By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack Training camp is three weeks away. Still, several New York Rangers prospects skated for various countries at the World Junior Championships version of the postponed from December WJC tournament in Edmonton, Alberta.
For the fourth time in history, the US squad finished with a perfect record (4-0) during the qualifying rounds. Rangers’ draftee, Brett Berard, scored the first goal in a 3-2 win over Sweden.
Canada, always a force in this tournament, also finished unbeaten. The Canadians were on track for a meeting with the US, who were victorious in an 11-1 rout of Slovakia with Will Cullye, and Brennan Othmann on a line together copped a goal and assist.
A 6-1 win over Austria followed Ridly Greig, the son of ex-Hartford Whaler and Springfield Falcon Mark Grieg, scoring and earning Player of the Game honors.
Another Rangers draftee, and their first pick last month in Montreal, Slovakia’s Adam Sýkora, a Rangers draftee and first pick last month in Montreal, scored in a Slovakia 3-2 win over Latvia and scored the goal of the tournament outside of the finale.
Sýkora came from center ice off a turnover on the left-wing boards. He carried it into the Latvia zone and slipped the puck past Bogdan Hadass, the Latvian defenseman, who played the puck rather than the man, before firing a cross-ice pass to teammate Jakub Demek on the right wing. Demek fed it right back, and Sýkora slipped the puck into the open right side of the net.
The 17-year-old was voted Slovakia’s Player-of-the-Game and will play for the WHL Medicine Hat Tigers starting next month. Medicine Hat selected him first overall in the July CHL Import Draft.
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Finland won the first quarterfinal game 5-2 over Germany. Ottawa Senators’ prospect Roby Jarventie had two goals and two assists.
Sweden advanced in the second QF meeting but barely edged out a tough Latvia squad, 2-1.
Canada advanced 6-3 over the Swiss. Culleye scored off a solid offensive zone cycle and cross-ice feed from the right side on a rush. He scored from off the left-wing short side high.
The last QF games saw Czechia pull off a big 4-2 upset victory over the US to advance to the semi-finals.
US ISSUES AT WJC
The US squad victimized itself with sloppy play and missed offensive opportunities by hitting several posts. The US took a foolish, unnecessary penalty early in the third period. Berard’s dangerous slew foot hurt the US team.
However, the Americans pulled within a goal cashing in on a major penalty, but that would be as close as they would get.
In a North Atlantic semi-final showdown for the nightcap, Finland slipped by Sweden 1-0 to meet host Canada for the Gold Medal.
Canada played Czechia in the late afternoon game and earned a commanding 5-2 win. Columbus draftee, Kent Johnson, had a goal and two assists. Future Wolf Pack goalie Dylan Garand notched 32 saves en route to the gold medal game.
In Edmonton, Team Canada won its fourth gold medal in ten years in spectacular fashion with a 3-2 overtime victory. It was a summer classic that was a well-played and highly entertaining game as the last hockey of the 2021-22 calendar year.
Topi Niemela took a shot that evaded Garand after he came out and challenged the Fin. Unfortunately, Garard wasn’t where he wanted to be and left an open net.
Mason McTavish (Anaheim), the tournament MVP, made a remarkable play batting the puck out of mid-air, over the goal line, near the right goal post.
It was swept away and began what would become the winning goal-scoring sequence.
In the wild three-on-three overtime Logan Stankhoven (Dallas) came in right-wing toe dragged it past his check. Then on his backhand caught an onrushing Kent Johnson. He went backhand for the five-hole and was still in a position while falling to slip in the rebound for the winning goal sending 13,327 fans at Rogers Place into a Stanley Cup winning-like frenzy at 3:20 as Canada captured their 19th overall World Junior Gold with an undefeated tournament record of 7-0.
The Finns had stormed back with two goals in the third after Josh Roy (Montreal) and future Bridgeport Islander William Dufour had scored.
McTavish, with 17 points, finished now among the pantheon of WJC greats Dale McCourt, Wayne Gretzky, and Brayden Schenn in all-time Canada WJC greats.
Finland took silver and didn’t toss them in a garbage can, and Sweden took bronze in a 3-1 win over Czechia.
Now it’s on to training camp next month.
PLAYER MOVEMENT
Adam Húska gets away as far as he can from Hartford, signing with Torpedo Novgorod (Russia-KHL).
In addition, the Islanders signs winger Arnaud Durandeau and defenseman Paul LaDue. The parent club re-signed Kieffer Bellows.
Amazingly, players present and past are still signing despite all the talk of hatred of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. They are far ahead of the pack in players to Europe, with 18 heading to Russia along with the Húska signing, along with other countries in the KHL is far ahead with new signees with 26.
Just a few more summertime moves as James Sanchez has moved on to Iowa Wild-AHL/Iowa Heartlanders-ECHL next year.
