#where the title of ecac comes from

[psychspark]

RULES: Post 5 songs associated with your OC, followed by 4 outfits they would wear

Thank you for the tag @causticcontemplation! It's been really fun gathering this stuff :)

Five songs is such a cruel and unusual punishment for me, I make all my character playlists 10 songs long and Nil has two but here are the greatest hits:

Lemon Boy by Cavetown

Monster by dodie

Nocturne by Keeno

Clean Slated State by The Altogether

bad guy by Billie Eilish

The outfits were SO fun to put together, Nil has two modes when it comes to clothes, so I really tried to capture her variety.

Paying it forward, too, @i-have-a-dragon for Honey, @thotsofblla for Liatris, and @lateralfire for Faustus!

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CANTLON'S CORNER: HOCKEY NEWS AND NOTES VOLUME 9

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The news cycle is overflowing with COVID-19-related stories and the sports world, and hockey in-particular is no exception. AHL AWARDS With the 2019-020 season now officially canceled the parade of end of season awards begins. Former Quinnipiac Bobcat (ECACHL), Sam Anas, a fourth-year pro who finished the season with 20 goals and 50 assists for a league-best 70 points while skating in all 63 games for the Iowa Wild, won the AHL John B. Sollenberger Trophy. Anas 26, represented Iowa at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic in Ontario, CA and is Iowa’s franchise leader in career assists (125) and points (197). He ranks second in goals (72) and games played (259). He was signed as a free agent by the Minnesota Wild on April 15, 2016. In the trophy announcement, Anas has a teammate's company. Gerald Mayhew led the AHL with 39 goals and totaled 61 points in just 49 games with Iowa this season. He wins the Willie Marshall Award for the most goals scored in the season. That award honors the AHL's all-time leading scorer in goals, assists, total points, and games played. In his third pro campaign since coming out of Ferris State University (WCHA), Mayhew made his NHL debut in 2019-20 where he notched two goals in 13 games with Minnesota. He skated in the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic and appeared in 209 career AHL contests – all with Iowa – where he scored a franchise-record 88 goals as well as 72 assists (160 points). Mayhew signed his first NHL contract with Minnesota on May 10, 2019, after playing two seasons on an AHL deal. The AHL awarded Troy Grosenick and Connor Ingram of the Milwaukee Admirals as the recipients of the Harry “Hap” Holmes Memorial Award for the 2019-20 season. Since 1972, the award has been presented to the goaltender(s) with at least 25 games played on the team which allows the fewest goals per game in the regular season. The Admirals allowed an average of 2.24 goals per game in 2019-20 while posting a league-best record of 41-14-5-3 (90 points, .714). Milwaukee finished with the fewest goals against in the AHL for the first time in the franchise’s 19 seasons in the league. Grosenick, who won the Aldege “Baz” Bastien Memorial Award as the AHL’s outstanding goaltender back in 2016-17, made 33 appearances for the Admirals this season. Grosenick is a seventh-year pro and went 20-9-3 with a 2.29 goals-against average, a .920 save percentage, and two shutouts. A Milwaukee native, Grosenick was also named the recipient of the AHL’s Yanick Dupre Memorial Award for his outstanding community work in 2019-20. Ingram was 21-5-5 in 33 games for Milwaukee during the 2019-20 season and ranked third in the AHL in both goals-against average (1.92) and save percentage (.933) while also posting two shutouts. A third-year pro, Ingram was honored with his second consecutive selection to the AHL All-Star Classic this year and started his pro career in Syracuse eight appearances. In other AHL news, The Hershey Bears and Washington Capitals agreed to extend their very solid affiliation relationship to the 2023-24 season. The two teams have been together since 2005. Since then the Bears have made the AHL playoffs 12 times in 15 years and are won three Calder Cup titles in five appearances. CONNECTICUT’S NEWEST JUNIOR TEAM The new hockey hotbed in the Nutmeg State is Danbury. Earlier in the week, Danbury saw its newest addition to the Hat Tricks family and the fourth team of its portfolio playing out of the Danbury Ice Arena. The Tier II North American Hockey League (NAHL) announced Tuesday, the relocation of the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Knights. They will be renamed the Danbury Jr. Hat Tricks for the upcoming 2020-21 season. "We are looking forward to having NAHL hockey right here in town, which brings the highest level of junior hockey to the area. The addition of this team aligns with our vision of turning the Danbury Arena into a premier hockey destination.  We can't wait to drop the puck. We know our fans are going to love this team and the energy it brings,” Herm Sorcher, Partner of DP 110, the ownership group of the Danbury Arena, said. Bill McCreary, the head coach for the FPHL Hat Tricks team last season has been named the first GM/Head coach for the Jr. Hat Tricks. McCreary is an NAHL grad. He played for the Texas Tornado where he collected 45 goals and 71 assists in 98 career games. He was named to the NAHL All-Rookie team and an NAHL First Team All-Star during the 2002-03 season. “The arrival of the NAHL is an exciting moment for not only hockey in Danbury but the entire state of Connecticut. The North American Hockey League has been instrumental in developing players into NCAA student-athletes and we are honored to continue that tradition,” McCreary said. “We are extremely excited to be able to build a culture that embodies the spirit of the NAHL while focusing on developing our players into future NCAA and professional athletes. It’s our commitment to not only helping our players achieve their goals but to also build a ‘family’ that competes for a Robertson Cup year-in and year-out." McCreary is a nine-year (2006-15) minor league hockey veteran as both a player and coach with a playing resume that includes time spent with the Trenton Titans (ECHL), Huntsville Havoc (SPHL), New Mexico Scorpions (CHL) and the New Jersey Outlaws (FHL). He was part of championship teams in both Hunstville (2010) and New Jersey (2012), where he served a dual role as player-coach. Collegiately, McCreary