HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack defeated the Bellville Senators 4-3 in Overtime, riding Riley Nash’s late-game heroics and Brennan Othmann’s two goals at the XL Center on Saturday.

The Senators, last in the AHL North Division, sure didn’t play that way.

“Teams like that, you don’t play a lot. Early on, it’s a feeling-out process,” Nash said in the post-game press conference. “We played well in the second period). They took it to us in the third, but we stood our ground, and G (Garand) made big saves for us.”

Nash said his approach to overtime play has a “science” to it.

“You always hope to catch somebody flat-footed,” he said while holding his son Rett in his lap.

On the game-tying goal with just 1:12 remaining in regulation and playing with the net empty on a 6-on-4 power play, Jonny Brodzinski shuffled a short pass to Nash, who was open on the left side of the net. Nash then forwarded a cross-the-crease pass to Othmann, who was coming via the back door, and made it count, guaranteeing the Pack at least a point for the evening.

“It’s been our thing to find a way to get ourselves out of situations we’re in,” Nash said. “It’s been our MO this week. We come back late in the third. It shows a lot of character of the group. There’s no panic. “Fortunately, we were able to tie it. We got it done against Providence. We shut it down late against them and tonight scoring late.

“It’s kinda like a power play. We have that chemistry established to get it done. The six-on-five is similar, and (Othmann) got himself into good shooting position,” commented Nash.

Belleville kept working hard early in the third period. Brandon Scanlin chased Jiri Smejkal around the left wing to the circle, leaving his area exposed. Josh Currie was there and set up Angus Crookshank to bury his sixth at 5:35. It gave the Sens a 3-2 lead.

“You could see (their effort) paid off for them in the third,” remarked Nash.

Just 53 seconds into the second frame, while behind his net, Matt Robertson tried a highly ill-advised clear up the middle of the ice. The pass was intercepted and got to Orrin Centazzo, who was in front of Garand and quickly buried his first goal of the season.

The Wolf Pack got it back.

Brodzinski, the AHL’s leading scorer, feathered a cross-ice pass from the left to the right-wing side. Othmann then fired it over the shoulder of Sens goalie Kevin Mandolese for his fourth tally on the season at 3:37.

The Pack took control and dictated play.

A strong setup from Anton Blidh to feed Matt Robertson at the point. Robertson launched a shot on the net with traffic in front.

Adam Sýkora was slightly removed from the net-front congestion and effectively redirected Robertson’s shot past Mandolese for his second goal of the campaign.

The Pack went to the first intermission trailing 1-0.

With 1:34 remaining in the period, Crookshank made an excellent pass to Maxence Guerrence in the lower right-wing face-off circle, where he beat Garand.

Belleville and Hartford will meet twice this season. They will not meet again until late March at the CAA Arena in Belleville.

GAME SHEET

LINES:

Karl Henriksson – Anton Blidh – Adam Sýkora
Alex Belzile – Riley Nash – Brennan Othmann
Adam Edström – Jonny Brodzinski – Brett Berard
Matt Rempe – Ryder Korczak – Bobby Trivigno

Nikolas Brouillard – Zach Berzolla
Brandon Scanlin – Grant Gabriele
Matt Robertson – Mac Hollowell

Dylan Garand
Louie Domingue

SCRATCHES:

D Ben Harpur (upper body, indefinite)
F Jake Leschyshyn (out, upper body, week-to-week)
F Turner Elson (healthy)
D Matt Cairns (healthy)
D Blake Hillman (healthy)
F Drew Worrad (not in residence).

NOTES:

Brodzinski added two assists against Belleville. He surpassed the Springfield Thunderbirds’ Adam Gaudette for the AHL scoring lead with 25 points. Of his 25 points, 11 are from goals, the fourth-best in the league. Defenseman Mac Hollowell also has 14 assists.

The Wolf Pack had never beaten the Senators at the XL Center (0-2-2-1). The last win against the Ottawa affiliate was on February 26, 2017, against the defunct and relocated Binghamton Senators, 3-1. Former Pack captain Steven Fogarty had the game-winning goal.

Belleville’s lineup features forward Graham McPhee. He is the son of former New Haven Nighthawk / New York Ranger and current Vegas Golden Knights President and CEO George McPhee.

Ex-Sound Tiger Ryan MacKinnon, a defenseman, was playing on the third-line at right wing because of injuries. Nathan MacIver was behind the bench as an assistant coach, plus former Springfield Falcon David Bell is the head coach.

Tyler Boucher, the son of Brian Boucher, is out with a troublesome groin injury that he suffered back in training camp. He tweaked it again on Thursday in practice, setting back his recovery progress.

He is one of two Arizona hockey-born players in the organization. Mark Kastelic, the son of ex-Hartford Whaler Ed Kastelic, is the other.

Matt Boucher, the son of Philippe Boucher, no relation to Tyler, is in his sixth pro season. He started the year with the Trois-Rivières Lions (ECHL).

Part of the Hockey Day doubleheader in Hartford saw UCONN (HE) defeat Dartmouth College (ECACHL) 5-1 earlier in the afternoon in a non-conference matchup. It was one of the rare games to be held at the XL Center this year. The games will be sparse over the next few years as almost all Hockey East conference games will be played on the UCONN campus.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

HOME

The post WOLF PACK KNOCK OFF SENS IN OT first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT– Hartford Wolf Pack goaltender Louis Domingue was selected as the Howies Hockey Tape/AHL Player of the Week, ending January 15th.

Domingue, a new father, posted a record of 2-0-1 with a 1.66 goals-against average, a .941 save percentage, and a shutout in three road starts to help the Wolf Pack extend their point streak to seven games (3-0-2-2). They climbed five points behind the Charlotte Checkers in fourth place and the last playoff spot. The Wolf Pack escaped the Atlantic Division cellar and are in seventh place.

Domingue’s week started in Charlotte, where he made 21 saves in a 5-0 victory over the Checkers to earn his first shutout as part of the Wolf Pack. It was the Wolf Pack’s first regulation victory on the road against the Checkers.

The next night, Domingue earned his second straight victory over Charlotte, stopping 23 shots in a Wolf Pack 3-2 win. It was the first time this season that Domingue had started on back-to-back nights. The team won two games in regulation after a 20-game drought. His week finished with a 36-save effort in Sunday’s 3-2 overtime loss against the Providence Bruins in a well-played game.

In 22 appearances for Hartford this season, Domingue has a 9-6-6 record with a .914 save percentage while ranking eighth in the AHL with a 2.37 GAA.

Previous Wolf Pack players who’ve won the AHL Player of the Week award have included Nicklas Jensen (2015-2016) and CT Whale Kris Newbury (2012-2013). Jensen currently plays for SC Rapperswill-Jona Lakers in Switzerland. Newbury plays with the Gananoque Islanders in the Canadian Senior League (EOSHL) alongside ex-Pack players Eric Selleck and Ryan Verbeek, the nephew of former Hartford Whaler/New York Rangers’ great, now Anaheim GM Pat Verbeek.

Kyle Beach is among eleven ex-Pack have won the POTW recognition but did so in other AHL cities.

Five ex-Bridgeport Sound Tigers have won it as well.

IN OTHER NEWS

The Rangers returned Ryan Carpenter to Hartford after a one-game recall. In turn, the Pack released Brandon Cutler from his PTO and sent him back to Utah (ECHL).

A few more moves are expected before they begin a three-in-three weekend with Providence at the XL Center Friday.

Dennis Cholowski and William Dufour were recalled by the Islanders from Bridgeport and then returned.

Former UCONN forward and Yale grad Kevin O’Neil signed a PTO deal with the Colorado Eagles.

Chase Zieky (Avon/Avon Old Farms) leaves Greenville (ECHL) for Wheeling (ECHL).

IN SCOUTING NEWS

The NHL Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) released its mid-season preliminary draft list with six Connecticut connections.

