#NewHavenNighthawk

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

By; Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The New York Rangers training camp has officially opened, and their first game against the Boston Bruins, a 3-0 loss, has been played. There are still lots of Hartford Wolf Pack notes coming out of camp. Pack defenseman Adam Clendening re-signs with the Rangers on a PTO. Nothing was indicated about his potential for a return to Hartford. He adds depth to an already crowded defense corps. It was thought that the Chicago Wolves, Milwaukee Admirals, Grand Rapids Griffins, or Cleveland Monsters, all AHL teams, would be his next destination. The Wolf Pack moved their game with Cleveland from Saturday, February 24, 2024, to Thursday, February 22, 2024, at 7:00 p.m. There is an unspecified building availability issue. It will lead to a rare midweek three-games-in-three-days running Wednesday through Friday (Bridgeport Islanders, Cleveland, and Springfield) and an even rarer mid-season weekend off. EX-PLAYERS MOVEMENT Ex-Pack Danny O'Regan signs with MODO (Sweden-SHL). Ninety players from the AHL last year have now signed overseas. Ex-Pack Andy Welinski signs with the St. Louis Blues. There is a good chance he will play for the Springfield Thunderbirds this season. Ex-Pack goalie Brandon Halverson returns to North American hockey. He departs Germany DEL-2 for one more chance with the Dallas Stars on a Professional Try-Out (PTO) training camp deal. He's aiming for a spot with the Texas Stars (AHL) or the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL). Ex-Pack/Ranger Artem Anisimov signs a PTO training camp deal with the Detroit Red Wings. Angela Ruggiero (Choate Rosemary Hall, Wallingford) is now the Rangers Hockey Operations Advisor and is one of three new female organizational hires. Former New Haven Senator (19 games) Andy Schneider is the Rangers' new Director of Amateur Scouting for North America. He moves organizationally from across the Hudson River from the New Jersey Devils, where he was the Director of Canadian major junior hockey scouting for them last year. YOUNG ARMY The youngest son of Wolf Pack great Derek Armstrong, Easton Armstrong, is off to the Los Angeles Kings training camp on an invite basis. The Kings are one of the NHL teams his father played for. Easton will likely return to the Wenatchee Wild (WHL) for his last junior year as an overager. The Wenatchee Wild ownership purchased his Winnipeg Ice team from last season this past summer. The franchise was upgraded from the Junior A BCHL to the WHL. Reports that Armstrong signed with the Fargo Force (USHL) are false. That organization had pursued him when he was 16 but has had no contact with him since. Three WHL teams had been looking to add him. AUSTRALIA GAME The first NHL game in Australia was a hit. Nick Bjugstad, the nephew of former New Haven Nighthawk Scott Bjugstad, had a strong game and set up the second Arizona Coyotes goal in the 5-3 win over the Kings. Teammate Barrett Hayton, the son of Nighthawk Brian Hayton, recorded the empty net insurance goal. A third son of a former Nighthawk played as well. Pierre-Luc Dubois is the son of Eric Dubois. Jason Spence, the second Australian by birth presently playing in the NHL, had the primary assist on the Kings' first goal. The goal by Logan Cooley will be the most significant conversation piece, his right-wing rush spin-a-rama tally. OTTAWA Michael Andlauer's purchase of the Ottawa and Belleville Senators was unanimously granted and approved by the NHL and AHL's respective Boards of Governors on Friday. Now that it's done, next is getting a downtown arena, and eventually, Belleville might be relocated down the road. Whispers have been circulating that Ottawa might want to move its AHL team into the Western Quebec region to extend its brand and capture the 25% French-speaking market of Ottawa, the Canadian national capital city. Gatineau across the river would be likely, but the QMJHL Olympiques will have a big say if it ever happens. Eastern Quebec has been ceded to the Canadiens. MORE TRANSACTIONS Alexandre Fortin, the nephew of ex-Hartford Whaler Jean-Sébastien Giguère, a former Stanley Cup and Conn Smythe (Playoff MVP) trophy winner, signs with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL), leaving the Hershey Bears organization. Nolan Volcan, the nephew of another former Whaler, Mickey Volcan, signed with the Ft. Wayne Komets (ECHL). He came from Canadian college hockey, where he played for the University of Alberta Golden Bears program. He heads to training camp with the Bakersfield Condors (AHL). His grandfather, Mike Volcan, played in the CFL. BRIDGEPORT NEWS The Bridgeport Islanders saw the parent New York Islanders bring back from the Swedish Hockey League Dmytro Timashov, who was born in Ukraine. Timashov played in Bridgeport during the 2020-21 season. He joins Samuel Asselin from the Providence Bruins. He's been a "Pack pest" the last few years and likely will be in Bridgeport this season. Former Sound Tiger Goalie Christopher Gibson leaves the Coachella Valley Firebirds (Seattle Kraken) and is headed to the Texas Stars (Dallas Stars). The Halifax Mooseheads (QMJHL) have Alec Nasredinne, the son of former Sound Tiger player and current Dallas assistant coach Alain Nasredinne. They also have Brady Schultz (Monroe), the grandson of former Whaler Norm Barnes, and Liam Kilfoil, formerly of the Selects Academy at South Kent Pre,p on their lineup as the junior season gets underway. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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FREE AGENCY AND THE NEW YORK RANGERS

