyers, a few years before Talbot did.

Among the other notable alumni are, Jay Woodcroft, the current head coach of the Bakersfield Condors (AHL), former Bridgeport Sound Tiger goalie, Scott Munro, who is now a goalie coach at Trinity College (NESCAC), and Dennis Skapski, the father to former Wolf Pack goalie, Mackenzie Skapski.

The WCHA conference was set to lose seven schools after the 2020-21 season to form the new CCHA conference. The league is now down to eight teams.

The last Division I program to exit was Wayne State in 2008.

As UA-H leaves, Long Island University Sharks announced they were entering D1 hockey and becoming the 61st NCAA program and would play this comings season as an Independent.

Like everything else, COVID-19 has infected the expected expansion of Division I hockey over the next two years. The University of Illinois was scheduled to make an announcement in March that they were going DI and going to the Big 10 conference.

The WCHA was getting closer to announcing it will become the first true Western US states Division I college hockey conference.

Sadly, this may not be the only University to cut back on their D1 hockey program. There may be many other program cuts as two WCHA schools in Alaska are likely to merge at some point this summer as a cost-saving measure.

Some media reports state several Division I teams, particularly at state schools, and due to expected budgetary and health concerns are dropping non-conference games involving flying across the country in close quarters.

UCONN, who’s was looking to make an announcement next week in releasing their complete schedule according to Hockey SID Bill Peterson is still on schedule as planned.

The season including its only major travel to a Christmas tournament in Milwaukee to be hosted by the University of Wisconsin. In addition to the host U-of-W, also participating in the tourney is UCONN, Arizona State, and Clarkson University.

The hope is that safety will be less of a concern as far as travel by late December and the New Year.

The Huskies are scheduled to host the Ohio State Buckeyes (Big 10) and the Arizona State Sun Devils (NCAA Division I Independent) at the XL Center and open the season at home against the Sacred Heart University Pioneers (AHA) in October.

PRO HOCKEY

While the AHL has ended the 2019-20 season and the NHL is closer to reopening in a 24 team playoff format with details still being worked on.

Among the major issues is travel both to-and-from the United States and Canada as the border remains closed by mutual consent until June 21st. There could, however, be an exception that would apply to hockey players.

The National Hockey League and NHL Players’ Association do not believe Tuesday’s extension, according to published reports, will alter their plans as they continue to work toward resuming the 2019-20 season this summer.

The optimism comes from the belief that the border only remains closed for “non-essential travel,” which is defined as tourism, recreation, and entertainment.

It affects the NHL and the AHL who are now trying to plan the start of the 2020-21 season. The NHL has seven Canadian franchises, while the AHL has three.

Healthy people may continue to cross the border for “non-discretionary” reasons – for work and employment purposes – and NHL players and team personnel would be classified into that category according to two pro hockey sources familiar with the issue.

Most non-Canadian players on Canadian NHL clubs hold a work permit, which would qualify them as temporary workers and allow them to cross the border during the pandemic for a limited period of time as specified under the border closure guidelines.

A similar work visa exists for Canadian players who play for US-based teams and in the mutual consent decree by each government would naturally apply to Canadians here.

Players from Europe still have a serious hurdle to clear. One of the few worldwide universal restrictions in this pandemic has been flying to another country requiring a mandatory 14-day quarantine.

Approximately 17 percent of current NHL players are from Europe, according to NHL commissioner Gary Bettman. He disclosed in an interview on Monday that these players are currently enduring the COVID-19 pandemic in various countries in Europe scattered throughout the continent.

The AHL has a significant European player population.

Then there’s the Canadian government’s provincial pandemic guidelines which further hamper plans and adds another layer of bureaucracy to overcome.

Alberta and Quebec both have canceled all inside and outside large public gatherings until September 1st. Alberta announced another set of requirements. In addition to being quarantined for 14-days, a quarantine plan must be presented to public officials for review.

For the NHL it could scuttle plans to use Edmonton as one of its NHL hub cities for its Stanley Cup playoffs as currently being designed.

The AHL and NHL both season was paused their seasons on March 12th. The AHL season was formally canceled on May 11th. The Wolf Pack 2020-21 schedule has only one game date set, the home opener is scheduled for October 9th and that is now not set in stone.

The start of the 2020-21 season will most certaintly not begin in October. Read HERE in Thursday’s Providence Journal-Bulletin how if things were not tough enough, even the mere public mention of a facility being closed the rest of the year creates serious issues for the AHL.

AHL AWARDS

The American Hockey League announced Friday that Karl Taylor of the Milwaukee Admirals is the winner of the Louis A.R. Pieri Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding coach for the 2019-20 season.

Under Taylor’s guidance, the Admirals finished with the best record in their 19 seasons of play in the American Hockey League in 2019-20, going 41-14-5-3 (90 points, .714) and capturing the Macgregor Kilpatrick Trophy as regular-season champions.

Milwaukee allowed a league-low 2.24 goals per game and ranked seventh in scoring (3.35) – the third-highest goals-per-game differential (+1.11) in the AHL in the last decade – and established a team record with a 13-game winning streak from November 2nd to December 1st.

Milwaukee’s special teams were outstanding in 2019-20 as well. They ranked second in the league on the power play (25.2 percent) and sixth in penalty killing (85.5 percent).

Taylor, who coached the Central Division team at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic, has sent nine of his Admirals players to the National Hockey League to compete with the Nashville Predators this season.

