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mitchbeck · 8 months

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK

By Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack are not the only team looking to make a few late signings and moves. A few stray signings this week as Labor Day approaches. Tanner Fritz has resolved his contract situation. On Thursday morning, his situation was unresolved, but by that afternoon, it had concluded. Fritz signed a one-year AHL deal to return to the Bridgeport Islanders, where he spent his first six years. He spent the last two in Hartford. Fritz (the second player named Fritz to play in Hart City and Park City) often played out of position to help when the Wolf Pack were shorthanded at forward. He had talks with Hartford and Springfield, all to tend to his son's special needs. MISCELLANEOUS HARTFORD RELATED NEWS Ex-Pack Alex Bourret was named head coach for the CCL Dynamiques M (minor)15 team (QBAAA). The Islanders named ex-Pack/Ranger Pascal Rheaume as one of the two new assistant coaches to work with their new head coach, Rick Kowalsky. It's his first AHL stint. He was initially an assistant with Iowa in 2015-16. The last two years he spent with the Trois-Rivières Lions (ECHL). Bryce McConnell-Barker might be in Wolf Pack training camp, but his ticket back to Sault Ste. Greyhounds Marie (OHL) is already stamped. He spent three weeks here last spring without playing a game before being released. Like Will Cullye and Brennan Othmann before him, he is still 19 and can't play in the AHL until his junior season. He will likely captain the Greyhounds and be on the 2024 Canadian WJC Team. McConnell-Barker hopes to be like Othmann, go deep in the OHL playoffs, and maybe get a shot at the Memorial Cup. An ex-Pack/Ranger, Libor Hájek, has signed as a PTO training camp invite with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Next year, he will go to the Penguins and the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL). He joins another ex-Pack, Ryan Graves, who starts his first season of a six-year deal in the Keystone State. Howlings learned that Adam Samuelsson, the youngest son of Hartford Whaler great Ulf Samuelsson, an ex-New York Ranger whose Whalers #5 is "retired" in the XL rafters. Ulf is also a former Wolf Pack and Avon Old Farms assistant coach. Adam will attend the training camp on an invite basis of the independent Chicago Wolves this fall. He signed a deal with Atlanta Gladiators (ECHL) earlier this summer. Sam Gagner, the son of former New Haven Nighthawk/Ranger Dave Gagner, has gone from the Winnipeg Jets to the Edmonton Oilers on a PTO deal. Gagner was a first-round pick of the Oilers in 2007 and had 519 career points in 1,015 games played with seven different teams. HAGELIN CALLS IT A CAREER Carl Hagelin, who played 17 games for the CT Whale en route to 713 NHL games and who won two Stanley Cups, two silver medals for Sweden in the Olympics and the WJC, and two NCAA national titles in four full years at Michigan, had a career of 152 points in 171 games - a sure-fire entrant in the Wolverine HOF. After a year off, Hagelin retires from active playing, resulting from an eye injury suffered in practice two years ago in Washington. Hagelin exceeded expectations as a sixth-round draft choice, as it was considered a stretch that he would ever play in the NHL. He was supposed to be too small and slight. However, nobody could catch him with his outstanding speed. Hagelin was traded early Saturday morning for the Anaheim Ducks' Emerson Etem in late June 2015. MORE MOVES Madison Bowey goes from the Laval Rocket to Dynamo Minsk (Belarus-KHL). Turner Ottenbreit of Iowa heads to Kunlun (China-KHL), making 78 AHL'ers signed in Europe. The Lehigh Valley Phantoms and Milwaukee Admirals are the only two teams not to have lost a player. A story on the website Detroit Hockey Now reprised a story from an Inside AHL Hockey interview with long-time Chicago Wolves GM Wendell Young. The story was that former coach Ryan Warsofsky (Sacred Heart University) was threatened with dismissal by Carolina two years ago before his Wolves team went on to win the Calder Cup final against the Springfield Thunderbirds in seven games. Warsofsky was and is now an assistant with the NHL San Jose Sharks. Warsofky is an old friend of ex-Pack/Sound Tigers, the now-retired Bourque brothers, Chris and Ryan. He chose to play the former Yale goalie, Alex Lyon, over Carolina's objections instead of their Russian prospect Pytor (Peter) Kochetov two springs ago. Carolina had gone through hoops to get him to North America via Austria first because of the war in Ukraine. Now Lyon, who then made a very public obscene gesture in the championship team picture at center ice, with a two-middle-fingered salute. It was not meant or directed at the Springfield fans but rather the Carolina management, despite having just won the Calder Cup. Lyon was given a one-game AHL suspension for his stunt. Chicago has gone the independent route this season and has gone through four affiliates in the last seven years. Winning a championship is very important in Chicago. Instrumental in Florida making the Stanley Cup playoffs last year, Lyon was a backup to Spencer Knight (Darien/AOF). The previous spring, they had to enter a substance abuse clinic as they made it to the finals before bowing out to the eventual champion, the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Lyon is expected to be in Grand Rapids this year to teach and tutor the highly regarded prospect Sebastian Cossa, who battled Pack goalie Dylan Garand two years ago in juniors, as they were the two best netminders in the WHL. Lyon was helped at Yale when he played by another ex-Yale goalie, Jeff Malcolm, the current Wolf Pack goalie coach. The Red Wings have four goalie prospects: Cossa, Carter Gylander, a junior at Colgate University (ECACHL) under the guidance of new head coach ex-Pack Mike Harder, John Lethmon, a Grand Rapids returnee, and Yale-bound next year, just drafted (sixth-round) Rudy Guimond (Taft School) in Cedar Rapids (USHL) this year. Ex-Pack Tysen Helgesen, re-signs with the Rapid City Rush (ECHL). Chase Zieky (Avon/AOF) signs with the Maine Mariners (ECHL) for next year. Matt Tugnutt (Sacred Heart University) leaves HC Chamonix (France-Magnus League FREL) and signs with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) for next season. Ex-Pack/Sound Tiger Anthony Greco is at an unknown Frölunda HC (Sweden-SHL) destination. Ex-Sound Tiger Brandon DeFazio announced his retirement from hockey. DeFazio played last year with ERC Schwenniger (Germany-DEL). His father, Dean DeFazio, was a former New Haven Nighthawk with four sons involved in hockey. Jeremy and Cameron have already retired. His youngest, Cole, is entering his sophomore year at Division III, Neumann (Aston, PA) College (UCHC). Brandon has taken an amateur scouting position (Ontario region) with the Pittsburgh Penguins. Mark Osiecki, a former New Haven Senator, also becomes a Midwest region Penguins Pro Scout as he leaves the University Wisconsin-Madison (Big 10) campus. Ex-Wolf Pack/Sound Tiger Matt Lorito, a Greenwich resident, also announced his retirement from hockey. Lorito played with EHC Wolfsburg (Germany-DEL) last year and took a pro scouting position (Midwest) with Pittsburgh. DeFazio and Lorito join another ex-Sound Tiger, Matt Mangene, who has been a Penguins amateur scout for the last three years. After his grad year at Michigan Tech (CCHA) after playing at Ohio State (Big 10), Ryan O'Connell becomes the 63rd college player to sign in Europe with Toulouse-Blagnac (France-FFHG-Division-3). He is also the nephew of ex-New Haven Senator Brian Downey. Jack Badini (Old Greenwich/CT Oilers-EHL) departed Newfoundland (St. John's) (ECHL), had a few call-ups to Toronto (AHL), and signed overseas with Stjernen (Norway-NEL). HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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vethelp · 4 years