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The annual NHL free agency shopping spree has begun for the New York Rangers; with serious salary cap issues, they're shopping for deals in the clearance bins. On Friday, the Rangers announced who they made qualifying offers to and who they didn't. The Rangers qualified their two most important restricted free agents, Alexis Lafreniere and K'Andre Miller. The Hartford Wolf Pack had three players qualified. After a solid second half, Ty Emberson is in the unique CBA Group 6 category. Also qualified after his original two-year deal ended was fellow rearguard, and one of the few on the roster with significant size, at 6'4 ", was Brandon Scanlin. Lastly, and a bit of a surprise, was right-wing Lauri Pajuniemi. At times Pajuniemi was an unhappy camper. He saw no recalls in his two years in Hartford and had already signed with his Swedish team Malmö IF (Sweden-SHL). He likely has a window before training camp in Sweden begins next month, where he'll be allowed to sign an NHL deal without penalty. Winger Anton Blidh signed a new two-year deal paying $775K for play in the NHL and $350K for play in the AHL two weeks after the playoffs ended. UFA's Ryan Carpenter, Tim Gettinger, and Wyatt Kalynuk got new deals with other teams on the same terms. Carpenter re-signed with the San Jose Sharks, who he broke in with his first year. He signed a one-way, one-year deal at $775K. Kalynuk signed with the St. Louis Blues. He also signed a $775K one-way contract and could wind up playing up the road at the Blues' affiliate in Springfield. Gettinger signed with the Detroit Red Wings for $775K. He will likely play for the Grands Rapids Griffins in the AHL, moving closer to his friends and family in Ohio. Will Lockwood, Adam Clendening, Patrick Khordorenko, who played in just four games before separating his shoulder and ending his season, and Libor Hajek, all remained unsigned as of the end of business on Saturday. RANGERS SIGNINGS The Rangers signed veterans Jonathan Quick, Blake Wheeler, Alex Belzile, Riley Nash, a Pack killer in Charlotte with the Checkers last year, and Connecticut product and resident Nick Bonino. Quick is from Hamden and received a one-year $825K deal from the Blueshirts. The three-time Stanley Cup Champion started last year in LA and was traded twice on Trade Deadline Day in March. He spent half a day with the Columbus Blue Jackets before being dealt to the Vegas Golden Knights, where he earned that third Stanley Cup ring. Quick went to and played for Hamden High School Green Dragons under Todd Hall, the ex-Pack assistant coach. Hall was then a recently retired player and retired as Hamden's head coach a year ago. Quick also went on to play prep school hockey at the Avon Old Farms (AOF), the acclaimed program coached by John Gardner, who also had Cheshire's Brian Leetch there at one time too. At the time, AOF's assistant coach was former Hartford Whaler, Ranger, and Wolf Pack assistant coach, Ulf Samuelsson. AOF has produced several Stanley Cup champions starting with Leetch (the first to go to the NHL), Quick, Bonino, and 12 others who have gone on to play in the NHL, including the retired Matt Martin (Hamden), ex-Bridgport Sound Tiger/Wolf Pack and Yalie, Jeff Hamilton, another former Yale Bulldog, Chris Higgins, and presently Anaheim's Trevor Zegras. Wheeler comes to New York after spending over a decade with the Winnipeg Jets on a super cap friendly $800K deal for one year. Belzile was with the Montreal Canadiens last year. He gets a two-year cap complaint deal at $775K per season. He is a depth addition and will likely play in Hartford. He split last year between Laval and injury-riddled Montreal and was Laval's captain. He has been in the Montreal system for the previous five years. He's been in Laval for the last three years and the team's last two years in St. John's. He is an 11-year minor pro veteran who played in San Antonio for his first three years. Riley Nash gets two years at $775K on a one-way ticket. Bonino is from Unionville, near the RI border. He grew up in Farmington. He signed a one-year deal at $800K and played for the San Jose Sharks and Pittsburgh Penguins last year. The Rangers added depth at defense for Hartford in signing Connor Mackey to a one-year, two-way deal at $775K for NHL play and $400K in the AHL. He split thirty games last season between the Calgary Flames and Arizona Coyotes and played ten more for the USA WC Team, where he replaced Nikko Mikkola on the depth chart, who left for the Florida Panthers. More relief was brought for the Wolf Pack blueline, which began the day with just four players. Signed was Nikolas Brouillard, to a one-year, $775K one-way money. He played in San Diego Gulls for the last three years. In Juniors, he played for five years in the QMJHL for Drummondville, Quebec, and Rouyn-Noranda and was an All-Star three times. He spent three years in Montreal at McGill University (OUAA) in Canadian college hockey under the guidance of head coach and ex-Pack, David Urquhart before heading to San Diego. NOTES: Ex-Pack Jesper Fast re-signs a two-year deal in Carolina with the Hurricanes for $2.4M. Two ex-Wolf Pack goalies sign deals as Cam Talbot departs Ottawa for the LA Kings signing a one-year $1M contract, and Dustin Tokarski signs a one-year, two-way deal with the Buffalo Sabres for $775K. New Canaan's Max Pacioretty (Taft) moves up the East Coast and signs a one-year $2M contract in Washington with the Capitals. Former Sound Tiger Kyle Burroughs heads down the West Coast from the Vancouver Canucks to the San Jose Sharks for three years at $1.1M annually. Ryan MacKinnon leaves Bridgeport for Belleville Senators, whose contract has not yet been posted. Nick Bjugstad, the nephew of ex-New Haven Nighthawk Scott Bjugstad, leaves the Edmonton Oilers and signs in Arizona for two years at $2.1M. Vladimir Namestnikov, a former Ranger and son of ex-Pack Evgeny "John" Namestnikov, re-ups with Winnipeg, who Tampa Bay traded for two more years at $2M. Connor Clifton (Quinnipiac University), who faded at the end of the season in Boston, incredibly gets three years at $3.3M per in Buffalo. Another former Bobcat, Brogan Rafferty, leaves Coachella Valley and the Seattle organization and signs a two-year, one-way deal for $775K with Detroit. The Red Wings sign former Yale Bulldog Alex Lyon, who was largely responsible for the Florida Panthers getting in the playoffs. The goalie signs for two years at $900K per one-way with a Calder Cup title in his back pocket. The Seattle Kraken signed ex-Yale Bulldog John Hayden to a one-year extension at $775K. Ex-Pack Vinni Lettieri returns home to Minnesota and signs a two-year, two-way deal $775K-NHL/$550K-AHL with the Wild. Former CT Whale Jayson Megna departs San Jose to replace