In the Top 10 is UCONN freshman winger Matt Wood. He was listed eighth. He will likely become the highest-drafted player in school history, surpassing the current third-leading goal scorer in the NHL with 31, Tage Thompson (Milford). He plays for the Buffalo Sabres and played his college hockey at UCONN before being selected by St. Louis.

Three Avon Winged Beavers (10-2) prep school team members made the list.

Joseph Connor is listed at #71. He could be a mid-round pick and is committed to Northeastern (HE).

A potential later-round selection is Joseph Odyniec (Wilton, CT). He’s 6’3, 200lbs, and a commit to UCONN (HE).

The third member of AOF listed in the US in the goalie category is Stephen Peck, at #13 among netminders. He is collegiately uncommitted.

Taft School (Watertown, CT) saw Rudy Guimond from Pointe-Claire, Quebec, ranked at #16 among eligible goalies in North America. He, too, is uncommitted.

There are two others with Connecticut connections. Defenseman Lucas St. Louis (Riverside, CT/Brunswick School) with Dubuque (USHL) is the youngest son of former Ranger, NHL Hockey Hall of Famer, and current Montreal head coach Marty St. Louis. He earned a mid-season slot at #166 and is headed to Harvard University (ECACHL).

RW Dan Harkimo from Finland from the Selects Academy program at South Kent Prep is at #212 and is also not committed collegiately.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

HOME

The post (1/16) LOUIS DOMINGUE IS AHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK first appeared on Howlings.

RANGERS INK WOLF PACK CAPTAIN JONNY BRODZINSKI TO CONTRACT EXTENSION

HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers President and General Manager Chris Drury announced that the club had signed forward Jonny Brodzinski to a two-year contract extension that will run through the 2023-24 season.

Brodzinski, 28, has split the 2021-22 season between the Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack. This season, he has skated in five games with the Rangers, recording three shots and a plus-1 rating in those outings. Brodzinski has appeared in ten games with the Rangers and recorded one goal throughout two seasons with the organization.

In October, he was named captain of the Wolf Pack. Brodzinski has scored 39 points (18 g, 21 a) in 36 AHL games during the 2021-22 campaign. He currently leads the Wolf Pack in overall scoring with 39 points and goal scoring with 18 goals. Brodzinski also set a new franchise record for consecutive games scoring a goal when he tallied in nine straight outings. The previous mark was eight consecutive games with a goal held by Ryan Callahan (2006-07 season).

HISTORY

In two seasons with the Wolf Pack, Brodzinski has appeared in 50 games with the team and scored 56 points (24 g, 32 a). In his career, Brodzinski has suited up in 250 career AHL games and scored 194 points (94 g, 100 a).

The 6’1”, 211-pound forward was originally selected by the Los Angeles Kings in the fifth round, 148^th overall, of the 2013 NHL Entry Draft. He joined the Rangers as a free agent on October 9^th, 2020, as an unrestricted free agent.

The Pack is back at the XL Center this Wednesday night, March 2^nd, when they play host to the Bellville Senators. Puck drop is set for 7:00 p.m., and tickets are available at hartfordwolfpack.com. The club will also host the Hershey Bears (7:30 p.m.) this Saturday night, March 5^th, and the Bridgeport Islanders (3:00 p.m.) this Sunday afternoon, March 6^th.

HARTFORD WOLF PACK

NEW YORK RANGERS

HOME

The post THOMAS: RANGERS EXTEND BRODZINSKI 2-YEARS first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Pre-season hockey has started and the playoffs begin this weekend in both Toronto and Edmonton.

There have been two possible player moves that have come to light recently and the first concerns the Hartford Wolf Pack’s Vinni Lettieri.

The Pack forward will enter Group 6 free agency at the official conclusion of the 2019-20 hockey season. According to a Swiss-based website, watson.ch, Lettieri is in discussion with SC Bern (Switzerland-LNA), one of the top European teams, and not just in Switzerland.

The team’s new head coach is former Hartford Whaler and New Haven Nighthawk, Don Nachbaur.

Lettieri has completed three seasons in Hartford and rung-up 132 points in 173 AHL games and was the leading goal scorer in each of his three seasons. In 61 games of the pandemic shortened 2019-20 season, he tallied 35 goals in 61 games and a team-leading 47 points.

He was originally signed as a free agent out of the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers on March 27, 2017, and played the final nine games of the regular season in Hartford.

He led the Wolf Pack with 23 goals in 55 games in his first season, and in his sophomore season, he had 23 goals in 48 games.

Lettieri played 46 games with the Rangers with two goals and six assists with constantly fluctuating periods of ice time and had no recalls last season.

Whether his season ends if he is not brought to Toronto as part of the Rangers NHL playoff roster, or if he is and it ends when the Rangers playoff season concludes or should he still be part of the team when Lord Stanley is crowned in Edmonton, a Solomonic decision awaits according to one of our long-time sources.

Almost twenty years ago a similar decision faced former Wolf Pack great, Derek Armstrong. He left in 2001-02 and spent a year with SC Bern but under different circumstances. Armstrong returned to North America and had a long run with the LA Kinga before ending his NHL career with St. Louis.

On the other side of the coin, there is another possible European signing with important hockey implications.

It looks like the first major player to leave ECACHL Division-I college hockey due to the pandemic has a Connecticut connection.

Jack Drury, a junior forward for Harvard University (ECACHL), and a 2018 second-round selection, (42nd overall) by the Carolina Hurricanes, is the son of ex-Whaler, Ted Drury, and is the nephew of current Wolf Pack GM, and Rangers Assistant GM, Chris Drury.

The “Brothers Drury” are the pride of Trumbull and are graduates of Fairfield Prep High school, Jack Drury is exploring a European option.

According to Kvalle Posten, a Swedish hockey publication Drury has been in serious discussions with the Vaxjo Lakers (Sweden-SHL), but no formal agreement has yet been yet signed. Read that HERE.

If he does sign, Drury the younger would be the 42nd college player between Division-I and Division-III to sign in Europe. He would be the 32nd under-classmen to depart early.

Drury would be the third from the ECACHL to head overseas joining Aepeli Rasanen, of Boston College (KalPa Kuopio Finland-FEL) and UCONN’s Ruslan Iskharov (Lukko Rauma Finland-FEL).

All ECACHL players are aware that next season’s hockey is very much in doubt. The fall semester has already been canceled and some schools have instituted on-campus population controls, not allowing certain groups (like sophomores for example) to be on campus to reduce possible COVID-19 exposure, but that decision destroys any reasonable hope of a sports team from having any semblance of cohesive practices or a regular season schedule.

As a 20-year-old, and soon-to-be a junior, turning pro is not unusual, but very unusual for Ivy league players, who highly value their high-end education and obtaining that degree. Other conferences 19 and 20-year-olds turning pro is commonplace.

Thus far this year, three have done so in the ECACHL, Drew O’Connor of Dartmouth College (Pittsburgh Penguins), Jack Badini (Greenwich) with the Anaheim Ducks, and fellow Crimson teammate, Jack Rathbone, who recently left for the Vancouver Canucks.

For Drury, the likely late-starting NHL and AHL seasons make it that he would most likely be looking at a late-November to an early-January, start date at this point. The irony is Carolina’s yet-to-be officially announced affiliation-switch from the Charlotte Checkers to Drury’s hometown of the Chicago Wolves will be a factor in his professional equation.

College sources state that some ECACHL schools are looking into housing their teams in an off-campus housing setting, taking online classes, and trying to salvage the 2020-21 season. The feasibility of that approach is being examined to see whether school administrators would be amenable to this arrangement that would help hockey, basketball, and a spring sport like baseball.

Nobody could have foreseen these kinds of things just a few short months ago, but these times are certainly creating questions that players need to contemplate when they made their commitment to the school.

