NEW YORK RANGERS AND HARTFORD WOLF PACK MAKE FINAL ROSTER CUTS
By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The New York Rangers and Hartford Wolf Pack made their final roster moves Sunday.
The Rangers assigned right-winger Julien Gauthier from New York to Hartford after clearing waivers as their 16th forward. Defenseman Jarred Tinordi, also put on waivers, had a different outcome. The Chicago Blackhawks claimed Tinordi. If reassigned to the Rockford IceHogs, he must pass through waivers again.
The move now allows the Wolf Pack to negotiate with defenseman Tim Theocharidis, the only player on the roster on a Professional Try-Out.
It also allows the Pack and Rangers to make one player move each, as cap and player options are very tight.
The Rangers released defenseman Matt Bartowski as there would have been a veteran issue.
Hartford sent their off-season free-agent signings, Zach Jordan, Ryan Lohin, Luke Martin, and goalie Parker Gahagen, off to their ECHL affiliates, the Jacksonville Icemen. Junior signee Louka Henault, a second-year pro and last year’s walk-on Cristiano DiGiacinto, also was dispatched to Jacksonville. Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski’s younger brother, Easton Brodzinski, is also packing his bags for Florida. Goalie Talyn Boyko gets a Florida vacation before returning to Kelowna (WHL) after his release from his ATO.
The Wolf Pack released their training camp PTOs Brendan Harris, former UCONN player Joe Masonius, Jake Ryczek, and Sam Sternschein.
Colin Downey will be the new skills development coach as he replaces Casey Torres, who Jamie Tardif replaced as the assistant coach this year.
Torres’ departure was handled very quietly and efficiently. How it came about is a mystery.
Downey played collegiately at D3 Bowdoin College in Maine and professionally for eight years in Europe in France with Tours, HC Cholet, HC Mulhouse, Mont Blanc, and HC Courbevoie between France Division 2 and the French Elite League in the Magnus league.
NOTES:
Ex-Pack Pierre-Cédric Labrie gets a contract upgrade from a two-year AHL deal from the Syracuse Crunch to a one-year, two-way deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning at $770,800K (NHL)/$100K (AHL) whom they needed late last year.
Jansen Harkins, the son ex-Hartford Whaler, Todd Harkins, walks across the hallway to the Manitoba Moose. Ridley Greig, the son ex-Whaler Mark Greig, a scout for the Philadelphia Flyers, was assigned to the Belleville Senators.
John Hayden (Yale) is cut by the Seattle Krakken and is heading to Coachella Valley (Palm Springs).
Goalie Tomáš Vomáčka, the former UCONN star, is assigned to the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL). A former Hockey East opponent and ex-Pack goalie Tyler Wall is heading to the Reading Royals (ECHL).
Alexandre Fortin, the nephew of former Whaler Jean-Sébastien Giguère, goes from the Hershey Bears to the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL).
Former Bridgeport Sound Tiger Victor Bartley departs Kunlun (China-KHL) for the Utah Grizzlies (ECHL), and Jarrod Gourley, a former UCONN Husky, is sent to the Adirondack Thunder (ECHL).
Rangers draftee Bryce McConnell-Barker was named the captain of his OHL team, the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Brennan Othmann has been named the Lars-Erik Sjoberg Award winner as the Rangers camp’s best rookie. He was reassigned to Flint (OHL) last week.