him in Providence. The Bruins signed him to a one-year deal at $775K. Ex-Pack Ryan Graves leaves the New Jersy Devils for Pittsburgh and signs a six-year deal for $4.5M per season. He led the NHL plus/minus the last two years. Justin Richards, who couldn't throw the puck in the net two years ago, leaves Columbus for Buffalo for a one-year, one-way $775K deal. Leaving St. Louis for Tampa Bay is Logan Brown, the son of former Whaler Jeff Brown, signs a one-year, two-way deal for $775K-NHL/$250K-AHL. Noel Acciari (Kent School), who split last year between St. Louis and the Toronto Maple Leafs, signs a three-year deal in Pittsburgh for $2M per. And still searching for new deals in the NHL, AHL, or Europe are; Michael Del Zotto (Anaheim ex-Pack/Ranger) Jack McBain (Arizona, son of former New Haven Senator Andrew) Malte Stromwall (Carolina ex-Pack) Andy Welinski (Chicago via Rockford ex-Pack) Keith Kinkaid (Colorado with ex-Pack) Ross Colton (Taft) (just acquired this week by Colorado, and before he could even put on an Avalanche jersey) Jon Gillies (Columbus, Salisbury School, played with three teams last year) Magnus Hellberg and Danny O’Regan (Detroit, ex-Pack) J.F. Berube (Florida, ex-Sound Tiger/Wolf Pack) Anthony Bitetto (ex-Pack) Oliver Wahlstrom (Islanders/ex-Sound Tiger) Kieffer Bellows (Philadelphia ex-Sound Tiger) Peter Diliberatore (Pittsburgh, via Scranton/Wilkes Barre - was acquired at the trade deadline, Quinnipiac) Strauss Mann (San Jose, Greenwich/Brunswick School) Vitali Kravtsov (Vancouver, but already bolted back to Russia to Traktor Chelyabinsk of the KHL) Morgan Barron (Winnipeg ex-Pack) The Bridgeport Islanders did not qualify Collin Adams, Blade Jenkins, and the already-in-Europe, Bode Wild. Ivan Nikolishin, the son of former Whaler Andrei Nikolishin, has left Amur Khaborvsk (Russia-KHL) with no new destination yet. NEW YORK RANGERS HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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MARCHESSAULT WINS STANLEY CUP AND CONN SMYTHE

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - When he was a member of the Connecticut Whale, Jonathan Audy-Marchessault was a diamond in the rough. Marchessault was playing for the Quebec Remparts in the QMJHL, learning his craft under the recently-retired Memorial Cup-winning head coach, Patrick Roy, over a dozen years ago. The New York Rangers signed Marchessault as an undrafted free agent in 2010 along with his junior teammate and fellow Connecticut Whale alumni, the just-retired Kelsey Tessier. Another of Marchessault's junior and CT Whale teammates was retired forward Ryan Bourque. Marchessault finished second in scoring on the initial CT Whale squad with 24 goals and 64 points. The Rangers thought he was going to be strictly an AHL player. They got that wrong. The Columbus Blue Jackets took a chance on Marchessault the following season and sent him to the AHL Springfield Falcons. Machessault's anger and frustration were apparent when he explained why he signed and agreed to go to Springfield in a Howlings interview. "It's total BS. I'm second in scoring on the team (Kris Newbury was first) and the Rangers didn't offer me any NHL money in a new contract. I had signed for just a year. They just offered another AHL deal. Total BS. I will get to the NHL and win the Stanley Cup. Signing with Columbus may be my fastest route," Marchessault scornfully declared then. Marchessault is the first undrafted player (signed with the WHA Indianapolis Racers with a personal services contract, or he would have been a Montreal Canadiens draft pick) since Wayne Gretzky in 1988 to win a Conn Smythe Trophy. He scored ten goals that either gave Vegas the lead (six times) or tied the game (four times) during the 2023 Stanley Cup Playoffs. He is just one of three players in the last 35 years to score a goal in the first three games of the Stanley Cup Final. The Rangers weren't the only team to misjudge Marchessault's talent. After one year with Columbus/Springfield and not getting an opportunity, he then signed the following year with the Tampa Bay Lightning. Marchessault got in his initial NHL playing time with 47 games over two years but spent most of his three years with the organization in Syracuse. "Marchie's" journey then crossed the Sunshine State when he signed with the Florida Panthers. He received his first solid NHL playing time a had a 30-goal campaign six years ago. When the Vegas Golden Knights came into the NHL as a franchise, Marchessault was left exposed by the Panthers and was taken by Vegas in the expansion draft. The Panthers' decision to leave Marchessault exposed amazingly came about because the franchise decided to protect two other players, both no longer in the organization, Alex Petrovic (Dallas) and Mark Pysyk (Buffalo), who was coming off his worst defensive year at minus-21. Marchessault never wavered or accepted no for an answer - ever. Marchessault was on a two-year deal with the Panthers at a cap-friendly $750K. The following year, he signed a five-year extension for $30 million that expires next year. It also included a modified no-trade clause. He then becomes a UFA. Since he arrived in the Nevada desert, the 32-year-old has not been a minus player since, as one of the original six Golden Knights, who all started the Cup-clinching game. Naturally, who scored Vegas's first goal of the series…Marchessault. The Connecticut connections in Vegas are numerous. Their backup goalie, Jonathan Quick (Hamden/AOF), Chandler Stephenson, is the nephew of Bob Stephenson, a former Hartford Whaler. Ex-Ranger Brett Howden played for three years in New York. A trio of ex-Whalers, assistant coach John Stevens Sr., goalie coach Sean Burke who did a superb job with Conn Smythe consideration former Springfield Falcon, Aidin Hill, whose first pro game was against the Wolf Pack, and Murray Craven, is a Senior VP of Operations. Vegas' Team President is former New Haven Nighthawk and Ranger George McPhee. Scouts include ex-Whaler Jim McKenzie (Pro Scout), Connor Jones (Amateur Scout) is a former Quinnipiac University/Bridgeport Sound Tigers/and the grandson of former New Haven Blade Terry Jones) standout and ex-Whaler, Alex Godynyuk (European scout). Florida