The players selected to head to the hub cities have been made and teams have departed for Toronto and Edmonton. The Rangers and Islanders will meet in their lone exhibition game on Wednesday at 8 pm (MSG) before the playoff opener against Carolina on Saturday at 12 Noon (MSG).

Only Adam Huska was returned to Hartford and the following Wolf Pack players went to Toronto as part of the expanded 30 player roster, captain Steven Fogarty, Vinni Lettieri, Danny O’Regan, Vitali Kravtsov, Darren Raddysh, and Libor Hajek.

The following players were returned to their AHL teams; Ken Agostino (Yale) Toronto Marlies, Sam Anas (Quinnipiac) Iowa Wild, Paul Carey (Salisbury Prep) Providence Bruins, Chad Krys (Ridgefield) Rockford Ice Hogs and the Bridgeport Sound Tigers received Kieffer Bellows, Grant Hutton, Oliver Wahlstrom, and Jakub Skarek.

A few current player notes.

Derek Hulak of Manitoba signs with HC Thurgau (Switzerland-LNB). Cory Conacher of Syracuse had his deal with HC Lausanne (Switzerland-LNA) officially announced as did his new Swiss teammate ex-Pack, Brian Gibbons (Salisbury Prep). Both Conacher and Gibbons are not on the 30 player roster of Tampa Bay and Carolina respectively.

Joe Veleno of Grands Rapids is said to be talking with HC Ocelari Trinec (Czech Republic-CEL) and Latvian Rudolf Balcers. He might be leaving the Belleville Senators with Dynamo Riga (Latvia-KHL) making 48 AHL players that are signed for Europe with 21 of 31 AHL teams that have lost at least one player.  Some Euro signings could be bridge deals until the NHL or AHL season begins. For example, Vancouver loaned 2019 second-round pick Nils Hoglander to Rogle BK (Sweden-SHL) to start the 20-21 season.

Three ex-Sound Tigers have moved. Defenseman Jesse Graham re-signs with KalPa Kuopio (Finland-FEL), Graeme McCormack stays in Slovakia to play with SLEL HK Dukla Michalovce and Chad Costello changes teams in the German DEL going from the Krefeld Penguin to the Iserlohn Roosters.

Brady Shaw, the son of ex-Whaler Brad Shaw, leaves Ft. Wayne Comets (ECHL) and signs with Esbjerg (Denmark-DHL),

Two college goalies going pro, one in the U.S. and the other stays home in North Atlantic as a sophomore, Daniel Lebedeff, leaves the University of Wisconsin Badgers (Big 10) to become the sixth Badger to depart after last season (fourth leaving early) and signing a pro deal with HPK Hameenlinna (Finland-FEL) citing the uncertainty of the whether there will be a college hockey season and of course the pandemic.

Robert Lackey of the Providence College Friars (HE) leaves after his grad transfer year with a Harvard diploma and signs with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL).

More schools and conferences in Division I and III have elected to shut the doors on athletics for the fall.

The latest, Quinnipiac University (Hamden in the ECAC), but a non-Ivy school in the MAAC (Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference), the University of Hartford (American East), Post University in Waterbury (Northeast-10), and the University of St. Joseph’s and Albertus Magnus College (New Haven).

The Danbury Colonials (NA3HL) Kyle McEnany makes a commit to Division-III’s University of Southern Maine Huskies (NEHC) located in Portland, Maine.

The post CANTLON’S CORNER: HOCKEY NEWS AND NOTES OFF SEASON VOLUME 20 first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The life of a hockey executive never ends… Oh sure it slows down, but all the coaches and management in professional hockey are all working to construct and hopefully improve their rosters for the 2019-20 season.

PLAYERS AND COACHING MOVEMENT

The New York Rangers inked their first-round (Second overall) draft pick, Kaapo Kakko, to the standard max Entry-Level Contract of three years at $925K-NHL/$70K-AHL.

Last Wednesday, the Rangers signed two more players destined for Hartford.

Philippe Di Guiseppe played with four teams last year, two of them in the NHL (Carolina, Nashville) and two of them in the AHL (Charlotte, Milwaukee). He was signed to a one-year/one-way $700K contract. He was originally drafted by Carolina in 2012 in the second round, 38th overall.

Ryan Dmowski (Old Lyme/Gunnery Prep) was given a one-year, AHL deal. He played ten games and earned a goal and four points at the end of last season with the Wolf Pack after completing his four-year collegiate career at UMASS-Lowell (HE). While playing in college, he registered 67 points in 132 games with the River Hawks.

The Detroit Red Wings have released the details of the annual Traverse City Prospects Tournament.

The tourney will be held September 6th -10th. The Rangers will play in the Ted Lindsay Division with the prospects for Columbus, Dallas, and Minnesota.

The Gordie Howe Division will feature Chicago, St. Louis, Toronto, and host Detroit. The round-robin tournament will be the first look at team prospects playing in actual game action.

Ex-Pack/Ranger, Artem Anisimov, was traded on Tuesday to Ottawa for forward, Zack Smith.

Former CT Whale / Ranger, Michael Del Zotto signs with one of his three teams from last season, the Anaheim Ducks. His deal is for one-year very cap friendly $750K one Sway deal. He ended last season the Stanley Cup champion St. Louis Blues but played no games in the Finals.

Ryan Donato, the son of ex-Pack and Sound Tiger, Ted Donato, signs a two-year, one-way deal paying him $1.9 million per year with Minnesota.

Ex-Pack, Michael Joly, signed a one-year AHL deal with the Colorado Eagles.

Ex-Pack goalie, Charles Williams signs with Indy (ECHL).

One-time New Haven Nighthawk, Willie O’Ree, will likely add his last major award of the last few years as he is expected to receive a Congressional Gold Medal in honor of his being the first black player in NHL history. O’Ree, a long-time San Diego resident was born in Fredericton, New Brunswick.

Former CT Whale VP of Marketing, Bob Ohrablo, remains as team President of the Jacksonville IceMen (ECHL) who were sold to a new management team last week.

Hartford Whaler legend, Ron Francis, was hired to be the first GM for the brand spanky new Seattle NHL franchise. He was interviewed by his one-time teammate, and now former Seattle Hockey Advisor, Dave Tippett, who took the head coaching job in Edmonton.

Francis drafted a large portion of the AHL Calder Cup championship Charlotte Checkers squad and constructed the Carolina Hurricanes team that went to the NHL Eastern Conference Final. He was unceremoniously demoted and eventually relieved of his duties in Carolina which ended Francis’ long association with the franchise.

The first thing he will do is hire a small pro scouting staff to observe the NHL and AHL over the next two years to prepare for the expansion draft. Expect former Hartford Whalers teammate, Sean Burke, to be among that select group. Burke is presently a scout for Montreal and works for Team Canada where the duo designed the Canadian Spengler Cup championship team last December.

Read the Seattle Times piece HERE

The Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins continue their strong off-season reloading campaign. They signed Myles Powell, who had a strong rookie year in Rochester, to an AHL contract. Goalie, Cam Johnson, switches teams. He leaves Binghamton to Milwaukee on an AHL contract. Forward, Chris Connor departs Lehigh Valley to Binghamton.

Ryan Obuchowski (Yale University), who played for Kelly Cup finalist Toledo (ECHL), signs with SV Ritten/Renon (Italy-AlpsHL) for next season.

Six more AHL’ers sign Euro deals in their native countries. The latest pair is Mitch Callahan of Bakersfield who goes to Augsburger (Germany-DEL) and Chase Balisy leaves Belleville for EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL).

Adam Musil, the nephew of former Whaler and New York Ranger, Robert (Bobby) Holik, exits San Antonio to sign with HK Dukla Jihlava (Czech Republic-CEL). Juho Lammikko departs Springfield and signs back home with Karpat Oulu (Finland-FEL).

Colton Hargrove from Texas signs with HC Bolzano (Italy-EBEL) while Brady Brassart of Syracuse inks a deal with Stavanger (Norway-NEL).

