CANTLON: OFF-SEASON VOLUME 9 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – A week before the NHL Seattle Expansion Draft and the NHL Amateur Draft, the hockey movement this week was quiet, but some Connecticut pieces are on the move.

PLAYER & COACHING MOVEMENT

The Wolf Pack will be getting a new assistant coach for head coach Kris Knoblauch.

Associate head coach Gord Murphy was promoted to an assistant on new head coach Gerard Gallant’s staff. He will be joining Mike Kelly, a long-time assistant with Gallant in several other hockey stops.

In addition to promoting Murphy, New York Rangers President/GM Chris Drury will be looking for a third assistant coach for the Blueshirts, a new General Manager for the Hartford Wolf Pack, and looking to fill some remaining pro and amateur scouts.

McGUIRE LEAVES TV

Former Hartford Whaler’s head coach (and assistant GM), Pierre McGuire, is heading into the organizational hockey ranks.

Last week, McGuire was named the Senior Director of Player Development for the Ottawa Senators.

For the New Canaan, Connecticut resident, it’s his second go-round in Ottawa. He was a scout in the mid-1990s after being on two Cup-winning teams in the NHL with Pittsburgh as an assistant before hitting Hartford.

McGuire has held a significant media presence in NHL Hockey for over twenty years. He began in Canada on TSN and the last 16 years at NBC. However, with the NHL switching national TV contracts from NBC to ESPN and Turner Sports, McGuire was not among the crew to make the switch.

He has also been a staple on TSN radio as a morning show guest on Ottawa TSN 1200, middays in Toronto on TSN 1050, and in his hometown of Montreal in the afternoons on TSN 690 with afternoon host Mitch Melnick.

McGuire’s son, Ryan, is an incoming freshman at Colgate University (ECACHL), where he will play in the fall.

OTHERS ON THE MOVE

After five years as an assistant coach with the Columbus Blue Jackets, Former Whaler Brad Shaw exits to become the new assistant coach with the Vancouver Canucks.

Former Wolf Pack, Ryan Graves, was traded by the Colorado Avalanche to the New Jersey Devils for a forward, Mikhail Maltsev.

Ex-Pack Shawn St. Amant signs a two-way deal AHL/ECHL deal with the Laval Rocket. He will likely skate for the Rocket’s brand new ECHL team, the Trois-Rivieres Lions.

Trois-Rivieres will have another ex-Wolf Pack, Pascal Rhéaume, as one of their two assistant coaches to help head coach Éric Bélanger.

Rhéaume’s son, Nick, will be playing with the Prince George Spruce Kings (BCHL) in the fall and then at UMASS-Lowel (HE) in 2022-23. His nephew is goalie Dylan St. Cyr. In the fall, he will be playing for Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) as a grad transfer from Notre Dame (Big 10).

St. Cy’s father is former New Haven Senator Gerry St. Cyr. His mother is Manon Rhéaume, the first woman goalie to play in an NHL game. She did that with the Tampa Bay Lightning in two exhibition games in the early 1990s.

Former Wolf Pack and Sound Tiger Justin Vaive leaves the Kelly Cup champion Ft, Wayne Komets (ECHL), and returns to the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL) for the upcoming season.

ODDS AND ENDS

The Abbotsford newest entry in the AHL has a name, the Abbotsford Canucks. The name, and the logo, and the team colors, were unveiled last week.

The AHL Canucks are the seventh team in the league to share their parent team’s nickname joining the Providence Bruins, Bridgeport Islanders, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins, Texas Stars, Belleville Senators, and Iowa Wild.

“Johnny Canuck” has long been the primary logo and a part of the Vancouver Canucks history. The design elements maintain a solid connection to the past while forging a new beginning in Abbotsford.

The team’s colors are Field Green, Pacific Blue, Fraser Blue, Valley Fog Grey, and Mountain White, representing the Abbotsford area.

Their dark jersey is primarily Field Green, while the light jersey is Mountain White. Details in the jersey’s sleeve stripes form the letter “A” to represent Abbotsford.