played for Providence College (Hockey East) and Curry College (MA) (ECAC-NE). The other Danbury teams include the NA3HL Danbury Colonials and a youth team. The building is also home to a fifth team, the NWHL's Connecticut Whale. The Knights franchise has been a member of the NAHL since the 2015-16 season. The Knights enjoyed its’ most successful season to date in 2018. They reached 30 wins in the regular season, earning 66 points in the standings to clinch a playoff berth for the third consecutive season. The team not only made the playoffs but also won its’ first playoff series, where they dispatched the New Jersey Titans in a best-of-five series that went the distance. The following round, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton swept the Philadelphia Rebels, thus clinching the 2018 NAHL East Division earning the opportunity to compete for the NAHL Robertson Cup Championship. The Junior Hat Tricks will play in the seven-team NAHL East Division with the New Jersey (Middletown) Titans, Johnstown (PA) Tomahawks, Jamestown (NY) Rebels, Maryland (Odenton, MD) Black Bears, Northeast (Attleboro, MA) Generals, and the Maine (Lewiston) Nordiques. Danbury participated in their first NAHL hockey business as part of the league's Supplemental Draft where they took Andrew Mancini from Canterbury Prep School Saints (New Milford) with the 13th selection and then with their second pick 40th overall drafted Cole Vallese (Salisbury Prep) who is a Providence College (HE) commit for 2021-22. Other names of note include the 19th overall pick, Cam Knuble, the son of former New York Ranger, Mike Knuble, who was taken by the Shreveport (LA) Mudbugs, He was also taken in the USHL Draft 2016 by the Des Moines Buccaneers in the 6th round 82nd overall. The 34th selection was Cooper Swift (West Hartford/Choate Prep), who was taken by the Maine Nordiques. He played four games with Langley (BCHL) and most of the season with New Jersey (NCDC). Jack Ring (Guilford) went 71st overall to the Fairbanks (AK) Ice Dogs. He played for New Hampton (NH) School last season. The NAHL also announced the rebranding of two teams for next season. The first is the St. Cloud (MN) Blizzard who moved from Brookings, MN last year and will now be known as the St. Cloud Norsemen playing in the NAHL Central Division The second is the Topeka (KS) Pilots who become the Kansas City Scouts in the fall. That named was used after the NHL team of the mid-1970s for two years (1974-1976) before the franchise was moved to Colorado to become the Rockies who eventually became the New Jersey Devils. The NAHL is a 26 team league with Danbury as its second foray into the Northeast has primarily been located in the US Midwest and Southwest. The league has teams in Odessa, TX, Shreveport, LA, Amarillo, TX , Springfield, MO, Chippewa Falls, WI, West Minot, ND, and two teams in Alaska, the Fairbanks Ice Dogs and the Kenai River Brown Bears in Soldotna. A 27th team will be coming in 2021-22 in the Wichita Falls (TX) Warriors. TRANSACTIONS Ex-Hartford Wolf Pack, Oscar Lindberg, leaves EV Zug (Switzerland-LNA) and heads to Dynamo Moscow (Russia-KHL). Markus Granlund, who split the year between Bakersfield and Edmonton, departs for Salvat Yulaev (Russia-KHL) becoming the 15th AHL player to sign overseas for next season. 12 of 31 teams have seen a player sign in Europe. UCONN gets another commit from Russia for the fall making him a critical flip from a powerful Hockey East opponent. Artem Shlaine, who has dual citizenship (US/Russia) comes out of the highly-respected Shattuck St. Mary’s Sabres program in Faribault, MN. He was originally a BU commit last May but was scheduled to go for the 2021-22 season for the Terriers, but he has selected the Huskies and will be on campus in the fall. He also had offers from Boston College and Ohio State. Shlaine is 6’1 and 175lbs. He is a left-handed shooting center who resides in Florida. His family moved from Moscow where he scored 60 points in 44 games this past season. Here in the states this season, in 46 games, Shlaine had 26 goals and 52 assists (78 points). Last season, for SSM he posted 90 points in 56 games played including 34 goals and 56 assists while wearing the number 13 jersey. In six games with Muskegon (USHL) this season, he had two goals and three points. Last month, Shlaine was drafted in the third round (56th overall) in the OHL Priority Draft by the Owen Sound Attack. A sixth-round (93rd overall) draft pick in 2018 of USHL Sioux Falls, he suited up for the Stampede in two playoff games last season. In the Central Scouting Bureau (CSB) final list, he joins three other Huskies who are eligible to be drafted he was in the 94th spot, with a pair of sophomore defenseman, Yan Kuznetsov was rated the highest of the four at 36th, Jacob Flynn was 112th and incoming freshmen East Haven’s Nick Capone at 126th. USA Hockey announced on Wednesday that Ted Donato (Harvard-ECACHL), Kris Mayotte (Michigan-Big 10) and Steve Miller (Ohio State - Big 10) will serve as assistant coaches. Theresa Feaster (Providence) will be video coach for the 2021 U.S. National Junior Team scheduled to compete in the 2021 IIHF World Junior Championship that's presently scheduled for December 26, 2020, to January 5, 2021, in Edmonton and Red Deer, Alberta. The group will assist head coach Nate Leaman (Providence), who was named to the position in March. Nick Halloran Colorado College (NCHC) has turned pro and signed a deal with Ontario (AHL). Three more Division III players have signed deals in Europe. College players turning pro in North America now stand at 95, including Division III and Europe a total of 154 have done so and 24 underclassmen have left early. Hockey East leads with 22 signings, Big 10 has 20, NCHC with 18, WCHA has 13, ECACHL has 12, and the AHA has nine. 26 college players have signed in Europe the latest is Parker Tuomie who heads back home to play for Eisbaren Berlin (Germany-DEL). Read the full article

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NCAA Hockey 101: Harvard gets over the hump

BOSTON, MA – FEBRUARY 13: Jacob Olson #26 of the Harvard Crimson celebrates after defeating the Boston University Terriers 6-3 in the 2017 Beanpot Tournament Championship at TD Garden on February 13, 2017 in Boston, Massachusetts. (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)

[Ed. Note: Our big NCAA tournament preview will run later this week.]