59 AHL players have signed overseas. 25 of the 31 AHL teams have lost at least one player so far to a European signing.

Ex-Sound Tiger, John Persson, leaves Mora IK (Sweden-SHL) for SaiPa (Finland-FEL).

The Bridgeport Sound Tigers have signed seven players for next season. The signings start with veteran forward and powerplay net-front pest, Steve Bernier, and defenseman Mike Cornell, in his third AHL season, and John Stevens Jr., who’s coming off an injury-riddled sophomore campaign, is the son of ex-Whaler, John Stevens Sr.

Nick Schillkey from the Calder Cup champion Charlotte Checkers, Nic Pierog (Canterbury Prep) from now-defunct Manchester Monarchs (ECHL), goalie Ryan MacKinnon, and Kyle MacLean from Oshawa (OHL), who just completed his junior career with 110 points in 227 games and is the son of former NHL’er John MacLean, are the rest of the signings.

Former UCONN Husky, Maxim Letunov, had his AHL contract with the San Jose Barracuda extended by one-year by the San Jose Sharks.

Ex-Sound Tiger, Cole Markison, goes from Texas to Charlotte. Joining him on the reigning Calder Cup champion is Hunter Shinkarul from Laval.

Tariq Hammond leaves Binghamton for Hershey. Michael Kapla, who split last season between Iowa and Binghamton, signs with the Toronto Marlies. Goalie Hunter Miska leaves the Tucson Roadrunners and signs with the Colorado Eagles for next year

Ex-Sound Tiger, Lukas Sutter, is hired as an amateur scout by Columbus.

Nine more college players sign North American pro deals. They include Luke Shiplo of Quinnipiac University and Michael Ederer of St Lawrence University from the ECACHL. Both of them sign with Wichita (ECHL). A player with another great hockey name, Tanner Jago, goes from Bentley University (AHA) to sign with the Texas Stars.

Vincent Desharnais of Providence College (HE) signs with Bakersfield. Eric Israel of Robert Morris University (AHA) goes to Fort Wayne Komets (ECHL) while Brett Boeing of UMASS-Amherst (HE), hooks up with Toledo (ECHL) and Dakota Joshua of Ohio State (Big 10) was traded by Toronto to St. Louis. The Blues signed him to a two-year, two-way deal and will likely start next year in San Antonio.

Austin Plevy of Northeastern (HE) and Scott Davidson of Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) both sign with Adirondack (ECHL).

Three have signed In Europe. Dylan Malmquist of Notre Dame (Big 10) signs with Nottingham (England-EIHL). Jeremiah Luedtke goes from University Alaska-Anchorage (WCHA) to Krefelder EV 1981 (Germany Division-3), and Jalen Schulz of University Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC) to EV Fussen (Germany Division-3).

185 Division I players have signed North American pro deals. 49 go to Europe while 233 players overall have signed deals.

Paul Selleck of Cowichan Valley (BCHL) commits to Trinity College (NESCAC).

Jared DeMichiel (Harwinton) gets a promotion to associate head coach with UMASS-Amherst (HE).

Another school takes the first steps toward becoming an NCAA Division I varsity hockey team from a club program in Penn after 42 years of being a club program. Read it HERE.

Luke Curadi (Cheshire/ND-WH/Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack) was named the USHL Director of Player Development. He had been the Eastern USA Scout for the USHL Green Bay Gamblers the last three years.

IN MEMORIAM

The Wolf Pack family lost another of its original pieces and a man who served pro hockey in Hartford for 45 years as the Chief of Off-Ice Officials, Robert (Bob) Henry Guarente, 77, lost a second battle with throat cancer.

Only Frank Camera of Bridgeport (who started in New Haven) has served longer in an off-ice role in Connecticut minor-league hockey history. Guarente started in 1975 with the New England Whalers for the first four years, then all 21 years of the Hartford Whalers and all 22 seasons with the Wolf Pack before stepped aside in February because he could no longer speak.

Sadly, he is the third off-ice official to pass in the past 18 months and fourth in the 22-year history of the franchise.

He would always greet me in a poor impression of an Irish accent, “What’s up with the leprechaun today?”

After the pre-game meal and before we left one of us, he had a tell an off-color joke,

One of his favorite oft-repeated jokes was this one;

Mary and Tom O’ Brien were walking in the town center and run into Father O’Malley.

Father O’Malley chats with them and inquires why they have no children.

Mrs. O’Brien replied, “We’ve tried and tried Father with no success.”

Father O’Malley says, “I’m going to the Vatican next week and I will light a candle for you.”

Five years go by and he runs into Mrs. O’Brien and she has four kids in tow and she is pregnant with number five.

Father O’Malley with a big smile says, “Oh, I’m so happy for you. Your prayers were answered, but where is Tom?”

Mrs. O’Brien replied, “He’s at the Vatican Father trying to blow out that candle you lit!”

It would always bring a smile to his face and he would let loose with his trademark cackle laugh.

There should be a new AHL Award created with his name. It should be started for the best off-ice crew in the AHL every year.

He will be greatly missed at the XL Center come September, a dedicated loyal husband, friend, soldier and Off-Ice Director. RIP you have earned your wings.

The post CANTLON: WOLF PACK OFF SEASON – VOLUME 12 first appeared on Howlings.

HARTFORD, CT – The Connecticut state budget process has come and gone. The State Bond Commission met recently, but there was no word on the XL Center emerging over the past six-to-seven weeks as its future continues to dangle in the wind.

It looks like the fate of the XL Center will possibly be taken up in the expected upcoming special session, but there are no guarantees to be handed out, so the project sits in the bullpen warming up.

“Any special session is being driven by the tolls discussion and once the parameters are decided on that subject, they will move forward on it,” said CRDA Executive Director Michael Freimuth.

Freimuth is not in a position to confirm a specific date? “We have no date or timetable right now. It’s either at this point.”

When asked if the session is called if it’s expected that the Finance committee will take up the measure, Freimuth said, “I have spoken with Tom Ritter (D-Hartford) and that is the plan at this point.”

Asking about the final price tag being between the original $20-$30 million that was floated about, Freimuth responded saying, “We have no specific figure or price tag to the proposal and it will be debated within the Finance committee, and we also haven’t had a capital budget discussion either. Again, that will likely be in the special session as well.”

Other parts of the state haven’t exactly been jumping for joy over this proposal.

When asked if the needle has moved forward in other parts of the state to support the XL Center package, Freimuth replied, “It’s a tug-of-war still when discussing any budgetary matters, but until its formally brought before the committee we haven’t had any of those discussions. Maybe the Big East change might help some folks who were reluctant on the project’s merits, but they now might be more inclined. I just don’t know.”

At least there’s been some good summertime news as UCONN announced basketball both the men and women’s programs – as well as everything but football and hockey – are returning to the Big East Conference. That move might be a boon for the XL Center.

“On the surface, it looks like with the switch back we’re gonna get more familiar opponents and hopefully an uptick in the crowd than we have had with some AAC schools. Those are simply assumptions. That’s very hard to predict. At this point, we hope there will be more electricity and excitement, and of course, we’re responsible for Rentschler and with football that is very open-ended at this point.”

The XL Center has continued to lose money. The Wolf Pack, not only didn’t on the ice, they didn’t off of it either. The team lost $100K alone and advertising, especially for the Wolf Pack, was very minimal.

“We saw a lot of teams not do well (at the XL Center). We had some under-performing events, concerts and shows it was a tough year no question. When you look at advertising, it’s a Catch-22 issue. The discretionary spending has remained flat and unchanged. The budget is the same (at $600K) so that is factor in the allocations of resources.”

The all-important per cap of concessions, however, did go very well.

“We tend to have more kids at the UCONN games than say at a Wolf Pack game, but that has been a pretty good a steady revenue stream and the NCAA tournament helped, it went very well.”

