#edmontonoilkings

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GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS RESIGN ETHAN CAP

By: Mark Shelley, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, S.C. – The Greenville Swamp Rabbits, ECHL affiliate of the LA Kings, announced today that the club had re-signed defenseman Ethan Cap to an ECHL contract for the 2023-24 season. Cap, 23, returns to the Swamp Rabbits after posting a career-high 21 points (2g, 19a) in 70 games for the Navy and Orange during the 2022-23 campaign. In two seasons as a professional, both with Greenville, the North Vancouver, British Columbia native made 123 appearances for the Swamp Rabbits and tallied 32 points (3g, 29a). During the 2023 Kelly Cup Playoffs, Cap skated in six (6) games and tabbed four (4) assists during Greenville's opening-round series. Before turning pro as a Swamp Rabbit, Cap appeared in the second most games (287) in Edmonton Oil Kings franchise history while competing in the Western Hockey League. The Swamp Rabbits will open the 2023-24 Season presented by Bon Secours on Saturday, October 21, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Swamp Rabbits Full and Half Season Tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now at SwampRabbits.com or by calling (864) 674-7825. About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits … Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has been providing family-friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's LA Kings and the AHL's Ontario Reign. Greenville is a member of the ECHL Premier AA Hockey League. GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS HOME Read the full article

[useless-lesbian-canadian]

Year 4 of Pink at the Rink. Lost the game but always a cause I will support. #oilkings #edmontonoilkings #rogersplace #yeg #pinkattherink #pinkhair #breastcancerawareness #alwayssupport (at Rogers Place)

[n79792738-blog]

Liam Keeler autographed Edmonton Oil Kings dual signed postcard #liamkeeler #autographed #eok #edmontonoilkings #dualsigned #signedpostcard #dagr010 #dagr1010 #dagrcollectibles #yeg #yegsale #youtubedagr #youtubedagrsportscardsandcollectibles #forsale (at DAGR Sportscards and Collectibles)

[ericaperreaux]

• Tough loss in OT tonight but such a good, solid, team effort game! I love action shots, so here's one of the birthday guy - Carter Folk - battling with Blake Orban of the #EdmontonOilKings. @whlhurricanes #yql #HurricanesHockey #happybirthday

[avrysports]

Oil Kings go streaking

1, 2, 3, 4, 5. A fifth win in a row for the Edmonton Oil Kings on Sunday has them one point back of the division lead in the WHL’s Central division (Eastern Conference).

The Oil Kings knocked off the Medicine Hat Tigers 2-1 in overtime on the strength of goals from Reid Petryk and Dyson Mayo.

Petryk, for the Oil Kings was the story of the game as he recorded a Gordie Howe hat trick on the night. (A goal, assist and a fight).

Tristan Jarry was solid in net for the Oil Kings making 38 saves for his 18th win of the season.

Jarry’s biggest save of the game came with less than 45 seconds in the game, robbing the Tigers’ Cole Sanford to preserve the Edmonton win.

Even with his club getting a fifth win in a row to get on top of the Central division, head coach Derek Laxdal was not entirely pleased with his club’s effort for most of the game.

“I thought that we played a great 10 minutes for the first period and from that point on Medicine Hat took the play to us for the whole game. I thought Tristan Jarry gave us a great chance to win tonight, but when we got that second goal I thought we stepped back a bit, and were back on our heels…at the end of the day there’s certain games you shouldn’t win but we got the win and I’ll leave it at that”

For Medicine Hat dropping two points to Edmonton was not easy with the Central division being so tight.

Tigers forward Miles Koules said that with the loss in Edmonton being huge their upcoming next two games with the Calgary Hitmen become very important.

“They are definitely important, we’ve had some good battles with Calgary already this year, we play them a lot, so it’s a familiar enemy in a way. Hopefully we can get the two wins against them and get back on track.”

Edmonton’s next two games are both on the road where they will take on the Saskatoon Blades and the Prince Albert Raiders.

[useless-lesbian-canadian]

"I wear pink for my mom". Pink at the Rink tonight with my mom. 😁✌🏼 #edmontonoilkings #oilkings #pinkattherink #rogersplace #yeg #pinkhair #breastcancerawareness #momdaughterday

[n79792738-blog]

Tyler Santos autographed Edmonton Oil Kings photo #tylersantos #autographed #edmontonoilkings #signedphoto #dagr010 #dagr1010 #dagrcollectibles #yeg #yegsale #youtubedagr #youtubedagrsportscardsandcollectibles #forsale (at DAGR Sportscards and Collectibles)

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PAVEL VOROBEI AND ROSHEN JASWAL SIGN WITH JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN

PAVEL VOROBEI AND ROSHEN JASWAL SIGN WITH JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN By: Alex Reed, Jacksonville Icemen JACKSONVILLE, FL – The Jacksonville Icemen, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s New York Rangers and the AHL’s Hartford Wolf Pack, announced today that the team has agreed to terms with defensemen Pavel Vorobei (pictured) and Roshen Jaswal. In addition, the Icemen have also signed forwards Jake Pappalardo and Adam Berg and goaltender Austin Lotz to professional tryout contracts (PTO). Vorobei, 25, returns to the Icemen, where he posted 11 points (7g, 4a) in 22 games played last season. Vorobei added two assists in ten other ECHL games last season, split between the Orlando Solar Bears and Indy Fuel. In addition, the 6-3 194-pound blue liner registered 23 points (7g, 16a) in 118 games played with the KHL with the Podolsk Vityaz, Kunlun Red Star, and Novosibirsk Sibir. The Minsk, Belarus resident also played one season in Finland with the Lahti Pelicans (SM-Liiga) in 2019-20. Jaswal, 27, registered a goal in eight outings with the Icemen last season. Jaswal also appeared in an additional 21 games in the ECHL in stints with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and Maine Mariners, adding three points. The 6-3, 209-pound defenseman played collegiately at St. Olaf College from 2016-2020, totaling 42 career points (13g, 29a) Pappalardo, 25, joins the Icemen after logging a goal and an assist in 16 games played last season with the Tulsa Oilers (ECHL).   In addition, the 5-10 180-pound forward also recorded 25 points in 25 games with the SPHL’s Birmingham Bulls. Before his professional career, the Salem, New Hampshire, resident played two seasons at Holy Cross College and the University of Maine. Berg, 25, joins the Icemen after playing at Brock University (OUAA) for the past three seasons, where he totaled 39 points (20g, 19a).   The 6-1, 190-pound winger compiled 46 points during his major junior career with the WHL’s Regina Pats and Edmonton Oil Kings from 2014-2017. The following is a list of players that have agreed to terms with the Icemen for the 2022-2023 season: Goaltender Austin Lotz Charles Williams Defensemen Garret Cockerill Victor Hadfield Bo Hanson Brandon Fortunato Roshen Jaswal Brendan Less Jacob Panetta Tim Theocharidis Pavel Vorobei Forwards Adam Berg Christopher Brown Jake Hamacher Brendan Harris Travis Howe Luke Keenan Derek Lodermeier Luke Lynch Ara Nazarian Jake Pappalardo Matt Salhany Sam Sternschien Mike Szmatula Jake Witkowski The Icemen open the 2022-2023 season at home on October 22 against the Orlando Solar Bears. Full and partial season ticket packages are currently available!   Contact the Icemen office at 904-602-7825, or visit jacksonvilleicemen.com for more information. #LitesOut JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN HOME Read the full article

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SHELLEY: GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS RE-SIGN ETHAN CAP