Harvard has been a very good team for a few years now, but they’ve always had their skeptics.

And for good reason.

There’s a difference between being a very good team and a great one, and in college hockey short seasons and big streaks tend to bend opinions quickly. Harvard has generally been a team known for its streaks, and more specifically, the thuds that end them.

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Earlier this season I wrote about their tendency to drop off as the season wore along in each of the last three campaigns around January. And this year, too, they hit that skid a little earlier than usual. They won plenty early on thanks to a great power play, but the goaltending wasn’t really there from Merrick Madsen, who had previously shown he could be very good. If his struggles in the crease continued and the power play success went away, that posed a very big problem. And it would probably result in another collapse that had become the hallmark of Harvard’s talented-but-top-heavy teams in recent years.

Around the same time that column published, though, Harvard took off instead.

There was plenty of reason for skepticism at the time. Harvard had just dropped three in a row, including to some pretty underwhelming opponents, and had only played a handful of actually good teams in their previous few months of the season. Their record (at the time) against teams that ended up making the NCAA tournament was just 1-2-0. So if skeptics felt their 11-5-1 record was a little inflated by two games each against Arizona State, Princeton, RPI, and so on, that seemed reasonable. When they dropped those three in a row from Jan. 13-17, that sent off claxons.

Jan. 17, an ugly 8-4 loss at Dartmouth, is the last time they lost.

Not that their schedule got all that much harder, but the loss in Hanover seems to have caused a hard look in the mirror. Questions had been asked of Harvard teams in the past, and they failed to come up with any answers. Mostly, they just came up with excuses.

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This time, whatever questions they should have had probably revolved around goaltending. The comprehensiveness with which they beat their opponents was significant, but the fact was that Madsen wasn’t stopping pucks at his usual rate; he was a career .930 goalie through the end of last season.

On Jan. 20, he really returned to form and then some, and the team has one minor blemish on its record since: a 1-1 tie.

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In part because of the overall weakness of the ECAC (the conference finished with three teams in the top 11, but no more than that even in the nation’s top 20), it was once again easy to hand-wave Harvard’s success. Sure, they were winning, and doing so handily, but look who they were playing. That’s the mark of a very good team, sure. Harvard has always been one of those. But if this team wanted to be considered great, it would need to do more than annihilate the dregs of the fourth-weakest conference in the country.

Then they handed it to future tournament team Cornell, 4-1, but that could be excused because Cornell has a very weak offense, and hey, it’s only one game. Then they beat the high-octane offense from Northeastern 4-3, which could be excused because Northeastern has abysmal goaltending. Then trashed Union 6-2. Then they not only beat BU 6-3 to win the Beanpot, they outshot the Terriers 46-17.

But even then, explaining these things away continued, albeit to a lesser extent. Now, a month and a half later, there can be no more rationalizations. They’ve won 15 of their last 16 games, and 14 straight. Donald Trump wasn’t president yet the last time they lost.

Still, one might hesitate to put them into the “elite” category because they only played the 21st-most-difficult schedule in the country. Lowell was the only other team in the top seven Pairwise rankings was in the double digits (13th). They only played three tournament teams all year, and the average PWR position of their opponents was about 30th. There was effectively no difference for the before/after date when their surge began.

What happens when Harvard plays actual elite teams four games in a row? It’s tough to say. They haven’t done it yet. The closes thing to it was when they played Cornell (11th), Princeton (33rd), Quinnipiac (21st), BC (16th), then BU (7th) in a five-game stretch in November.

But in all, Harvard played seven games against tournament teams this season. They went 5-2, with a 62.2 percent share of goals, and a 57.2 shot share. You’ll note those are both in line with what they did all season.

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So as much as you may want to means-test Harvard, the thing is, this time they finally seem to check every box. Beanpot. ECAC regular-season title. ECAC postseason title. All with relative ease. It’s tough to say where this train comes to a halt.

They’re a team to watch for the next few weeks, because while they may have tripped over the hurdles they faced in the past, now they’re running straight through them.

A somewhat arbitrary ranking of teams which are pretty good in my opinion only (and just for right now but maybe for a little longer too?)

1. Minnesota-Duluth (won the NCHC title with wins over Western Michigan and North Dakota) 2. Denver (lost to North Dakota, beat Western Michigan) 3. UMass Lowell (won the Hockey East title with wins over Notre Dame and BC) 4. Harvard (won the ECAC title with wins over Quinnipiac and Cornell) 5. BU (lost to BC) 6. Union (lost to Cornell) 7. Western Michigan (lost to Duluth and Denver) 8. Providence (idle) 9. Minnesota (lost to Penn State) 10. Cornell (beat Union, lost to Harvard)

Ryan Lambert is a Puck Daddy columnist and occasionally covers the NCAA for College Hockey News. His email is here and his Twitter is here