If there is no special session that means the XL Center issue won’t be heard till the legislature reconvenes in September and likely not until the late fall.

The post CANTLON’S CORNER: XL CENTER WAITING IN THE BULLPEN first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Taylor Foy, Hartford Wolf Pack

Hartford, CT, November 21, 2018 – Vinni Lettieri’s goal at 3:30 of overtime Wednesday night gave the Hartford Wolf Pack a 4-3 win over the Providence Bruins at the XL Center.

The goal came with the teams skating 4-on-4 after the Wolf Pack had killed a penalty that carried over from the third period.  After Hartford goaltender Dustin Tokarski made a save on Anton Blidh, Lettieri rushed the puck from behind his own net all the way into the Providence end, before firing a shot past the catching glove of Bruin netminder Zane McIntyre.

“If we go into OT, it’s always important we get that win,” Lettieri said. “It doesn’t matter if it’s the first shift or the last shift, you just have to work hard every shift and hope something good comes of it, which is what happened to be the case for my goal.”

Matt Beleskey scored twice for the Wolf Pack, and Shawn O’Donnell also had a goal.  Tokarski made 27 saves.  Ryan Fitzgerald and Kyle Cumiskey had a goal and an assist each for Providence, and Karson Kuhlman also scored.  McIntyre stopped 18 Wolf Pack shots.

The Bruins scored the game’s first goal at 7:50 of the first, an unassisted shorthanded marker by Kuhlman.  He worked the puck away from Chris Bigras at the left point in the Providence end and went off on a breakaway, finishing it with a move to the backhand to beat Tokarski.

The Wolf Pack power play redeemed itself on its next chance, at 13:49, on Beleskey’s first of the night.  A one-timer from the right side by Peter Holland deflected on its way to the net, and Beleskey got a couple of whacks at the puck from right in front.  His second effort got by McIntyre and into the net.

The Bruin man advantage then clicked with 1:32 left in the period and Bobby Butler in the penalty box for hooking.  Tokarski made the save on a shot from the point by Cumiskey, but the puck slid away from him and Fitzgerald poked it in.

The second period was scoreless until the 18:58 mark when Beleskey scored his second of the game to bring the Wolf Pack back into a tie.  Ville Meskanen shot the puck into the right-wing corner, and it caromed off the glass to Beleskey in the slot.  McIntyre had moved behind the net to play the puck and was caught out of position, and Beleskey’s backhand went into the net as McIntyre tried to slide back.

“I think at first it was a little hard for us to get going,” Beleskey said, “and then we started working hard and things started happening for us.”

The Wolf Pack took their first lead of the game at 9:36 of the third period, on O’Donnell’s fourth goal of the season.  O’Donnell played the puck to Cole Schneider, who moved behind the Bruin net before feeding back to O’Donnell below the right faceoff dot.  His quick shot found the back of the net to puck the Wolf Pack up 3-2.

That lead lasted less than four minutes, though, as the Bruins scored their second power-play goal of the game at 13:23, to draw back even.  The Wolf Pack blocked numerous shots on the penalty kill, but eventually, a drive to the net by Cumiskey from high in the slot went through a screen set by Jordan Szwarz and eluded Tokarski on the stick side.

The Bruins went to the power play with 25.5 seconds left in the third, but Tokarski helped foil the Bruin man advantage, setting the table for Lettieri’s OT winner.

“Tokarski was outstanding, and he really bailed us out a lot during the game, so that’s a big credit to him,” Lettieri said.

The Wolf Pack have now won three of their last four games, and are up to 8-9-1-2 on the season.

The Wolf Pack are back in action this Friday night, November 23, when they travel to Bridgeport for a 7:00 PM game vs. the Sound Tigers.  All of the action of that battle can be heard live on News Radio 1410 WPOP, and online at newsradio1410.com and iHeartRadio.  Video streaming is available at theahl.com/AHLTV.

The Wolf Pack and Bridgeport then complete a home-and-home Saturday night at the XL Center.  That game faces off at 7:30, and the first 2,000 fans will receive a free replica Wolf Pack jersey t-shirt, courtesy of CT-DOT.  That night also features the Wolf Pack’s annual “teddy bear toss”.  Fans are invited to bring soft toys to the game and heave them on to the ice when the Wolf Pack score their first goal.  All the toys collected will be donated to Operation ELF and Toys for Tots.

Tickets for all 2018-19 Wolf Pack home games are on sale now at the Agera Energy Ticket Office at the XL Center, online at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (877) 522-8499.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $13 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase.

Season ticket information for the Wolf Pack’s 2018-19 AHL season can be found online at hartfordwolfpack.com.  To speak with a representative about all of the Wolf Pack’s many attractive ticketing options, call (855) 762-6451, or click here to request more info.

Providence Bruins 3 at Hartford Wolf Pack 4 (OT)
Wednesday, November 21, 2018 – XL Center

Providence 2 0 1 0 – 3
Hartford     1 1 1 1 – 4

1st Period-1, Providence, Kuhlman 2   7:50 (SH). 2, Hartford, Beleskey 2 (Holland, Bigras), 13:49 (PP). 3, Providence, Fitzgerald 4 (Cumiskey, Bakos), 18:28 (PP). Penalties-Gettinger Hfd (interference), 3:59; Pond Pro (roughing), 6:38; Fyten Pro (hooking), 12:07; Butler Hfd (hooking), 17:41.

2nd Period-4, Hartford, Beleskey 3 (Meskanen, O’Gara), 18:58. Penalties-Pond Pro (fighting), 2:01; O’Donnell Hfd (fighting), 2:01; Szwarz Pro (slashing), 9:35; Lettieri Hfd (tripping), 11:23.

3rd Period-5, Hartford, O’Donnell 4 (Schneider), 9:36. 6, Providence, Cumiskey 1 (Fitzgerald, Donato), 13:23 (PP). Penalties-Messner Pro (tripping), 5:14; Gilmour Hfd (interference), 5:56; Crawley Hfd (cross-checking), 11:39; Breen Pro (holding), 16:04; O’Gara Hfd (roughing), 19:34.

OT Period-7, Hartford, Lettieri 1 (Tokarski), 3:30. Penalties-No Penalties

Shots on Goal-Providence 9-9-10-2-30. Hartford 3-8-10-1-22.
Power Play Opportunities-Providence 2 / 6; Hartford 1 / 5.
Goalies-Providence, McIntyre 4-4-2 (22 shots-18 saves). Hartford, Tokarski 2-3-1 (30 shots-27 saves).
A-1,774
Referees-Reid Anderson (49), Terry Koharski (10).
Linesmen-Nick Briganti (58), Derek Wahl (46).

The post FOY: PACK PUSH PUCK PAST PROVIDENCE IN OT first appeared on Howlings.

BY: Gerry Cantlon, HOWLINGS

HARTFORD, CT – It was an unusually busy week in professional hockey over the past seven days, so strap in and here it is.

WOLF PACK 2018-19

The New York Rangers announced officially on Monday what Cantlon’s Corner reported last week, the signing of their RFA’s (Restricted Free Agents) to one-year contracts.

The latest and one which will have a direct impact on the Wolf Pack roster was the signing of Chris Bigras to a one-year, two-way deal paying him $874,125 in the NHL and $70K in the AHL. Bigras was acquired at the trade deadline on February 26 for Ryan Graves.

“Chris did a nice job in the time he had here. He used it well. He showed he could handle duty on the power play and penalty kill. Coming to Hartford, he got a fresh start and used his time effectively to earn a contract.” said Wolf Pack Head Coach, Keith McCambridge, in a phone chat earlier this week.

The Rangers also announced the signing of John Gilmour, who split the season between Hartford and New York after getting recalled on February 9^th. He earned his first NHL point in his hometown of Montreal and scored an overtime winner in Vancouver on February 28^th. He became the first Ranger rookie to score an OT game-winner in the regular season game in franchise history.