BY: Mark Shelley, Greenville Swamp Rabbits GREENVILLE, SC -  The Greenville Swamp Rabbits announced today that the club had re-signed defenseman Ethan Cap to an ECHL contract ahead of the 2022-23 season. Cap, 22, returns to the Swamp Rabbits after a rookie campaign that saw the North Vancouver, BC native appear in 53 games for Greenville, posting 11 points (1g, 10a) over that span. The 6'2", 207-pound blue-liner was seventh among Swamp Rabbits and fifth among team defensemen in appearances during the 2021-22 campaign. During his debut campaign, Cap found scoring consistency from inside the blue line, recording five points (1g, 4a) over a six-game stretch from January 15 to February 5. Before his professional debut, Cap spent the previous five seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings in the Western Hockey League (WHL) after being drafted by the team with the 11th overall pick in 2015. During his tenure with the Oil Kings, Cap totaled 85 points in 287 career games for the Alberta-based club. The Swamp Rabbits open the 2022-23 season, presented by Bon Secours, on Saturday, October 22 at 7:05 p.m. as they take on the newest team in the ECHL, the Savannah Ghost Pirates, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Single Game Tickets for the select "Big 5" promotional games are now on sale by calling (864)-674-7825 or visiting SwampRabbits.com. About the Greenville Swamp Rabbits … Acquired by Spire Sports + Entertainment (SS+E) in 2020, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits hockey team has provided family-friendly, live entertainment at Bon Secours Wellness Arena since 2010. Formerly the Greenville Road Warriors, the Swamp Rabbits are the highest-level professional minor league franchise in South Carolina. The Swamp Rabbits are the proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Los Angeles Kings and the AHL's Ontario Reign. Additionally, Greenville is an ECHL, Premier 'AA' Hockey League member. GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS HOME Read the full article

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SHELLEY: LA KINGS ANNOUNCE ECHL AFFILIATION WITH GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS

Greenville Swamp Rabbits becomes the first Kings ECHL affiliate since 2019 BY: Mark Shelley, Greenville Swamp Rabbits EL SEGUNDO, CA -  The LA Kings announced a new two-year ECHL affiliation agreement with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits today. The Kings have been members of the NHL since 1967, capturing two Stanley Cup championships in 2012 and 2014. Currently calling Crypto.com Arena in downtown Los Angeles, CA home, the Kings most recently earned a Stanley Cup Playoffs appearance following a third-place finish in the league's Pacific Division in 2021-22. “On behalf of the entire LA Kings organization, we are excited to announce our new affiliation with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits of the ECHL," said Kings Director of Player Development, Glen Murray. "We are very happy to have this development route for our future Kings under the leadership of Spire Sports + Entertainment and direction of Head Coach & General Manager Andrew Lord. We know that our prospects will have a first-class experience in Greenville while developing as players and people.” Lord has led the Swamp Rabbits to a combined record of 71-48-25 over the last two seasons in his current role. LORD REACTS "The Swamp Rabbits organization is excited to be affiliated with the Kings organization and with their development model," said Lord. "The Kings and Reign are first-class organizations that share the same values and drive for excellence that we do as the Swamp Rabbits organization. We look forward to developing the future Kelly Cup, Calder Cup, and Stanley Cup champions within the Kings organization." Kings goaltender Jonathan Quick also spent time in the ECHL after turning pro with the Reading Royals during 2007-08. The Kings’ AHL affiliate, the Ontario Reign, has also announced five two-way player contracts for the upcoming 2022-23 season, including defenseman Joe Gatenby and forwards Alex Ierullo, Brett Kemp, Justin Nachbaur, and Nikita Pavlychev. GATENBY SIGNS WITH GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS Gatenby, 25, signed a PTO with the Reign last season after completing his collegiate campaign at the University of New Brunswick, where he appeared in 83 games while scoring 41 points on eight goals and 33 assists an alternate captain. He recorded 10 points on two goals and eight assists in 23 games last year and joined the Swamp Rabbits for six Kelly Cup Playoff games, where he netted a goal and an assist. The Kelowna, B.C. native also played junior hockey in the Western Hockey League (WHL) for five seasons with the Kelowna Rockets and Kamloops Blazers, suiting up in 317 games from 2013-18. IERULLO BACKGROUND Ierullo (eye-ROO-low), 25, turned pro with the Reign last season by signing an ATO on March 25. He appeared in three games with Ontario before posting six points in seven ECHL regular season games (1-5=6) with the Swamp Rabbits. The Woodbridge, Ont. native also tasted the postseason with Greenville, scoring four points (1-3=4) in six playoff contests. The attacker spent four seasons in the NCAA at Bemidji State University, appearing in 136 games while scoring 96 points on 36 goals and 60 assists. While serving as an alternate captain with the Beavers last season, Ierullo recorded 42 points on 16 goals and 26 assists in 39 games. Kemp, 22, posted an assist for Ontario in two appearances with the Reign during his rookie professional season in 2021-22. The Yorkton, Saskatchewan. native also scored 37 points with Greenville on 17 goals and 20 assists while earning a +15 rating. The 6-foot-1, 175-pound right-shot forward turned pro after appearing in 255 career WHL games with the Medicine Hat Tigers, Edmonton Oil Kings, and Everett Silvertips, posting 218 points (96-122=218). Kemp also played six contests with the SJHL’s Yorkton Terriers in 2020-21, tallying 10 points (3-7=10). GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS SIGN NACHBAUR Nachbaur, 22, is entering his second pro season after beginning his career on an AHL deal with the Charlotte Checkers. The Cross Lake, Manitoba native made six appearances for Charlotte as a rookie while also suiting up for 24 ECHL contests with the Swamp Rabbits, where he registered 15 points (10-5=15). Nachbaur also played in all six Greenville’s playoff contests a year ago. The 6-foot-3, 207-pound attacker played junior hockey in the WHL with the Prince Albert Raiders for four seasons from 2017-21, totaling 89 points in 216 games (45-44=89), and helped the team to a WHL Championship in 2019. Pavlychev, 25, returns to the Reign for his third professional campaign after playing 13 contests for Ontario a season ago and scoring three points with two goals, an assist, and a +4 rating. He also suited up for 38 games with Greenville and posted 33 points on 14 goals and 19 helpers. The Yaroslavl, Russia, native appeared in the first six postseason games of his career with the Swamp Rabbits and scored four points (3-1=4). PAVLYCHEV INFO The 6-foot-7, 225-pound left-shot attacker made his AHL debut with the Syracuse Crunch during 2020-21, posting three points (0-3=3) and a +2 rating in eight games. Pavlychev also played in 28 games with the ECHL’s Orlando Solar Bears, recording 11 points (5-6=11). Before turning pro, he played four seasons at Penn State, appearing in 137 games with the Nittany Lions, where he registered 70 points (36-34=70) and helped the school to the 2017 Big-10 Championship and the 2020 Big-10 Regular Season Championship. The Swamp Rabbits open the 2022-23 season, presented by Bon Secours, on Saturday, October 22 at 7:05 p.m. as they take on the newest team in the ECHL, the Savannah Ghost Pirates, at Bon Secours Wellness Arena. Single Game Tickets for the select "Big 5" promotional games are now on sale by calling (864)-674-7825 or visiting SwampRabbits.com. GREENVILLE SWAMP RABBITS HOME Read the full article