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Get rest tonight! Join us in the morning @aviation_mall for our #VeteranFoodPantry drive! We are thrilled to have so many amazing partners joining us for this event. #dukeconcrete #jdogjunkremoval #WarrenCountyVeteranServices #WashingtonCountyVeteranServices #DjDubray #gunnar #AdirondackThunder #Dunkin’Donuts #NYNationalGuard #usarmy #RepeatBusinessSolutions #AdirondackPeerToPeer #VeteransAndCommunityHousingCoalition and more !!! Please consider donating non-perishable food items… Ready-made meals, canned soup, tuna, mac & cheese, Rice-A-Roni and similar items. Thank you so very much for your support on this project. Help us serve our #localveterans https://www.instagram.com/p/CAgfoMqp7o5/?igshid=17m5gnhqwg0yk

#veteranfoodpantry #dukeconcrete #jdogjunkremoval #warrencountyveteranservices #washingtoncountyveteranservices #djdubray #gunnar #adirondackthunder #dunkin #nynationalguard #usarmy #repeatbusinesssolutions #adirondackpeertopeer #veteransandcommunityhousingcoalition #localveterans

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somethingaboutthemooncreations · 5 years

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Hometown Hockey Afternoon Game. Last one of the Regular Season. Thanks so much @echlthunder for a Fantastic Season. Onward to the Playoffs!!!! #hometownhockey #whatacrew #adirondackthunder @eddieb76 @k8marie91209 @sans_souci77 @stephdee1976 @hughjamesbruce @ameliav2005 @levon_brooking_1118 @stellarmarie2019 #hometeam (at Adirondack Thunder at the Glens Falls Civic Center) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bv-gS8hFXft/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=7ztubf37kkzf

#hometownhockey #whatacrew #adirondackthunder #hometeam

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johncerilli · 6 years

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Views of the visiting #AdirondackThunder wearing #Ultron jerseys and the hometown #ReadingRoyals donning #CaptainAmerica uniforms for #Marvel Super Hero Night. All player-worn uniforms are auctioned off after every Marvel Super Hero Night game by #MeiGray Auctions. The next #ECHL Marvel Super Hero Night takes place January 15, 2018 when the #TulsaOilers visit the #AllenAmericans. @marvel @echlhockey @readingroyals @echlthunder @tulsaoilershockey @allenamericans #hockey (at Santander Arena)

#readingroyals #adirondackthunder #captainamerica #allenamericans #marvel #ultron #tulsaoilers #meigray #hockey #echl

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nicolesorce · 6 years

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Great group in Glens Falls this season! Nice to #MeetTheTeam & chat w/some of the biggest @echlthunder fans in town! 🙌🏻🏒 #KeepHockeyHere #ECHL #ADKThunder #AdirondackThunder #adk #adirondacks #lakegeorge #boatcruise (at Lake George , New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/BowYYfRl2jC/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=cpgu40j7cgzg

#meettheteam #keephockeyhere #echl #adkthunder #adirondackthunder #adk #adirondacks #lakegeorge #boatcruise

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mitchbeck · 8 months

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK ANNOUNCE PROMO NIGHTS

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack unveiled the promotional schedule for the upcoming 2023-24 season, the club's 27th in Connecticut. The home schedule kicks off with the club’s annual Home Opener on Friday, October 20th, at 7:00 p.m. against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The night will feature the first giveaway of the season, as fans will receive a Wolf Pack rally towel courtesy of Carvel and CM Concessions. Home Opener weekend concludes on Saturday, October 21st, when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms come to town for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop. Fans in attendance that night will receive a 2023-24 Wolf Pack magnet schedule courtesy of Pepsi. Once again, the Wolf Pack will don a pair of specialty jerseys during the 2023-24 season. The first jersey will be worn on both December 1st and 2nd, when the Pack hosts the Phantoms for a back-to-back weekend set. The second specialty jersey will make its debut on February 3rd when the Springfield Thunderbirds come to town for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop. In addition to the Home Opener weekend rally towel and magnetic schedule giveaways, the Wolf Pack will have numerous giveaway nights during the 2023-24 season. This season’s giveaways include a 2024 Wolf Pack branded calendar on December 30th, youth jerseys on February 3rd, a bobblehead on March 8th, and a 2023-24 team photo on April 14th. Returning in 2023-24 are recurring promotions, including $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs every Friday night. The CT-DOT Family Value Pack is once again available for select dates, allowing fans to purchase three tickets, three hot dogs, and three fountain drinks in the red or blue sections. This package will be available on October 21st, November 25th, December 17th, December 30th, and April 14th. The Pack will also host four postgame events featuring players from the team. Fans will get a chance to once again skate with some of their favorite Wolf Pack players following the games on November 18th and March 30th. Fans will get a chance to take photos with available players following the game on December 17th, while postgame autographs will occur on February 24th. The Wolf Pack will celebrate a special milestone this season on Friday, February 9th. The club will play the 2,000th game in Wolf Pack history when the Bridgeport Islanders come to town. Details regarding this special celebration will be announced at a later date. The full 2023-24 Hartford Wolf Pack promotional schedule is below. The full 2023-24 regular season schedule can be seen here. Friday, October 20th, 2023 – Home Opener (7:00 p.m. vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) *Rally Towel Giveaway, Presented by Carvel & CM Concessions *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Saturday, October 21st, 2023 – Postgame Skate (7:00 p.m. vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms) *Magnet Schedule Giveaway, Presented by Pepsi Friday, October 27th, 2023 – Costume Parade (7:00 p.m. vs. Springfield Thunderbirds) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Saturday, November 11th, 2023 – Hockey Fights Cancer (7:00 p.m. vs. Providence Bruins) Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 – School Day Game (11:00 a.m. vs. Springfield Thunderbirds) Saturday, November 18th, 2023 – Military Appreciation Night (7:00 p.m. vs. Syracuse Crunch) *Presented by General Dynamic Electric Boat *Postgame Skate with Wolf Pack Players Friday, December 1st, 2023 – Specialty Jerseys (7:00 p.m. vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 – Teddy Bear Toss (7:00 p.m. vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms) *Specialty Jerseys Wednesday, December 6th, 2023 – College Media Night (7:00 p.m. vs. Cleveland Monsters) Friday, December 15th, 2023 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Rochester Americans) Sunday, December 17th, 2023 – Sonar’s Birthday & Mascot Mania (3:00 p.m. vs. Toronto Marlies) *Postgame Photos with Wolf Pack Players Friday, December 22nd, 2023 – Pucks ‘N Paws (7:00 p.m. vs. Bridgeport Islanders) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Saturday, December 30th, 2023 – Hockey ‘N Hops (7:00 p.m. vs. Bridgeport Islanders) *2024 Calendar Giveaway Saturday, January 13th, 2024 – Pride Night (7:30 p.m. vs. Providence Bruins) *Presented by Nissan Friday, January 19th, 2024 – New York Rangers Night (7:00 p.m. vs. Hershey Bears) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Friday, February 2nd, 2024 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 – Women in Sports Night & Specialty Jerseys (7:00 p.m. vs. Springfield Thunderbirds) *Presented by Nissan *Youth Jersey Giveaway Friday, February 9th, 2024 – 2,000th Game Celebration (7:00 p.m. vs. Bridgeport Islanders) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Friday, February 16th, 2024 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Laval Rocket) Wednesday, February 21st, 2024 – Pucks ‘N Paws (7:00 p.m. vs. Bridgeport Islanders) Saturday, February 24th, 2024 – Star Wars Night (7:00 p.m. vs. Cleveland Monsters) *Postgame Autographs Friday, March 1st, 2024 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Laval Rocket) Friday, March 8th, 2024 – Bobblehead Giveaway (7:00 p.m. vs. Providence Bruins) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Saturday, March 16th, 2024 – Hartford Hockey Heritage Night (6:00 p.m. vs. Utica Comets) Friday, March 29th, 2024 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Springfield Thunderbirds) Saturday, March 30th, 2024 – Guns ‘N Hoses (7:00 p.m. vs. Hershey Bears) *Postgame Skate with Wolf Pack Players Friday, April 12th, 2024 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Springfield Thunderbirds) Sunday, April 14th, 2024 – Miracle League Night (3:00 p.m. vs. Charlotte Checkers) *Team Photo Giveaway Friday, April 19th, 2024 – Fan Appreciation Night (7:00 p.m. vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) *Chance to win $100,000 *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Full-season tickets, 20-game plans, 12-game plans, and flex plans for the 2023-24 season are on sale now! Visit hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets or call860-722-9425 for more details! Single-game tickets will go on sale on a to-be-announced date later this summer. Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 8 months

