HARTFORD WOLF PACK REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK 

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – For the Hartford Wolf Pack and their parent organization, the New York Rangers, the lazy, hazy summer days are winding down. The teams are two weeks away from training camp opening in Tarrytown, NY and then the Wolf Pack training camp at the XL Center starts a couple of weeks later.  There are still moves being made in the hockey world.

The Rangers have hired Angela Ruggiero (Choate Rosemary Hall-Wallingford) to join Peter Laviolette’s coaching staff as a Hockey Operations Adviser. No clear reporting on what her responsibilities will be.

Rangers President Chris Drury (Trumbull) and she were both selected and entered the US Hockey Hall of Fame together with the Class of 2015.

Ruggerio played for several US Women’s Olympic teams and won a gold, two silvers, and a bronze medal. She earned four gold medals and six silvers in international World Championship action.

In 1999, the Harvard grad with an MBA degree won a national title with the Crimson, and the defenseman won the Patty Kazmier Award as the top college female hockey athlete in 2004.

She played for two women’s professional leagues in her active playing days. She was part of the CWHL (Canadian Women’s Hockey League) and the WWHL (Western Women’s Hockey League) during her 11-year career. Ruggerio retired in 2011.

She has been involved in the business side of hockey since then.

Hiring Ruggerio is part of the overall revamping of the Rangers coaching staff.

HARTFORD CONNECTED ATHLETES MAKING MOVES

Casey Torres, an ex-Pack assistant coach for one year and who was out of hockey last year, is back in. was named the assistant coach for the Windsor Spitfires (OHL).

After a year off from hockey, ex-Pack Peter Holland signs with the Colorado Avalanche organization and will likely be skating with the Colorado Eagles next season. Holland last played in Sweden two years ago.

Holland was traded from the Wolf Pack in 2018-19, a week after then-captain Cole Schneider. The belief is that Schneider was dealt because of the manner in which he tried to motivate then rookie, and now an unsigned ex-Pack, Libor Hájek. Apparently, Schneider’s actions angered former Wolf Pack head coach Keith McCambridge, who is now an assistant coach with the Bakersfield Condors.

Ex-Pack Jake Elmer dissolves his contract with Odense in Denmark and signs with the Dundee Stars (Scotland-EIHL) for next season.

Jeff Heil was a backup goaltender for 11 games during the Wolf Pack’s first season. His son Caleb, also a goalie, is involved in the game. He played for the Sioux City (SD) U-16 AAA (T1EHL) team and nine games for the Sioux Falls Stampede (USHL) last season and has verbally committed to play in two years at the University of North Dakota (NCHC).

Jabez Seymour, a Newfoundland native from the Selects Academy program at South Kent Prep-SKP U-15 team last year, signed with the Baie-Comeau Drakkar, who drafted him in the first-round 18th overall in the June QMJHL Draft.

After six years as a head coach for Kootenay/Winnipeg Ice (WHL), ex-Whaler/Ranger James Patrick signed to be the new Director of Player Development for the Victoria Royals (WHL). The team in Winnipeg was sold to a group of the Wenatchee (WA) Wild, who moved up from the Junior A level BCHL to the major junior WHL. One of the players to start the year there will be Easton Armstrong, who is the youngest son of ex-Pack legend Derek Armstrong. He’ll play his overage year to start with Wild.

After four years as the Northern Ontario Scout for Kingston Frontenacs (OHL), ex-Sound Tiger Brent Gauvreau returns to his hometown as an assistant coach with the Sudbury Wolves (OHL).

AHL signings to Europe now stand at 76. The latest, Alex Galchenyuk, leaves the Colorado Eagles (AHL) for SKA St. Petersburg (Russia-KHL). Sweden leads in the signees department with 30.

Maxim Barbashev, who was in the Wolf Pack house late last season when his junior season ended but never played a game, was involved in a pre-season QMJHL trade as he was moved from the Moncton Wildcats and will play his third season with the Shawinigan Cataractes.

Ex-Pack Josh Nicholls leaves Kunlun Red Star (China-KHL) for a second time and signs with the Sheffield Steelers (England-EIHL).

SIGNINGS/TRANSFERS

The college to pro signings North America/Europe, and the transfer in-school and graduate continues.

