BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The AHL exists for a reason, and Patrick Khordorenko is a perfect example of why.
The 22-year-old product of Michigan State via Walnut Grove, CA, is learning in his hockey apprenticeship on the farm at the XL Center.
The regular season schedule has finally started to be more player-friendly for Khordorenko and his Wolf Pack teammates.
“It’s feeling more like a pro schedule than a college schedule, which of course, I’ve been used to.”
During his four years at Michigan State playing in the Big 10 conference, “steady,” was the optimal word for Khordorenko’s play. He had four multiple-point games in his freshman season that increased to eleven as a senior. He progressed from being a Second Team All-Big 10 conference player to the First team. He also saw more ice time including PP and PK work, plus holding his regular five-on-five slot at center.
“Every year I tried to get better. My freshmen year was a very big adjustment, learning the team schemes, and the conference had so many good teams and players learning to play against them.
“Everything was so much different from playing junior league hockey. It was like going into a real men’s league. I had to get better quickly and worked on a different part of my game every year, and this year is just the same.”
KNOBLAUCH IMPRESSED
Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch likes a lot of things the Khordorenko has shown thus far.
“He is very coachable. If he made a mistake, he’ll recognize it and ask, ‘What did I do wrong? What can I do better?’ That’s half the battle, and when a player is open to that, it makes it easier to help correct the issue and work on it.
“He has a lot of different skill sets. He’s a natural center, can take draws, and has good size. I see him working here in the AHL for two or three years and then be ready for the next level; whether that’s here with the Rangers or elsewhere remains to be seen. I think he has very good upside,” remarked Knoblauch.
For the centerman, he accepts what comes with the game.
“You wanna fix issues in your game no matter what. Coaches can see it best and put you on the right path to the next level, and that’s our goal here. When we all step out on the ice, we want to be the best players we can be. We’re trying to work on things every day.”
The team’s recent nine-game winless streak taught him one early lesson.
“We have to keep our foot on the gas every shift. If you take it off at this level, a mistake is capitalized on quicker. In college or junior, you can take a shift off and not notice it. You can’t do that here. You see the consequences quickly.”
KNOWING YOUR ROLE
Centermen have a heavy role to play on both the offensive and defensive side.
“As a center, you have to play every position it seems and learn the quickest. Gotta help our D with the breakout, where they set up defensively, help the forwards up high if somebody is down low, and the center has to be quickest to adapt to new circumstances. I think I’m getting the handle of it now, and I’m setting my teammates up for better scoring chances as a result of it,” Khordrenko said.
His short pass in the last game against the Bridgeport Sound Tigers to Paul Thompson on his goal best illustrates his development and skill set.
“Communication is a big thing too, and I’m still learning. You learn how to switch out when to maybe stay high in the (offensive) zone to when to go down low. Getting good communication with the defense and your goalies, it’s all a work in progress. It’s a much different, more involved defensive system than I had in school. You learn where the hash marks are, and a center can move more freely, you’re kind of a little bit of rover.”
IDOLS GROWING UP
The Detroit Red Wings great center, Pavel Datsyuk, is a player whom he admired growing up.
“He’s so patient with the puck and seemed to slow the game down so well. He seems to create something out of nothing every time he touched the puck. He was very good on faceoffs, and he wasn’t the biggest guy, but was strong on the puck and always seemed to make his teammates better.”
An economics major, Khordrenko signed last spring as a free agent after concluding a four-year career as a Spartan. He has shown future promise. He will bring his 6’3 frame to Broadway or one of the other 31 NHL possible destinations.
“I had several offers, but the Rangers seemed to be the best fit for me. I think they were gonna help me play, learn the game, and in two or three years, go to the next level.”
COVID IMPEDES PROGRESS
He played one game, and then the shutdown hit.
“It was very strange, but there’s not much any of us could do about it. I got to spend a lot of time with my family. Because of hockey, I hadn’t been around a lot, so that was a big plus.”
The 24-game schedule in his first pro season has not been the kind of full pro schedule that most collegians must face. In fact, it’s basically been an MSU schedule.
“It was a bit unusual for the professional level, and you look forward to more games, but this what we have, so we just have to go with-it’s been crazy for sure.”