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK ANNOUNCE PROMO NIGHTS

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack unveiled the promotional schedule for the upcoming 2023-24 season, the club's 27th in Connecticut. The home schedule kicks off with the club’s annual Home Opener on Friday, October 20th, at 7:00 p.m. against the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. The night will feature the first giveaway of the season, as fans will receive a Wolf Pack rally towel courtesy of Carvel and CM Concessions. Home Opener weekend concludes on Saturday, October 21st, when the Lehigh Valley Phantoms come to town for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop. Fans in attendance that night will receive a 2023-24 Wolf Pack magnet schedule courtesy of Pepsi. Once again, the Wolf Pack will don a pair of specialty jerseys during the 2023-24 season. The first jersey will be worn on both December 1st and 2nd, when the Pack hosts the Phantoms for a back-to-back weekend set. The second specialty jersey will make its debut on February 3rd when the Springfield Thunderbirds come to town for a 7:00 p.m. puck drop. In addition to the Home Opener weekend rally towel and magnetic schedule giveaways, the Wolf Pack will have numerous giveaway nights during the 2023-24 season. This season’s giveaways include a 2024 Wolf Pack branded calendar on December 30th, youth jerseys on February 3rd, a bobblehead on March 8th, and a 2023-24 team photo on April 14th. Returning in 2023-24 are recurring promotions, including $2 drafts and $2 hot dogs every Friday night. The CT-DOT Family Value Pack is once again available for select dates, allowing fans to purchase three tickets, three hot dogs, and three fountain drinks in the red or blue sections. This package will be available on October 21st, November 25th, December 17th, December 30th, and April 14th. The Pack will also host four postgame events featuring players from the team. Fans will get a chance to once again skate with some of their favorite Wolf Pack players following the games on November 18th and March 30th. Fans will get a chance to take photos with available players following the game on December 17th, while postgame autographs will occur on February 24th. The Wolf Pack will celebrate a special milestone this season on Friday, February 9th. The club will play the 2,000th game in Wolf Pack history when the Bridgeport Islanders come to town. Details regarding this special celebration will be announced at a later date. The full 2023-24 Hartford Wolf Pack promotional schedule is below. The full 2023-24 regular season schedule can be seen here. Friday, October 20th, 2023 – Home Opener (7:00 p.m. vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) *Rally Towel Giveaway, Presented by Carvel & CM Concessions *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Saturday, October 21st, 2023 – Postgame Skate (7:00 p.m. vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms) *Magnet Schedule Giveaway, Presented by Pepsi Friday, October 27th, 2023 – Costume Parade (7:00 p.m. vs. Springfield Thunderbirds) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Saturday, November 11th, 2023 – Hockey Fights Cancer (7:00 p.m. vs. Providence Bruins) Wednesday, November 15th, 2023 – School Day Game (11:00 a.m. vs. Springfield Thunderbirds) Saturday, November 18th, 2023 – Military Appreciation Night (7:00 p.m. vs. Syracuse Crunch) *Presented by General Dynamic Electric Boat *Postgame Skate with Wolf Pack Players Friday, December 1st, 2023 – Specialty Jerseys (7:00 p.m. vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Saturday, December 2nd, 2023 – Teddy Bear Toss (7:00 p.m. vs. Lehigh Valley Phantoms) *Specialty Jerseys Wednesday, December 6th, 2023 – College Media Night (7:00 p.m. vs. Cleveland Monsters) Friday, December 15th, 2023 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Rochester Americans) Sunday, December 17th, 2023 – Sonar’s Birthday & Mascot Mania (3:00 p.m. vs. Toronto Marlies) *Postgame Photos with Wolf Pack Players Friday, December 22nd, 2023 – Pucks ‘N Paws (7:00 p.m. vs. Bridgeport Islanders) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Saturday, December 30th, 2023 – Hockey ‘N Hops (7:00 p.m. vs. Bridgeport Islanders) *2024 Calendar Giveaway Saturday, January 13th, 2024 – Pride Night (7:30 p.m. vs. Providence Bruins) *Presented by Nissan Friday, January 19th, 2024 – New York Rangers Night (7:00 p.m. vs. Hershey Bears) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Friday, February 2nd, 2024 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) Saturday, February 3rd, 2024 – Women in Sports Night & Specialty Jerseys (7:00 p.m. vs. Springfield Thunderbirds) *Presented by Nissan *Youth Jersey Giveaway Friday, February 9th, 2024 – 2,000th Game Celebration (7:00 p.m. vs. Bridgeport Islanders) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Friday, February 16th, 2024 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Laval Rocket) Wednesday, February 21st, 2024 – Pucks ‘N Paws (7:00 p.m. vs. Bridgeport Islanders) Saturday, February 24th, 2024 – Star Wars Night (7:00 p.m. vs. Cleveland Monsters) *Postgame Autographs Friday, March 1st, 2024 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Laval Rocket) Friday, March 8th, 2024 – Bobblehead Giveaway (7:00 p.m. vs. Providence Bruins) *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Saturday, March 16th, 2024 – Hartford Hockey Heritage Night (6:00 p.m. vs. Utica Comets) Friday, March 29th, 2024 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Springfield Thunderbirds) Saturday, March 30th, 2024 – Guns ‘N Hoses (7:00 p.m. vs. Hershey Bears) *Postgame Skate with Wolf Pack Players Friday, April 12th, 2024 – $2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs (7:00 p.m. vs. Springfield Thunderbirds) Sunday, April 14th, 2024 – Miracle League Night (3:00 p.m. vs. Charlotte Checkers) *Team Photo Giveaway Friday, April 19th, 2024 – Fan Appreciation Night (7:00 p.m. vs. Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins) *Chance to win $100,000 *$2 Drafts & $2 Hot Dogs Full-season tickets, 20-game plans, 12-game plans, and flex plans for the 2023-24 season are on sale now! Visit hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets or call 860-722-9425 for more details! Single-game tickets will go on sale on a to-be-announced date later this summer. Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 1 year

