BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – There will be a new captain for the Hartford Wolf Pack next season.
Last season’s captain, defenseman Vincent LoVerde signed a deal with EC Salzburg (Austria-IceHL) and ended his two-year relationship in Hartford.
The 11-year AHL vet of 517 games was a trusted rearguard and fully embraced the development model of the modern AHL playing with almost every defenseman on the team over his time with the club.
”He was a very valuable part of the organization he really helped the young guys here,” Pack Head Coach, Kris Knoblauch, said. “He handled a lot of responsibility. He and (Darren Raddysh) were a solid pair the first year, and he was willing to play his offside, which wasn’t easy, and we were comfortable enough to play him with anybody.
“In a perfect world, we would love to have him back, but with the number of new players coming in on defense, there is just so much roster space.”
KEEPING THE MOTOR RUNNING
During last season’s pandemic, Knoblauch also had the unenviable task of trying to herd together and keep a team going under the health restrictions and the rough start the team had in the first portion of the truncated season.
The Wolf Pack went on a tear and had the opportunity to play for the Atlantic Division title after having been down 18 points in the three-team Atlantic Division. LoVerde scored his only goal last season in a game the Wolf Pack came up short, falling 6-2 to the Providence Bruins.
LOVERDE HAS A RECORD OF WINNING
LoVerde finishes his AHL career with 50 goals and 176 points, and a plus/minus rating of plus-115. He captured two Calder Cups playing in 78 post-season games notching 23 points and an incredible plus/minus of plus-31. LoVerde’s first AHL title was in the Manchester Monarch’s last season in the AHL. He and his then teammates sliced up the Wolf Pack in a four-game semifinals sweep in 2014-15, the last time Hartford appeared in the playoffs. They scored the first goal in 17 of their 19 games.
LoVerde won his second Calder Cup with the Toronto Marlies in 2017-18.
He played in two AHL All-Star games. Collegiately, Loverde played with Miami (OH) in the original CCHA where he won a regular season title in his junior year. The school was the conference playoff champion in his senior season.
LoVerde was an Economics/Business major and demonstrated his great business acumen as an AHL player rep in his last seven years. He was highly thought of by the PHPA Executive committee and hierarchy. When he is playing days come to an end, he could very likely be working in Niagara Falls for the union in some capacity.
WOLF PACK 2021-22
Darren Raddysh, who falls into a unique category as Group 6 Free Agent, is in an open-ended situation whether he will be retained and offered a new deal or not.
“Darren has that status like Vincent. Whether we can fit him in is going to be a tough call. We have a little extra time this year because the calendar is extended to mid-July, not July 1st, on free agency, and of course we have the (Seattle Krakken) expansion draft. So, there is a lot more going on this off-season,” Knoblauch said in a phone interview.
In the Restricted Free Agent (RFA) category, the Pack has many decisions to make, not the least of which are on three key Wolf Pack players. The first two are forwards, Tim Gettinger and Ty Ronning. They are one and two and were linemates.
“We certainly would love to have both of them back in our lineup. They both performed very well for us. That being said, a lot goes on above me regarding player contracts. We’ll just have to wait and see.”
HUSKA THE THIRD
The third RFA is goaltender, Adam Huska, and his services are a big need.
“We need a goalie and he more than showed he can win some games and provide solid work in net, but with the unknowns of an expansion draft, this is one of the tough spots. I really don’t know how this will work out, but we would love to see Adam back,” Knoblauch said.
OTHER RFAS
The other RFA’s are still being finalized where their status is in relation to the organization.
Defenseman Yegor Rykov, who was loaned out last year to CSKA Moscow (Russia-KHL) and played in the Gagarin Cup Final, has already signed a deal with Severstal Cherepovets (Russia-KHL).
Brandon Crawley’s initial Entry Level Contract (ELC) is expiring. He was loaned to the Cleveland Monsters at the end of the year. The chances of his coming back seem very remote.
ADDING TO THE ROSTER
Adding players will be different than most years.
“Maybe we can add a scoring forward or two, but we have so many players who are coming back, we’re likely only to be able to add a free agent or two, but between the expansion draft, potential trades, and the amateur draft it’s a very fluid place right now.”
Assistant GM Pat Boller, who has faithfully served the Wolf Pack for 13 years, will still be with the organization, but in a new role.
“The most I can say is he will be in an expanded role. It’s being finalized and there will be an announcement in the very near future.”
After spending the last two years as an organizational goalie coach, the highly affable Jeff Malcolm (Yale University) will be upgraded to being the Hartford goalie coach next season.
THE NEW SCHEDULE
The new schedule matrix of 72 games for next season pleases him, but Knoblauch couldn’t resist a chance for some sly humor.
“I haven’t seen the final schedule yet, but as long as our 36 home games aren’t all against Bridgeport (Islanders) and Providence, it should be good,” Knoblauch said with a laugh.