had ex-Yale Bulldog goalie Alex Lyon, ex-Pack/Ranger Marc Staal, former Sound Tiger Carter Verhaeghe, former Whaler coach, head coach Paul Maurice, and ex-Pack Sylvain Lefebvre as the Panthers assistant coach. Pro Scouts Sean Backman (Cos Cob/Yale Univ./Sound Tigers/AOF) and P.J. Fenton (son of Nighthawk/Whaler Paul Fenton) Two special advisors to the team GM, former Nighthawks coach Rick Dudley and former New Haven Nighthawks and Whalers player PJ's father, the aforementioned Paul Fenton. Marchessault now has a Stanley Cup ring and was voted as the Conn Smythe Trophy with the Golden Knights with the second most points of 25, just one behind Jack Eichel. Quebec City got its Stanley Cup from the Cap-Rouge native, a suburb of the city and hopes Marchessault remembers his declaration and parades the Cup it in front of the iconic Frontenac Hotel along the Quebec City elevated promenade, aside from the St. Lawrence River. He now joins the pantheon of great Quebec French-Canadian high scoring forwards the game has had from Guy Lafleur, Mike Bossy, Mario Lemieux, Maurice "The Rocket" Richard, Marc Tardif, Andre "The Magician" Lacroix (ex-Whaler), Marcel Dionne, and Real "Buddy" Cloutier. Not taking no for an answer paid off handsomely for Marchessault. NAHL DRAFT The NAHL-North American Hockey League held the last junior draft mid-week, two weeks before the NHL Draft in Nashville at the end of the month. Taken from Connecticut first, the draft pick El Paso initial was James Mallozzi (New Canaan), selected from Westchester U-16 (T1EHL) in the second round (38th overall) by the Danbury Hat Tricks. Danbury's first round (26th overall) was Ethan Farrow, then Jack Wuertz in the second round (36th overall). Tamás Tóth, from the CT Jr. Rangers (NCDC), who played for the Hungary WJC Division Group 1A team, was taken by the Maryland Black Bears. Matt Alberti, from Salisbury School, was selected in the third round (71st overall) by Janesville (WI) Jets, and Evan West was taken by the Chippewa (WI) Steel, third round (84th overall), a former Danbury Jr. Hat Trick. In the fourth round (123rd overall), Danbury took Marius Angelin from Potomac (USPHL Premier), coached by ex-Pack Josh Gratton. The pick belonged to the Amarillo (TX) Wranglers. Then Roman Winnicki was taken in the fifth round (172nd overall) as the Hat Tricks took him from their NA3HL team and was originally an El Paso draft choice. Jakub Krizan, from Czechia of the Selects Academy at SKP (South Kent Prep), went in the fifth round, 150th overall, and Jack Keane, in the sixth round, 164th overall, was taken by Danbury. Then the Maine Nordiques took Lucas DiChiara of Fairfield in the sixth round (172nd overall). The pick originally belonged to the Johnstown (PA) Jets. Then in the sixth round (190th overall), Geno Carcone was taken by Danbury from Des Moines (USHL). The pick was from the Lone Star (TX) Brahmas. Then seventh round (196th overall), Jacob Ingstrup was selected by Minot (ND) and the Kent School Lions. Then Danbury took Matt DellaRusso (Darien) from the St. George's School (RIPREP). In the ninth round (281st overall), the Minnesota Wilderness took Jack Roberts from the Kent School. The final selection in the 10th round (313th overall) was Michael Murtagh, formerly of The Frederick Gunn School (Washington, CT), playing for the Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL). NOTES: The Rangers hired their new bench boss, who played 12 games in 1988-89 for the Blueshirts in his playing days and two seasons for the Binghamton Rangers, who were relocated to Hart City in 1997. He has now coached six Metropolitan Division teams; NY Islanders, Hurricanes, Washington, Hurricanes, and Flyers. The Rangers announced assistant coach and former Wolf Pack assistant Gord Murphy had been dismissed, and Kris Knoblauch would be back in Hart City. Former Sound Tiger Matt Donovan returns to the AHL from Adler Mannheim (Germany-DEL) and signs with the Chicago Wolves. Lochlan Tetarenko, the son of Beast of New Haven defenseman Joe Tetarenko, signs with Saskatoon (WHL), who drafted him last year from Okotoks (AEHL). The Bridgeport Islanders' defenseman Connor McCarthy, signs with HC Banska Bystrica (Slovakia-SLEL). He split the season between Bridgeport and Worcester (ECHL). Ex-Whaler Mark Hunter of London Knights (OHL) won GM of the year, and Bridgeport Islanders Matt Maggio won the OHL Red Tilson regular season MVP award. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK LOSE TO ROCKFORD ICE HOGS IN FIRST VISIT EVER TO HART CITY

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Rockford Ice Hogs won the one-on-one battles and received a goal and an assist from Lukas Reichel and Dylan Sikura to pace them to a 4-2 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack at the XL Center. "We got our chances in the third (period), and we didn't get much in the way of rebounds. Once we forced the issue we got a lot more chances. We just couldn't score. I thought the chances were pretty even between both squads. We didn't get the offense we wanted, but then again we are missing five or six of our top forwards right now. Our guys worked hard, we just didn't get the results we wanted, "Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said in his post-game comments. In the third period, the Wolf Pack trailed by three when the Wolf Pack used solid forechecking to force a two-on-none and made it count. The Wolf Pack had a pair of forwards force a turnover. Guttman was in the offensive zone at the Pack blue line and swiped by Tanner Fritz after Bobby Trivigno's forecheck forced the turnover. Then Fritz and Trivigno broke out on the odd man rush. At 6:06 came the game's only clean scoring chance for the Wolf Pack. In a give-and-go situation, Fritz shuffled it back to Trivigno, who put in his fourth goal of the season with Matt Rempe trailing to make it an actual three-on-none. "We had a lot good opportunities. We played right at five-on-five. We just have to find a way to win these one goal games. Too many are going the other way on us. We're making those first or second but, we just have to capitalize and put it in the back of the net. Getting down 3-0, it's tough to dig out of that hole," remarked