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CANTLON'S CORNER: HOCKEY NEWS AND NOTES VOLUME 8

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The suspension of hockey continues though the NHL may resume the regular season or go straight to a playoff format in an attempt to conclude the 2019-20 season. The AHL, meanwhile, is on the verge of announcing the cancelation of the rest of the regular season and Calder Cup playoffs. COLLEGE PLAYER SIGNINGS The New York Rangers' goaltending situation got a bit more interesting with the signing of their sixth-round (174th overall) pick in 2016, Tyler Wall. The former UMass-Lowell senior was signed to a two-year, entry-level deal ($925K-NHL/$70K-AHL). The organization now has six goaltenders under contract starting with Henrik Lundqvist, who is entering the final year of his contract that pays him $8.5 million. Alexander Georgiev will become a Restricted Free Agent (RFA) in 2020-21. He's proven he is more than NHL-ready. Igor Shesterkin enters the second year of his two year deal and would become an RFA in the 2021-22 season. Shesterkin spent half of this season in Hartford where he was superb in net and brought the Wolf Pack to first place for at least three months. The team then struggled mightily after his recall. The team dropped to a .500 record. Add to the list, second-year pro, and former UConn Husky, Adam Huska. He will enter the final year before he hits RFA status. Then there is J.F. Berube. He was acquired in a late-season trade for his fellow goalie, Thomas McCollum, with the Lehigh Valley Phantoms. He will be a UFA at the end of June. Nobody knows for certain how this entire thing will shake out in the end. The NHL salary cap for next year was originally pegged to land between $84-$88 million, however, with the COVID-19 pandemic and other external factors, that number is now in a complete state of flux with the entire worldwide economic landscape having been dramatically altered. The cap could potentially drop below $80 million. That would force all of the NHL's teams to do some serious refinancing of its payroll structure. On the goalie front, the Rangers would be faced with even tougher choices than they already were going to have. Wall, 22, from Leamington, Ontario, appeared in 32 games with the UMass-Lowell Riverhawks (HE) this season. He posted an 18-8-6 record, along with a 2.10 GAA, a .931 save percentage, and two shutouts. He was named to the Hockey East Third All-Star Team this season, which was the conference’s deepest position. Darien’s Spencer Knight (Boston College) and Hobey Baler finalist Jeremy Swayman (Maine) were the two in front of him. Wall appeared/started in 32 of UMass Lowell's 34 games this season. He earned all of his team's wins during the season and established a collegiate career-best in save percentage, Wall was tied for ninth in NCAA Division I in save percentage. In addition, Wall ranked eighth in the NCAA in saves at (924). His 336 saves in either the third period or overtime were the third-most in the country. This past season, Wall's stinginess saw him allow just two goals or fewer in 22 of his 32 appearances, including one goal or fewer in eight different appearances. He was named the Hockey East Defensive Player of the Week on six different occasions and served as an alternate captain, becoming the first Riverhawk goaltender to wear either a 'C' or an 'A' on his jersey since Dwayne Roloson did so in 1993-94. Wall stands 6'3" and weighs 214lbs. He covers the lower part of the net very well. Wall appeared in 103 career collegiate games over four seasons and amassed a college career record of 58-34-10, a 2.28 GAA, a .918 save percentage and nine shutouts. Wall's 58 career wins with UMass Lowell are the most by a goaltender since the school began playing in Division 1. He broke Roloson's record of 51 wins. He established a collegiate career-best in appearances (37), wins (26), and GAA (2.06) as a freshman in 2016-17, and he established a UMass-Lowell record for wins by a rookie goaltender, previously held by current Winnipeg Jet, Connor Hellebuyck. Wall also helped UMass-Lowell win the Hockey East Championship in 2016-17, and was named to the Hockey East All-Tournament Team. He posted a 2.10 GAA or better in three of his four collegiate seasons. IN OTHER SIGNINGS After four years at Penn State (Big 10), Peyton Jones signs a deal with the Colorado Eagles for 2020-21. Yanni Kaldis Cornell University (ECACHL) signs with Bakersfield (ECHL). Along with Wall, that makes 93 Division I players who have signed North American professional contracts. Including European deals, 150 collegiate players in total have turned professional. Hockey East saw 21 players turn pro in North America and the Big 10 has 20. They are followed by the NCHC with 17. The WCHA has 13, while the ECACHL has 12 and the AHA with nine. Penn State has the most signees with seven. They are followed by Western Michigan (NCHC) with six, Ferris State (WCHA) with five, and Hockey East's Boston University and Vermont with four each. Leading the 39 Division III signees is Northland College (NCHA) who've had four players put their names on contracts. Matt Tugnutt of Sacred Heart University becomes the 13th Division I grad transfer and the second one for Providence College Friars (HE) in goal. Jason Herter, Assistant Coach with the two-time defending NCAA champions, the University of Minnesota-Duluth, has stepped down to take another position in hockey but has not declared if it was in pro or college. Scott Morrow (Darien) just finished at Shattuck’s St. Mary in Minnesota, had his USHL rights traded from the Youngstown Phantoms to the Fargo (ND) Force for next season. In 2021-22, Morrow starts playing for North Dakota (NCHC). He was also drafted by the Val D’ Foreurs in the 2nd round 21st overall in the 2018 QMJHL Draft. NHL SEASON