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CANTLON: HARTFORD WOLF PACK OFFSEASON NOTES 10

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The world of professional hockey never sleeps. Being past the NHL Draft and initial free agent frenzy means the fine-tuning is underway. Meanwhile, in Hartford, the reunion of Hartford Whalers at the annual event at Dunkin Donuts Park by the Yard Goats drew a multitude of ex-players and plenty of fans. From his home in Florida, Dave Keon sent a thoughtful, heartfelt video message to his former teammates and fans. The Yard Goats hope to add more names next year as Ron Francis and Ulf Samuelsson couldn't attend this year because Francis's daughter was getting married. 70-year-old Nick Fotiu, who played for both the New England and Hartford Whalers, the Rangers, and at three separate times played and was an assistant coach in New Haven, and was also an assistant coach for the Hartford Wolf Pack, was unable to come. However, his grandson was graduating from the NYC police academy. He hopes to return to attending next year. The Staten Island-born Fotiu still maintains his home in Cape Cod. Mark Howe, now retired as the head of scouting for Detroit, may join his brother Marty next year, a resident who has been an attendee for the annual event. Sean Burke was to attend. He now is in a scouting role after leaving Montreal for Las Vegas, where he joins old Whaler teammate Jim McKenzie,  who couldn't make it. SCHEDULING The unified 72-game AHL schedule for 2022-23 was unveiled last week. Hartford opens on the road with a two-game set in Charlotte on October 14 and 15 and will play in the eight-team Atlantic Division. They open up at home a week later with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The day after Thanksgiving, they are in Bridgeport and play host to Springfield on New Year's Eve at 5:30. The schedule features three new Central Division teams Grand Rapids, Rockford, and Milwaukee. Milwaukee arrives on December 9th and marks its first appearance since February 14th, 2003. They now play in a new arena, the Panther Arena, as the Bradley Center is gone. Grand Rapids travels in the next night and haven't seen the XL Center since January 2nd, 2009, and they play Rockford a week before, on December 2nd, for the first time. Laval and Belleville have been dropped from their schedule. Tim Gettinger's new deal of one year was announced as a one-year two-way at $750K-NHL/$125K-AHL. Rangers added depth and experience in signing C.J. Smith from the defending Calder Cup champs, Chicago Wolves, at one year and one-way money of $750K. Ex-Pack Ryan Dmowski (Old Lyme/The Gunn School) signs with Texas (AHL). Kasperi Kapanen, son of former Whaler Sami Kapanen, signs a two-year extension with Pittsburgh for $3.2M per released terms. Wolf Pack spare goalie the last two years, François Brassard, heads to Providence, getting a two-way (AHL-ECHL) deal and likely end up in Maine (Portland). Joining him is the recently re-signed ex-Pack of one game, the last game before the pandemic hit three years ago, Connor Bleackley. Ex-Pack Terrance Wallin (The Gunn School) was named the Mariners' new coach replacing ex-Sound Tiger Ben Guite, who took the job at D3 small Ivy at Bowdoin College (NESCAC). Tyce Thompson, the youngest son of ex-Pack and current Bridgeport head coach Brent Thompson, signed a two-year extension. The deal is split $750K -NHL /$125K-AHL his first year and one-way money at $775K his second year. The Bridgeport Islanders have joined the big goalie craze signing 6'8 Finnish Islanders, a 7th-round draft choice last year. Henrik Tikkanen (MODO Sweden-SHL). They did sign from Saint John (QMJHL) undrafted Vincent Sévigny, son ex-Pack Pierre Sévigny, and re-signed an old defenseman from two years ago, Ryan MacKinnon, who split last year between Lehigh Valley/ Reading (ECHL). AHL CALGARY GETS A NAME The Calgary AHL franchise has a name, the Wranglers. It adopted the name of the WHL team of yesteryear (1977-1985) when the franchise was a junior team and moved to Billings, MT, becoming the Bighorns. That lasted five years before being sold and moved again. The logo is a sharp red W with a flame at the bottom. It honors their western cowboy roots early days of the franchise in Atlanta. The team was in Stockton as the Heat for five years, and its eighth version of an AHL team started in Maine in the early 1990s. Among the first signees was Alberta native Brett Sutter, the son of Darryl Sutter, the Calgary Flames head coach. He is the tenth Sutter to play pro hockey. The original junior team name was the Centennials from 1967-1977, the last year of the WCHL before it became the WHL. Junior hockey returned to Calgary when professional wrestler Brett "The Hitman" Hart, a Calgary native, lent his money and his Hitman moniker to the franchise in 1995, which it still is. The first year of junior hockey, then the WCMHL, was 1966. The team, for one year, was called the Buffaloes. The WHA team lasted two years (1975-77) and was the Cowboys. The new Springfield GM and St. Louis scout is Connecticut resident and former Rangers Director of Pro Scouting for the last 12 years, Kevin Maxwell, 62. Maxwell played in NHL for three teams Minnesota, the Colorado Rockies, and New Jersey, and worked as a scout, Director of Pro Scouting, and assistant coach for the Whalers for four years, North Stars, Devils, Flyers, Dallas, and the Islanders. His son Chase (Xavier HS) plays for the CT Junior Rangers (NCDC). His eldest son, Jackson, played club hockey for Springfield College (ACHA Division-III), followed in his footsteps, and is a scout for Toronto. Former Nighthawk Sylvain Couturier is hired as the new GM by the Cape Breton Eagles (QMJHL). After twenty years, he leaves Acadie-Bathurst Titan (QMJHL) from the other side of the province. Former New Haven Senator Jake Grimes has left Cape Breton as head coach for the University of Waterloo (OUAA) next season as their new bench boss. Former UCONN player Ben Freeman signs with the Greenville Swamp Rabbits. In addition, ex-Sound Tiger Robert "Bobo" Carpenter signs a one-year deal with Florida (ECHL). Defenseman Zack Malik split last season in the Czech Republic (Czechia) Division-2 with his former Whaler, Springfield Indians, Ranger, and Beast New Haven father Marek, an assistant coach with HC Frydek-Mistek and HK Dukla Jihlava, heads to FPS (Finland Mestis Divison-2). Nick Bochen of Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) transfers to Bentley University (AHA). UCONN gets another transfer from Vermont (HE) in Andrew Lucas. In addition, the team's first-ever Finnish commit, they get Samu Salminen from the Jokerit U-20 team, who is eligible for the Finnish 2023 WJC team to take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick. That makes for 102 school transfers that we know of and 103 grad transfers for a total of 205 this off-season. Over 100 players remain in the transfer portal. Hockey East has seen 50 players sign pro deals, and NCHC and CCHA have had 32 each. The Big 10 has 28, ECACHL 23, the AHA 17, and NCAA Independents with 12. 71 AHL'ers have signed overseas, with Russia leading the way with 16, Sweden with 13, Germany with nine, and Switzerland and Finland with eight each. 26 of 31 teams have lost at least one player. Ex-Pack Nick Merkley departs Hartford, and John Gilmour leaves CSKA Moscow (Russia-KHL), both head for Dynamo Minsk (Belarus-KHL). Chase Harwell (Southbury/Selects Academy at South Kent Prep) finished his Canadian college hockey career at Concordia University (OUAA) in Montreal after five years of major junior in Quebec. He signed with Norfolk (ECHL) at the end of last season signs with Como (Italy Division-2) for next season. The WJC camp resumed from the postponed December tournament to be held next week in Edmonton rostershaves been finalized. The Canadian team will feature Ranger draftees Will Cullye and Brennan Othmann, but Chase Stillman, the grandson of former Nighthawk and Springfield Indian Bud Stefanski, was cut. Ridley Greig, the son of former Hartford Whaler Mark Greig, made the final cut. Future Wolf Pack goalie Dylan Garand was named to the team. Future possible Bridgeport Islander William Dufour was also selected. One of the camp coaches is ex-Springfield Indian Brad Lauer from last year's WHL champion, the Edmonton Oil Kings, who was just hired as an assistant coach by Winnipeg (NHL). Ex-Pack/Sound Tiger Ted Donato has bowed out of the US WJC team as one of its assistants, and Grant Potulny, former Springfield Falcon and brother of ex-Pack Ryan and head coach of Northern Michigan (CCHA), will take his place. Rangers draftee Brett Berard (Providence College-HE) is the lone Ranger team rep. Matt "Mackie" Samokevich (Newtown) from Michigan (Big 10) program is also on the team. The Czechia (Czech Republic) squad has David Spacek, the son of former Beast of New Haven Jaroslav Spacek. The Rangers' first draft pick from last month's draft in Montreal, Adam Sýkorais, on the Slovakian team along with Rayen Petrovický, son of former Whaler/Ranger Róbert Petrovický. Finland has Bridgeport's Aatu Raty and Oliver Kapanen, nephew of former Whaler Sami Kapanen. Austria has Senna Peters in his last junior level tournament. He is a former player from the Selects Academy program at South Kent Prep and will be with HC Innsbruck (IceHL) in the fall. Former Whaler Brad Shaw has left Vancouver and been named the new assistant coach in Philadelphia. While embroiled in international controversy and intrigue lately, Taiwan, known as Chinese Taipei to appease mainland Chinese sentiment, had a big hockey win to celebrate. The U-20 squad team had an exciting 5-4 overtime win over host Mexico in the central Mexican town of Queretaro at the Lakeside Ice Rink and won the IIHF U-20 Division III title, earning a promotion to Division II Group B Division in 2023. This is after establishing the program just 12 years ago in a country with just three rinks on the island nation. The game-winner came off the stick Hung-Li Chou on a two-on-one with his tourney-leading tenth goal. He scored early after host Mexico had tied the score late with an extra attacker with a minute left in regulation on the powerplay. Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) was the tournament Cindrella's. They beat Mexico in the preliminary round in OT and Israel in OT in the semi-final by the count of 6-5 on a Chou goal. Australia won bronze by beating Israel 1-0 as Ethan Hawes had the only goal. Israeli Mike Levin (16 points) was the tourney's leading scorer. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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CANTLON: HARTFORD WOLF PACK OFF SEASON VOL 7