Trivigno. Knoblauch was pleased but offered a caveat. "It's good we got that chance and showed we know what to do with (the puck); it's just we're not getting a chance like that that often. Bobby made a good play there….We just need more of them." The Pack's netminder, Louis Domingue, made two saves on Reichel and Alec Regula to keep the Wolf Pack within shouting distance early. The Pack played with a sense of urgency, getting some net-front presence and offensive zone time in the process. Will Cullye made a shorthanded pass to Turner Elson with a backhander just before the goal was stopped by the goaltender, Jaxon Stauber. At 15:42, a rare net-front rebound came off an Andy Welinski shot. Cullye attempted to score, but Stauber gobbled it up. Ryan Lohin was wide-open on the right wing side and was stopped with no other chances as Stauber controlled the rebounds effectively. "When you have stretch like this, we just have to simplify our game. We have to hone in on our special teams right now and try to get it to click and get some pucks in the back of the net and make it a totally different game than it becomes," Trivigno said. The Pack continued to inch closer. They had a tremendous late-game power play opportunity but only managed one shot, Welinski's left point blast with 18.5 seconds left in the power play. With 4.5 seconds left, Brandon Scanlin's rocket from the left point converted Cristiano DiGiacinto's feed from behind the net and saw his first pro goal go to the short side that sailed past Stauber cleanly. The Wolf Pack had 15 shots in the third period and 30 in the game. It was undoubtedly their most productive evening period, but hockey is played for 60 minutes, not just 20. In the second period, at 6:19, Rockford went up 2-0 as Adam Clendening was at the right point inside the blue line. He took a Sikura pass up from the right wing half-wall and fired a cross-ice pass to Cole Guttman, who one-timed it over Domingue's glove for his fifth goal of the season. The Ice Hogs managed the puck efficiently and kept possession. They limited time and space on the Wolf Pack whenever they had the biscuit making Stauber's job that much easier. When the Wolf Pack did have a chance, it was usually a "one and done." There were few second or third chances for the Pack. On the flip side, Domingue did his best to keep the score close with stops on Brett Seney, David Gust, and Louis Crevier. The first period was a tight-checking affair, with both teams unfamiliar with the other. Due to injuries and call-ups, the Pack was fielding a team filled with ECHL call-ups that had little practice time together. Rockford had played the night before, and it showed. Rockford got the first break on a Reichel dump-in. The Pack said it hit a lousy board behind their net as Domingue glared at the off-ice crew nearby and smacked the end boards with his goalie stick, but the video replay showed the puck glanced in off his skate and his stick in front of the net. Sikura quickly turned around and swept his seventh of the season into the open net at 13:19. Just a few minutes earlier, Domingue had used his left pad to make one of his best saves of the night. He extended his leg completely out on Seney twice on the right side of the net at 11:10. LINES: Ruesschhoff  - Trivigno - Smith Henriksson - Whalen - DiGiacinto Fritz - Cullye - Elson Hillman - Lohin - Rempe Emberson - Robertson Zac Jones - Welinski Scanlin - Giuttari Garand SCRATCHES: Gustav Rydahl (Day-to-Day, Lower-Body ) Lauri Pajuniemi  (Day-to-Day, Upper-Body) Tim Gettinger (Out For a Month, Upper-Body) Patrick Khordorenko (Season Over - Shoulder Surgery) NOTES: Blake Hillman moved from defense to play left wing on the fourth line. No decision has been made on tomorrow's starting goalie. The Rockford team bus arrived late as they got lost coming from Springfield. The Wolf Pack got some tough news early this afternoon as captain Jonny Brodzinski and a defenseman were recalled by the Rangers. Defenseman Zac Jones is coming back down to Hartford on a conditioning stint after being a healthy scratch. "It's great to have him back. I'm very close with Zach from our days UMASS. It's a tough thing, because you want him up there, "remarked Trivigno. Knoblauch got an early Christmas gift. "Its good to have him here and we'll enjoy having him while he's here." Ryan Lohin was inserted into the lineup for the Wolf Pack. Gustav Rydahl was held out and is likely to play in Providence. He's trying to come off an upper-body injury. Lohin was recalled from Jacksonville last week. The Pack is already 15 points behind the first-place Providence Bruins and ten points behind the fourth-place Charlotte Checkers in what is the last divisional playoff spot. This is after just 18 games played. The Hershey Bears have won five in a row and are 8-2 in their last 10. They were idle on Saturday. The Wolf Pack have a mid-afternoon (3:00 PM) date tomorrow in Providence with the Bruins led by ex-Pack Vinni Lettieri. Rockford is in fourth in the AHL Central by three points ahead of the Iowa Wild, who they return home to play on Tuesday night. The Wolf Pack had a whole week before their first-ever meeting with the Rockford Ice Hogs, the top affiliate of the Chicago Blackhawks. They have started goalie Jackson Stauber, the son of former Wolf Pack/New Haven Nighthawks goalie Robb Stauber. The elder Stauber also won the Hobey Baker Award at Minnesota and, as a sophomore, won the gold medal as the head coach of the 1998 US Olympic Women's team in Nagano, Japan. Rockford's assistant coach is former Wolf Pack Jared Nightingale. Nightingale remembers his time fondly in Hartford and Springfield as he played in both places. "Hartford was always good to me. The second time (2007-2008) I was playing my best, but there was too many contracts, so they had to let me go." One of his first pro games was with Springfield in Harford. Dale Purinton chased him all over the ice. "That was my baptism. Dale screaming my name at me chasing me from one side of the rink to the other." In regards to his first goal, "I scored so few. You think I'd remember them all." Both parent teams, the Rangers and Blackhawks, met last night in an Original Six meeting at MSG. Chicago won that game 