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK RALLY FALLS SHORT. LOSE GAME 3 TO PROVIDENCE BRUINS

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Providence Bruins received multi-point nights from Jack Ahcan, Oskar Steen, and Josiah Didier, and two goals from Justin Brazeau to deny a Hartford Wolf Pack comeback effort in a 6-3 win at the XL Center on Wednesday in Game 3 in the best-of-five series. The Wolf Pack lead the series 2-games-to-1 with game 4 to be played at the XL Center on Friday at 7:00 PM. "We didn't have the start we wanted to. We gave up chances. When you get guys back, and they return to your lineup, there's always a tendency that guys take a breath and figure they'll take over, that they will do it for you. "The players that got you here don't feel the need to play the way they were. In the third period, we had a good pushback. There was a chance to tie the game. We had opportunities. We were inches from tying the game up and going to overtime. "I saw something out there that was out of character for us. We didn't play the way we have. We're going to have to put it behind us and get ready for Friday," Wolf Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch said. The Pack's fourth-year bench boss gave props to the Bruins. "Players know it's going to be hard. That's a good team. They won the Atlantic Division, so to sweep them in three was pretty much unrealistic before the series started. We're not going to win that last game until we get back and play the game with the details, and we got away from the things we usually do," Knoblauch stated. "That will be addressed by the coaching staff. I don't think nothing much has to be said. They know it too. We'll be ready for Friday." THIRD PERIOD In the third period, the Pack scored a shorthanded goal early to cut the lead to one goal and began to rally a comeback that would ultimately come up short. Anton Blidh was able to get two shots on the net. Tim Gettinger followed in and blasted his second goal past a screened Brandon Bussi at 2:21. The Bruins restored their two-goal edge by taking advantage of a bad defensive change by the Wolf Pack. Ahcan was left alone, walked in, and registered his second point of the night on a clean breakaway. Ahcan put his shot over Dylan Garland's glove hand at 5:58. The scrums continued as they had all game. It helped the Bruins in slowing the Wolf Pack down. Connor Carrick, Lauri Pajuniemi, Ryan Carpenter, and Steen were all tagged with roughing minors at 7:49. "It's that time of year. Everybody has one goal in mind (to win). I like the physicality. We're not looking for big hits or big fights. If it comes, it comes," remarked Zac Jones. KEEP FIGHTING The Wolf Pack clawed back again. Lauri Pajuniemi was in front of the net. Jones sent a crisp left-point pass to Tanner Fritz. The Pack forward sent a pass in front from off the right boards to Pajuniemi, who buried it at 13:34. "We wanted to finish it off tonight, but we didn't," Fritz said, "We kinda beat ourselves tonight. We'll get back in the room and practice tomorrow and get ready for Friday." The Pack had a golden chance to tie as Bobby Trivigno won a one-on-one battle, came out of the right-wing side fired a pass over to Pajuniemi, who had an open half of the net. But instead, Bussi showed why he was one of the top goalies in the AHL with a remarkable glove save, reaching back to snare what would have been a game-tying goal with 2:21 left in regulation. It was the Pack's last gasp. "We had the setup. The bench stood up (we) thought it was going in, but it's a game of inches and we had other chance, a couple of back door plays, that got deflected or just missed. We had our opportunities in the third period. We're built to play 60 not 20 (minutes)," remarked Knoblauch. EMPTY NET GOALS Brazeau registered the first of two empty-net goals with 1:23 left. Then, with 7.7, Lettieri potted the second empty net goal to make the 6-3 final. Switching the netminder for Friday is a tricky proposition. "We have a great possibility (of winning) with either one of them. I have lot of confidence with both goalies. Dylan has played very well; tonight, we lost. Something we'll think about (goaltending) and make a decision tomorrow," Knoblauch said. He's scheduled a morning practice for 10:00 AM. "Louie (Domingue) was our starter for most of the season, till the last four starts when the playoffs started," Knoblauch added. The Bruins pressed hard with their forecheck and were all over the Pack. The pressure led to a 5-2 edge in shots. The score became 3-0 as the Bruins got to more loose pucks and converted them into opportunities. Achan came out of the Bruins' end, rushing through center ice. He fed Luke Toporowski, who went with speed down the right wing. He established an outside position and sped around Wyatt Kalynuk. Toporowski then snuck it past Garand off his post, on the short side for his second of the postseason at 14:03. BIG HIT The first of playoff nastiness occurred with 2:21 left in the second period as Clendening caught Fabian Lysell, crossing to the center from the right wing, and just after releasing the puck, clocked him with a brutal hit which left him crumpled on the ice. A scrum ensued, and Joona Koppanen came to Lysell's aid. Clendening received an interference major and a fighting penalty. Koppanen received two as the instigator and then five-for-fighting and a ten-minute misconduct. Jones scored for the Pack just seconds into their third power play. He blasted a shot from the right point with 24 seconds to go after a Jake Leschyshyn faceoff win. Jones nearly got another tally with 12.6 seconds left when he came in on a breakaway going backhand-to-forehand but ran out of real estate and was in too close, and failed to score. "I over-complicated it a little bit. I tried the same move in Springfield and it worked for me, tonight it didn't," remarked Jones. "It could have been a nice turnaround to score again just after we scored. We did that (early) shorthanded goal in the third. It was 3-2. We scored and then they scored. Jones played well if he got that goal at the end might have changed the outcome of the game at the end," commented Knoblauch. In the first period, both teams had chances, but both goalies stood their ground. The Bruins broke through as Libor Hájek, who returned from being part of the "Black Aces" in New York and replaced Blake Hillman. Unfortunately, he took a needless crosschecking penalty that would cost the Pack as the Bruins tallied on the early power play. Puck management left much to be desired. "No, we made plays we typically don't do and ultimately, we had less (offensive) zone time. We had to defend more than they did. Those turnovers cost us the game. A lot of times they do. The last goal they scored it did," Knoblauch recounted. Carrick fired one from the right point. Garand made the initial save with the left pad, but there were three Bruins in front, and Brazeau could find it and put it in at 15:54. The Bruins made it 2-0 in the dying seconds of the first period with 2/10ths of a second remaining with Didier at the right point. He took a shot off Lysell's pass. Steen deflected it and put it over Garand's glove for his first of the postseason at 19:59. There were numerous after-whistles and scrums in the first. LINES: Trivigno-Carpenter-Elson Fritz-Pajuniemi-Blidh Henriksson-Gettinger- Lockwood Cullye-Leschyshyn-Brodzinski Jones-Emberson Hájek-Scanlin Clendening-Kalynuk Garand Domingue SCRATCHES: Talyn Boyko #40 Adam Sýkora (healthy) Blake Hillman (healthy) Matt Rempe (upper body, day-to-day) Louie Roehl #4 (healthy) Bryce McConnell-Barker #8 (healthy) Brett Berard #27 (healthy) Parker Gahagen #35 Maxim Barbashev #18 (healthy) Ryder Korczak #38 (healthy) Matt Robertson (upper body, may return in the latter half of this round of the playoffs) Patrick Khordorenko (season-ending shoulder surgery). C.J. Smith (hip area surgery done for the season) NOTES: Providence was without Chris Wagner due to the birth of his daughter earlier in the afternoon. In addition, Marc MacLaughlin (upper body) is out for the series, with Lauko taking his lineup spot. Ex-Pack Vinni Letterieri has been nursing a lower-body injury suffered in Boston late season, and complications have arisen. Maxim Barbashev's older brother, Ivan Barbasev, of the Las Vegas Golden Knights, scored twice in a 6-4 win over the Edmonton Oilers in a track meet of a hockey game. Utica recalled former UCONN defenseman Jarrod Gourley from the Adirondack Thunder (ECHL). The Comets hosted the Toronto Marlies last night on Utica at the Adirondack Bank Center. Ex-Pack Carl Klingberg leaves EV Zug (Switzerland-LNA) and heads back home to play next year for the HC Frölunda Indians (Sweden-SHL). Reports out of the desert paint a grim picture for the Arizona Coyotes. The pending arena referendum may be defeated, prompting a possible relocation to Houston that keeps the NHL's 16 West and 16 East formulas intact. It's one of four reasons, despite great attendance numbers for the Quebec City junior team, the Quebec Remparts at the Videotron Centre recently built to NHL specs that Quebec City won't be getting the Coyotes or anyone else. Should they move, they will likely impact their AHL team out of Tucson and somewhere closer to Houston, which is heavily rumored to be the location they would be heading. Seven possible markets could see a relocated AHL team if NHL relocation comes to pass. One old AHL market, one old ECHL, and one current market, three old WPHL markets from the league that folded in the early part of this century. One city (Austin) became an AHL city. In no particular order. Beaumont, Texas, was an old ECHL market for five years early in this century. It's East of Houston on the Texas-Louisiana border that played in the Ford Arena in South Beaumont, seats 8,500 seats perfect for the AHL run by OVG along I-10. San Antonio, which saw the NHL strong-arm the AHL Rampage to be sold to the Avalanche to become the Colorado Eagles. The NBA's San Antonio Spurs run the AT&T Center building. It seats 18,000 and is easy access for Houston down I-10 Southwest of Houston and due South from Austin, now home to the AHL Texas Stars. The old WPHL market down the Southeast Coast in Corpus Christi, with a new one, is currently home to US junior A hockey in the NAHL, the Corpus Christi Ice Rays. The original Memorial Coliseum was demolished a la the New Haven Coliseum in 2010. Another WPHL market on the radar is Waco. They played in the Heart O' Texas Coliseum (now called the Extraco Events Center) seats 9,000. San Angelo is home to the WPHL San Angelo Outlaws, who played in the central Texas city, and the arena, the San Angelo Coliseum (now Foster Communications Coliseum), seats 5,260. The Amarillo Rattler played in the Amarillo Civic Center seats just under 5,000. The wild card would be flipping the ECHL Allen Americans, a suburb of Dallas, to the AHL. The team calls home at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center, which seats 6,275. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 1 year