The NHL wants to minimize the loss of revenue to the escrow fund which they and the players share as a part of the CBA agreement. The NHL is trying to salvage the regular season and the Stanley Cup playoffs a massive revenue generator. Presently, they're trying to find COVID-19 light cities to re-start and complete the remaining 14-15 games left in the regular season. There is also talk that they could jump to just a 12-team per conference playoff format. It is unclear which way they are going to go. Also being discussed is the recall of AHL players from each team's affiliates as a taxi squad once the AHL season is officially canceled. However, there are some serious issues regarding contracts that need to be worked out. “It comes down that the NHL is trying to preserve the sponsorships and the TV ad revenue to minimize the losses. It's paramount to the league right now, however, we’re getting close to fish-or-cut-bait time for the NHL and AHL because the clock is ticking to a new fiscal year of business that starts by the end of June,” commented a long-time hockey source. The NHL isn’t alone in trying to complete their seasons. Both Ukraine and Spain have tentative plans to finish their playoffs in September. Ukraine still has the semifinals and finals while Spain has just its championship round. CONGRATULATIONS Former Hartford Whaler and Rangers' defenseman, James Patrick, will be inducted into the University of North Dakota's sports Hall-of-Fame. Patrick was a first-round pick (9th overall) by the Rangers in the 1981 Draft. While with UND, he led the Fighting Sioux, as they were known then, to an NCAA title in his freshmen year and he was an all-tournament selection in the Frozen Four. Patrick was on the WCHA Conference's second-team All-Star. He was the conference Rookie-of-the-Year and won a WJC gold medal with Canada. In his sophomore season, he was a first-team WCHA All-Star, was first-team NCAA All America, and was a Hobey Baker finalist. Patrick played in 1,280 NHL games with the Rangers, Whalers, the Calgary Flames, and Buffalo Sabres. Upon retiring, he spent seven years with Buffalo and then three years with the Dallas Stars as an assistant coach. Patrick is currently entering his fourth year as head coach with the Winnipeg Ice (WHL), a franchise moved from Cranbrook, BC (Kootenay) two years ago. His nephew Nolan is a member of the Philadelphia Flyers. IN OTHER COLLEGE NEWS Three weeks ago, The Vermont Catamounts saw long-time coach, Bob Gaudet, announce his retirement after 23 years. Todd Woodcroft becomes just their fifth coach in Vermont school history. This week the University sadly mourns the passing of their first Division I coach, Jim Cross (1965-1984), who shepherded them in from the Division II level.  Cross, 87 passed away due to COVID-19 complications. Cross coached Vermont to three ECAC Division II championships including back-to-back titles in 1973-1974 with a conference record of 37-1. He was named National Division II Coach-of-the-Year in 1974. Cross help the Catamounts transition to Division I hockey in the ECAC in 1974 getting into third place in their first season. His 19-year coaching mark was 280-251-9. A BU grad, Cross was honored by the Terriers in 1975 with its Harry Cleverly award given to alumni who excel in coaching. Cross was inducted into the University of Vermont Athletic Sports Hall-of-Fame in 1996 and just last year, the Hobey Baker Memorial Foundation named him recipient of the “Legend of College Hockey” award. He will posthumously be inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall-of-Fame later this year. Among the players he coached in Division I included, former New Haven Nighthawk, John Glynne (Hamden) and Kirk McCaskill, who had a much better professional baseball career with the California Angels (nee Anaheim Angels) for eleven years as a pitcher, after one season with the Sherbrooke Jets (AHL). He was one of the few hockey players drafted in two sports hockey (Winnipeg) and baseball. USHL DRAFT On Monday and Tuesday, the USHL conducted Phase I and Phase II of its annual draft. In Phase I, in the 2nd round, (26th overall), Connor Welsh (Greenwich/Brunswick Prep) was selected by the Sioux City Musketeers. Andrew DellaDonna from the US Selects Academy at South Kent Prep U-15 team was taken by Cedar Rapids Roughriders in the 4th round (55th overall). He is an Ohio State (Big 10) commit for 2022-23. In the fourth round (57th overall), the Fargo (ND) Force took Cam Knuble, the son of former Ranger, Mike Knuble, who played with the Fox Motor Sports U-15 (T1EHL). His older brother, Cam Knuble, just finished his junior career with the Muskegon Lumberjacks. The elder Knuble was his head coach and an assistant coach with Grand Rapids this past season. In the fifth round (63rd overall) Cedar Rapids selected John Emmons Jr. from the Oakland (MI) Grizzlies U-15 (HPHL). He is the son of John Emmons Sr. (New Canaan/Yale University) who was an assistant coach of his team this season. Lucas DiChiara (Fairfield), of the nationally renowned Shattuck St. Mary’s program in Minnesota, was taken in the ninth round (131st overall) by Muskegon. He is not currently college committed. In Phase II on Tuesday, Tabor Heaslip of the Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers was taken in the fourth round (56th overall) by Sioux City. He is currently slated to play for the UCONN Huskies (HE) in the fall. Five spots later, Matt Crasa from the Selects Academy at South Kent Prep, went in the fourth round (61st overall) was taken by Fargo. He skated for the Cowichan Valley Capitals (BCHL) this year with 44 points in 51 games and is slated to skate with the Sacred Heart University Pioneers (AHA) in the fall. In the ninth round (125th overall), Zach Tonelli of Taft Prep (Watertown) was taken by Cedar Rapids. He is the youngest son of New York Islanders