By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack released their training camp roster on Sunday, which includes ten hopefuls on Professional Try-Out contracts (PTO).
The players on PTOs are goaltender Brad Arvanitis, defensemen Matthew Cairns, Ryan McCleary, Steven MacLean, Billy Constantinou. and Chris Cameron. Also on PTOs are forwards Luka Burzan, Peter Laviolette Jr., James Hardie, and Michal Mrazik. All of them are looking to make the Pack’s opening night roster.
With more cuts coming by the New York Rangers, the Wolf Pack will start camp with 17 forwards, ten defensemen, and three goaltenders on their training camp roster.
Forwards (17): Matej Pekar (Cincinnati-ECHL/Rochester), Turner Elson, Riley Nash (Charlotte-AHL), Anton Blidh (Colorado-AHL/NHL/Hartford), Luka Burzan* (Ft. Wayne-Cincinnati-ECHL/ Cleveland-AHL), Karl Henriksson, Sahil Panwar (Peterborough/Hamilton-OHL), Adam Sýkora (HK Nitra-Slovakia/Harford), Peter Laviolette Jr.* (Wheeling-ECHL like his Rangers’ Head Coach, he played Division III college hockey), Ryder Korczak (Moose Jaw-WHL/Hartford-5), Bobby Trivigno, Maxim Barbashev (Moncton-QMJHL), James Hardie* (Mississauga-OHL/Cincinnati-ECHL), Alex Belzile (Laval/Montreal), Drew Worrad (Toledo-ECHL/Grand Rapids), Cristiano DiGiacinto (Hartford/Jacksonville-ECHL), and Michal Mrazik* (Atlanta-ECHL/Tucson).
Defensemen (10): Matthew Cairns* (Cincinnati-ECHL/Milwaukee), Connor Mackey (Calgary-NHL/Arizona/Team USA-WC, his father is former NHL’er Dave Mackey), Zach Berzolla (Cincinnati-ECHL/Rochester), Blake Hillman, Seth Barton (Toledo-ECHL/Grand Rapids), Nikolas Brouillard (San Diego), Steven MacLean* (Wilfred Laurier-OUAA/Cincinnati-ECHL), Ryan McCleary* (Portland-WHL, rights traded to Swift Current, and the son of New Haven Senator Trent McCleary), Billy Constantinou* (Wichita/Norfolk/Wichita-ECHL/San Jose-AHL), and Chris Cameron* (Indy-ECHL/Milwaukee).
Goaltenders (3): Brad Arvanitis*(Rapid City/Tulsa/Wichita-ECHL/Pensacola-SPHL), Talyn Boyko (Kelowna-WHL), and Olof Lindbom (Jacksonville-ECHL/Hartford).
Later, the Rangers assigned seven more players to Hartford. All of them played in Hartford last year.
The players are goaltender Dylan Garand, defensemen Matthew Robertson and Brandon Scanlin, and forwards Adam Edström Rögle BK (Sweden-SHL/Hartford), Matt Rempe, Brett Berard (Providence College-HE/Hartford), and Jake Leschyshyn (Las Vegas-New York/Hartford).
RANGERS PRESEASON
The New York Islanders scored three times in the first period on Saturday night against Hamden-born Jonathan Quick.
The Rangers started slowly, but the Islanders didn’t. The Islanders got a secondary assist on the first goal from ex-Pack/Ranger Julien Gauthier, battling for a position in Belmont.
Jonny Brodzinski, who’s getting an extended look by the Rangers, had three shots in the first two periods, including the best-quality shot in the second frame for the Rangers.
The Rangers started the third period well. Ex-Pack Ryan Lindgren had a quality bid from the right-wing side. Brennan Othmann then scored the first Rangers’ goal at the right side of the net, knocking it down with his right skate and whacking the bouncing biscuit into the cage.
The Rangers have been pleased with what they’ve seen from Othmann to this point but need to decide whether to keep him in a limited role or send him to develop in Hartford, where he’ll get first-line minutes and power play time.
Another last season Pack, Will Cullye, continued to impress, sparking a late comeback that fell short. The hulking 6’4 forward was net front and swatted the puck out of mid-air and into the net to make it 4-3.
The Islanders sealed the deal with an empty-netter for the 5-3 final.
EMBERSON CLAIMED OFF WAIVERS
The Wolf Pack lost last season’s right-handed defenseman Ty Emberson to the San Jose Sharks on a waiver claim on Saturday.
The Rangers were forced to put Emberson on waivers as a veteran to get him to Hartford, and the Sharks took him. Emberson was a collegiate teammate and defensive partner of K’Andre Miller and is heading back out West, where he started his career (Tucson), heading to the AHL San Jose Barracuda.
The club assigned six others to the Wolf Pack. They included defenseman Connor Mackey, who was signed in the off-season. There are options for forward Adam Sýkora, who played two games at the end of last year. He is 19 years old and could be sent back to junior with the Medicine Hat Tigers (WHL), where he was the #1 overall pick in last year’s CHL Import Draft, or he could return to his native Slovakia like he did last year, or he could be in Hartford.
Also heading to Hartford is Turner Elson, a jack-of-all-trades last season for the Wolf Pack, who will likely have an “A” on his sweater this year. Joining him will be Alex Belzile, a captain in Laval with the Rocket, who spent some time in Montreal with the Canadiens last year because of the severe spate of injuries.
Anton Blidh came over to Hartford having a sub-par early part of the season with the Colorado Eagles and then briefly with the Avalanche. However, he became a significant asset helping the Wolf Pack when acquired at the trade deadline. He helped the Pack make the playoffs, ending an eight-year drought, not counting the pandemic year and was rewarded with a two-year deal in the off-season.
The Rangers also sent Riley Nash, a point-per-game player with the Charlotte Checkers and a thorn in the side of the Wolf Pack, before joining the team last season.
The Rangers have 24 players remaining in camp, meaning depending upon salary-cap numbers, one or two could stay in the Big Apple.
PLAYER MOVEMENT
Forward Ty Smilanic (Quinnipiac University), who grad-transferred to Wisconsin-Madison (Big 10) last year, was sent to Laval by Montreal after acquiring his rights from the Florida Panthers at last year’s Trade Deadline.
Vegas sent ex-Pack Mason Geersten to the Henderson Silver Knights.
Ex-Pack’s Justin Richards and Dustin Tokarski are sent to the Rochester Americans pending clearing waivers.
Ex-Pack Tommy Hughes starts his second season as an NHL linesman wearing #65.
West Hartford’s Jordan Samuels-Thomas (Quinnipiac University) wears #42 and starts his second year as an NHL/AHL referee.
The referee with the second most Stanley Cup games officiated games in NHL history at 42 is still the late, great Rangers 1970s TV color commentator, Bill “The Big Whistle” Chadwick.
You can still hear Chadwick’s foghorn voice and memorable observations.
Chadwick was surpassed by two games by Bill McCreary Sr. His cousin is the President/Head coach/GM Billy McCreary of the Danbury Hat Tricks (FPHL).
His other hockey claim to fame was a hard, clean, legal hit he made on Wayne Gretzky, then in his second season with Edmonton (NHL) and who had four pro seasons under his belt at the point, two WHA and two NHL.
McCreary lived and walked out of the Northlands Coliseum in Edmonton alive but never played another game or NHL shift for Toronto or anyone else.
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