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK VS PROVIDENCE BRUINS & HOCKEY NEWS

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - There is a lot of news in professional, college, and junior hockey going on as the Hartford Wolf Pack and Providence Bruins playoffs are in full swing. In a case of bad timing, just as the next round playoffs are set to begin, reports from Swedish media state right winger Lauri Pajuniemi might be on the verge of signing a deal with the Malmö IF Redhawks (Sweden-SHL) for next year. MAXIM BARBASHEV The New York Rangers assigned Maxim Barbashev (65 points in 67 games) to the Wolf Pack just before they left for Providence. They signed Barbashev to an ATO deal, and he will wear uniform #18. He won't play this weekend. Barbashev's QMHL season ended in the quarterfinals of the QMJHL President Cup playoffs in seven games by the Halifax Mooseheads. The final game score was 7-3. Moncton is coached by one-time Ranger Daniel LacrOne-time Ranger Daniel Lacroix coaches the team with Moncton. Barbashev contributed eight points in 12 games in his playoff run. Barbashev is a 2022 fifth-round draft pick (161st overall). He scored the game's first goal on a right-wing shot. He checks in at 6'1, 185 lbs. at just 19, and has another year of junior eligibility. He has two older brothers playing pro hockey. Ivan is with the Vegas Golden Knights, and the oldest 30-year-old Sergei is back in Russia with Dizel Penza (Russia-VHL) after starting the season with HK Tambov (Russia-VHL). A prominent QMJHL scout with another NHL organization had this take on Barbashev. "Looks awkward. Plays a heavy game. Can make mistakes and be inconsistent, but has an edge and physicality. Loves going to the net." NOTES: Matt Robertson will not play in games 1 or 2 of the second round of the playoffs against Providence, according to Knoblauch, he Wolf Pack, according to Knoblauch. Jarrod Gourley, who played defense for UCONN in 2021, was sent from the Utica Comets to the Adirondack Thunder (ECHL). It didn't take for Springfield Thunderbird, Martin Frk, to find new digs. Two days after the Wolf Pack eliminated the Thunderbirds, he became one of four AHL'ers to sign to play in Europe next season. Frk inked a deal with SC Bern (Switzerland-LNA). Providence gained Brandon Bussi but lost Oscar Steen to the big club. Expect them to receive help for Game 3 against the Pack on Wednesday after the Bruins were eliminated in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs by the Florida Panthers in Game 7 Sunday night. LOTS OF ACTIVITY IN CALGARY The Calgary Wranglers opened the playoffs with a 3-2 overtime victory as Jacob Pelletier scored halfway thru the overtime. Former UCONN forward Marc Gatcomb scored a beautiful rebound goal to put the Abbotsford Canucks on the scoreboard. The game was attended by 5,654 and came on the heels of the announcement of a new building coming to replace the 40-year-old, 19,000-seat Scotiabank Saddledome. The deal was reached between the owners of the Calgary Flames, CSEC (Calgary Sports and Entertainment Corporation), and the city. The new building will be built in the east end of Calgary in the Rivers District. The announcement was made in Victoria Pak on the site of the proposed arena. It will become the fifth brand-new state-of-the-art arena in the AHL. The building will house four hockey teams that call Calgary home. They include the NHL Flames, AHL Wranglers, the junior-level (WHL) Hitmen, and the NLL Roughnecks, The City Council approved a $800K new arena and a $1.2B project overall. Although this was a significant hurdle, the final step will outliAlthough, the expected timeline of the new Events Center and its specs. The Saddledome was built in 1983. It is the second oldest building in the NHL behind MSG, renovated in 2013, replacing the Calgary Corral that housed the Flames, WHA Calgary Cowboys, and the WHL Wranglers (who moved to Lethbridge) in the mid-'70s. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 2 years