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - With approximately 17 of the 20 roster spots set, the Hartford Wolf Pack roster assembly for the 2022-23 season is close to completion. All that is left for management to do is tinkering on the edges with free agent signings and eventual trade acquisitions. The likelihood of trades by the New York Rangers between now and NHL Draft time could change the look of the Pack lineup. In goal, expect to see a whole new cast of characters. Dylan Garand and Olof Lindbom are signed and ready for training camp. Keith Kinkaid, Adam Huska, and Tyler Wall are no longer with the organization. Kinkaid's age and falling from his playing perch is why he was let go. After six years in the building between his years with UCONN and the Wolf Pack, Huska is a gamer but never had an extended winning streak in either college or the pros. Wall was a premium college goalie, but after just 15 games here and nine in the ECHL with the Jacksonville Icemen, he had never had the coaches' or the players' confidence. A late-season injury requiring season-ending knee surgery after suffering a freak pre-game injury in Jacksonville sealed his fate. FREE AGENTS Huska, Tim Gettinger, Anthony Greco, and Nick Merkley are Group 6 free agents, players who have not played enough games by age 25. Therefore, they are UFA (unrestricted free agents). The Rangers signed two of these players in the past, one retired, who never played again (Boo Nieves), and Steven Fogarty, who lasted for a year. Fogarty is now with the Providence Bruins. Joining Garand and Lindbom on the last year of their respective deals is Patrick Khordorenko, who was among the few players to flourish in the dreadful final third of the season. The team will have newcomers, including Will Cullye (Windsor-OHL), Ryder Korczak (Moose Jaw-WHL), Brennan Othmann (Flint-OHL), and Matt Rempe (Seattle-WHL) from Canadian juniors. From Europe, along with Lindbom is Gustave Rydahl, a free agent from Fajestad BK-(Sweden-SHL) and draftee Karl Henriksson (Frölunda HC). Bobby Trivino (UMASS-HE) starts a full season. On the backline, the Pack already has Zac Jones, Matt Robertson, and Zach Guittari under contract. MOVES UNDER QUESTION Ty Ronning, while affable, gregarious, and a standup voice for the organization who has done so at times under the worst circumstances, is a question mark to return. He's played well, in spurts, but like his other teammates sputtered at the end. The other question mark is forward Lauri Pajuniemi, who had a rocky relationship in the second half with the team and missed significant time because of injuries. The question with Pajuniemi is will he return from Finland? Will his North Atlantic neighbor from Sweden, Nils Lundkvist, who struggled in Hart City, be back in the organization? Lundkvist was frozen out in New York and discovered, as it relates to Top-Six forwards and Bottom-Four defenseman, that time is contractually blocked-in both cap space and ice time. Another question surrounds whether Jarred Tinordi, on defense with a burgeoning young family, will return to reprise the Anthony Bitetto mentor role. Bitetto did very well until he checked out and was eventually dealt out. AND YET MORE QUESTIONS Captain Jonny Brodzinski will likely be back in Hartford unless the Rangers offer him a bottom-six role in New York. Should he be in Hartford, he will get the bonus of playing with just signed younger brother next year. All of these are unknowns. Anthony Greco is gone and will likely take his speed to Europe. Matt Lorito, who struggled with high in the zone defensive zone turnovers, will likely return overseas. The underperforming Justin Richards and the inconsistent Austin Rueschoff will likely land elsewhere. Jeff Taylor, the designated scratch-ee, for the last four years, will likely head overseas. Jake Elmer will probably be in the ECHL. NAHL In the NAHL Robertson Cup Finals, the New Jersey (Middletown) Titans won the title with a 3-0 win over the Anchorage (AK) Wolverines. The Wolverines advanced, winning over the St. Cloud (MN) Norsemen coached by ex-Ranger Corey Millen, and the Titans advanced to the finals beating the New Mexico (Albuquerque) ice Wolves. NAHL DRAFT The league's annual draft saw a few Connecticut-related names selected. Richard (DJ.) Hart from Stamford, who played in the USHL Clark Cup Final with the Madison Capitols, is listed as an Ohio State (Big 10) commit next year. He was taken by the Janesville (PA) Jets in the first round (11th overall). He also had five games with NAHL's Odessa (TX) Jackalopes. Jakob Karpa, the youngest son of ex-Sound Tiger/Wolf Pack and Ranger David Karpa, was taken by in the third round (65th overall) by the Lone Star (Ft. Worth, TX) Brahamas. He played for the Wenatchee (WA) Wild (BCHL) last year. Riley Bassen, the son of former Springfield Indian/Whaler Bob Bassen, was taken by the Corpus Christi (TX) Ice Rays from the Dallas Jr, Stars U-16 Elite (T1EHL) team. Lone Star took Stamford's Jakub Teply in the fourth round (116th overall) from the South Shore (MA) Kings (NCDC). Wolcott's Oliver Flynn, a former Connecticut Chief (EHL), who played for the Loomis Chaffe Pelicans, and was with the Boston Jr. Bruins (NCDC), was taken in the fifth round (137th overall) by the Kenai River (AK) Brown Bears. He is a UCONN (HE) commit next year. In 2019 the Waterloo Black Hawks (USHL) selected him, as did the Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL) three years ago. Connor Welsh of Greenwich, a BC (HE) commit for next year, went in the eighth round (219th overall). Welsh played for the Sioux City (IA) Musketeers. After that, he went to (USHL) the Maryland Black Bears. In the ninth round (250th overall), Jason Siedem, formerly of Avon Old Farms, who played last year for the Cowichan Valley (BC) Capitals (BCHL) and the Blackfalds (AB) Bulldogs (AJHL), was taken by the Minnesota Wilderness. Springfield (MO) Jr.Blues took him last year. The Danbury Hat Tricks had four selections on the day. They had the first overall pick and took Jacob Lavallée from Cote-de-Sud Everest (QJHL). He played two games for the Val d'Or Foreurs (QMJHL) and was a 2019 draft selection of the Drummondville Voltigeurs (QMJHL). The team didn't select again until the fourth round (88th overall). They took Wyatt Stefan, the son of former NHL'er Patrik Stefan, who played last year for New Jersey Rockets and Ridge (NJ) HS from the Detroit Little Caesars program. In the fifth round (117th overall), they selected a Belarussian player, Denis  Radchenko. He is from the Yunost Minsk junior team. The forward checks in at 6'5 and 200lbs. With their final selection in the sixth round (146th overall), they went in-house and selected Reece Tamburo from the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks (NA3HL). The team also announced the formal completion of the purchase of the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Knights franchise that became the Hat Tricks. MORE PLAYER MOVEMENT Calle Själin, a 2017 fifth-round Rangers draft pick, has elected to sign with the Florida Panthers. He has played with Leksands IF (Sweden-SHL) and comes from a long line of Swedish league players. Currently, brother Pontus is playing Division 2. His father, Jörgen, played Divison-1. His uncle, Jens, played as high as Swedish junior. His grandfather, Kent, also played. Själin's Entry Level Contract (ELC) is for two years and pays $925K in the NHL and $80K in the AHL. As per the new CBA, he is the first hockey-playing member of the family to come to North America. Ex-Pack Patrick Newell departs Sterjen (Norway-NEL) for Fehérvár AV19 (Hungary-IceHL) next season. Ex-Pack Shawn “Odie” O’Donnell heads from Dornbirner EC (Austria-IceHL) to EHC Freiburg (Germany DEL-2). Another ex-Pack, Simon Denis, comes back to North America from the Tokohu Free Blades (Japan-ALIH) and signs with the Toledo Walleye (ECHL). Another ex-Pack, Sean Day, gets a one-year extension from the Syracuse Crunch, which includes a pay raise to a two-way $750K-NHL/$200K-AHL deal. Then ex-Pack/Sound Tiger Joe Whitney, who had the shortest reign as a Pack team captain (two days faster than Cole Schneider) for half a season, hangs them up after a four-year career in Europe with the Iserlohn Roosters (Germany-DEL). Ex-Sound Tiger Matt Donovan leaves for Europe again after departing the Milwaukee Admirals for Adler Mannheim (Germany-DEL) next year. Now 22 AHL players have signed overseas. MORE MOVES Former UCONN forward Kale Howarth signs a one-year AHL deal in Rockford. Greenwich's Luke Esposito, the nephew of Mark Messier, signs with the Bakersfield Condors. Former Ranger head coach and New Haven Nighthawk's assistant coach, John Tortorella, finds his way to the Philadelphia Flyers as their new head coach. Former New Haven Knights (UHL) player Alexsei Lazarenko was an assistant coach this year for Rilat Kharkiv (Ukraine-UHL). Due to the invasion by Russia, their season ended early and had no playoffs. GORDIE CLARK Rangers former Pro Scout Gordie Clark, 70, who worked for the Rangers for 19 years in several capacities in Player Development and Scouting and with the Sound Tigers as Director of Hockey Operations earlier this century and was with the Islanders for eight years, was let go by the Rangers. Gordie's son, Brendon Clark, was an American scout of college and junior hockey; after twelve years was terminated. The senior Clark had a very distinguished playing career in the 1970s, first with the UNH Wildcats (ECACHL), then the Rochester Americans, then with the Springfield Indians, and 21 games in the WHA with the Cincinnati Stingers and with the first edition of the Maine Mariners before finishing his playing career in Germany. His only NHL time was with the Boston Bruins for eight games, where he posted an assist. His brother, Gary Clark, played at UNH, mainly in the Canadian Maritimes senior league. No word on whether Gordie will continue with another organization or retire to his native Nova Scotia and if Brendon will catch on with another team. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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CANTLON: HARTFORD WOLF PACK OFFSEASON VOL 4