Former UCONN goalie Darion Hanson signs with his old first college coach, former Ranger and Springfield Falcon, and Springfield native Rick Bennett with the ECHL expansion Savannah (GA) Ghost Pirates. The team President is Bob Ohrablo, a former CT Whale executive.
Ex-Pack Travis Oleksuk moves on from Villacher SV (Austria-IceHL) and Rosenheim (Germany Division-III).
Vincent LoVerde, the ex-Pack team captain from two years ago, leaves EC Salzburg (Austria-IceHL) after a year to play for the Beijing-based Kunlun Red Star (China-KHL).
Former Wolf Pack Chad Nehring, 35, who was looking to hook up with an AHL team out West in the Las Vegas area where he lives, found no takers and has gone from Augsburger (Germany-DEL) to Grenoble (France Magnus-FREL), the former hometown of the legendary late pro wrestler, Andre the Giant (Rousimoff).
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Ex-Pack/CT Whale Devin DiDiomete re-signs for 2022-23 with Gyergyói HK (Romania-MOL).
The son of former New Haven Nighthawk Andy Rymsha, Drake Rymsha, goes from the Hershey Bears to the Bakersfield Condors.
The Bears and new coach Todd Nelson get former Quinnipiac University Bobcat (ECACHL), Sam Anas, under contract for next season.
Ex-Bridgeport Islander/Sound Tiger Cole Coskey signs with the Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL).
The Bridgeport Islanders have joined the tall goalie craze. The parent New York Islanders’ seventh round pick from last season, the 6’8 Finnish netminder, Henrik Tikkanen (MODO Sweden-Allsvenskan) and KalPa Kuopio (Finland-FEL).
The team also announced the signing of last year’s Saint John Sea Dogs (QMJHL) captain, the undrafted Vincent Sévigny of the Memorial Cup champions. He was traded from the Victoriaville Tigres and scored the game’s opening goal of the championship win, his last game in junior hockey.
They also re-signed a defenseman from two years ago, Ryan MacKinnon, who split last year between Lehigh Valley and Reading (ECHL).
Ex-Sound Tiger Alan Quine departs Henderson (AHL) for Ontario (AHL)
Robin Figren, a former Sound Tiger from two years in the Park City, has retired from hockey. The Swedish native played the last three seasons, with EHC Kloten winning the NLA title the previous year.
Ex-Pack, Ranger, and Springfield Falcon Gordie Dwyer signs on to be the coach/GM for the Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL).
Thomas Schmetisch
The list of AHL’ers to Europe has grown to 84. In addition, the list now includes former Springfield Thunderbird from four years, Thomas Schmetisch. He goes from Cleveland to Malmö IF (Sweden-SHL).
Schemitch’s older brother, Geoffrey, was a Tampa Bay Lightning fourth-round draftee in 2010. He spent four years with a Canadian University and a 111-game career with Acadia (AUAA). He has taken the route of ex-Whaler Dr.Fred Arthur and was just accepted into residency at the University of Toronto’s nationally renowned orthopedic program.
He also had a four-year OHL career with Owen Sound and Oshawa, totaling 222 games.
Former Springfield Falcon Goran Bezina retires and becomes an assistant coach with HC Sierre (Switzerland-LNA).
Collegiate North American pro signees for Hockey East 52, NCHC-36, CCHA-32, Big Ten-31, ECACHL-25, AHA-18, and NCAA Division I Independents-12. Division-III have now just 17 players. Underclassmen pro signees are 32, European college signees are 41, and the total number of signees for North America is 240, and North America plus Europe is 273.
Sammy Walker, a four-year Minnesota (Big 10) grad, signed a free agent, two-year, two-way ELC deal with the Minnesota Wild. His draft rights with Tampa Bay expired last week, making him an unrestricted free agent. He is from the Minnesota hockey-producing town of Edina.
Jack St. Ivany, formerly of Yale, took the same road and signed with Pittsburgh out of BC.
Three are attending Canadian colleges, and just one is attending a major Canadian junior.
The newest additions to the transfer list include the Fusco brothers, John and Matt, who have both transferred from Harvard (ECACHL) to Dartmouth College (ECACHL), a true rarity to have an intra-Ivy school transfer.
Yale University saw freshmen Phillip Tresca skating at Ingalls Rink in New Haven. He transfers from the Bulldogs to rival Harvard University.
In-school transfers are at 108, and grad transfers are 106 for a total of 214 to be moved this off-season in college hockey. One hundred players remain in the transfer portal.
Will Reardon, Loomis Chaffe (Windsor) (CTPREP) commit to Holy Cross (AHA) for 2024-25.
Sam Scopa from Belmont Hill (MAPREP) commits to Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) for 2024-25.