Gilmour’s deal is a one-year, two-way contract that pays $650K in the NHL and $100K in the AHL.

The Rangers now have eleven defensemen in NY and six on the roster in Hartford.

“You never know what your roster looks like in the AHL. Change occurs every year, but I’m looking forward to developing some really quality young players that we have coming in and returning,” McCambridge said.

Bigras could conceivably be McCambridge’s most experienced defenseman when the team opens its season against the Providence Bruins come October 5th.

The other previously reported signees are Rob O’Gara, Boo Nieves, and Steven Fogarty.

The Rangers have seemingly switched directions. They have only signed one AHL veteran to date. That player is Bobby Butler, who, with the returning Cole Schneider, will help to bring along the first and second-year players. Butler replaces Scott Kosmachuk who signed with Colorado (AHL).

“Bobby brings a lot to the table as a proven goal scorer in this league, and we’re here to develop players for the New York Rangers. (At) training camp, you have a lot of surprises; younger guys are pushing older guys for slots, and you have movement in both directions here, and everything starts in White Plains (at the Rangers training facility) and will go from there.”

McCambridge confirmed there again will be just two pre-season exhibition games. The dates are September 26th and 27^th against Bridgeport with both scheduled to be at Trinity College’s Koeppel Community Center Arena, the home of the national Division III powerhouse, Trinity College Bantams.

One player who won’t spend next season in New York or Hartford is the Rangers’ first-round selection (9^th overall), Vitaly Kravtsov.

The 6’4, left-handed shooting, 18-year-old, right-winger signed a new one-year deal with Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia-KHL).

Kravtsov will not be in Rangers training camp and will only be eligible to play in North America – either the NHL or AHL- once the conclusion of Traktor’s KHL season arrives.

The Rangers also have announced David Quinn’s assistant coaches. The first is David Oliver, a former Blueshirt during his playing days. He worked with Quinn at Lake Erie (nee Cleveland) when he was the head coach there as part of the Avalanche organization.

Quinn then chose Greg Brown from his collegiate rival, Boston College. They also worked together at USA Hockey. Brown is a long-time friend, and former BC teammate of Ranger great, and Cheshire native, Brian Leetch. Brown has been an assistant with BC for 13 years. The move will certainly not slow the BU-BC rivalry intact with this move.

UCONN SCHEDULE UNVEILED

The Huskies, who finished the regular season strong, have a light home schedule for the first half of the season, and a strong one over the second half. This scheduling is the complete opposite of last season.

The team is on the road their first four games before they make their home opener.

The Huskies tango with Army at West Point on Friday, October 12. Then the Huskies are in Hamden to skate against the Quinnipiac University Bobcats on Tuesday, October 16. They then travel to Providence Friday on October 19^th then leave for Troy, NY for a non-conference meeting with RPI. Both the RPI and Army games will be the team’s first visits there.

The Huskies kick off the home schedule against the Maine Black Bears at the XL Center on Friday, October 26^th. On Saturday, the 27th, the Huskies will play at 3 pm as part of a UCONN-Wolf Pack XL Center hockey doubleheader.

The Huskies have two special road trips this season. They will travel first to Belfast, Northern Ireland to play BU, Union College, and Yale as part of the Friendship Four tourney for the Belpot Championship on November 23^rd and 24th. The Odyssey Arena, the home of the UK-based, Elite Ice Hockey League (EIHL), Belfast Giants, will host the games.

UCONN will play Yale at Ingalls Rink on New Year’s Eve Day at 4 pm before traveling to Las Vegas to play at the T-Mobile Arena, the home of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. The Huskies will take part in the second annual Ice Vegas Invitational in January school time, game time and broadcast info to be announced at a later date.

The complete schedule is available HERE.

KAITION DISSED?

If you need another reason to hate the Carolina Hurricanes as they look to end one of the last vestiges of the Hartford Whalers radio voice, Chuck Kaiton, read about it HERE.

COACHES & PLAYER MOVEMENT

Elias Lindholm, the son of former Nighthawk, Mikael Lindholm, was acquired by the Calgary Flames at the NHL Draft from Carolina. He signs a four-year extension at $4.85M per season.

Congrats to former Quinnipiac player and assistant coach, Reid Cashman, who gets a promotion from the Hershey Bears to the Stanley Cup Champion, Washington Capitals, as their new assistant coach. As part of the wholesale change in Hershey, former Wolf Pack, Randy Murphy, was relieved as an assistant coach, but old Wolf Pack and Yale Bulldog, Alex Westlund, will remain as the goaltending coach.

Ex-Pack, Ryan Graves, signs a one-year, two-way deal with the Colorado Avalanche paying $650K in the NHL and $70K in the AHL. Graves will likely start the year with the newest AHL team, the Colorado Eagles (Loveland, CO).

Goalie Jon Gillies (Salisbury Prep) signs a two-year deal with Calgary; Gillies gets a two-way deal at $750K in the NHL and $200K in the AHL, and a one-way contract in 2019-20 at $750K. He could start the year in Stockton.

The Sound Tigers signed a defenseman, Devon Toews (Quinnipiac University), to a two-year deal. Toews hit a grand slam in this deal with the one-way money of $650K the first year, and $750K the second year. Kyle Burroughs also got a standard two-year two-way deal. The first season he’ll earn $650K (NHL) or $100K (AHL). The second-year pays $700K (NHL) $125K (AHL).

Kurtis MacDermid, the son of former Whaler, Paul MacDermid, gets a two-year, two-way deal from the LA Kings. The first year he’ll make $650K (NHL) or $100K (AHL) with the following season paying $700K (NHL) and $150K (AHL). He will likely start the season in Ontario.

Former UCONN Husky, Spencer Naas, who, after completing four years in Storrs, played four games with Cleveland, has signed a one-year AHL deal with the Texas Stars, last season’s AHL Calder Cup finalist.

Ex-Pack, Alex Krushelnyski, who was the big hero for Lehigh Valley when he scored the game-winning goal in the fifth overtime against Charlotte, the AHL’s longest playoff game ever, signs a one-year AHL deal with the Phantoms.

Tim Army, a Providence, RI native, and a fixture in college and pro hockey, was named the head coach of Iowa. He was an assistant last year with Wilkes Barre/Scranton. Army’s son, Derek (Hotchkiss Prep), retired to become an assistant with Worcester (ECHL).

In August, at The Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, the installation of a new $700K video board will be completed and in time for the 2018-19 season.

Ex-Pack, Shawn O’Donnell, who played just one game on a recall last year with the Wolf Pack before suffering a fractured cheekbone, has signed back with Cincinnati (ECHL) for next season.

Mike Doherty, a former Yale Bulldog, re-signs with Manchester (ECHL) and his fellow ex-Bulldog, Frankie DiChiara, goes from Worcester (ECHL) to Reading (ECHL).

Ex-Pack Mackenzie Skapski departs Orlando (ECHL) and heads to Europe where he signed with HKM Zvolen (Slovakia-SLEL).

Joel Martin, a former Sound Tiger goalie, retires from Kalamazoo (ECHL) to become an assistant coach.

Ex-Sound Tiger, Ryan Walters, re-signs with Utah (ECHL).

Make it ten more AHL’ers heading to Europe. Ex-Pack captain, Mat Bodie, leaves Syracuse for Torpedo Novgorod (Russia-KHL). Also moving to Europe is the Pack’s Dan Catenacci, who was a part of that trade. He signs with HC Bolzano Foxes (Italy-AEHL).

Catenacci was acquired from Rochester two years ago for Bodie. In Hartford, he had nine goals and 24 points in 61 games. Catenacci, whose plays in the Austria Elite League, is now following in his father’s skate blades. His dad played strictly in Europe. Maurizio Catenacci had a 13-year career (599 points in 354 games) in Italy and concluded his career with seasons in France, Germany, and Slovenia.