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The New York Rangers defeated the Pittsburgh Penguins in a dramatic first-round playoff series and now face an elimination game with the Carolina Hurricanes (nee Hartford Whalers) who lead the series three games to two in the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs. Meanwhile, back in the American Hockey League (AHL), the two teams in the Atlantic Division, the Springfield Thunderbirds and the Charlotte Checkers, are meeting in a 2-3-2 format. Springfield dominated from start to finish in Game 1 on Sunday afternoon at the Mass Mutual Center, crushing the Checkers 6-0. Sam Anas had two goals and an assist, while Joel Hofer, the game's First Star, had a 35-shot shutout. (GAME SHEET) EX- HARTFORD WOLF PACK PLAYERS MOVING Ex-Hartford Wolf Pack forward Brodie Dupont has officially retired and becomes the full-time head coach for the Cardiff Devils (Wales-EIHL). Under Dupont's leadership behind the bench, Cardiff won the EIHL championship. He is the 96th ex-Wolf Pack/CT Whale player to enter coaching. Dupont played as a Wolf Pack and CT Whale member and was weighing an offer to return to Connecticut. Ex-Wolf Pack, Ryan Gropp departs IF Björklöven (Sweden Allvenskan). Another ex-Pack, Nick Ebert, leaves Örebro HK (Sweden-SHL) for HV 71 (Sweden-SHL) next year. In his tenth year of Polish hockey, New Britain's Mike Cichy leaves GKS Tychy (Poland-PZIHL) and signs with Unia Oswiecim. Rayen Petrovicky, the son of former Hartford Whaler Róbert Petrovicky, moves from TUTO (Finland-Mestis) home to HK Dukla Trencin (Slovakia-SLEL). Brooklyn Kalmikov, the son of former Sound Tiger Konstantin Kalmikov, saw his Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL) eliminated. So he's now heading from "The Q" and signs with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins for next season. MORE MOVES Closer to home, following his sophomore year, Ryan Doolin (Westminster Prep) left Sacred Heart University (AHA) and transferred to D3 Colby College (ME) (NESCAC). Travis Turnbull, the younger cousin of former New Haven Nighthawk Randy Turnbull, heads from Schwenniger (Germany-DEL) to EHC Straubing (German-DEL). Jack Marottollo (North Haven), the son of Sacred Heart University (AHA) head coach C.J. Marottollo, goes from South Shore (NCDC) and enrolls at Wesleyan University (Middletown) (NESCAC) in the fall. THOSE STILL PLAYING MEANINGFUL HOCKEY... In June, the major junior playoffs continue in Canada, leading to a later-than-planned Memorial Cup in an old AHL city, Saint John, New Brunswick. In the WHL, current Ranger's prospect Matt Rempe, who's playing with the Seattle Thunderbirds, has four goals and five points in ten games, won their Game 7 finale against the Portland Winterhawks to advance to the next round. Goalie Dylan Garand, heading to Hartford on his Entry-Level Contract (ELC) in the fall, moves on. Garland's Kamloops Blazers (48-17-3-0) will play against Rempe's Thunderbirds (44-18-4-2) in the WHL Western Conference championship beginning Friday. Garand's 1.51 Goals-Against-Average (GAA) is the WHL's second-best in the post-season. The Red Wing's 6'6 prospect, Sebastian Cossa of the Edmonton Oil Kings, is slightly better at 1.48. Both have three shutouts. OTHER HARTFORD WOLF PACK PROSPECTS Another fall training camp player is winger Ryder Korczak of the Moose Jaw Warriors. Korczak was last week's WHL Player of the Week with ten points in ten games. Unfortunately, the Winnipeg Ice eliminated the Warriors. In the WHL Bantam Draft, Lochlan Tetarenko, the son of Joey Tetarenko (Beast of New Haven), was selected in the third round (62nd overall) by the Saskatoon Blades. In the US Priority portion of the draft, the son of Whaler Grant Jennings, forward Gordon Jennings, was taken in the second round (35th overall) by the Prince Albert Raiders. The Alaskan native played last season for the U-14 Alaska Oilers AA team. California had the most players taken, with 44 drafted at 17, followed by Minnesota with 13 and Texas with nine. WESTERN CONFERENCE Over in the OHL, two top Rangers prospects will compete against one another in the Western Conference Championship. Will Cullye of the Windsor Spitfires has eight points in eleven games. That's good for second-best on the team. Their opponent, Brennan Othmann of the Flint Firebirds, has a team-best 17 points on eight goals in 12 games. Othmann had three assists in a series-clinching Game 5 with a big 7-1 clincher over Sault Ste. Marie. Each of these players is the captain of their respective team. They met in February in a wild 7-6 overtime game, with each recording a hat trick. Cullye wears #13 and Othmann #78. The Spitfires won seven of the eight games in the regular season, and they will play for the Wayne Gretzky Conference trophy. The series started on Saturday in Windsor. Cullye had an assist and game-high eight shots while Othmann went pointless and had one shot. Game two is on Monday. WINDSOR SERIES Listen to the Windsor series on old school over-the-air radio on CKLW-AM 800 (Windsor-Detroit) and online. The Eastern Conference series begins on Friday between Hamilton and North Bay. The game can also be heard on CHML-AM 900 (Hamilton). There were no Ranger prospects in the QMJHL, but former Wolf Pack, Ranger, and Springfield Falcon, and now a head coach, Gordie Dwyer, saw his Saint John Sea Dogs eliminated in the first round of the President Cup playoffs. However, the team does get an automatic Memorial Cup cup berth as the host city. ANOTHER RANGERS SIGNEE Centerman Gustav Ryhahl signed a one-year, one-way, free-agent deal with the Rangers paying him $750K in the NHL and AHL. Rydahl, 27, is a 6'3 and 201-pounds physical player from the LeMat Trophy Swedish Hockey League champs Färjestad BK (Sweden-SHL), where he amassed 30 points in 44 games. In the Clark Cup (USHL) best-of-five series final, the Sioux City Musketeers are tied at one game apiece with the Madison (WI) Capitols. A few CT names dot the rosters of both teams. Jake Percival (Avon) plays for Sioux City and is a UCONN recruit for the fall. Madison has Ohio State (Big 10), Richard (DJ) Hart (Stamford), and Westport's and QU-bound in the fall Matt McGroarty (Brunswick School). Hart, who played at UCONN in Hartford twice this year, is a fall commit. COLLEGE HOCKEY The changes at Storrs keep coming. According to sources heading to Boston University will be UCONN's associate head coach West Haven's Joe Pereira, an ex-Sound Tiger, also formerly of South Kent Prep. He played as an undergraduate for 139 games. He was a  captain his senior season, as one of the new assistant coaches for Jay Pandolfo's staff after his nine-year run as an assistant to the Huskies Mike Cavanaugh. He began his college coaching career at Sacred Heart University (ACHA Division-2) as the head coach of their D2 club team, winning the Northeast Collegiate Hockey League championship in 2012-13. As a player, he spent two years as a minor league professional. Augustana (SD) University Vikings, the 62nd and newest NCAA D1 program, has been accepted as a new conference member for the CCHA, bringing the league to eight teams. TRANSFERS ACCEPTED One way for a team to improve its roster is to dip into the transfer portal. NCAA D1 Independent, the Long Island University Sharks, announced seven transfers on Thursday. The transfers are of all types, undergraduate, grad, inter-conference, non-conference, several Division-3s to Division-1, and even several cross-continent moves. As of this week, the total jumps to a staggering 157, comprised of 88 grad transfers and 69 school transfers. The Sacred Heart Pioneers (AHA) gets Julian Kislin from Northeastern (HE). The Quinnipiac Bobcats lose sophomore winger Ty Smilanic to Wisconsin (Big 10). Smilanic's NHL rights were traded from Minnesota to Arizona. Meanwhile, the Bobcats received three grad transfers. Over at Yale, they saw a grad transfer in goalie Justin Pearson who heads to UCONN (HE) next year. UCONN's Cassidy Bowes has yet to declare his next destination. Still, according to several sources, he's likely to play Canadian college hockey out in Western Canada, which is closer to his home in either the CWUAA, ACAC, or the BCIHL. MORE MOVES Rangers prospect Simon Kjellberg has left RPI (ECACHL) for the greener pastures of Northern Michigan (CCHA). A laundry list of players remains uncommitted, including Kyle Johnson of Yale and John Fusco of Harvard. Eric Gotz, the nephew of former Hartford Wolf Pack player and Head Coach Ken Gernander, heads from Michigan Tech (CCHA) to Vermont (HE), where his twin uncles matriculated as young men, Jim and Jerry Gernander. John Emmons Jr. commits to Miami (OH) (NCHC) from the Oakland (MI) Grizzlies (HPHL). IIHF WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS US had a close call winning 3-2 in OT over defensive-minded Austria. Ex-Sound Tiger Kieffer Bellows scored in the game. Unfortunately, the US dropped their second game 4-1 to Finland. Next was a battle with Great Britain, which had Jackson Whistle in the net. He is the nephew of former New Haven Nighthawk Rob Whistle. Bellows scored twice in a 3-0 win. The US knocked off Sweden on Adam Gaudette's hat trick as ex-Springfield Falcon TJ Tynan, the two-time reigning AHL MVP, set him up with his second helper of the game. Canada saw Pierre-Luc Dubois score twice in an opening 5-1 win. In other games, the Czechs fell to Sweden 4-3 as ex-Pack Tomáš Kundrátek, and ex-UCONN recruit Matej Blümel scored in a comeback bid, but a 5-3 loss and then lost to Austria in their second game. Michael Spacek scored in a 5-1 win over Latvia. HUSKA Current Wolf Pack Adam Húska was in net for Slovakia's 5-1 loss to Canada and 5-3 loss to Switzerland. Huska gave up a goal to ex-Springfield Falcon Denis Malgin (one of five ex-Falcons playing in the tourney). Even though he made some acrobatic diving saves, the lack of goal support followed him to Finland from Hartford. The Slovaks did make the quarterfinals with a 4-3 win over Kazakhstan. Húska faced little work (11 shots), and all three goals resulted from direct rebounds. Huska picked up a secondary assist on the third goal. The Slovak team capitalized with three power play goals on Pavel Akolzin's ill-advised major for charging in center ice right in front of the Kazakhstan bench. The Slovaks secured their chance to continue to play by beating Italy 5-2, with Húska manning the cage. Surefire top draft pick in July, Jaroslav Slafkovky, scored again. Ex-Pack Andres Ambühl was the hero setting up the game-winning goal with 4:21 left for Switzerland in a 3-2 win over Kazakhstan. Sweden has played ex-Pack Magnus Hellberg in the net for three of their four games. One of them was winning a championship-level-like final, a 3-2 shootout win over Finland. Former QU Bobcat Latvian Kārlis Čukste earned the secondary assist on the game-winner with 6:19 left to play as Latvia rallied for a late 4-3 win over the British. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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CANTLON: DAY PLACED ON UNCONDITIONAL WAIVERS

