CANTLON: PACK HOME FOR BATTLE WITH BRUINS 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack looks to rebound from their first loss of the season as they set out to play the visiting Providence Bruins on Sunday at 1 PM at the XL Center.

The Pack will try to improve on their 2-1 record.

Gabriel Fontaine will be unavailable to Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch after suffering an upper-body injury, but not to his surgically repaired left shoulder.

Not having his veteran center with such a young team and the lack of his presence puts immediate issues for the Wolf Pack with the traditional lack of natural center into play.

The decision to not sign Nick Jones, who played Thursday in Manitoba’s opener in Winnipeg, allowed Ville Meskanen to return to Finland last season, and not signing Matt Beleskey to an AHL deal leaves the Wolf Pack in this early predicament.

On the other hand, the only saving grace is the 24-game schedule.

KNOBLAUCH COMMENTS

“It certainly put us in a tough position. In the second and third, we had to shift some players and (Austin) Rueschhoff taking a faceoff on that goal, he’s a natural winger, so it hurts us, no doubt,” Knoblauch said.

The failure to finish on scoring chances, especially with such disparity as a 23-9 advantage at one point, was another glaring issue.

“We had some great chances Greco coming off the wing and (Tim) Gettinger on a shorthanded two-on-one with (Paul) Thompson. Credit Bridgeport’s goalie (Jakub Skarek) he made the save to keep his team in the game, but we have to bury those chances.”

Rueschhoff, a rookie right-wing, had an intense afternoon with a goal, four shots, and a big one, Cole Coskey, that knocked him out of the game for about half a period.

“Austin had a strong game, and for a big man, he shows he has some good goal-scoring skills. He made a nice play, and that was a good strong well-placed shot, and he was heading to the net on the play.”

QUINNIPIAC’S WHELAN EARNS PRAISE

In his first pro game, Alex Whelan of Quinnipiac University drew some favorable comments from the head coach.

“He did some nice things out there on Austin’s goal. His hit forced a turnover, and he did that in the second period as well. I liked what he for us.”

The Sound Tigers solid forechecking in the second half of the game was very noticeable.

“Part of the winning goal because we’re down a guy with Fontaine, and we couldn’t get the puck out, and they were able to maintain it, and we’re going have to address in our practice and make our team ready Sunday for Providence.”

Tyler Wall made his debut in Bridgeport with mixed results. Several goals didn’t happen because of Wall’s play, and an early first-period save on Thomas Kuhnhackl kept Bridgeport off the scoreboard. Some of the goals were not Wall’s fault. They came as a result of plays and events that occur in a hockey game.

“That save, and he made a few others even though they didn’t have many were important, and it was a nice side to side save, but he and the whole team have things to work on.”

WHO WILL BE IN BETWEEN THE PIPES?

The question after Wall’s performance is, will it be him, Adam Huska, or Dylan Garand who will mind the net for the Pack on Sunday?

“We’ve got a few more practices to go, so we haven’t made a decision yet,” Knoblauch said.

The New York Rangers will play two games this week after a week’s hiatus before the Wolf Pack play on Sunday.

“The schedule will dictate the rosters (taxi squad) in NY, and I have no idea because things change daily, so we’ll come in Sunday and look at the nameplates and go from there,” Knoblauch said with a laugh.

PRACTICE CHALLENGE

The Wolf Pack is structured and bifurcated with defenseman and forwards flip-flopping morning afternoon times as per the COVID restrictions promulgating from the DPH (Department of Public Health). The shortened season has allowed him and Gord Murphy to work on stringer instructional training and the players with a reduced game schedule also get more rest.

“The situation isn’t ideal, but everybody is doing things differently.

“We can do a lot of instructional and Zoom training with players, and now you’re having a game or maybe two, but it’s spread out over a week. Players can get the proper rest they need because some times with a full schedule, that doesn’t always happen, but our staff has done a very good job on this right from the beginning,”

The hope is that they’ll l be ready and rested for Sunday’s test with the Bruins.