The other eight AHL’ers heading to Europe include Adam Comrie, who ended the year in Utica after splitting time in Lehigh Valley and Reading (ECHL). He signs with Klagenfurter AC (Austria-AEHL). Phillip Holm, who was in Utica and played a game in Vancouver before being traded to the Chicago Wolves at the trade deadline, signed with Torpedo Novgorod (Russia-KHL).

Mike Latta, Binghamton/Tucson, skates to Kunlun (China, KHL), and Trevor Mingioia leaves Milwaukee for Vasterviks IK (Sweden-Allsvenskan).

Mike Blunden leaves Belleville to go to HC Bolzano (Italy-AEHL), and one of the most significant AHL signees, Temmu Pulkkinen, goes from the Chicago Wolves to Dynamo Minsk (Belarus-KHL).

Brent Regner leaves Texas for EC Salzburg (Austria-AEHL) while Patrick Cannone leaves Iowa for ERC Ingolstadt (Germany-DEL).

57 players plus one coach have all signed to go to Europe. 24 AHL teams have lost at least one player.

Ex-Pack, Travis Oleksuk, leaves HC Bolzano Foxes (Italy-AEHL) after two years but will stay in the league and play in Austria for the EC Graz 99’ers.

Ex-Pack, Paul Crowder, goes from defending champion, Cardiff (Wales-EIHL) to Fife (Scotland-EIHL) for next season..

Ex-Sound Tiger, Victor Bartley, goes from Orebro HK (Sweden-SHL) to Kunlun (China-KHL),

Evan Richardson, a former UCONN Husky, departs from Tulsa (ECHL) to Manchester (England-EIHL).

Ex-Pack, Nicklas Jensen, signed a one-year deal with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland-KHL).

Five more collegians have signed overseas. There will be three in France, the World Cup capital of the universe.

Mark Auk of Michigan Tech (WCHA) signs with Lukko Rauma (Finland-FEL) and Eetu Torpstrom UMASS-Amherst (HE) signs with Jokerit Helsinki (Finland-KHL).

Alex Bontje goes from Robert Morris (AHA) to HC Cholet (France Division-2) and Gianni Mangone along with his collegiate teammate, Derek Thorogood, are headed from Division III Marian University (NCHA) to HC Neuilly-sur-Marne (France Division-2).

Brad McClure, the captain of Minnesota State-Mankato, signs with Texas as did Nolan Gluchowski of St. Lawrence (ECACHL). Corey Kalk goes from Dartmouth College (ECACHL) to Orlando (ECHL).

Kevin Miller from Ohio State (Big 10) signs with Ft. Wayne (ECHL) while another player has returned to Canadian college hockey in Colin Grannary. He goes from the University Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC) to Concordia University–Montreal (OUAA).

That’s now 164 Division I college players that have signed North American pro deals. 218 total college players have signed either North American or European agreements. Four players have now transferred to Canadian college hockey.

The University of Alaska-Fairbanks, after a long process, has hired an assistant coach, and Fairbanks native, Steve Largen, to be the Nanooks new head coach the ninth in school history.

Defenseman Jordan Smith, whose career was cut short after losing an eye when he played in Portland (AHL), was named associate head coach for the Sault Ste. Marie Greyhounds (OHL). His injury ushered in the mandatory half visor rule in the AHL.

Some nice ex-Pack news!

Former all-time great, Derek Armstrong, had a test for a TV gig with the Vegas Golden Knights last season. Their games air on AT&T Sportsnet. Another reason to watch Vegas hockey! Last year Armstrong did ten test games doing pre- and post-game studio work.

Armstrong is still the head coach for the LA Kings Triple AAA U-15 and U-18 teams which his sons, Easton and Dawson, are on. Easton is heading to summer development camp with Regina (WHL) who drafted him back in the spring.

Armstrong, is the Director of Satellite programming (on ice) for LA which is an outreach development program. He also just hired ex-Nighthawk, Todd Elik, a former LA King, to run the newly designed LA Kings hockey academy in Beijing, China.

Another ex-Wolf Pack is now coaching.

Defenseman Ronnie Sundin, from the very first Wolf Pack team, coaches Hamhals IF J-18 squad in Sweden. His son, Anton, plays for Frolunda HC J-20 and is eligible to play for the Swedish Hockey League team while his nephew, Felix Sundin-Hellqvist, plays for Falu IF (Sweden Division-2).

There are now 20 former Wolf Pack players whose sons and daughters are playing at high levels of hockey. The current known number is 32.

Last crazy ex-Pack tidbit…

Three former players are involved in the BCMML league (Bantam level) in British Columbia. Two of them are coaches in Geoff Smith, with Thompson, and Peter Hay with Fraser Valley. Jeff Finley has his son playing in the league; Jack was with Okanagan last year.

The post CANTLON’S CORNER: BIG WEEK OF WOLF PACK OFF SEASON NOTES – VOLUME 13 first appeared on Howlings.

      VERSUS      

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Cole Schneider’s OT game-winner allowed the Hartford Wolf Pack to end their home schedule in winning fashion 2-1 over the Binghamton Devils in the first meeting of the season.

The Wolf Pack close out the entire regular season in Binghamton.

The Wolf Pack finished their home schedule with a record of 19-6-3-0. Their record sits at .500 at 33-33-6-3. With a win tomorrow, the team will finish above .500, a goal the team has worked toward for the end of this season.

“We have had it on the board to get to .500. That’s what we’re striving for,” said Schneider, the game’s hero.

The game-winner came as Schneider took a lead pass from Chris Bigras at center ice as the Wolf Pack were going for a wholesale change during the three-on-three marched down the right wing was able to stuff in his fifteenth goal of the season off a rebound of his backhander on goaltender Cam Johnson at 1:53.

30 seconds earlier, Johnson stopped Bigras on a breakaway which looked like it could have been the game-winner.

For Schneider, it capped a game perfectly where he was voted the Team’s MVP by his teammates.

“I was happy Biggie didn’t score on the breakaway so I could get out there and get the game winner,” Schneider said with a laugh.

He was humbled hearing the announcement of his winning the MVP.

“It’s very special to be respected by the guys like that. When your teammates do something like that, you really appreciate it. I look at it as so special. It will really hit me over the summer.”

The Pack’s Adam Tambellini had the first solid chance to win the game at 26 seconds of OT with a burst down the left wing that came off a pass from Vinni Lettieri that Johnson stopped.

“We had some good chances in the third and got a few early in overtime and Cole Schneider finished it off. I thought we did a solid job all night and were able to pull through for the win.”

Finishing with a winning home record was also uppermost important to the team.

“We talked about it before the game about getting back to .500 (overall) and to finish up strong at home for the fans and we were able to do that,” Schneider stated.

Lettieri had two chances in the final two minutes of regulation to win it but came up empty. As awards were announced, Lettieri was named as the Wolf Pack Fan Favorite as voted on by the Pack faithful.

“We had some chances where I had more time than I thought. We had chances. Tambo had a good effort on the backhander too against them.”

Winning The Fan Favorite Award and the support from the faithful meant a lot to Lettieri. “I was very thankful for that. We really appreciate the fans. They helped us a lot this year, whether we were winning or losing, they were there for us. I can’t credit them enough how they were there for us, especially in the second half. We saw more fans coming in and that gave us momentum. On some (nights) they got us fired up and thanks to them for that. We’re excited to give them something more to cheer about next year.”

Playing a brand new opponent in game 75 was alright with Lettieri.

“It was great. In fact, it was kind of refreshing actually to see somebody else. We play Springfield and Bridgeport, what, 50 times this year? So, it was nice to play a new team for a change.”

Binghamton nearly won it in the waning seconds of regulation.

Christian Bertschy came off the left wing wall and raced to the net. Pack goalie, Alex Georgiev, calmly poke-checked the puck off his stick.

In the third period, the Devils tied the game at one late in the period.