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - In an expected move, the New York Rangers have placed defenseman Sean Day on unconditional waivers Saturday with the purpose of terminating the last year of his entry-level contract ($725K-NHL/$70K-AHL). The 22-year-old defender was selected 81st overall in the third round of the 2016 NHL draft, which was the Rangers’ first pick that year. His brief Wolf Pack career totals were just 62 games with four goals and 18 total points with 21 PIM and glaring minus-24. In Maine, with the Rangers' ECHL Affiliates, The Mariners, in 55 contests, Day had nine goals and 35 points with 33 PIM and was a plus-16. While playing in Maine, for about two months, Day was on the top defensive pairing with Brandon Crawley before Crawley’s recall. Day is famous for having been granted exceptional status in the OHL back in 2013 to play at age 15. At the time, he was only the fourth player ever to receive that status. Three other players have been granted that status since. This year’s OHL Rookie-Of-The-Year, Shane Wright (Kingston Frontenacs), and Connor Bedard, who will start his first major junior season in the fall with the Regina Pats, are two of them. Bedard, the number one overall in pick in April’s WHL Bantam Draft, is the first WHL player to be granted that status. Others who've been given that status include, John Tavares (2005), Aaron Eklad (2011), Connor McDavid (2012), and Joe Veleno (2015), who was the first QMJHL player to be given the early status. Day simply never developed into the player the Rangers expected and with 19 signed organizational depth at defense, the move clears a roster spot for the organization to use whenever the AHL season starts again. Day’s highwater mark in Hartford was toward the end of the 2018-2019 season. The Wolf Pack had already been virtually eliminated from playoff contention tallying just 13 points in 23 games, and Day ran the powerplay after John Gilmour was recalled to the Rangers. He struggled mightily to build off that moderate success this season, and despite his size and excellent skating skills, it was his decision-making away from the puck that left him vulnerable defensively too many times. Day registered just three points through 16 games. He suffered through his share of defensive lapses and turnovers led to his demotion in December demotion to Maine in favor of Yegor Rykov, who was coming off an early training camp injury in Traverse City, MI at the Prospects Tourney. Rykov's (pronounced Ree-kov) star waned considerably at the end of the season as well. He was a healthy scratch in nine of the last ten games prior to the season being suspended and ultimately canceled. Rykov has one year left on his entry-level deal. He could be on the move as well when all is said and done. The Rangers have six defensemen with Jacob Trouba, Marc Staal, Brendan Smith, Tony D’Angelo, Adam Fox, and Ryan Lindgren. ON the blueline, the Wolf Pack has eleven including Vincent LoVerde, and Mason Geersten, who are both under contract on AHL deals for this upcoming season. Libor Hajek and upcoming RFA, Darren Raddysh, are among them. Group 6 free-agent, Nick Ebert is already exploring European options in Sweden in the Swedish Hockey League and Russia with the KHL. Nils Lundqkvist is another defenseman expected to come over from Sweden (Lulea HF) after having a solid SHL season and WJC tournament, but with COVID-19 issues he may have to spend another year in Sweden. Defenseman Matt Robertson (Edmonton Oil Kings-WHL), and Tarmo Reunanen (Lukko Rauma Finland-FEL), have played off the first year of their three-year entry-level deals and should be in camp along with K’Andre Miller, who signed his ELC several days before the suspension of the season. Swedish goalie prospect, and a second-round pick in 2018, and not under currently under contract, Olof Lindbom is also weighing offers from Swedish and Finnish teams for next season. The Wolf Pack has two other Group 6 free agents in Vinni Lettieri and Danny O’Regan. They also have two UFA’s in team captain and forward, Steven Fogarty, and Matt Beleskey, both of whom have their contracts expire in June. It's a possibility that O’Regan would be the only one in that quartet back next season. The Rangers have three UFA’s, Jesper Fast, Greg McKegg, and former Wolf Pack/CT Whale, and Sound Tiger, Micheal Haley. Fast would be the obvious choice to be signed by the Rangers. Read the full article