5-2. The Ice Hogs won 4-2 in Springfield on Friday night behind three assists by Brett Seney and a goal and an assist by Lukas Reichel and Cole Guttman. Two other Midwestern teams, the Milwaukee Admirals and Grand Rapids Griffins, come in next weekend. So in two weeks, the Wolf Pack will make a (sadly) rare Midwestern-road trip to Rockford, Milwaukee, and Grand Rapids in kind. Milwaukee features current Admirals captain and former Wolf Pack captain and UCONN Husky Cole Schneider from their AHA years and another former Husky of recent vintage from their Hockey East incarnation, Jáchym Kondelík. Milwaukee beat Manitoba 4-3 in a shootout Thursday. Schneider scored a team-best ninth goal, and Kondelik had an assist. Milwaukee lost a matinee game Saturday in Winnipeg at the Canada Life Centre, with the Moose winning 3-2 as ex-Pack Nick Jones earned the game's first star with a goal and an assist for the Moose. Then Grands Rapids, where current Wolf Pack GM Ryan Martin (Simsbury, CT) spent eight years before coming to Hartford. Former Pack defenseman Steven Kampfer resides there, just reassigned on a conditioning stint, is goalie Magnus Hellberg. He was claimed off waivers for the third time this year by Detroit. Finally, Wyatt Newpower of UCONN spent four years in Hockey East and is in his third pro year. Hellberg had 34 saves last night and Newpower an assist in Friday's 4-1 loss to Texas. Also playing is a Wolf Pack training camp invitee last year, cut on the last day, and an ex-Bridgeport Sound Tigers, Cédric Lacroix, and Austin Czarnik, who was just recalled for a second time by the Red Wings. Griffins' assistant coach is a former Division II/III UConn Husky  ECAC East, former Hartford Whaler of two years, and former New Haven Nighthawk of 13 games, Todd Krygier. The other assistant is ex-Ranger Mike Knuble, and the head coach is a former Springfield Falcon, Ben Simon. The Bridgeport Islanders saw three players go up to the New York Islanders in Simon Holmstrom, Cole Bardreau, and Hudson Fasching. Bardreau was sent back Saturday. Two forwards, Collin Adams and Jimmy Lambert, the nephew of current Islanders coach, former Sound Tigers bench boss, and former Nighthawks player Lane Lambert, were both recalled from Worcester Railers (ECHL). Ex-Sound Tiger Kieffer Bellows cleared waivers and was reassigned to the Lehigh Valley Phantoms by the Philadelphia Flyers. They come into the XL Center Wednesday. Hershey released former UCONN forward and Yale grad Kevin O'Neil without ever playing a game and heads back to the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL). Ex-Pack Phil Di Guiseppe remains a cap liability until the Canucks trade is made to alleviate the issue was sent down from Vancouver to Abbottsford. Drake Rymsha, the son of ex-Nighthawk Andy Rymsha, was recalled by Bakersfield from the Ft. Wayne Komets (ECHL). Peter DiLiberatore (Quinnipiac University-ECACHL) is recalled from the Savannah Ghost Pirates (ECHL) to Henderson. On Friday, #6 nationally ranked UCONN lost the back end of a home-and-home series 7-3 to Merrimack College. In addition, they have been outscored in their last three games by a combined score of 15-6. Bryce Brodzinski, the younger brother of Pack captain, Jonny Brodzinki, scored and extended his point-scoring streak to five games in a 5-0 win Minnesota win over Michigan State in a Big 10 matchup both teams play tonight again at Munn Arena at Michigan State. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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CANTLON: (4/8) PACK LOSE AGAIN IN CHARLOTTE

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings CHARLOTTE, NC - The Hartford Wolf Pack's late-season swan dive continued in a 3-2 loss to the Charlotte Checkers despite a push in the game's last five minutes. The Pack has now lost seven straight and 13 of their previous 15 games. Their playoff hopes grow dimmer with each loss as time runs out on their season. The Pack (29-28-6-2) sit in sixth place, with a .508 winning percentage. They are now behind the fourth-place Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the fifth-place Hershey Bears, each with a .530 winning percentage. Meanwhile, Charlotte becomes the first team in the Atlantic Division to punch their ticket to the Caldor Cup playoffs with the win. The Checkers (39-23-4-0) are in second place and just .02 points behind division-leading Springfield Thunderbirds. PACK DIDN'T QUIT The Pack showed life in a 1:13 span late in the third to make the score close, but the Checkers were in control for two-thirds of the game. The Wolf Pack scored off an offensive zone draw. Tim Gettinger won the puck back to Zach Giutarri. The right-handed shot and former Loomis Chaffe prep school player whistled his shot at the net. However, the puck missed the net and took a fortunate bounce off the backboard for the Pack to Nick Merkley, who was wide open on the left-wing side. Merkley deposited his 15th goal of the season into the net before goaltender Joey Daccord could get back to try and stop him at 15:56. Merkley was acquired from the San Jose Sharks at the trade deadline and has registered seven points in ten since coming to Hartford. Just 1:13 later, at 17:03, Pack leading scorer, Anthony Greco, found the back of the net on the Charlotte doorstep. Greco converted a rebound of a Zac Jones shot from the left side off a cross-ice diagonal pass from Nils Lundkvist. For Greco, it was his 16th goal and 52nd point. GAME WINNER GOAL The game-winning goal came at 1:52 of the third period. For the third straight game, the Pack surrendered a shorthanded goal. In this case, it came with six seconds remaining in a power play. Chase Priskie, the ex-Quinnipiac star, started the play with a pass to Alexander True, who did the rest. He evaded Greco's stick and scooted past Matt Robertson from the right-wing side before whistling his 16th goal of the season past Kinkaid. It gave the Checkers a commanding 3-0 lead and cemented their control of the game with their twelfth shorthanded goal. They are tied for second in the AHL with Lavalin power play goals. GOALIES SHINE Daccord, an ASU grad, executed a solid game plan. He was yielding single chances and then freezing the puck for faceoffs