Nathan Bastian took a short drop pass from Mike MacLeod while Vince Pedrie and Schneider collided while trying to stop MacLeod. Bastian slipped away from Steven Fogarty and sped down the left wing untouched. He then cut across Georgiev and put his shot just under his right pad for his sixth of the season with 5:53 left in the regulation.

In the second period, the Wolf Pack held the Devils to just five shots. Part of the reason for the low shot total was strong defensive play inside the Wolf Pack zone from Ryan Lindgren, who did some fine shot blocking on an attempt by Christian Bertschy.

They were able to put eleven shots on Johnson including a right-wing drive by Fogarty that was redirected by Dawson Leedahl. Gabriel Fontaine, the winner of the team’s Seventh Player Award, was on the third line. He too had a solid opportunity denied by Johnson.

The Wolf Pack used their first power play to score the game’s first goal.

Bigras got the shot off from the right point. The puck made it through to Fogarty. He won a one-on-one battle and out-positioned and got in-between and behind Devils defenseman Brian Strait, and Tariq Hammond who had lost his stick for a shot that was stopped.

Ryan Gropp followed that up with being in a perfect support position behind Fogarty and chipped in his thirteenth of the season at 12:48.

This came just after Dan DeSalvo’s shot from the right point was nearly put in by the stick of Devils defenseman, Jagger Dirk.

WOLF PACK TEAM AWARD WINNERS:

MVP: Cole Schneider
7the Player Award: Gabriel Fontaine
Team Character Award: Steven Fogarty
Man of the Year: Chris Nell
Fan Favorite: Vinni Lettieri

WOLF PACK LINES:

Albert-Leedahl-Jaspar
Schneider-Fogarty-DeSalvo
Tambellini-Lettieri-Ronning
Fontaine-Gropp-Salvaggio

Bigras-Helgesen
Lindgren-Labrie
Pedrie-Crawley

SCRATCHES:

Scott Kosmachuk (foot injury)
Brendan Smith (broken hand)
Boo Nieves (healthy)
Dan Catenacci (veteran)
Drew Melanson (healthy)

Rangers unofficially assigned forward Lias Andersson (Sweden) and Filip Chytil (Czech Republic) to their respective World Championship teams that begin play in Denmark in two weeks on May 4.

The Wolf Pack announced the date of the home opener for 2018-19. The date will be October 5th.

Dirk is the son of former NHL defenseman Robert Dirk.

A whole host of scouts on hand for the home finale. Among them were Anaheim, Detroit, Ottawa, and Winnipeg.

Earlier in the week, defenseman Alexei Bereglazov, who played 13 games at the start of the season before returning to Russia, was put on unconditional waivers and cleared. This ends his contract with the Rangers and he will not be returning to Hartford in the fall and will remain in Russia to play in the KHL.

Wolf Pack Fan Jersey of the Night:

Old school night for sure; #7 Joe Rullier (still remember the banner from the home crowd, “Rullier is French for Loser!” He’s since retired), #14 Jack Combs (Iserlohn Germany-DEL), #15 Hugh Jessiman (retired), #18 (CT Whale) Jonathan Audy-Marchessault (Las Vegas-NHL), #20 P.J. Stock (assistant coach St. Lazare QJAAAHL), #23 Jayson Megna (Vancouver-NHL/Utica-AHL), #27 Martin Grenier (retired), #34 Dane Byers (Manchester England-EIHL), #46 Jordan Owens (Fischtown Germany-DEL) and #48 Peter Ferraro (retired).

Bonus: A pair of Ronnings were in the house, a #7 Cliff Ronning (Arizona) and Ty Ronning #14 (from last year).

The post CANTLON: PACK KNOCK OFF DEVILS IN FINAL HOME GAME OF THE SEASON first appeared on Howlings.

      VERSUS      

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Two quick goals in the second period were the difference for the Springfield Thunderbirds as they shutout the Hartford Wolf Pack, in their last meeting of the season, 2-0. It was the third shutout the Wolf Pack have been handed this season. For the Thunderbirds, their goalie Harri Sateri, this was his fourth straight win; his third shutout of the year and for the T-Birds fifth shutout of the season.

Pack goalie, Alex Georgiev, faced 48 or more shots for the 13th time this season. The Pack was outshot by a 2-to-1 margin.

“Georgy made some really big saves, especially in the third. The breakdowns took place and they looked like a team that had fresh legs and didn’t play last night. We looked like a team that played last night. They had more jump in their step than we did,” remarked Pack head coach, Keith McCambridge.

Georgiev faced 21 shots in the second and saw 12 more come his way in the third.

The Thunderbirds were buzzing the Wolf Pack net in the second period. They scored two goals in a 16-second span.

Dryden Hunt swept around the net from the right wing and made a backhand stuff attempt. Georgiev made the save, but the puck came out in front. Joel Lowry saw his first shot stopped, but it popped up in the air. Lowry made a backhand swipe at it in mid-air and knocked in his third goal of the season at 8:36.

Anthony Greco then took advantage of a defensive miscue by rookie Tyson Helgesen. Off a center ice faceoff saw Lowry put the puck deep in the Pack zone, Helgesen couldn’t control the puck. Greco took the loose puck, moved in on Georgiev, and with one of his nine shots in the game, went forehand-to-backhand and slipped into the net his 29^th goal.

“They were better in all three zones,” McCambridge said. “Our execution wasn’t there and chased them too much and didn’t have too much push-back.”

Chase Bailey made a fine move while on the rush and slipped a shot under Georgiev’s right pad. What got by Georgiev was stopped by the post with 1:41 left.

“It’s frustrating. We didn’t play well in any facet of the game tonight,” Steven Fogarty said. Just back from playing his first NHL game, Fogarty said, “We went down early and it’s hard to come back when you’re not playing well. It’s a tough one to swallow.”

In a scoreless first period, the Thunderbirds, led by Greco, outshot the Pack 15-10 and seemed like the more rested team.

“Georgy has done it numerous times for us this year. He gave us a chance tonight.  It was up to us to push back and we didn’t,” Fogarty stated.

NOTES:

Ryan Lindgren had his first pro fight with Lowry. He also earned a game misconduct for not having the tie down on his jersey. That came with 48.3 seconds left in the second period leaving the Pack played shorthanded for the third.

“It’s a player’s responsibility. I don’t go around lifting everybody’s jersey to make sure (it’s tied down),” remarked McCambridge.

Lines

Andersson-Melanson-Ty Ronning
Nieves-Tambellini-Fontaine
Chytil-Lettieri-Schneider
Fogarty-Gropp-Salvaggio

Lindgren-Labrie
Crawley-Bigras
Pedrie-Helgesen

Scratches:

• Scott Kosmachuk (lower body, likely done for the season)
• Brendan Smith (broken hand, likely done for the season)
• John Albert, Brendan Kotyk, Simon Denis, Evan Jaspar, Dawson Leedahl, Dan DeSalvo, and Dan Catenacci (vet scratch)

Fogarty grew up in Minnesota but was born in Chambersburg, PA. He got to enjoy his first NHL game. “My parents were there, and my brother took a red-eye from California (San Diego), so it was great. We were there and got a picture together. It was a blur really; a  dream come true. It’s something you dream about your whole life. Once the game went on, I got a bit more comfortable.”

Later that night, Fogarty was rooting for his alma mater, the ND Fighting Irish. “The players on the team and the coach really deserved a national championship, but it was a tough game to lose (2-1 to University of Minnesota-Duluth).”

He, and current Ranger, Neal Pion, who’s from UMD, had a personal bet going on over the game.

David Hallisey (Princeton ECAC) of Wethersfield/Westminster Prep was released after just one game with the Pack on an ATO deal.

Rangers GM Jeff Gorton will hold a press conference Monday at the Rangers practice rink.

The post CANTLON: (SUN) T-BIRDS SHUTOUT WOLF PACK IN LAST VISIT first appeared on Howlings.