great, John Tonelli. He is Brown University (ECACHL) commit 2021-22 where his older brother Jordan, also a Taft grad, will start in the fall. Ten picks later, David Andreychuk of Gunnery Prep (Washington, CT) went to the Waterloo Black Hawks. He is a St. Lawrence University (ECACHL) 2021-22 commit. The sons ex-Hartford Wolf Pack and Bridgeport Sound Tiger, David Karpa, were selected one round apart. In the 15th round (223rd overall) Zakary Karpa was taken by the Waterloo Black Hawks. He played for the US National Development Team (USNDTP) in the USHL, the US National U-18 Team. He's committed to the Princeton Tigers (ECACHL) in the fall. Younger brother Jakob Karpa went in the 16th round (242nd overall) to the Omaha Lancers from the Victory Honda U-18 (T1EHL/Midget) team. He is slated to skate for the Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL) in the fall. Lastly, Ryan Vellluci, the son of ex-Whaler Mike, the current coach of the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins, was taken in the 18th round (262nd overall) by Muskegon from the Detroit Little Caesars U-18 (T1EHL) squad. He was taken by Saginaw Spirit in the 2018 OHL Priority Draft in the 13th round 242th overall. The other US junior league, the Tier II NAHL, will have its Supplemental Draft on May 12th.  81 players will be drafted (three per team) and an extra tender contract can be offered to one player per team the next day. The NAHL has pushed its main draft to July 21st. The QMJHL Draft will be conducted remotely and is scheduled for early next month. The first round will be on Friday, June 5th, with rounds 2-14 the following day. The U.S. Draft will be Monday, June 8th. The QMJHL released its CSB’s final list of available players and there are quite a few Connecticut kids listed as possibilities. A slew from the Greenwich-based prep school, Brunswick School. John Burdett, leading scorer, Andon Cerbone (Stamford), and John Gammage are on that list. Jakub Teply (Stamford) is scheduled to play for the Powell River RiverKings (BCHL) in the fall, and Beanie Richter, the youngest son of former Ranger great, Mike Richter. From Greenwich HS's Charlie Zolin and William Richards (Westport) from Staples HS, Peter Ungar (Stamford) of the CT Whalers U-15 (AYHL), Arthur Smith (Farmington) from the US Selects Academy at South Kent Prep and Daniel Lurie (Westminster Prep (Simsbury). Nicholas LeClaire (Colchester), a grad of Xavier HS (Middletown), who is now at Northfield Prep (MAPREP) and Charlie Leddy (Fairfield) of Avon Old Farms, who is slated to be with the USNDTP U-17 team in the fall and a Boston College (HE) commit in 2022-23, Aidan Cobb (Ridgefield) from Kent Prep and a Cornell University (ECACHL) commit for 2020-21, Charles Andriole (Branford) of Loomis Chaffe (Windsor), and incoming Taft Prep (Watertown) player, Isaiah Green (Sandy Hook) are also expected to be selected. The CHL Import Draft usually held a week after the NHL Draft is in a state of suspension because of COVID-19. TRANSACTIONS Alexander D. Tertyshny (Choate Prep), after playing with three teams last season, Belye Medvedi Chelyabinsk (Russia-MHL), Corpus Christi (NAHL), and Northeast (NAHL), heads to AIC-American International College (AHA) in the fall. Tertyshny is the son of former NHL’er, Dmitri Tertyshny, who played just one season with Philadelphia but died in a tragic boating accident in the off-season in Kelowna, BC on July 23, 1999. Justin Danforth (Sacred Heart University/Sound Tigers), departs Lukko Rauma (Finland-FEL) to Vityaz Podolsk (Russia-KHL) for next season. Heading to Europe will be Swedish defenseman Pontus Ahberg from the Toronto Marlies to Traktor Chelyabinsk (Russia-KHL) after playing for six years in North America. Anton Wedin leaves Rockford/Chicago (NHL) for HV 71 (Sweden-SHL). According to European media reports, several players are in the last stages of contract negotiations and are waiting on the call of the AHL season to be officially be canceled before making the announcement. Mikhail Vorobyov of Lehigh Valley (Philadelphia Flyers) is said to be heading to Salavat Yalaev (Russia-KHL). Josh Persson Bakersfield Condors (Edmonton Oilers)/San Diego Gulls, and Gustav Forsling from the Charlotte Checkers are both to be going to EHC Biel/Bienne (Switzerland-LNA). Christian Folin Laval Rocket (Montreal Canadiens) to Frolunda HC (Sweden-SHL) and Henrik Borgstrom, Springfield Thunderbirds (Florida Panthers) to Jokerit Helsinki (Finland-KHL) are all still pending. That would make eleven players in total, with 10 of the 31 AHL teams to have at least one player sign overseas for 2020-21. Ex-Pack goalie, Miika Wiikman, who played last year with the Coventry Blaze (England-EIHL) and with HC Anglet (France-FREL) last year, announced his retirement due to injuries. Anton Sundin, the son of year one ex-Wolf Pack, Ronnie Sundin, after playing with three teams last year, signs with Halmstad HC (Sweden Division-1). Henrik Samuelsson, the son of ex-Whalers great, Rangers player, and an assistant coach with the Wolf Pack and Avon Old Farms, Ulf Samuelsson, leaves Manchester (England-EIHL) and signs a deal with Saryarka Karaganda (Russia-VHL). Ulf is still listed as the head coach for Leksands IF (Sweden-SHL) and a pro scout for Seattle (NHL). The youngest brother, Adam Samuelsson, is with Sudbury (OHL), and the eldest brother, Philip, is said to be close to signing with HK Riga (Latvia-KHL). Ex-New Haven Nighthawks and Ranger, Glen Hanlon, leaves DVTK (Hungary-EBEL) for Krefeld (Germany-DEL) as their new head coach. Former Beast of New Haven defenseman, Jaroslav Spacek, is an assistant coach of HC Plzen (Czech Republic-CEL) and an assistant with the Czech National Team program, saw his eldest son, David Spacek, who plays for HC Plzen U-16/U-18 squads and for the Czech Republic U-17 Team last season. Read the full article