or making a kick save that moved the puck to the corners. In the second and third periods, Kinkaid did everything he could do to prevent Charlotte from scoring. Gustav Olsson reversed, then curled and dragged the puck to the center of the ice midway through the third and was denied. Then True and Luke Hernan, with 6:42 remaining in the third, and Cole Schwind were all stopped by the 6'5 goalie. Midway through the second period, Daccord stopped Nils Lundkvist on the power play without any second and third opportunities for rebounds. Then at 13:09, Daccord made a stop and put the puck out of the zone. Finally, at 1:38 of the third period, Daccord stopped Greco. Meanwhile, 200' away, Kinkaid stopped Zac Dalpe at 1:09 and then a two-on-one. TINORDI FIGHTS TO KEEP THE PACK IN IT Jarred Tinordi tried to spark the team with his second fight off the game with Serron Noel, but the short scuffle didn't light the flame of desperation in the Wolf Pack but left the team defensively shorthanded for the remainder of the game. Tinordi had his first bout after a clean but hard hit on Cody McCormick that left him dazed and bloodied after hitting the ice with a thud. Tinordi earned the instigator by referees Carter Sandlak (son ex-Hartford Whaler Jim Sandlak) and Justin Kea even though True dropped the mitts first. FIRST PERIOD In the first period, Charlotte grabbed a 2-0 lead. Cole Schwindt got his 19th at 9:47 off a rebound of a Serron Noel shot. They extended the Checkers' lead to 2-0 at 13:54 as Henman tallied his fifth goal of the season by converting the rebound of Logan Hutsko's shot. LINES Ronning-Trivigno-Letunov Lorito-Greco-Khordorenko Fritz-Gettinger-Merkley Whelan-Richards-DiGiacinto Tinordi-Scanlin Jones-Lundkvist Robertson-Guittari Kinkaid Huska SCRATCHES Pajuniemi Rueschoff Taylor Skinner Ethan Brodzinski NOTES Belleville had a flurry of transactions as Mark Kastelic is still on recall. Ottawa sent back Cole Reinhardt, then released Josh McKechney and Paul McAvoy, and both were assigned to Atlanta (ECHL). Former UCONN Husky goalie Darion Hanson is released by Lehigh Valley and sent to Reading (ECHL). The Wolf Pack's season-long nemesis saw the Flyers recall Hayden Hodgson again from Lehigh Valley. Former PC goalie Jaxson Stauber, son of ex-Wolf Pack and New Haven Nighthawk, Robb Stauber, is assigned to Rockford. Syracuse goalie Amir Miftakhov, despite winning over Hartford with nearly two months of inactivity due to injury, is assigned to Orlando (ECHL). Canon Pieper, a former QU Bobcats, signs with his fourth ECHL this season, Indy. He played previously with Orlando, Adirondack, and Iowa. Ex-Pack and Springfield Falcon, Luke Adam, and ex-Sound Tiger Nick Shilkey were let go by Iserlohn (Germany-DEL), and so was Paul Carey (Salisbury School) from Djurgårdens IF (Sweden-SHL)-no new address for any of the players yet. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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CANTLON: SYRACUSE CRUNCHES PACK

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings SYRACUSE, NY - A three-goal third period sparked by a goal and two assists from Otto Sompii led the Syracuse Crunch over the Hartford Wolf Pack 4-2 on Wednesday night. The Wolf Pack (27-19-5-2) have lost three in a row and have a .575 winning percentage which puts them just ahead of the fifth-place Hershey Bears (.570). Syracuse (26-21-6-2) has a .546 winning percentage just behind the Belleville Senators who are in fourth place at .549 in the North Division for their last playoff spot. The Wolf Pack head across the border to Canada to play the Laval Rocket on Friday and then on to Belleville on Saturday. GAMEPLAY The Crunch struck first with two goals in the first five minutes while holding Hartford without a shot on the net. Sompii went out on a two-on-one by Simon Ryfors and as Matt Robertson sprawled out on the ice, slid past him with a toe drag before Sompii went upstairs on Adam Huska for his fifth at 2:04. Just a couple of minutes later, ex-Pack Darren Raddysh migrated from his right point to the left wing where Ryfors was controlling the puck off a feed from Sompii. Ryfors dropped it off and Raddysh did the rest. Raddysh made a little dipsy-doodle move in the left-wing circle on Nils Lundkvist and put his sixth goal of the season going bar down, increasing the Crunch lead by two goals at 4:19. Raddysh scored for the second straight game and the sixth time in the last fifteen games. MORE GOALS At 14:44 Gabriel Fortier took the puck from Sompii behind the net and snapped his eleventh goal of the season dashing hopes of a comeback. The Pack closed out the scoring. Jeff Taylor was high along the right-wing boards. He found Zac Jones alone at the back door and deposited his sixth with exactly two minutes to go. The Pack finally showed some life albeit too late on the next shift pulled Huska for the extra attacker and only Anthony Greco got a shot with 48 seconds to go that didn’t go in ending his eight game scoring streak. In the first period, Syracuse scored in the last minute of play registering its lone power-play goal by Alex Barré-Boulet after second-year pro, Cole Koepke, skated in short-handed past Tarmo Reunanen who pulled him down. An unforced turnover by Nils Lundkvist went to Boulet who went behind the Wolf Pack net. He was looking to chip a backhanded pass out front to Raddysh, who was a wide-open. Barré-Boulet’s attempt went off the back of the net and right back to him. Huska reacted to the move, but Barré-Boulet swept in and stuffed in his ninth goal of the season in the open right side. Huska reacted thinking Barré-Boulet was coming out on the left side. WOLF PACK TIE THE GAME The Wolf Pack tied the game at one each five minutes into the second. Hunter Skinner came down the right-wing boards. He fought off a slash by Charles Hudon and dished off the puck to Justin Richards. On his 24th birthday, Richards moved into open ice in the slot about fifteen feet out before rifling his sixth goal of the season upstairs over the left shoulder of Syracuse netminder Max Lagace. Syracuse dictated play the rest of the period as the Pack to five shots on goal while they took twelve shots on Huska. NOTES Rangers sent down Morgan Barron late