BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings
HARTFORD, CT – The 2021 season has come to a close, and the trials and tribulations have given Hartford Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch a new perspective as he heads into the off-season to prepare for the 2021-22 season.
The Wolf Pack valiantly fought back in this short season to put themselves in a position to compete for a division title. With six weeks to go, they found themselves 18 points behind the first-place Providence Bruins.
“We got the lead; it’s what you want to do on the road. We capitalized on our chances. They were much than we were in the second half of the game, and we just didn’t have enough push back on them,” Knoblauch said after the 6-2 loss that closed it all out.
CALL-UPS
Knoblauch lost two-thirds of his topline and power play unit the previous night to recall when Tim Gettinger and Justin Richards went to New York. The Pack also saw defenseman Tarmo Reunanen finish the season on recall in the Big Apple.
Recalls are par for the course for AHL teams. It didn’t help the Wolf Pack objective of winning the division after working so hard to get themselves into that position. Still, injuries and suspensions in New York made the recalls necessary. It forced the Wolf Pack to use every player they had and only their third goalie, Francois Brassard, as the only scratch for the final game.
The Pack gave up 42 shots-on-goal for the first time since March 4th against these same Bruins in the game. Providence was the only team to eclipse the 40-shot hurdle over the last six weeks, and over that same timeframe, the Pack gave up more than 30 shots just twice.
“We had the first seven shots of the game and credit their goalie (Dan Vladar). He kept his team in it, and in the second, we let things open up, way too much, and lost control of the game.”
KHORDORENKO IMPROVING
Patrick Khordorenko got some serious ice time, and he showed how much progress he has made a high, hard wrist shot for a goal. He also placed a backhand pass perfectly to Vincent LoVerde on his first and only goal of the season that gave Hartford the lead.
“Pat had a very good game, and in fact, his last two games were very good. He also was very strong on the faceoffs, and he has taken a lot on penalty kills, and he did so five-on-five. It’s important for his success, and he helped the team out tremendously.”
The center position was a point of emphasis from the beginning, and Richards earned his recall and picked up his first NHL point with an assist. Meanwhile, Khordorenko has good size and made strides in his development this season.
“Both players fulfilled expectations and trended in the right direction as the season progressed, as did the team. Though such a short season, you’re just getting going, and the season is over. So, that makes it tough as you measure his progress. That’s what we have.”
VACCINATIONS
All the players received their vaccinations in the final two weeks, and they were all gone last Friday. Nobody was staying around with a reduced salary when saving money was the objective. The Canadian players were heading back home to an increased COVID environment and a very different set of requirements upon their return home.
“Everybody got their second shot. I think maybe one or two didn’t elect to do so.”
Moderna or Pfizer?
“It was a mixture of both, and yes, for Canadian guys, it’s going to be very different indeed going back.”
MOST CONSISTENT
Morgan Barron and Tarmo Reunanan were the players who maintained the most consistency throughout the season. Barron played the last four Rangers games while Reunann got into two games this season. Where he will be next season is anyone’s guess.
“(Barron and Reunanan) got their foot in the door. That’s the upside. Now we’ll see over the summer how we progress (roster-wise). Their play makes things difficult in a good way.
“The progress they had was good, earned the opportunity, so we’ll just have to wait until September.”
HUSKA
After spending so much time on the Rangers taxi squad during the first half of the season, Adam Huska’s play down the stretch certainly made an impression on the organization.
“Adam was very good for us. He came in and made big saves in many games over the last month for us, and that’s what a team needs. He managed the puck well for us, helping the defense and offense. He has made progress his first two years for the organization.”
DEVELOPMENT OVER GAMES
Knoblauch came away with this season and hoped to see going forward a more equitable schedule in 2021-22. Knoblauch wants to see very few “three-games-in-three-days,” so the emphasis can be on development with a mixture of games and practice time.
“I think it gave players some more focus, especially with both shorter and more focused practices, and when we finally did get to play as close a normal schedule.
“It was difficult all the way around, but I think playing two games a week was about right, just perfect for an American (Hockey) League team.
“I don’t see the value of playing three-in-three for either team toward player development. Two could be light, three spaced out a few times might be the perfect recipe. Five or six games every two weeks might be right.
“The question is how much development occurs at that point playing three in three? It obviously wasn’t enough games this year.”