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CANTLON'S CORNER: HOCKEY NEWS AND NOTES VOLUME 6

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - It seems that all the news going on in the world has some connection to the coronavirus pandemic. Hockey is no different. Much is going in the industry starting with signings in Hartford for the Wolf Pack. WOLF PACK SIGNINGS  The New York Rangers announced the signing of two key defenseman Vincent LoVerde and Mason Geersten to one year AHL contracts for the 2020-21 season. They were two of the best signings, along with Phil Di Guiseppe, that helped the Wolf Pack's strong play over the first four months of the season. LoVerde, a nine-year pro, tallied four goals and 17 assists (21 points) in 62 games with the Wolf Pack in the COVID-19 shortened season. He held the team's best plus/minus rating at plus-17. LoVerde has been indispensable to head coach, Kris Knoblauch, and associate coach, Gord Murphy, who, at one point, had played him with every defenseman during the season demonstrating the team's high degree of confidence in him. LoVerde spent more than two months playing on his off left side along with Darren Raddysh as the team's number one shutdown unit. A two-time Calder Cup champion (2015, 2018), LoVerde was aiming for a third with the Wolf Pack when the season was suspended. LoVerde has skated in 494 regular-season games in the AHL with Hartford, Toronto, Ontario, and Manchester, registering 49 goals and 124 assists (152 points). In 78 Calder Cup playoff games, he has three goals and 20 assists (23 points) and a plus-31 rating. Geertsen, 25, has notched eight assists in 60 games with Hartford this season, as well as a team-high 109 penalty minutes, handling the fighting when need be, and quite effectively at that. He was also a solid body-checker delivering numerous thundering hard hits throughout the season. Before the trade of Joey Keane to the Charlotte Checkers, the two were a solid pair helping the Wolf Pack surge to the top of the Atlantic Division, a position they held for the better part of two months before they hit a rough patch before the schedule suspension falling to fourth place. Geersten was originally selected by the Colorado Avalanche in the fourth round of the 2013 NHL Draft and has skated in 277 AHL games in a career with Hartford, Colorado, San Antonio, and Lake Erie (nee Cleveland), totaling six goals and 39 assists (45 points) amassing 476 PIMs. PLAYER MOVEMENT Billy Sweezey of Yale University (ECACHL) signs a one-year AHL deal with the Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins. Ex Pack, Julius Bergman, leaves Frolunda HC (Sweden-SHL) and signs a deal with the Lahti Pelicans (Finland-FEL). The Providence Bruins' Peter Cehlarik is, according to Swedish press reports, looking at several teams for next season. Former Wolf Pack, Ryan Hollweg, whose career ended with a knee injury in the Czech Republic two years ago, is now living in the greater Vancouver area. Hollywood, as he was known in his playing days, completed his second season as an Assistant Coach with a bantam level team, the Vancouver NW Hawks (BCMMHL). The WHL Bantam Draft took place on Wednesday. One name of interest was Talon Brigley, who was taken in the second round (24th overall) by his hometown Red Deer Rebels. Brigley is the son of ex-Sound Tiger, Travis Brigley. Max Namestnikov, 16, youngest son of ex-Wolf pack Evgeni “John” Namestnikov, was drafted third overall in the recent OHL Priority Draft. He is forgoing his Michigan State commit in 2022-23 and has signed with the Sarnia Sting to start playing in the fall. Jakob Karpa, the son of ex-Wolf Pack, and Sound Tiger, David Karpa will play for the Grande Prairie Storm (AJHL) next season. His twin brother, Zakary, just finished a season with the US National Development Team-USNDTP (USHL) and the US National U-18 Team and will be with the Princeton Tigers (ECACHL) in the fall. UCONN head coach, Mike Cavanaugh, confirmed the transfer of forward Jordan Timmons who heads to Robert Morris University (AHA) “Jordan wanted a bigger role on the team that with our returning numbers (of players) was likely not possible. He will be closer to home and we wish him all the best." Cavanaugh also stated the Huskies would not be getting any transfers or graduate transfers this year. College hockey signings and transfers continue. Haralds Egle leaves Clarkson University (ECACHL) and signs with Manitoba. A.J. Villella leaves Northeastern and heads down I-90 to Bentley University (AHA). The leading scorer at Alaska Fairbanks (WCHA), Steve Jandric, transfers to the University of Denver (NCHC). Joining him via transfer to the Pioneers is defenseman Bo Hanson, from St. Lawrence (ECACHL). Departing Denver is forward, Tyler Ward, who heads East to the University of New Hampshire Wildcats (HE). The leading scorer with the University of Alabama-Huntsville Chargers (WCHA), Josh Latta, heads to UMASS-Lowell (HE). According to the Lowell Sun’s Barry Scanlon three more River Hawks are leaving the program. Cale List and Derek Osik have told head coach, Norm Bazin, of their intentions. A senior graduate with one year of eligibility left, Chris Schutz, is heading to Europe. A fourth player, who never played and went back to Muskegon (USHL) last fall, Eric Green is also heading to a new destination. Signing in Europe is Greg Harney (East Haven) after four years at Framingham State (MASCAC). He signs with HC Valenciennes (France FFFG Division-2). Dave Richer from SUNY-Oswego (SUNYAC) signs with HC Chambery (France FFFG Division-2). Sioux City Stampede goalie Jaxson Stauber, the son of ex-Wolf Pack and New Haven Nighthawk goalie, Robb Stauber, was named to the USHL 2nd All-Star team. Last year with the champions Stampede, he won the Clark Cup MVP. He played one game with the University of Minnesota-Mankato (NCHC) and returned to South Dakota where he announced a commit to Providence College Friars (HE) for this coming fall. HOCKEY NEWS Good story on ex-Wolf Pack captain and Bridgeport Sound Tiger, Greg Moore, on his season of hockey as head coach of the Toronto Marlies. Read it HERE In college hockey, the University of Illinois was all set to likely announce they were going Division I in hockey next month where they would be entering the Big 10 conference. They had all their ducks in a row and were ready to move forward after a year delay when COVID-19 hit. The WCHA was also expected to announce their future plans for their conference as seven schools are leaving next spring to form a brand new CCHA conference for the 2021-22 season. All that is on hold until the restrictions are lifted and the economic landscape going forward can be assessed. Big college coaching opening at Dartmouth (ECACHL). After 23 years as head coach, and another five at the start of his career as an assistant coach for nine years in between as Brown’s head coach, Bob Gaudet, announced he is stepping down effective June 30th. Gaudet also played for the Big Green in the late 1970s and helped lead them to back to back Frozen Four appearances in Detroit and Providence in 1979 and 1980. In 23 years he compiled 331 wins in 725 games for the Big Green. He became just the second coach in the ECAC conference to coach over a 1,000 games with the same school and just the seventh to do so nationally. In 2005-06, he was named ECAC Coach of the Year, but his only Ivy League title was with Brown and his only two NCAA tournament teams were in 1993 and 1995, also with Brown. He became the Dartmouth’s all-time winningest coach on November 30, 2018, with his 309th the win surpassing Eddie Jeremiah. He played one year of professional hockey with the Ft. Wayne Komets in the old IHL in 32 games he had a 4.94 GAA. A national search committee has commenced a search for his successor. Very good story on the work of former pro hockey heavyweight and loose cannon, Enrico Ciccone, who is now an MP in the city of Montreal and the Marquette riding and his work during the COVID-19 crisis, literally on the front lines. Read it HERE. Read the full article