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HARTFORD WOLF PACK REDUCE THE TRAINING CAMP ROSTER BY 12

By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – New York Rangers Assistant General Manager and Hartford Wolf Pack General Manager Ryan Martin announced today that the Wolf Pack had reduced their Training Camp roster by 12 players. The club has loaned the following seven players to the ECHL’s Jacksonville Icemen: F Easton Brodzinski F Cristiano DiGiacinto F Zach Jordan F Ryan Lohin D Louka Henault D Luke Martin G Parker Gahagen In addition, the club has released the following five players from their Training Camp tryouts: F Brendan Harris F Sam Sternschein D Joe Masonius D Jake Ryczek G Talyn Boyko Sternschein and Harris will join the Icemen, Masonius has been returned to the Kalamazoo Wings of the ECHL, and Ryczek has been returned to the Adirondack Thunder of the ECHL. The Wolf Pack currently has 15 forwards, eight defensemen, and three goaltenders on the Training Camp roster. Forwards (15): Jonny Brodzinski, Will Cuylle, Turner Elson, Tanner Fritz, Tim Gettinger, Karl Henriksson, Patrick Khodorenko, Ryder Korczak, Lauri Pajuniemi, Matt Rempe, Austin Rueschhoff, Gustav Rydahl, C.J. Smith, Bobby Trivigno, and Alex Whelan. Defensemen (8): Ty Emberson, Zach Giuttari, Blake Hillman, Matthew Robertson, Brandon Scanlin, Hunter Skinner, Tim Theocharidis, and Andy Welinski. Goaltenders (3): Louis Domingue, Dylan Garand, and Olof Lindbom. The Wolf Pack open the 2022-23 season this Friday night when they visit the Charlotte Checkers at 7:00 p.m. The club hosts its home opener on Saturday, October 22nd, at 7:00 p.m. when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins come to town. To run with the Pack during the 2022-23 season, visit hartfordwolfpack.com/tickets for information on ticket packages and to purchase single-game tickets. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

#AdirondackThunder #AHL #AndyWelinski #CharlotteCheckers #CHL #ECHL #HartfordWolfPack #JacksonvilleIcemen #JonnyBrodzinski #KalamazooWings #LouisDomingue #NewYorkRangers #TimGettinger #Wilkes-Barre/ScrantonPenguins

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mitchbeck · 2 years

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CANTLON: HARTFORD WOLF PACK OPEN TRAINING CAMP

HARTFORD WOLF PACK OPEN TRAINING CAMP By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack opened training camp as the cool brisk feel of a cold rink filled the air as the 26th edition of the New York Rangers AHL affiliate kicked off at the XL Center on Monday. The organization thoroughly revamped the roster to cleanse the hockey palate after leaving such a sour taste at the end of last season. Therefore there will be a new generation of Pack players with a new style. Despite the complete overhaul, roster positions will be hard to come by. A surprising number of those at training camp will head to Jacksonville to play for the team's ECHL affiliate, the IceMen. The few tryouts at each position are varied. The smattering includes a former Arizona State defenseman who transferred from Bowling Green (CCHA) in Tim Theocharidaris. He played a few games at the end of last season with the Adirondack Thunder (ECHL) and Utica Comets. In addition, the team granted ex-UCONN Husky Joe Masonius a tryout. He hooked up with another Adirondack/Utica connection who spent some time in Ft. Wayne with the Komets last year and is signed with the Kalamazoo Wings (ECHL) for this season. Up front, the former BC Eagle Sam Sternschein, who is already signed with Jacksonville, where he had already played eleven games and got the third tryout. Next, Brendan Harris, who played collegiately with Bemidji St. (NCHC), was granted one. He played for the Icemen (ECHL), the Double AA team of Hartford, and Wheeling. Finally, Jake Ryczek, a Springfield, MA native, is already signed by Adirondack (ECHL). Big goalie Talyn Boyko is here under an ATO (amateur) tryout and will be going back to Kelowna (WHL) when camp ends. The lineup is as follows; Forwards (19): Easton Brodzinski, Will Cuylle, Cristiano DiGiacinto, Turner Elson, Tanner Fritz, Tim Gettinger, Brendan Harris, Karl Henriksson, Zach Jordan, Patrick Khodorenko, Ryder Korczak, Ryan Lohin, Lauri Pajuniemi, Matt Rempe, Austin Rueschhoff, C.J. Smith, Sam Sternschein, Bobby Trivigno, and Alex Whelan. Defensemen (12): Ty Emberson, Zach Giuttari, Louka Henault, Blake Hillman, Luke Martin, Joe Masonius, Matthew Robertson, Jake Ryczek, Brandon Scanlin, Hunter Skinner, Tim Theocharidis, Goaltenders (5): Talyn Boyko, Louis Domingue, Parker Gahagen, Dylan Garand, and Olof Lindbom. The Wolf Pack open the 2022-23 season on Friday, October 14th, when they visit the Charlotte Checkers at 7:00 PM with ex-Pack Anthony Bitetto just sent down by the parent club, the Florida Panthers. Then, the Wolf Pack hosts its home opener on Saturday, October 22nd, at 7 PM when the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and their goaltender, the recently sent down ex-Pack, Dustin Tokarski, provide the opposition. NOTES: Patrick Sieloff was a Pack defenseman two years ago. Then, he signed a tryout deal with the all-new San Jose Barracuda and their brand-new arena, The Tech CU Center. Ex-Pack Magnus Hellberg has gotten himself back to the NHL. He was picked off waivers from the Seattle Krakken from Ottawa after the Senators lost ex-CT Whale/Wolf Pack Cam Talbot for five to seven weeks to a broken rib, according to the Ottawa Sun, in a freak pre-game injury. Hellberg has had an incredible hockey journey over the past year. First, he was in the KHL in the Olympic city of HC Sochi in his fifth year (one in China, four in Russia). Then, with the outbreak of the Ukrainian War, he left after representing Sweden in last year's Olympics and again at the World Championships. Hellberg signed with the Detroit Red Wings and played a late-season game. He is likely ticketed for the Grands Rapids Griffins this year. He wound up with the Seattle Krakken in mid-July with the Coachella Valley Firebirds (Palm Springs), his likely new residence, and here he winds up in Ottawa, the Canadian capital city. Ex-Pack Greg McKegg was sent to the Bakersfield Condors. UCONN traveled and swept their first Hockey East series of the season. They won 3-1 over the Vermont Catamounts as Matt Wood posted another goal and two points. Vermont post-grad Andrew Lucas added another two points. Arsenii Sergeev got his first win, and Chase Bradley got his first goal. Former Husky Jonny Evans is in camp with the Hershey Bears. Fellow former teammates were assigned to their AHL teams. Jáchym Kondelík and goalie Tomáš Vomáčka, both from Czechia (Czech Republic), were sent to the Milwaukee Admirals. Luke Evangelista is the second cousin of former Hartford Whaler and now Toronto Maple Leafs President Brendan Shanahan. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 2 years