EUROPEAN SIGNINGS

The AHL-to-Europe signings continue.

Veteran Jordan Weal leaves Laval for AK Bars Kazan (Russia-KHL). Goalie Landon Bow of the Texas Stars signs with HC Ryriti Kladno (Czech Republic-CEL), making 45 AHL’ers to leave. As a result, 21 of the 31 AHL teams have lost at least one player. 15 players head to the KHL and 11 to Russia.

One player not heading overseas is veteran forward Richard Clune. He was re-signed by the Toronto Marlies to a one-year AHL deal.

Ex-Pack Vinni Lettieri signs a one-year, two-way deal with the Anaheim Ducks/San Diego Gulls that pays $700K in the NHL and $425K in the AHL.

LOVE SIGNS ON

The Stockton Heat get a new head coach. Mitch Love played 278 games in the AHL player, with the Albany River Rats being among his five AHL teams. He was an assistant with the Everett Silvertips (WHL) for seven years and was the Saskatoon Blades (WHL) head coach for the last three years.

He did work for Canada internationally on two Under-17 teams, a Hlinka Cup, and the last two World Junior championship squads as an assistant.

Ex-Pack Kale Kerbashian, who split last season with EHC Lausitzer and Löwen Frankfurt (Germany DEL-2), signs with Esbjerg (Denmark-DHL). The league is known as Metal Ligaen.

EX-CT PLAYERS MOVING

Ex-Wolf Pack Danny Kristo, who played for the Chinese KHL team – Kunlun Red Star – operating near Moscow last season, and with Augsburger (Germany-DEL), signed a contract with HC Ryriti Kladno (Czech Republic-CEL), winners of the Czech Division 2 title last year and promoted back to the Elite League. The team is owned by former Ranger and NHL great, Jaromir Jagr who turns 50 in 2022 and is slated to play again.

Former Wolf Pack Luke Adam switches teams in the German DEL going from Nuremberg to Iserlohn Roosters.

Ex-CT Whale, Christian Thomas, takes another crack at the KHL, leaving KooKoo (Finland-FEL) and signs with Barys-Nur Sultan (Kazakhstan-KHL).

Former Wolf Pack/Bridgeport Sound Tiger Jack Combs leaves SC Czikszereda (Romania-MOL) and heads for Rostocker EC (Germany Division-3).

MORE MOVES

Ex-Wolf Pack Bert Robertsson was relieved of his head coaching duties midway through last season by Linköping HC (Sweden-SC). He will be an assistant coach with SC Rapperswil-Jona (Switzerland-LNA). His son Simon is NHL Draft eligible next week.

Ivan Nikolishin, the son of former Hartford Whaler Andrei Nikolishin, changes KHL teams leaving Kunlun (China-KHL) and signs with Amur Khabarovsk (Russia-KHL).

Ex-Sound Tiger C.J. Motte, last season’s third-string goalie, in his second stint with the team, played in just three games before returning to the Allen Americans (ECHL). He has signed with the Coventry Blaze (England-EIHL).

Kyle Haas, the son of former New Haven Nighthawk David Haas, signs with the Dundee Stars (Scotland-EIHL).

The Hong Kong Tycoons won the CIHL championship in the short-season league knocking off the Macau Aces.

DUNCANSON

Congrats to former Nighthawk Craig Duncanson for being named the new head coach of the Sudbury Wolves (OHL). He spent the last seven years as the head coach of the Laurentian University Voyageurs (OUAA) in his second go-round with the school. After retiring as a player, he coached (1997-2000) at the school and has been a coach at various levels in the Greater Sudbury region.

He played for the Wolves and was their first pick (2nd overall) in the 1983 OHL Priority Draft. The first pick was ex-Nighthawk, Trevor Steinburg.

Duncanson played twelve years of pro hockey. He started in New Haven after being the Los Angeles Kings’ first-round pick (#9 overall) in the 1985 NHL Draft.

He played 179 games in a Nighthawks uniform with 57 goals and 94 assists for 154 points and 522 penalty minutes.