in the day and he wasn’t available to play. He wasn’t getting any game time. Calle Järnkrok, the cousin of ex-New Haven Nighthawk Mikael Lindholm is traded from Seattle to Calgary to play with his cousin Elias. Ty Smilanic of Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) had his rights traded from Florida to Montreal for Ben Chiarot. Ex-Pack Ryan Dmowski (Old Lyme/the Gunn School) goes from South Carolina (ECHL) to Idaho (ECHL) after spending two months in Hershey. Chase Zieky (Avon/Avon Old Farms) departs Idaho for Greenville (ECHL) as does goalie Matt Tugnutt (Sacred Heart University) Ex-Pack Peter Holland 31, retires from hockey. Syracuse didn’t dress ex-Packs P.C. Labrie and Brandon Crawley, but did dress ex-Pack Daniel Walcott along with Day and Raddysh. LINES Fritz-Gettinger-Rueschoff Ronning-Khordorenko-Greco Richards-Lorito-Greco Whalen-O’Leary-Taylor Jones-Lundkvist Robertson-Skinner Bitetto-Tinordi Reunanen Huska Kinkaid HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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CANTLON: (3/2) BRODZINSKI SIGNS EXTENSION

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Monday may have been an off day in terms of what goes on ON the ice, but it was a big day for the Hartford Wolf Pack off of it. In the last year of his contract, the Rangers announced that Wolf Pack captain Jonny Brodzinski had been re-signed for two more years. It rewards the Pack's leading scorer for his two years of loyalty and hard work. The contract for two years encompasses two-way money at $750K-$775K-NHL/$315-$325K-AHL. He was then recalled to New York, and Zac Jones was sent down for significant ice time and game action. NOTES James Sanchez returns to the Pack's ECHL affiliates, the Jacksonville Icemen to get some ice time. Ex-Pack goalie Tom McCollum is loaned from HC Innsbruck (Austria-IceHL) to SC Bietigheim/Bissen (Germany DEL) for the rest of the year. Ex-Sound Tiger Shane Prince heads from Avtomobilst Yekaterinburg (Russia-KHL) to HC Lugano (Switzerland-LNA). Former New Haven Nighthawk/Springfield Indian, Chris McSorley, coaches them. The GM for HC Lugano handing out his last foreign player license is former Hartford Whaler Hnat Dominechelli. Prince is also part of a handful of Western players in the KHL, who, in the wake of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, have sought to terminate their contracts. The Pack's Mat Lorito left the Baltic nation of Latvia last month ahead of the invasion of their neighbor. -Yesterday was Tarmo Reunanen's 24th birthday. -Canon Pieper (Quinnipiac University) has gone from Orlando (ECHL) to Adirondack (ECHL). HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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CANTLON: (2/19) BRUINS PUSH PAST PACK 3-1

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - Joonas Koppannen and Edwards Tralmaks had three points to pace the Providence Bruins to a 3-1 win over the Hartford Wolf Pack Saturday night. Providence won on Friday night, tossing a 5-0 shutout at home against the Hershey Bears, and now have two wins in a row and won five of their last ten. With a whole week of rest, the Wolf Pack rust showed as passes weren't crisp, and scoring chances went unfinished. They had no shots for the first half of the second period. Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblach was non-committal on his lineup for Sunday. The team struggled offensively. "Sometimes we made that extra pass. We have to be creative and we don't want to take away from that. In games like this when chances are hard to come by. The best way is to simplify our game, get pucks on the net, and our game will take care of the rest and those little things will help open things up more," Matt Lorito spoke following his fourth game as a member of the Wolf Pack. CRUCIAL SECOND PERIOD The second period was crucial. Just seconds after Johnny Brodzinski missed the net with a solid backhander; the Bruins found the back of the net. "We started to build things after we got that goal. We had a lot of zone time, then we made mistakes in the second and third. We had that penalty in the third period that led up to their goal, but there were a lot of mistakes that contributed to our play that led up to that goal," Knoblauch said. Tralmaks, a Latvian native, got the power-play started on the right-wing. He hit Samuel Asselin with a cross-ice feed. Asselin entered the Pack zone on the left-wing side and sent a smooth cross-ice pass to Koppanen. From the top of the right-wing circle, at 16:36, Koppanen blasted a one-timer past Pack netminder Keith Kincaid for his seventh of the season and second of the game. WOLF PACK GOAL Lorito tallied the Wolf Pack's lone goal from Ty Ronning at 10:16 of the second period. It was Lorito's first as a member of the Wolf Pack and his first AHL goal in two years. When he played in Bridgeport, Tanner Fritz, a former teammate, got in the zone along the right-wing boards. He fought off Cam Hughes and former Wolf Pack training camp invitee Blake Hillman, who is on a PTO deal. The puck squirted back behind the net to Ronning. The 5'9 winger backhanded the puck in front to Lorito, who wasted little time taking the shot. The Wolf Pack (23-14-4-2) remains in second place with a .605 winning percentage with the loss. The win puts the Bruins (21-13-3-3-5) closer behind the Pack in third place with a .600 winning percentage. LINES Gettinger-Brodzinski-Greco Ronning-Fritz-Lorito Richards-Khordorenko-Ruesschoff Whalen-O'Leary-DiGiacinto. Tinordi-Lundkvist Giuttari-Robertson Reunanen-Bitetto Kinkaid Huska SCRATCHES Pajuniemi Taylor Skinner Wall Luchuk NOTES Ex-Pack Nik Latta is the nephew of former New Haven Nighthawk Dave Latta. He leaves his team, the EV Weiden (Germany Division-3), coached by his father Ken and where his brother Louis also plays. He was loaned to EV Ravensburg (Germany DEL-2) for the rest of the season. Frédéric Létourneau (Hotchkiss School) departs the Greenville Swamp Rabbits (ECHL) to trade the Idaho Steelheads. His father,  Daniel Létourneau, is a former Division-II player from the late 1970s and early 1980s with the University of New Haven Chargers. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article