The Fred T. Hunt Memorial Award winner was selected and awarded to San Jose Barracuda, John McCarthy, on Thursday.

The award recognizes an AHL player who best exemplifies the qualities of sportsmanship, determination, and dedication to hockey.

The captain of the Barracuda since 2016, after 18 games with four goals, McCarthy ended a distinguished 11-year pro career suddenly in December after suffering an ischemic stroke due to a previously undetected hole in his heart.

Following swift attention from the team’s medical staff and physicians at Kaiser Permanente San Jose Medical Center, McCarthy made a complete recovery and joined the Barracuda coaching staff as an assistant on Dec. 27, allowing him to continue mentoring the San Jose Sharks’ top prospects.

McCarthy, 33, played 577 games in the American Hockey League – all but 25 of them (Chicago Wolves) were with the Sharks’ affiliates in San Jose (2015-19) and in Worcester (2009-15) before he left with the team when the Pacific Division was created in 2015.

He totaled 130 goals and 167 assists for 297 points in the AHL and is the Barracuda’s all-time leader in games played (275), goals (62), assists (76) and points (138). McCarthy notched four goals in 18 contests with San Jose in 2019-20.

Originally drafted by the Sharks in 2006, McCarthy also had three goals and three assists in 88 career NHL games with San Jose. He was a member of the United States Olympic men’s hockey team in 2018 and co-captained Boston University to an NCAA championship in 2009.

Six players were named to the American Hockey League All-Rookie Team on Tuesday.

The All-Rookie team were Boston Bruins’ forward prospect, Jack Studnicka (Providence), and forwards Josh Norris, and Alex Fomenton (Belleville Senators). Also given the honor were defensemen prospects, Brogan Rafferty of the Vancouver Canucks (Utica Comets), and ex-Wolf Pack Joey Keane of the Carolina Hurricanes (Charlotte) who was traded for Julien Gauthier in February, and Montreal Canadiens goalie prospect, Cayden Primeau (Laval Rocket), the son of former Hartford Whaler, Keith Primeau.

The American Hockey League announced the 2019-20 AHL First, and Second All-Star Teams, as voted by AHL coaches, players, and media in each of the league’s 31 member cities.

Two former Quinnipiac University Bobcats, one on the first team (Sam Anas of the Iowa Wild) and the other on the second team, (Brogan Rafferty of Utica).

2019-20 AHL First All-Star Team

G – Kaapo Kahkonen, Iowa Wild (34 GP, 25-6-3, 2.07 GAA, .927 save percentage, 7 SO)

D – Jake Bean, Charlotte Checkers (59 GP, 10 G,38 A 48 TP 3 PPG and 18 PPA)

D – Brennan Menell, Iowa Wild (57 GP, 5 G 42A 47 TP, plus 8, 3 PPG and 23 PPA)

LW – Reid Boucher, Utica Comets (53 GP, 34 G, 33 A, 67 TP, plus 8, 9 PPG and 7 GWG)

C – Josh Norris, Belleville Senators (56 GP, 31 G,30 A, 61 TP, plus 9, 10 PPG and 4 GWG)

RW – Sam Anas, Iowa Wild (63 GP, 20 G, 50 A, 70 TP, 7 PPG, and 35 PPA)

2019-20 AHL Second All-Star Team

G – Connor Ingram, Milwaukee Admirals (33 GP, 21-5-5, 1.92 GAA, .933 save percentage, 2 SO)

D – Jacob MacDonald, Colorado Eagles (56 GP, 16 G, 26 A, 42 TP, plus 7, 7 PPG and 14 PPA)

D – Brogan Rafferty, Utica Comets (57 GP, 7 G, 38 A, 45 TP, plus 17, 3 PPG and 17 PPA)

LW – Gerry Mayhew, Iowa Wild (49 GP, 39 G,22 A, 61 TP, plus 16, 13 PPG and 10 GWG)

C – Alex Barre-Boulet, Syracuse Crunch (60 GP, 27 G, 29 A, 56 TP, plus 2, 9 PPG and 3 GWG)

RW – Drake Batherson, Belleville Senators (44 GP, 16 G, 38 A 54 TP, plus 14, 3 PPG and 2 GWG)

Each All-Star Team member will receive a custom-designed crystal award in recognition of his selection to the 2019-20 AHL First and Second All-Star Teams.

HOCKEY NEWS

Jim Rutherford, who has been the General Manager of the Pittsburgh Penguins since June of 2014, and who was also a former Whalers GM and a New Haven Nighthawk, and who was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame last year, now has an award named after him.

The OHL unveiled the Jim Rutherford Trophy that will go to the OHL Goaltender of the Year. The first recipient was Nico Daws of the Guelph Storm.

Remember potential Whalers future star, Hnat Domenichelli? He is the GM of HC Lugano (Switzerland-LNA). His son, Leonardo, plays for the HC Lugano U-15 team.

Amanda Boulier (Watertown/Westminster Prep/Yale University) signed a deal to play for another year with the NWHL Minnesota Whitecaps (her third) and was named head coach of Duluth Marshall HS (MNPUB) varsity girl’s program. She was an assistant coach last season and started her pro career with the Connecticut Whale. Among her teammates is Emma Stauber, the niece of former Wolf Pack and Nighthawk goalie, Robb Stauber. She also coaches a Minnesota high school hockey program Proctor/Hermantown. Her uncle, Dan Stauber, coaches the boy’s team.