The ongoing debate over having 68 or 76 games will likely be continued at the AHL Board of Governor’s meetings with the East, potentially heading more toward the Pacific Division direction of fewer games and more practice.
SCHEDULING
Losing the Springfield Thunderbirds late in the 2020-21 schedule-making process put a major hit on the conference-leading to an unhealthy, unbalanced three-team division.
How the 2021-22 Wolf Pack schedule matrix will look will be interesting at its unveiling in July.
Despite the schedule in the COVID environment, the Wolf Pack did maintain a semblance of a solid lineup. They had no infections and had just one game postponed in Bridgeport were down to one goalie because of COVID issues in New York.
“We just had that one COVID situation, and thankfully everything with our guys worked out. We were very fortunate considering everything; it worked as best as it could.”
WHO’S COMING BACK?
If Knoblauch and his associate coach, Gord Murphy, are back behind the bench next season, they will have a much different lineup with a little more movement than the usual AHL turnover. That will be most evident on defense with Braden Schneider, Matt Robertson, and potentially Nils Lundkvist starting the season in Hart City.
“We will have a lot of the forwards returning. On defense, there will be new faces, a lot younger on the back-end. It’s exciting, and there is a lot more than will be going on with possible trades, the (amateur) draft, and of course the Seattle (expansion) draft.”
Jonny Brodzinski and Anthony Greco will be back finishing off their entry-level deals. They will be the anchors next season upfront. For Gettinger and Ty Ronning, who played very well, they have expiring entry-level contracts. The team will have a lot of those over the next several years due to the stockpiling of draft picks and prospects during the Rangers rebuild process.
“We have a nice surplus of forwards (coming) back and more expectations and hopefully ready and have the first season under their belt now and ready for a full season.
“Tim and Ty both have those expiring deals, but they were among our best forwards throughout the year, and we’ll see how it works (out), but I would love to have them back with us next year.”
RONNING
Ronning had a great late second-period power play shot ring off the post in the finale. On the next shift, the P-Bruins got a late shorthanded goal and got the momentum.
“That was tough. Ty was in the right position, and a shorthanded goal late was a game-changer for us.”
Projected over a 76 game schedule, Ronning was on pace to see his output somewhere in the 68-70 point range. That’s a big jump for the 23-year-old after being buried in Maine with the Mariners for the first two years of his contract. He started this season on the Wolf Pack taxi squad.
THOMPSON
Paul Thompson now lives in West Springfield, MA. He fills the veteran spot and really embraces working with the younger players as his career starts to wind down.
“Paul had an outstanding second half. He got better and better every game. He’s great for our younger players, and now it just depends on the amount of prospects that are coming in and the space we’ll have.”
The ending of taxi squads and the return of Maine (ECHL) to action will make a big difference in the development part of the hockey equation.
“It was so hard for our players on our taxi squad. Not playing games, and we didn’t have a place to send these players to play, so they had to just practice and work on their skills and when we had the chance, such as the last two games, to get them in the lineup.
“It was a different situation, and they didn’t play enough games that they would have liked, or we would have liked.”
OTHER FORWARDS
Forward Gabriel Fontaine re-injured the same shoulder as last season. Again, he had to undergo season-ending surgery after playing in only 17 games over the last two years. It’s doubtful he will return next season.
Fontaine got his vaccinations and headed back to Sherbrooke, Quebec.
Defenseman/left winger Mason Geersten suffered a late-season hand injury unrelated to his last scrap with Ian MacKinnon of Providence.
Over the last six-to-seven weeks, the team converted Geersten to forward as a pilot project to possibly recall him to New York for fourth-line duty this year.
“He really liked and embraced it, and it helped the team out quite a bit. He did a good job upfront with the puck. He provided some intimidation, caused havoc in front of the net, made some plays, and scored several goals.
“He had a great opportunity in the first period early against Providence (in the last game) which would have given him a three-game goal-scoring streak. We‘re very happy with the way he played.”
This experiment will likely be reprised in Rangers training camp.
MSG CHANGES
The Rangers fired their entire coaching staff, except for goalie coach Benoit Allaire. Despite saying publicly that the team was looking for an experienced NHL coach, Knoblauch could get an interview in New York with new team President and General Manager, Chris Drury, based on his very strong two-week COVID sit-in showing he had for the Rangers.
Knoblauch keenly felt the loss of John Davidson, who has since returned to his previous position with the Columbus Blue Jackets and Jeff Gorton.
