By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – Reviewing last week’s Reporter’s Notebook features plenty of movement by ex-Hartford Wolf Pack and LOTS of Connecticut-connected players also changing locale.
Last Monday, the Wolf Pack announced the signing of depth forward the 6’1, 185-pound, left wing/center and Czechia-native Matej Pekar.
Pekar’s three-year pro career has been spent with the Rochester Americans without attaining notable offensive success. Last season, he did post decent numbers with the Pack’s new Double AA affiliate, the Cincinnati Cyclones (ECHL).
Ex-Pack Ryan Gropp joins another ex-Pack, Lewis Zerter-Gossage (Kent School), on SC Bietigheim/Bissen (Germany-DEL) in 2023-24.
Former Pack Jacob Hayhurst signs an AHL two-way deal with the Coachella Valley Firebirds / Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL).
Blake Parlett, another ex-Pack, departs Nuremberg (Germany-DEL) and signs with HC Bolzano (Italy-IceHL) for 2023-24, joining ex-Pack Christian Thomas and ex-Sound Tiger Mike Halmo.
Another ex-Pack on the move is Mike Harder, the new head coach of Colgate University (ECACHL); Harder hires US NDTP assistant, former Yale Bulldog, one-time-captain Anthony Walsh as one of his assistant coaches.
Walsh was the assistant coach to another Yale Bulldog assistant, Dan Muse, who is now the new assistant on Peter Laviolette’s staff with the New York Rangers.
Finally, ex-Pack legend Brad Smyth, the all-time leading Wolf Pack scorer, was Head Coach of the Year with Kemptville.
OTHER CONNECTICUT PLAYERS MOVING ABOUT
The colleges continue to develop the future of some of Connecticut’s prep schools.
Last Sunday, Simsbury lifelong native Tommy Cross announced his retirement from professional hockey. He played at his hometown Westminster Prep. Between his college and pro career, except one season in Cleveland and some time in juniors in Ohio, he was a New England boy at heart. His captain skills were a vital character feature from Boston College (HE) and his time with the Providence Bruins. Most recently, he’s been with the Springfield Thunderbirds.
His leadership skills were well respected. In his first season in Springfield with the Thunderbirds, while still the property of the Florida Panthers, he was reassigned there and was named the team captain. He’s also been a captain six times in his career.
Last year, injuries cost him dearly, allowing him to only play in 18 games. He played his last pro game in the Wolf Pack sweep of the Springfield Thunderbirds in the opening round of the playoffs. He clearly was not playing at 100% but fulfilled his captain duties.
Yale gets a commitment from 16-year-old Kirby Perler, a Woodbridge native. Knowing the general difficulties surrounding Ivy League school admissions, it’s a verbal commitment pending his meeting the strict academic entry requirements. ECACHL schools still have to compete in the competitive college hockey marketplace.
Perler likely still faces a tough road and will need to go to either a prep school, USHL, or the now independent of BC Hockey, the Junior A level BCHL, before he sees the ice at Ingalls Rink in New Haven, home of the Bulldogs.
Note KIJHL-Kootenay International Junior Hockey upgraded by the BC Hockey Association to Junior A status.
Michael Munroe of Avon Old Farms is a 2025-26 commit to the University of Maine (HE) Black Bears.
Quinnipiac University (ECACHL), the National champions, got a commitment from Ethan Wyttenbach for 2026-27 to attend the Hamden campus.
Last year, he played for the Long Island Gulls U-15 team. He will likely be heading to a prep school and/or juniors until he arrives.
Ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Mitch Vande Sompel, goes from the Colorado Eagles (AHL) to the independent AHL Chicago Wolves. Bode Wild goes from the Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL) back overseas to HC Banska Bystrica (Slovakia-SLEL). Victor Crus-Rydberg switches teams in the Swedish lowest Division 1 league HockeyEttan going from Kalmar HC to Karlskrona HK in 2023-24.
Current Montreal Canadiens Head Coach, and former NY Ranger, Martin St. Louis’ boys are moving on. Ryan St. Louis, and his brother Lucas, who both played last year with the Dubuque Fighting Saints (USHL), have new destinations.
Ryan left Northeastern (HE) after his junior season of play and transferred to Brown University (ECACHL) in the fall. Lucas, meanwhile, is off to Harvard University (ECACHL). The St. Louis’ are both from Greenwich and played for Brunswick School.
St. Louis’s boss Montreal GM Kent Hughes, has his two boys also on the move.
Hughes’ son Riley has transferred from Northeastern to Ohio State University (Big 10). His brother Jack, an LA Kings’ draftee, goes crosstown in Boston from Northeastern (HE) to Boston University (HE). The Red Raiders open next season by hosting UCONN.
The Huskies have their regular season schedule partially out. The road schedule is there. They have home dates, but the venue(s) are still to be determined.
The only guaranteed XL center home dates are January 26th and 27th, hosting the Connecticut Ice Festival, for a total of six games that will be played.
Former Sound Tiger goalie Peter Mannino is elevated from assistant coach to head coach for the Colorado College Tigers (NCHC). He displaces former Sound Tiger Kris Mayotte, whose contract was not renewed.
Former Yale Bulldog Jean-Francois Boucher is the assistant coach with the Rockland Generals (HEO-Hockey East Ontario), a U-18 feeder league for the Junior-A league CCHL.
Cheshire native Rob “Bert” Malloy (Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack – ATJHL), in what is likely his last season of pro hockey, is suffering along with his teammates through the short-season Australian Ice Hockey League campaign.
Playing with his local AIHL team, the Central Coast Rhinos, are 1-23-1 and were trounced on Saturday 20-1 (not a misprint) by a fellow expansion team, the Brisbane Lightning.
Malloy is second on the team in scoring, playing just 17 games with 10 goals and 21 assists.
Union College (ECACHL) drops Dutchmen/Dutchwomen nickname to Garnet Chargers as the PC madness continues.
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