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CANTLON: HOCKEY NEWS AND NOTES VOLUME 4 PART 1

eing t: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack hockey season stopped suddenly but is still getting awards from across the hockey universe. Wolf Pack captain, Steven Fogarty, was named the winner of the Wolf Pack's IOA/American Specialty Team Man-Of-The-Year. He and the winners from the other 31 AHL Teams became eligible to win the AHL Yanick Dupre Award. Over the past five seasons and recently as the Wolf Pack team captain this year, Fogarty is one of the most admired players both on-and-off the ice. Fogarty is a Notre Dame grad and always expresses his calm and friendly demeanor toward fans, teammates, and media alike, and always willing to participate in ways to help the community. He's attended several fan-related events, volunteered his time at shelters, worked with youth programs such as the Police Athletic League (PAL), the annual Bowl-a-Thon for Special Olympics, and many other team-related community initiatives. Fogarty, of Edina, MN, was actively involved in youth/school reading programs, has made several hospital visits at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Newington, and has been a leader behind the commitment and participation of Wolf Pack players at community and team events. Fogarty is now one of 31 finalists for the AHL's 2019-20 Yanick Dupre Memorial Award, honoring the overall winner of the IOA/American Specialty AHL Man-Of-The-Year. The naming of the Yanick Dupre Award is after the former Hershey Bears forward and AHL All-Star who died in 1997 following a 16-month battle with leukemia. The announcement of the winner of the Yanick Dupre Memorial Award will be later this spring. The first winner of the award was defenseman John Jakopin from the Beast of New Haven in 1997-98. Jakopin played one season for the Wolf Pack 2003-04. Some other team winners include Sound Tigers winner, goaltender, Christopher Gibson, former Wolf Pack, Daniel Walcott (Syracuse), and former Yale University Bulldog, Kenny Agostino (Toronto). Another milestone day would be this Good Friday. It would have been the last regular season home game for the Wolf Pack scheduled against the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. The day was to be the celebration of the 2000 Calder Cup Championship team complete with the Calder Cup, autograph and picture signings, and a post-game party at the Tavern, but, like everything else, the COVID-19 pandemic caused its cancelation. Those scheduled to attend included Derek Armstrong, Brad "Shooter" Smyth, Terry Virtue, Todd Hall, J.F. Labbe, Tony Tuzzolino, P.J. Stock, Daniel Goneau, Mike Harder, Chris Kenady, Stefan Cherneski, and head coach John Paddock. Also on the invite list would have been Medical trainer Tim Macre and equipment manager Jason Levy, then Wolf Pack GM, Don Maloney, and Rangers president Neil Smith. Former Wolf Pack reporters, Bruce Berlet (Hartford Courant), and George Dalek (Meriden Record-Journal) were also going to take part in the festivities. TOM WEBSTER Sad news for New Englan / Hartford Whaler fans was the passing of Tom Webster, 71, of brain cancer at his home in Windsor, Ontario, with family at his side. His wife, Carole, passed away earlier in the past year. His daughter, Stacy, and his son, Brent, as well as grandchildren, survive him. Webster was "Mr. New England Whaler." He played six-of-their-seven WHA years, and his number 8 brought many a cheer at Hartford Civic Center in the glistening early years of professional hockey in Hart City. Bruce Landon, the then goalie for the New England Whalers, was complimentary in praise, "Tom was a great guy and good teammate, tremendous player. It's a sad day for hockey," Webster finished first with 215 career goals and 425 points. He was third in assists with 205, just behind Larry Pleau and Rick Ley. Webster was fourth in games played at 352 games behind only Rick Ley, Brad Selwood, and Larry Pleau. He finished as the 13th all-time leading goalscorer in the seven wild years of the WHA. The WHA elected him to their Hall-Of-Fame in 2012. He hung with the best of the WHA, including Real "Buddy" Cloutier, Robbie Ftorek, Anders Hedberg, and eventual teammate, Andre Lacroix. Webster topped the Whalers as their only 50-goal scorer in franchise history (53) and 103 points in their first season in Boston winning their Avco Cup title and first and only franchise title. "He was a dynamic player," commented former teammate, Tim Sheehy from Florida. "He, Terry Caffery, and Brit Silby were an excellent line. Silby was an NHL Calder Trophy winner (with Toronto in 1965-66), and Caffery (WHA Rookie of the Year) set him up so many times. He was a great finisher." In Webster's second season, he didn't lead the team in scoring. He was second by two points behind John French with 43 goals and 70 points. In the first year in Hartford, 1974-'75, he finished second to Wayne Carleton but tallied 40 goals and 64 points. In 1975-76 Webster was limited to just 55 games due to injuries but still managed to lead the Whalers with 33 goals and 83 points for the Kelly-Green harpooned logo Whalers. In 1976-77 he scored 33 goals and 85 points behind only Mike Rogers in assists. In 1977-78 his last active season in Hartford, his severe back injury limited him to just 20 games, but he was a point-a-game producer still with 15 goals and 20 points. The Whalers knocked off Edmonton and Quebec before losing in four to the mighty Winnipeg Jets in the Avco Cup final. He missed the entire last season of New England Whaler 1978-79 because of third back surgery. Many New England Whaler fans felt Webster's number eight should have been retired instead of the late Johnny "Pie" McKenzie's 19. Howard Baldwin, Sr. strictly did it, to antagonize the Bruins. The Bruins led by owner Jeremy Jacobs never voted for the Whalers to be a part of the NHL and forced them to abandon New England from their team name as a price of admission into the NHL. It was then and still is, a glaring oversight that it was never retired. After a low-ball post-career job offer, Webster ended his playing days in Glen Falls, NY, with a brand new AHL team, the Adirondack Red Wings as a player-coach and got in his last NHL game with Detroit. Before landing in Hartford, Webster was drafted by the Boston Bruins with the fourth pick, 19th overall, in the 1966 NHL Draft. They were the last six team draft before the first NHL expansion in 1967. He led the Niagara Falls Flyers and then OHA (now OHL) ins scoring 50 goals and 114 points in 54 games winning the Eddie Powers Trophy, but was voted only to the OHA Second All-Star team. The team won their second Memorial Cup in three years by downing the Estevan Bruins in five games with Webster scoring the double-overtime winner in Game 4, still the longest game in Memorial Cup history. Webster posted 18 points in 10 games of the tournament In 1965, they beat the Edmonton Oil Kings in five games as well in Edmonton. The 1968 team would feature three future New England Whaler teammates in Gary Swain, who finished number two behind him in scoring, Rick Ley and Brad Selwood and two future NHL'ers, Phil Roberto and Phil Myre. He played at the beginning of the early big, bad Bruins before they won a pair of Stanley Cups, but only got 11 games in three years. He played two years in Oklahoma City (CHL) before being involved in a merry-go-round of transactions. The Buffalo Sabres took him in the 1970 NHL expansion draft on June 10, 1970, but before he ever got to wear a Sabres sweater, he was dealt the same day to Detroit for Roger Crozier. Webster took advantage of the chance with the Red Wings and, in 1970-71, led them in scoring in 78 games with 30 goals and 67 points. Webster played on the last Gordie Howe Red Wing team that also featured Alex Delvecchio, Garry Unger, Red Berenson, and future star a rookie named, Mickey Redmond. He would play against Howe in the WHA when he was in Houston and was reunited with him on the New England Whalers in 1977. In 1971-72 his back problems first surfaced that saw him limited him to five games with the Red Wings and was traded again to the California Golden Seals for Ron Stackhouse on October 22, 1971. Then four months later, on February 12, 1972, he was taken in the WHA General Draft by the New England Whalers, and his hockey course was set. Webster had an even longer coaching career starting with an AHL Calder Cup championship for Adirondack in 1980-81 in just their second year of existence and the first of four the franchise would have. After two years, he went to coach the Tulsa Oilers in the old Central Hockey League, winning the title with future Whaler Dave Barr and future Ranger and current Vegas President of Hockey Ops, George McPhee. He then migrated to Salt Lake City (IHL) and was hired by the Rangers, but he coached just 15 games with Rangers in 1985-86 before resigning, because an acute inner ear infection prevented him from flying. Webster then spent two years with Windsor (OHL) in a bus orientated league from 1987-89, leading the Spitfires to their first OHL championship. The team had a 21 game playoff winning streak in 1988, getting to the Memorial Cup final in Chicoutimi, Quebec, but wound up losing in heartbreaking fashion 7-6 to the Medicine Hat Tigers coached by Barry Melrose. The team featured Ranger great Adam Graves and two current NHL coaches Peter DeBoer and Paul Maurice and NHL playing brothers, Darryl and Darrin Shannon. Maurice, who collected his 700th win this season, holds Webster as his primary coaching role model. "Tom Webster would be the guy," he said." He was my junior coach, who I eventually hired as an assistant coach in the NHL. He would absolutely be the man who influenced me the most. Really, really intense guy, but a big family guy, very emotional guy. Systems. That was kind of the first time I heard of the word systems, like, 'Hey, we've got a plan here.' After coaching the 1989 Canadian National Junior Team at the WJC tournament in Anchorage, Alaska finishing fourth, Webster returned to the NHL. He spent four years as the head coach of the Los Angeles Kings from 1989-1992 amassing, a solid record of 115-94-31 helping the Kings win their first franchise division title in 1991. Ironically, he was replaced with Barry Melrose. Webster coached the Detroit Jr. Red Wings (OHL) for one year in 1992-'93, then the next five seasons, he was as an Assistant Coach in the NHL for the two years in Philadelphia, the last season of the Hartford Whalers in Connecticut and their first two seasons in Carolina with the Hurricanes. He concluded his coaching career back in Windsor with the OHL Spitfires for four seasons till 2002. He was a long time pro and amateur scout with the Calgary Flames from 2003-2014 before retiring. Webster is the seventh member of the 1972 championship team to pass away being preceded by Mike Byers, John Cunniff, Teddy Green, Rick Jordan, Al Smith, and Tommy Williams. Read the full article