BRADEN SCHNEIDER

Braden Schneider, who played two games with the Wolf Pack and with his junior league finally announcing a start date, returned for quarantine reasons. He was named the captain of the Brandon Wheat Kings for the 2020-21 season.

The 19-year-old defenseman becomes the 64th captain in franchise history.

Schneider is entering his fourth season in the Western Hockey League after being drafted 12th overall by the Wheat Kings in the 2016 WHL Draft. A native of Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, Schneider has played 185 games on Brandon’s blueline and finished the 2019-20 season with a season-high 42 points (7G-35A).

“Braden was a part of our leadership group last year, and he’s a big part of our hockey club,” says Wheat Kings Head Coach Don MacGillivray. “He’s coming back for his fourth year and is a respected leader on the ice and in our dressing room. He’s a player who has always done everything he’s asked, and he was the obvious choice to lead our group this season. He’s a great person to show our players how to play in the Western Hockey League and how to be a Wheat King.”

In October, Schneider was drafted in the 1st Round (19th overall) of the 2020 NHL Draft by the New York Rangers.

Schneider also won silver with Team Canada at the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship this winter in Edmonton, Alberta.

SCHNEIDER REACTS

“It’s an honor to be part of the leadership group again this season,” says Schneider. “It means a lot to me that our coaching staff has put the trust in me to lead our group. With so much history in this club, it’s a really special honor to be named a captain of the Wheat Kings”.

The WHL’s East Division includes the Wheat Kings, Winnipeg Ice, Regina Pats, Prince Albert Raiders, Saskatoon Blades, Moose Jaw Warriors, and Swift Current Broncos – begin their regular season schedule on March 12th in Regina, Saskatchewan, in a hub city format. All East Division games will be played out of Regina’s Brandt Centre without fans’ attendance due to COVID-19 precautions.

Some of the previous franchise captains have CT ties, including a Rangers player, Bill Fairbairn (1968-1976), one-time New Haven Nighthawks Dan Bonar, and Don Dietrich, who at age 59 passed away from cancer this week. Sadly, he also suffered from MS. A pair of former Hartford Whalers, the late Brad McCrimmon and Terry Yake, former Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Dan Tetrault, and Ryan Pulock, one-time Wolf Pack, Shayne Wiebe, and former Quinnipiac University Bobcat, Peter Quenneville.

NACHBAUR GETS A JOB

Former Whalers and New Haven Nighthawks player Don Nachbaur, who had been coaching SC Bern in Switzerland LNA but stepped down on December 1st, was hired as an associate coach with the Tri-City (WA) Americans (WHL).

Tri-City Americans General Manager, Bob Tory, announced the hiring of Nachbaur. He will join a fellow former NHL’er, Kelly Buchberger, who is in his third season with the Americans.

Nachbaur returns to Tri-City after spending six seasons with the Americans as head coach between 2003 and 2009. During his previous stint in Tri-City, Nachbaur led the Americans to the Scotty Munro Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s regular season champions in 2008 and guided the team to two division championships in 2008 and 2009.

Nachbaur is a WHL coaching veteran; he also spent six years with the Seattle Thunderbirds and seven with the Spokane Chiefs. Nachbaur is third all-time in wins for a WHL coach with 692. He’s also won the WHL’s Dunc McCallum Memorial Trophy as Coach of the Year three times: 1994-95 with Seattle, 2007-08 with Tri-City, and 2010-11 with Spokane.

“I am extremely excited to bring Don back to our organization,” said Tory. “I have worked with him twice, and both times he won WHL Coach of the Year. He brings a wealth of experience both as a player and a coach.”

Nachbaur played in the WHL with the Billings (MT) Bighorns (1977-1979) for two seasons playing 137 games with 67 goals and 146 points and 303 PM and was drafted by the Whalers in the third round 60th overall in the 1979 NHL Draft.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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