“They both supported me and wanted me to coach this team. I’m grateful for the chance they gave me. This is the tough part of the business, and I’m sure both will be somewhere in this game. That said, I think the team is in good hands with Chris Drury, and we have a good foundation with our prospects.”
NOTES
Ex-Pack Ryan Lindgren’s contract was extended by three years by the Rangers.
Brodzinski was “sent back” to Hartford, so Justin Richards could make his NHL debut. Then he, Gettinger, and Tarmo Reunanen were returned to the Wolf Pack for cap space purposes under the CBA.
Brodzinski’s younger brother, Easton, who suffered a gruesome broken femur in the NCAA semifinal against Boston College in Pittsburgh, will return next year as a fifth-year senior with St. Cloud State.
Huska’s hometown team in Slovakia, who he played for the fall, HKM Zloven, won the Slovak Elite League title beating HK SKP Poprad four games to one.
HKM had ex-Pack, Allan McPherson on the team for Poprad, was ex-CT Whale, Brandon Mashinter.
Ex-Wolf Pack, Andrew Yogan, departs Dornbirner EC (Austria-IceHL) to HC Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia-IceHL) next year.
After winning the Swedish SHL title with the Växjö Lakers HC, ex-CT Whale and Ranger defenseman Tim Erixon departs as his two-year deal ends. Among his teammates was fellow Springfield Falcons teammate Illari Melart. Erixon was also an original Springfield Thunderbirds player.
MORE NOTES
Team USA hired former Bridgeport Sound Tiger head coach Jack Capuano to be a head coach for the World Championship held May 21-June 6 in Riga, Latvia. It was announced by Team USA GM Chris Drury.
Drury named his nephew Jack to the team coming off his winning the Swedish LeMat Trophy title with the Växjö Lakers HC.
In the ECHL, ex-Pack Matt Register is enjoying a strong season playing with the Allen (TX) Americans with 44 assists, the second-most in the league. He is first with 24 power play points.
Logan Roe (Kent School) of the Florida Everblades is tops in the ECHL plus/minus with a plus-28.
Ex-Pack goalie Charles Williams with the Jacksonville Icemen is one of the Top 10 goalies with a record of 16-10-2.
Pack defenseman Hunter Skinner still leads the league in shootout goals with three despite leaving the Utah Grizzlies for Hartford in early February.
Mike McKee (Kent School) is second in PIM with 121. Alex Kromm, the son of former Hartford Whalers assistant coach and NHL player Richard Kromm, is second in major penalties with seven.
Ex-Sound Tiger Mathieu Gagnon with the Wichita Thunder is third in the ECHL with 113 PIM.
EVEN MORE NOTES
Providence sent forward Alex-Olivier Voyer and goalie Kale Keyser to Jacksonville (ECHL) to finish the season and get some ECHL playoff time.
Congrats to Columbus (GA) River Dragons (FPHL) and their head coach, former New Haven Nighthawk, Jerome Bechard, to capture the FPHL title.
The FPHL added a new team for 2021-22, the Binghamton Black Bears, two weeks after it was announced the AHL team would be relocated to Utica.
It was an unusual final weekend of the AHL regular season the Binghamton Devils were still playing.
The other AHL division winners joining Providence, the Atlantic Division champ, are the Hershey Bears, who wins the North Division, the Laval Rocket win the Canadian division, and the brand new Henderson Silver Knights, winners of the Pacific Division.
AHL PACIFIC PLAYOFFS
The AHL Pacific Division will start its truncated “playoffs” on Tuesday with a single-elimination format. The Tucson Road Runners will take on the San Jose Barracuda, and the Ontario Reign challenges the Colorado Eagles, with the winners playing each other on Wednesday. On May 24, the best-of-three series with Pacific division winner Henderson will begin.
The #2 and #3 seeds will also start a best-of-three series, and on May 29, the Pacific Division best-of-three final series will start.
Only the play-in Pacific Division playoff games will be played at the 2020-21 home of the San Diego Gulls at the Five Points Arena in Irvine, CA, the practice facility of the Anaheim Ducks.
All three games of the finals and semifinals will be played at the higher seed’s arena.
In a published report, 93% (133 of 141 respondents) to a confidential survey conducted by agent Allan Walsh of Octagon Sports stated players do not wish to participate because they were unpaid, a normal occurrence in the postseason of major and minor league sports. Worker’s compensation insurance does not cover them should they be injured.