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CANTLON: NEW YORK RANGERS MADE THEIR FIRST ROUND OF CUTS

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The New York Rangers made their first round of cuts on Thursday and Friday, sending plenty of players to the Hartford Wolf Pack. Physicals for these players will be Sunday, with training camp beginning on Monday, with the lineup in flux with more cuts in New York coming until the regular season starts. Among the forwards returning to Hart City are; Tanner Fritz, Austin Rueschhoff, Patrick Khordorenko, Bobby Trivigno, Alex Whelan, and Cristiano DiGiacinto. Newcomers include off-season signees Zach Jordan and Ryan Lohin. Also making their way to Head Coach Kris Knoblauch's training camp are Junior draftees Ryder Korczak, Matt Rempe, and Swedish import Karl Henrickson. Heading to training camp after being sent to Hartford by the Rangers are Defensemen returnees; Zach Giuttari, Matthew Robertson, Brandon Scanlin, and Hunter Skinner. Newcomers and off-season signees include Louka Henault, Blake Hillman, and Luke Martin. The club also assigned goaltenders Talyn Boyko, Parker Gahagen, Olof Lindbom, and Dylan Garand. Unless something unusual happens, the four goalies are earmarked with different destinations. Garand is ticketed for Hart City, while Gahagen and Lindbom are likely headed to the franchise's ECHL affiliates, the Jacksonville Icemen. Lindbom may go back to Europe or be one of the two potentially reassigned to another ECHL club. Because of his age, the 6'8 Boyko will be heading back to junior and the Kelowna Rockets (WHL) at the end of camp. The NHL contract agreement with the CHL (Canadian Hockey League) mandates that 19-year-olds cannot play in the AHL until their junior season ends. Newcomer forwards C.J. Smith, Turner Elson, defenseman Andy Welinski and returning top player Tim Gettinger must pass through waivers before they can be formally assigned to Hartford. Adam Edström, a 21-year-old, 6'4 center, heads home to play for Rögle BK (Sweden-SHL) on loan from the Rangers. Surprisingly, also sent to Europe was last year's first draft pick Adam Sýkora. He also returns home to play for HK Nitra (Slovakia-SLEL) on a loan basis. The thought was that the 18-year-old, the first overall selection in the CHL Import Draft, would be heading to the Medicine Hat Tigers. Brennan Othmann was returned to juniors and the Flint Firebirds (OHL). The Wolf Pack's roster currently has four goaltenders, seven defensemen, and thirteen forwards. Several of these assignees will be heading to Jacksonville with only so many openings for GM Ryan Martin and limited ice time available for the recently arrived Knoblauch and his staff to carry on the roster. Monday, the team will release the training camp roster. As of late Friday, the team was still finalizing those players they will invite to camp on Professional Try-Out contracts. Given the collapse in the second half of last season, this training camp in Hartford is expected to be highly competitive with a comprehensive screening of the competitors. The Rangers presently have 34 players still in training camp, including 20 forwards, 11 defensemen, and three goaltenders on the roster. Another round of cuts is expected either late this weekend or as late as mid-week after the team plays in Boston against the Bruins. A final cut to get to the CBA-mandated roster of 23 and keep within cap space compliance will occur just before the season starts. Final rosters must be submitted by October 9-10 to certify all contracts. The Rangers will likely go with 22 or 23 players depending on those two factors' status. Several players are informally skating at the XL in preparation for the opening of training camp. Ice was laid down ice last week. The Wolf Pack will have a closed-to-the-public exhibition game next Thursday in Bridgeport against the Islanders and then have a game against Bridgeport at the Koeppel Community Center at Trinity College next Friday (6 PM). It will give fans their first look at the Wolf Pack as part of the Annual Ryan Gordon Foundation event with a suggested $5 donation. NOTES: The Rangers have already sent two players back to juniors. Bryce McConnell-Barker was sent to Sault Ste. Marie (OHL), where he had current new Hartford assistant coach Jamie Tardif as his assistant coach last year. Also returning to junior hockey is third-round-draft-pick forward Jayden Grubbe. He goes to Red Deer (WHL), where he will captain his Rebels team again for the second year in a row. He is WJC eligible, whose 20th birthday is a week after the tournament ends. Former Wolf Pack/Bridgeport Sound Tiger Matt Lorito and his wife are expecting their first child shortly, so his next hockey destination is on hold. Instead, expect he will likely head to Europe as an injury roster replacement/last import quota player. Jake Elmer is the only other ex-Wolf Pack from last season who is still waiting on a new destination. He is said to be unofficially heading to the Greenville Swamp Rabbits in South Carolina, the former ECHL affiliate for Hartford. Released and assigned to AHL camps were ex-Pack's Ty Ronning (Minnesota-Iowa - AHL), Darren Raddysh and Daniel Walcott (Tampa Bay-Syracuse-AHL), and Peter Diliberatore (QU) and Mason Primeau, nephew of ex-Hartford Whaler Keith Primeau, who both head to (Vegas/Henderson-AHL). After singing with Adirondack Thunder (ECHL), Luke Stevens (Yale) signs a training camp try-out PTO with the Coachella Valley Firebirds (Palm Springs)-AHL and Callum Booth (Salisbury Prep) (Seattle/Coachella Valley-AHL). Goalie Spencer Knight (Darien/Avon Old Farms) signs a one-year ELC contract extension with the Florida Panthers. Jeff Kubiak was sent to Bridgeport by the New York Islanders. They signed Matt Maggio, a fifth-round Islanders draftee this past summer in Montreal, from Windsor (OHL) to a try-out PTO deal. He is a younger cousin of former Sound Tiger and Ranger draftee, the retired Daniel Maggio. He signed a provisional contract with the Adirondack Thunder (ECHL) to cover his bases last week. Another junior PTO signee for Bridgeport is Daylen Kuefler from the Kamloops Blazers (WHL). Shane Sellar (Canterbury School-New Milford) signs a try-out deal with the Hershey Bears and already has a contract with the Reading Royals (ECHL) to start the year. AHL players to Europe have risen to 108 as ex-Pack as Josh Wesley, the son of former Whaler Glen Wesley departs the Springfield Thunderbirds for HC Litvinov (Czech Republic (Czechia)-CEL). He is the first Thunderbird from last season to go to Europe, and now 29 of 31 AHL teams have lost at least one player overseas. Former Wolf Pack Tyler Brown is named scout for the Barrie Colts (OHL) covering the GOJHL after being the head scout last year for Stratford (Ontario) Warriors (GOJHL) and was a regional scout for Nanaimo Clippers (BCHL) as well. If this report from Eliott Friedman of Rogers SportsNet is on the mark, the NHL and AHL future will change in a big way salary-wise in two years. He is usually very accurate with such info. The league's salary cap, which will set a record of $82.5 million this year in the 2022-23 season, could rise around nearly $10 million over the next three years, sources told Friedeman and SportsNet, the Canadian TV rights holder. However, teams have reportedly been given guidance on the cap's future, and upward is the word. Our long-time source confirmed this is the word on the street. "I've heard its going up, how much and when, I'm not sure, With the TV deals kicking in, the money will start coming in." According to Friedmann, the cap could elevate another $1 million in 2023-24, then jump up another $4 million in each of the following two seasons. That would place the spending limit at approximately an astonishing $92 million by 2025-26. In addition to the cap, the NHL will have a spending floor, which is $61 million this year. That would primarily affect the Arizona Coyotes, who will play at the new 5,000-seat college-level ASU-Arizona State University Mullett Center starting this year for the next three years. How they can exist in that world is anyone's guess. "I don't have first-hand knowledge. In the short term, they're staying in Arizona in Phoenix. Long-term, they have challenges as they always have. Some of this is above my pay grade. If all goes well, you're still looking at five years for this team. They're committed to the (ASU) arena for three years, and IF Tempe approves their new building plan, and that's not a given, a new building will still take two years to build, despite the good weather for construction out there. The other factor is fielding a competitive, winning team, which they don't have presently. The current new building handicaps them from signing free agents. Players want to be paid, and they want a winning team, and they will wrestle with that, and that's part of the equation going forward," remarked our source, who requested anonymity. The league instituted a $39 million cap for the 2005-06 season. However, the cap has risen steadily before freezing at $81.5 million for the three pandemic-affected seasons, beginning with 2019-20. The NHL hit $5.2 billion in revenue last season on the strength of the new media deals as they returned and finally had a full schedule. The league took in $5.1 billion in revenue 2018-19, and the escrow is still a thorny and complicated issue. Disney, owners of ESPN/ABC, is paying the league $400 million annually, while Turner Sports, the other holder of the US broadcast rights, is forking over $225 million per season. Both were seven-year deals signed last year. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 2 years