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CANTLON'S CORNER: FOGARTY NAMED 12TH WOLF PACK CAPTAIN AND HE'S READY TO LEAD

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - For Steven Fogarty, being named the team captain for the Hartford Wolf Pack was a very high honor that left him both humbled and a bit surprised. “I didn’t expect it really. I've been here for four years and I’ve seen the ups and downs. I’m just being one of the older guys, I have always taken pride in being a leader.  We have a fresh new group here, and I’m very excited. I’m not the most vocal guy. I will say something when it needs to be said. I met with Boo (Nieves) and Lindy (Ryan Lindgren) (who were both named assistant captains). I think we're gonna have a very strong leadership group here,” Fogarty said. Lindgren is quite the loquacious player. If Fogarty isn't going to be vocal it's a pretty good bet that Lindgren will. “He’s got a pretty good set of pipes,” Fogarty said with a laugh. However, for the Wolf Pack, over the past few years, being named the captain has been a kiss of death. The preceding four were all traded during the season, something Fogarty is fully aware of. “Well, it was in the back of my mind,“ Fogarty smiled and chuckled acknowledging the obvious, “No, I’m not worried about that.” The Rangers have addressed a multitude of changes all throughout the first training camp of the "John Davidson Era," was kicked off. “We met with the coaches and asked everyone to embrace the change. It’s a whole new staff and a lot of other changes. We're starting over. I really got to see that in camp.” The offensive depth is palpable with the team. ‘We have some tremendous depth up-front and a lot of pieces from veterans like Danny (O’Regan) and Phil (Di Giuseppe), younger players with strong credentials; it’s the best depth we have had here. I think it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Fogarty said. He signed a one year deal last spring. The new Wolf Pack head coach, Kris Knoblauch, was effusive in his praise of Fogarty and spoke of the collective organizational input on the selection process. “I knew some things about Steven, but Jeff (Gorton), Chris (Drury) and Jed (Ortmeyer) and others filled me in about Steven, and what David (Quinn) saw of him in Rangers camp. For me, my interactions have been solid and matched up with everything that I heard that there was no better qualified to handle the captaincy.” Having a new staff takes some adjustment for everybody. “All of them have different levels of experience, but at the end of the day, you have to execute the systems in place. They’re to help us play the right way. The more eyes and expertise you can bring the better we can be. They brought in a lot more people to the organization to try to make us successful and hold us accountable. Players have to take advantage of it.” The recent cycle for Wolf Pack Nation over the past five years hasn’t been very good. Fogarty recognizes that and has an antidote for it. ‘Winning can take care of a lot things and solves a lot of issues. It boosts confidence. You're excited to come to the rink. It helps everything. It’s our main goal to play the right way. Everything will take care of itself. A winning culture takes care of a lot of problems." KRAVTSOV AFFAIR There's an early piece of drama for the Wolf Pack. It was astonishing that Vitali Kravtsov was benched. Maybe at game 10, 20, or in game 30, it could be understood, but game one, in the second period was extraordinarily unusual. He earned the benching and might be embarrassed , but that's the intention of a benching. The new head coach has 19 other players he has to handle and on the first night of game-play, he has to show he's in control of the team. It’s clear that with Drury present, he was given full discretion to do this. This was about more than just his indifferent play at the end of camp, but also in the pre-season game in Bridgeport and the first period against Charlotte. What is possibly fueling this during the negotiations between the New York Rangers and his agents were the promises made for him to come to North America. Clearly, he was hoping he would be playing in the NHL in New York, but he demoted and assigned here. This will require getting things smoothed out. While Kravtsov signed a standard NHL entry-level deal, he does have a European out-clause that could allow him to return to the KHL in Russia and Traktor Chelyabinsk who still hold his rights. When that clause can be activated and what conditions allow it to be invoked specifically are unknown. In addition, he is still WJC eligible. It would seem likely that he would be allowed to play for Russia at the WJC in December in the Czech Republic. The NHL and Russian Ice Hockey Federation do not have a formal transfer agreement. There was one piece of news that could be an inducement for Kravtsov to stay was the trade of Vladimir Namestnikov to the Ottawa Stars for New Jersey-born defenseman, Nick Ebert, who played one game in Belleville and has been assigned to Hartford. There could be a roster slot open in New York for a revitalized Kravtsov with some strong AHL play, possibly over the next couple of weeks. In a worst-case scenario, if he did go back, a la Ilya Kovalchuk when he left the Devils for the KHL, the NHL teams holds his rights until the end of his initially signed contract. Those rights could be traded. Kovalchuk was different because he turned 35 and was a free-agent who eventually signed with LA. Also, another possibility is that he could come back after the season in the KHL was over. It is likely to be worked out the Rangers who drafted him. Obviously he is very highly regarded and an important asset in bringing a competitive team to Broadway that can compete for the Stanley Cup, and that is the number one priority. The story of Ryan Poehling, now in Laval, should be conveyed to him. Poehling had a great WJC tournament last year and had a dream NHL first game on the last night of last year’s regular season against Toronto. Poehling had a hat trick, and five points including scoring the game-winning shootout goal. He had a strong camp for the Montreal Canadiens. Poehling is in Laval working on his craft and will be at the Bell Centre in the very near future. If Kravtsov lights things up in Hartford, he too will be at MSG among the bright lights soon enough. The Ebert addition to the Hartford d-corps forced the reassignment of Brandon Crawley, who was scratched along with Jeff Taylor last weekend for both games, to the Maine Mariners. The Rangers are already planning the Wolf Pack's 2020-21 roster. They signed defenseman Matthew Robinson to a three-year entry level deal. He had a strong training camp before being reassigned back to his junior team, the Edmonton Oil Kings (WHL). Ex-Pack, Conor Allen, has signed with HK Hradec Kravlove (Czech Republic-CEL) for the year. Ex-Pack, Corey Locke, who retired after the pre-season with HC Dynamo Pardubice (Czech Republic-CEL), has been named an assistant coach with Guelph (OHL) whose associate head coach is ex-Pack, Chad Wiseman. Locke becomes the 88th former Wolf Pack player to be involved in hockey as a coach, GM, or as a scout. Three former coaches are still behind the bench while three others are scouts. Read the full article