He finished second in scoring to Hubie McDonough but led the team with 200 PIM in 1988-89, the year the team went to the Calder Cup final before losing to Adirondack after upsetting Sherbrooke.

Duncanson played for three years in Binghamton, then the Rangers farm team, and during their 1992-’93 juggernaut of a season with 124 points (69 points better than the New Haven Senators), but were knocked out in an upset by Rochester in seven games.

He had 662 AHL/IHL games with 495 points in 501 AHL games and 1,259 PIM. He also had 38 NHL games with nine points and 61 PIM.

COLLEGE HOCKEY NEWS

In college hockey news, Todd Burgess of Minnesota State-Mankato (NCHC) signs with the Manitoba Moose (AHL), becoming the 76th Division-I college player to sign a pro deal in North America.

The combined total of Division-I and Division-III players to sign in North America and Europe is 109.

Several more college transfers

Ryan Carmichael (Greenwich/Brunswick School) leaves Notre Dame (Big 10) and transfers to Yale University (ECACHL). Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) saw Matt Fawcett transfer to the University of Maine Black Bears (HE), becoming the third Bobcat to transfer.

Two Division-III players switch schools.

Patrick Pugliese (Loomis Chafee-Windsor) heads from the Niagara University Purple Knights (AHA) to the Hartford-based Trinity College Bantams (NESACAC), who play at the Koeppel Community Center Arena.

Frazer Dodd stays in Pennsylvania but goes from one Division-III Independent, Bryn Athyn, to another, Alvernia University (Reading).

These moves bump up the total number of in-school transfers to 61. Combined with 57 grad transfers for a staggering 109 college players having moved this off-season.

COLLEGIANS HEAD TO CANADA AND EUROPE

A third collegian crosses the border to play Canadian University hockey. Cameron Herbert from the recently canceled Robert Morris University (AHA) program will play for the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men (AUAA) in Antigonish, Nova Scotia.

Six more college players head to Europe. Tommy Lee (Salisbury School) departs RPI (ECACHL) with just two assists in two years of play and heads to Åmåls SK (Sweden Division-2).

Al Rogers of Saint Mary’s (MIAC) heads to Naprzod Janow (Poland Division-2). Romain Wild of Becker College (CCC) will play for SC Lyss (Switzerland-MHL). Philip Alftberg of St. Lawrence University (ECACHL) signs with HC Vita Hasten (Sweden-Allsvenskan).

Evan Tschumi Colgate University (ECACHL) leaves for HC Lugano (Switzerland-LNA), and Reid Yoachim of Princeton University (ECACHL) heads to Grästorps IK (Sweden – HockeyTvåan Division-2).

32 underclassmen have left school early, and 30 college players have now signed in Europe.

YALE HAS A LARGE RECRUITING CLASS

Yale announced an unusually high incoming class of nine skaters, including Carmichael and Will Dineen (Sioux City-USHL), the son of former Whaler great, Kevin Dineen, who the AHL’s San Diego Gulls fired recently, and Briggs Gammill (New Canaan/CT Jr. Rangers-NCDC).

Hartford-born Braeden Virtue is the son of ex-Wolf Pack Terry Virtue. He split last season with the Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL), who traded him to the Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL). They made it to the President Cup semifinals. He is on the move. He will play his last junior-eligible year with the Junior A Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL).

Travis Culhane, the son of ex-Whaler Jim Culhane, leaves the Colorado College Tigers (NCHC)  but stays in the state, transferring to the Denver University Pioneers (NCHC) for the same position as Director of Hockey Operations.

WRAPPING IT UP

The Michigan State Spartans (Big 10) announced they had received a $1.4 million donation to do upgrades to Munn Arena.

USA Hockey announced their U-17 National Team roster that will play next month at the Hlinka tournament in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta.

Brian Nicholas and Logan Renkowski from the Mid-Fairfield Rangers U-15 squad were both named to the team.

Kolby Donavan of the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks (NA3HL) heads to Grand Canyon University (Phoenix, AZ) in the ACHA Division-2.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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