North America first, Hockey East leads all conferences with 38, and the NCHC conference has 37. The Big Ten and the CCHA each have 34, the ECACHL 25, and the AHA 21. Division III is at 32, and attending Canadian colleges four and undergrads departing early is 39. Independent Division I schools now have 14, signed in Europe is 62, and returning to American junior hockey is two. Surprisingly, none have yet to come from Canadian major juniors.

The total number stands at 301.

The transfers collegiately have exploded in-school is 102 and graduate 68.

UCONN

UCONN finally announced its official incoming class for the college hockey season.

Ethan Haider is a post-grad goaltender from Clarkson. He is expected to split time with the returning Arsenii Sergeev (Calgary). Another grad transfer will be Ryan Mashie of RPI (ECACHL).

Incoming freshmen will feature Oliver Flynn (Wolcott/CT Chiefs (AYHL)/Loomis Chafee Prep-Windsor). Forward Joey Muldowney, D Owen Simpson, and Bauer Swift (West Hartford/Choate Rosemary Hall-Wallingford). Swift has an older brother (Cooper) and younger brother (Easton) involved in hockey and are both named after a hockey equipment brand.

Rayen Petrovický, the son of former Hartford Whaler and Ranger Róbert Petrovický, elects to sign with VHK Vestin (Czechia (Czech Republic-Division-II) for 2023-24.

It took just two days for ex-Yale Bulldog Ken Agostino’s one-year deal with Skellefteå AIK (Sweden-SHL) to be terminated. The team said it received backlash for signing someone who played in Russia for the last two years with the ongoing war in Ukraine. He played on the 2022 US Olympic squad at the Beijing Games.

Howlings previously reported on the strange anomaly of current and ex-North American players signing deals with KHL clubs despite the war and public declaration that the NHL wanted nothing to do with Russia, where no transfer agreement exists. A long line of players behind Agostino have all done the same thing.

Per Elite Prospects.com, as of last week, 53 North Americans are in the KHL, 39 Canadians, 15 Americans, and 22 players from EU nations are listed in the KHL. Russian and European training camps are about to end as their regular season starts next month.

Will other EU clubs announce their rescinding any dealings with any of these players or others?

Wolcott native Nick DiNicola, who played youth hockey for the CT Jr. Wolves (AYHL), CT Clippers (AYHL), Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack (ATJHL), CT (Stamford) Yankees (USPHL-Premier) then under the direction of ex-Wolf Pack/Sound Tiger Jeff Hamilton (Yale University & AOF) and had five games with the Danbury Hat Tricks (FPHL) leaves Como (Italy Division-2) for Chiavenna (Italy Division-3) for next season.

By the way, Hamilton has owned the CT Jr. Rangers (NCDC) for the last two years and is out as owner. He was involved with the Mid-Fairfield Rangers U-14 team as head coach last year.

Five ex-Whalers were at the golf club at Avon Country Club last weekend for a charity event. They included Ron Francis, Ulf Samuelsson, Mike  Liut, Dave Tippett, and Joel Quenneville. The tournament was named, honoring Quinneville’s late nephew Connor Scott Zieky. None of them made it to the Yard Goats Whaler Day last month. The Yard Goats official assistant GM, Dean Zappolorti, said Francis informed him he would come next year and help him recruit other players to attend. If that happens and Pat Boutette gets Mike Rogers and Blaine Stoughton to return, it will be a home run (pun intended) next year.

Ex-Pack Domenic Moore is playing in the Over-40 Senior Canadian Tennis Championships. During the hockey season, he works as an Analyst for ESPN.

An NHL source regarding the Phoenix situation.

“It’s a mess. We hear that they’re looking to secure land now, but they have to get something soon. It’s become an embarrassment…a sore point for the league, a  black eye. The player’s association is unhappy, they’re losing money and owners are getting tired of spending money to keep them going. Sooner or later, something has to give, soon, it just can’t keep going on like this. When a kid like (Logan) Cooley, a next generation likely NHL star, signs reluctantly, leaving a larger arena he had in college (Minnesota) for a smaller one in Arizona, that they’re not even selling out, things have to get done in short order. They’re gonna have to move them most likely if they don’t nail things down soon.”

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

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