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CANTLON'S CORNER: ARMSTRONG ON BEING HONORARY AHL ALL-STAR CAPTAIN

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - His happiness resounded off the Colorado mountains he was in. Former Hartford Wolf Pack legend, Derek Armstrong, was ecstatic after learning that he and former Pack teammate, goalie, Robb Stauber, were officially named the honorary captains for this year's AHL All-Star Classic. This year will mark the first time that the game will be hosted in a Pacific Division city. The game will be in Ontario, CA, the home of the LA Kings top farm club, the Ontario Reign. “It’s so cool. When I got the call two weeks ago, my schedule synced up with this. I’m truly honored to be named, and along with one of my first teammates in Hartford better,” remarked Armstrong in his singularly well-known gravely voiced and rapid-fired delivery, much like his goals and assists came during his pro career. The Ontario, Canada boy is now thoroughly, So Cal (Southern California for the non-natives). His being able to celebrate both sides of his hockey career is important to him. “My NHL life was here. It's where I really had my best, and longest NHL time, and I met so many important people, such as Luc Robitaille, and Rob Blake. The AHL was also my home and the foundation at the beginning of my career. To get the chance to merge the two at the All-Star Classic is something. I’m so looking forward to it and I'm extremely appreciative of the opportunity. The chance to mingle with the current AHL generation is going to be wild.” In his AHL career, Armstrong skated for Manchester, Peoria, and Worcester, but Hartford is where his heart is. Armstrong’s place in Wolf Pack history is well cemented after having garnered 309 points in 265 games, good for third-best in team history. He made two AHL All-Star Game appearances. He won the Jack Butterfield AHL Playoff MVP in the Wolf Pack’s lone Calder Cup year (1999-00). He was awarded the Les Cunningham AHL Regular Season MVP and the John Sollenberger trophy for winning the scoring title (2000-01). He is the only player to top the century mark in points scored (101 in 2000-01) during the season. That all leaves him as a cornerstone in the foundation that built the Pack franchise. Joking with Muhammad Ali-like bravado, Armstrong lets everyone know his place in Wolf Pack history. “Let’em know, I’m the greatest Wolf Pack player of all time,” Armstrong said with a laugh. Armstrong sending a jab at his lifelong rival, close friend, and former teammate, Brad “Shooter” Smyth, the Wolf Pack’s all-time leading in points, (365 in 345 games). What would have been wonderful to see was his being inducted into the AHL Hall-of-Fame where he would join the other three pillars of the Wolf Pack hockey trinity, Smyth, Ken Gernander, and J.F. Labbe. Armstrong is still involved in hockey on several levels. He is still a coach and still does a FOX-TV pre-game and post-game for Kings games. He is the head coach of the LA Kings U-18 team. Armstrong also works with the Kings' international hockey development program in mainland China, and he'll do a hockey camp for boys and girls this weekend. Armstrong was en route to doing an outdoor hockey camp at Mammoth Mountain (CO) with a group of 80 kids. “This is really an important outreach the Kings are doing because hockey is growing out West. Getting young people involved, learning it the right way, and then they go back to their communities enthused and wanting to be involved. Doing the overseas thing in China has been a very rewarding experience. Doing something so innovative there, in another part of the planet, has been amazing.” Come January 26-27 he will have a national TV presence to celebrate his AHL life and his time in Hartford. NOTES: Keeping with a West Coast theme. The AHL’s longest-serving head coach (1,638 games), Roy Sommer, has been summoned to become an assistant coach with the NHL's San Jose Sharks in the wake of yesterday’s firing of Peter DeBoer. He played just three NHL games with the Edmonton Oilers and scored his one, and only NHL goal, in his first game. Sommer played ten years of minor pro hockey while working his way up the ladder. He started playing in his native Oakland, CA playing high school hockey. He then went on to the Spokane (WA) Flyers of the Pacific Hockey League where he lasted all of two seasons. He primarily played with the Wichita Wind of the old Central Hockey League and played one season in the AHL with the original Maine Mariners, where he won a Calder Cup in 1984-85. His current assistant coaches, Jimmy Bonneau, and Mike Chiasson, the son of late Hartford Whaler, Steve Chiasson, will be the co-coaches for the AHL's San Jose Barracuda for the rest of the season. Sommer’s first game was a 6-3 loss to the New York Rangers. On a sadder note, former Whaler Scot Kleinendorst has serious medical issues. Kleinendorst, 59, was badly injured and is fighting for his life following a heavy machinery accident at the Grand Rapids, MN paper mill, UPM Blandin, over the weekend. "Although it is still under investigation, there was an accident while Scot was operating a piece of heavy machinery at UPM," the family wrote on a Caring Bridge page. "He suffered multiple traumatic injuries, including very serious trauma to the brain. Scot was airlifted to Duluth and eventually stabilized after many blood transfusions. After he was stabilized, he went into emergency surgery to relieve the life-threatening hemorrhage on the left side of his brain." The family said Kleinendorst "pulled through" the surgery on his brain. He also suffered many broken bones in the accident. The incident occurred last Saturday evening, the company said in a statement, reiterating that Kleinendorst was stabilized and flown to a Duluth (MN) trauma center by helicopter. "We are all shocked by this tragic incident and our immediate thoughts are with our employee and family," UPM Blandin spokesperson Marsha Miller said. "We are in contact with the family and will support the family as much as possible in this difficult situation." The state office of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration confirmed the investigation. Blandin, which reported the incident, has seven days to respond. If Minnesota OSHA Compliance is satisfied with the response, the incident would be closed, officials said. Kleinendorst played in the NHL from 1982-90, appearing in 281 games for the Hartford Whalers, New York Rangers (53 games two goals and 13 points) and Washington Capitals his NHL totals were 12 goals, 58 points, and 452 PM. With the Whalers, he played five seasons 210 games with nine goals and 40 points. He played collegiately at Providence College then in ECAC, but who are now in Hockey East. He and his brother Kurt were drafted by the Rangers in the 1980 NHL Draft out of PC with Scot going in the 5th round 98th overall and Kurt was taken the round before and 77th overall. Kurt coached in the AHL with Lowell, Binghamton on two different occasions, Iowa and Belleville and presently he coaches Nuremberg Tigers (Germany-DEL) that features ex-Pack players Chris Summers and Chris Brown. Kleinendorst after starring at Grand Rapids High School, where he was first-team All-State defenseman in 1977-78 and part of a Minnesota state championship team in 1976. (Portions of an AP story were used in the formation of this piece) Read the full article