UCONN
The UCONN men’s hockey team finally announced their home slate for the 2022-23 season. They still have no venues or times listed as a deal with the CRDA, and their negotiating partner Stafford Sports, is still not yet done. However, there will be 17 games on the Huskies’ home ice this season.
UCONN will host Union College for their home opener on October 7th and 8th to kick off their non-conference home dates. The Huskies will then welcome from the Big Ten conference Ohio State on October 14th and 15th with a newcomer from Stamford in Richard D.J. Hart; this could be at the XL Center, rather it should be.
To wrap up their non-conference home games, the Huskies will welcome LIU (Long Island University)-Post for the first time on December 31 in a New Year’s Eve doubleheader with the Wolf Pack, likely at the XL Center.
Then another first-time opponent will see the reborn University Alaska-Anchorage Seawolves on February 22.
The Huskies are set for 11 Hockey East conference matchups on home ice with Boston College on October 27, likely at the XL Center.
The Huskies will welcome the Maine Black Bears for a two-game homestand on November 4th and 5th. UCONN will welcome Providence College and UMass- Lowell as part of a home and home series on November 12th and 19th, respectively. The December schedule for the Huskies will feature Merrimack and Boston University on December 2 and December 11, respectively.
The news on the yet named or with a corporate sponsor on-campus arena won’t be ready for games till likely mid-January as of now, till they get their CO (certificate of occupancy) to have fans.
The Huskies leaked to the UCONN Blog that the final four games have been scheduled for the new arena in Storrs.
Three conference games with UMASS, UNH, and BC and the non-conference date with Alaska-Anchorage are slated to be a student-only game, according to the microsite announcing season ticket packages.
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The inaugural game is tentatively slated as part of a men’s and women’s doubleheader against a yet-named opponent on January 14.
The University has been pushing its winter athletic teams, men’s and women’s basketball plus hockey, to play more on-campus games to prevent the need to play or practice at the XL Center for the game night charge of $20K for hockey and $40K a night for hoops (or practice rental charge) as they seek to tackle a nearly 60 million dollar budget shortfall in the sports department, that includes last spring’s summary judgment of 11-million dollars to pay former men’s basketball coach Kevin Ollie. The $11M is the balance of his contract owed.
There is a tug-of-war between the CRDA. The quasi-public agency oversees the venue’s operation, new building operator OVG-Oak View Group, the state legislature, and UCONN.
The school publicly dropped several hints in the late spring as their contract was expiring regarding this subject.
UCONN hired an outside entity familiar to all parties involved. In addition, they were familiar with Stafford Sports to handle the negotiations for a new contract, which is still unfinished.
The nearly 50-year-old building’s future is still in a state of limbo, and the more than necessary complete rebuild is eight years overdue.
That’s the reason why no venues or times were released last week. Now hockey has been hoping to practice in the new building this fall. Howlings learned several months ago that with all the exterior work now done, all that remains is the interior work, again to save money on practicing at the XL Center as much as possible.
FREITAS ICE FORUM
The Freitas Ice Forum has a new sheet of ice. Unfortunately, it’s reportedly on its last legs as a functional building to play games or practice in after this year. Will UCONN wrangle out of Hockey East another waiver?
The building is scheduled to be re-purposed in two years for another sports facility, likely for volleyball.
Fellow Hockey East school members are more than just slightly irritated with UCONN. Perhaps they can get a few more games in the severely sub-standard building, last used two years ago in the pandemic year.
UCONN has remained mum on the subject.
Ex-UCONN Husky Joe Masonius departs Adirondack (ECHL)/Utica (AHL) for Kalamazoo (MI) (ECHL).
Steve Bergin, from the UCONN (AHA) years, comes back from a year with Hershey (AHL) to be the new associate head coach at Sacred Heart University’s (AHA) with head coach C.J. Marrotolo (North Haven) next season. He was his assistant two years ago and had a five-year minor pro career with Pensacola (SPHL).
RIP
Sadly, two more former Hartford Whalers have passed away in the last several weeks.
Original New England Whaler Terry Caffrey dies. He and the New England Whalers’ all-time leading scorer, the late Tom” Hawkeye” Webster, topped the 100-point plateau in that first year in Boston. He was the first ever WHA Rookie-of-the-Year. George Lye, in 1976-77 was the second Whaler to win the Award.
Secondly, also passing away was former Hartford Whalers trainer (1983-1990) Tommy “Woody” Woodcock, whose wake was in Rocky Hill. He was a member of PHATS (Professional Hockey Athletic Trainers Hall of Fame), the National Hockey Hall of Fame, and the AHL Rhode Island Reds Hall of Fame.
Howlings sends its sincerest condolences to the friends and families of these two Hartford legends.