The whole season has been very different.
‘You don’t have (the) full camaraderie away from the rink. Everybody is friendly in the locker room and on the ice, and a few of us have roommates, but it’s been very, very different.
To go out as a team to say…go bowling, you can’t do it. It sucks, but we’re not alone on this.”
MOVING ABOUT
The Khordorenko’s migrated to Michigan with Patrick as his hockey development blossomed. He began to skate with the US Development team (USNDTP).
He played for the U-17 and U-18 teams before heading to Lansing, MI, and MSU.
His father, Alex, a recreational hockey player, introduced his son to the sport in what was then known as a non-traditional hockey market. That no longer is the case in the Western US.
They grew up east of Oakland, CA, in the town of Walnut Grove, to the north of what is now an AHL city, Stockton, and about an hour from the NHL’s San Jose Sharks.
Like many of his California peers, if you wanted to play hockey, you had to drive or fly to play your sport; local rinks were not in abundance, nor teams to play on either. The I-5 drive was a very common feature for California youth players.
“Playing in California was different. You had to travel roughly an hour away from my home just for practice. In Michigan and Minnesota, you are likely to have one in your backyard. I moved in my freshmen year of high school; the rinks were a lot closer.”
NEWELL, A CALIFORNIA TEAMMATE
Teammate Patrick Newell, a Southern California native, was happy to have someone in the locker room with a CA on his birth certificate.
“(Hockey) is definitely growing. More rinks are available than when I was growing up. I remember going to tournaments in LA playing at the Kings practice facility (in El Segundo, the current COVID home rink for the Ontario Reign).
“I went to Arizona once, and we played where Arizona State now plays (the Oceanside Arena}. A lot of small places. It was tough to find ice, but it was manageable.
“We’re playing at the small rink (New England Sports Center in Marlborough, Massachusetts) against the Bruins; it kinda reminds me of it.
“My Dad did a lot for me growing up, driving me to so many of those places.”
THE FUTURE
When asked about the potential of a Western-based US college hockey conference, Khordorenko said, “They have money there. Those schools can handle it, and there is a lot of D-1 caliber players in California. I think it is coming.”
From California, Michigan, and Hartford, the hockey dreamin’ maybe become a reality for Khordorenko.
COLLEGE SIGNINGS
The college signing binge continues, and the transfers and grad transfers are also starting.
23 of the current 48 Division-I signees (50 total Division-I and Division-III) as of Monday are underclassmen.
The latest signing sees lefty-shooting, junior forward, Sampo Ranta of the University of Minnesota signing with the Colorado Avalanche. Ranta has the size, shot, and ability to be a scorer at the NHL level.
Hockey has 16 pro signees; the Big 10 has 13, NCHC has eight, AHA has five, the ECACHL has four, and Division I independents with two. The WCHA has yet to lose one.
Some media reports have the transfer portal for college hockey nearing 200 players. Players are leaving trying to maximize earning power with what may be a coming NHL recession post-COVID. The financial picture may see a drag on salaries and operational expenses.
EXTRA ELIGIBILITY
Another issue is the NCAA granting an extra year of eligibility to ALL college players after having a season taken from them by the Covid-19 pandemic. These players may see a sort of college hockey free agency as they go to where they believe will get them on a better team or more ice time.
School transfers are likely to continue to pick up as Notre Dame picked up Cornell’s goalie, Matt Galajda. Tim Theocharidis of Bowling Green went to Arizona State. Three grad transfers have been made including Kevin O’Neil going from Yale University (ECACHL) to UCONN (HE).
These moves will affect incoming players who have made commits to schools for 2021-22 who now may have oversold their scholarship allotment. That could force some to wait another year to play if junior eligible in the Canadian Junior A ranks or in the US either with the USHL or NAHL.
ECHL
The ECHL has three new teams in Iowa, Georgia, and Trois-Rivieres, Quebec debuting. The ECHL North Division returns to action in the fall, and their rosters are going to need to be filled.
We’re at the beginning of tumultuous upheaval in hockey for colleges that will eventually affect the junior game in a different way combined with the coming NHL Seattle expansion draft with an April 12th trade deadline upcoming next week-keep the pen and paper handy to keep track of all the coming transactions !!