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REED: JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN RESIGN ARA NAZARIAN

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 forward Ara Nazarian for the 2022-23 season. Nazarian, 26, returns for a third season in Jacksonville, where he posted 31 points (13g, 17a) in 40 games last season. In addition, Nazarian also earned a lengthy call-up with the AHL’s Rochester Americans and recorded three points (1g, 2a) in 14 appearances while scoring a goal in his AHL debut on December 29, 2021, against the Providence Bruins. Nazarian led the Icemen in scoring during the 2020-21 season with a balanced 51 points (25g, 26a). Nazarian was acquired via trade by the Icemen in the summer of 2020 from the Adirondack Thunder, where he played one season logging 32 points in 2019-2020. Before his professional career, the 5-9, 185-pound forward posted 74 points (33g, 41a) during four collegiate seasons at the University of New Hampshire from 2015-2019. The following is a list of players that have agreed to terms with the Icemen for the 2022-2023 season: Goaltender Charles Williams Defensemen Garret Cockerill Victor Hadfield Bo Hanson Brandon Fortunato Brendan Less Jacob Panetta Tim Theocharidis Forwards Christopher Brown Jake Hamacher Brendan Harris Travis Howe Luke Keenan Derek Lodermeier Luke Lynch Ara Nazarian 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 at904-602-7825, or visit jacksonvilleicemen.com for more information. #LitesOut JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN HOME Read the full article

#AdirondackThunder #AHL #CharlesWilliams #CHL #ECHL #HartfordWolfPack #JacksonvilleIcemen #NewYorkRangers #NHL #OrlandoSolarBears #ProvidenceBruins #RochesterAmericans #TravisHowe #UniversityofNewHampshire

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mitchbeck · 2 years

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CANTLON: HARTFORD WOLF PACK OFF SEASON VOL 8

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack and New York Rangers are working hard developing their roster for the 2022-2023 season but joined other teams in congratulating the Colorado Avalanche for gaining the 2021-2022 Lord Stanley Cup. A few local notables got to grip the Cup. They include ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger Devon Toews, who played at Quinnipiac University. He becomes the first Bobcaever to hold hockey’s golden chalice. He is the third Sound Tiger after Eric Godard (2009 Pittsburgh), who was the first to do it. Carter Verhaeghe (2020 Tampa Bay)s, now with the Florida Panthers, was the second. Ken MacDermid, the son of ex-Hartford Whaler Paul MacDermid, and Bowen Byram, the son of former Springfield Indin, Shawn Byram, also have their name on the Cup. Also as part of the winners is Colorado head coach Jared Bednar. He is a former Springfield Falcons coach. His assistant, Nolan Pratt, is an ex-Beast of New Haven, Hartford Whaler, and Springfield Falcon player and coach. AHL CALDER CUP For the third time in the Chicago Wolves' history, the team captured the AHL title and their fifth minor league title in 25 years (two IHL Turner Cups in 1998 & 2000). The team went 14-4 in the postseason to win the championship in five games over the Springfield Thunderbirds. The Wolves outscored the Thunderbirds 18-4 after losing game one as they plowed through with four straight wins in six days. The championship game was a 4-0 shutout and the first twin shutouts in the finals in 22 years. In the team's championship picture, the AHL suspended Ex-Yale Bulldog Alex Lyon for two games for a two-hand flipping-off of the Springfield crowd, who razzed him all game long. The 29-year-old goalie is a likely Euro candidate. But, should he be signed with another club next year at the beginning of next season, he'll sit out two games after making a Frankie Lessard impression with a two-finger salute done in a late-season game (April 15, 2007) in Portland, Maine, BEFORE the second period started in a scrap with another ex-Pack Trevor Gillies, with then captain Craig Weller at his side. Hartford head coach and GM, the retired Jim Schoenfeld, eventually broke up the battle by wading through a maze of players before a full-scale brawl erupted. MORE ON THE CALDER CUP With 15 goals and 29 points, Josh Leivo won the Jack A. Butterfield Trophy playoff MVP with the third highest playoff point total in AHL history. Bill McDougall's unbeatable 52-point performance in 1993 with the Cape Breton Oilers will be forever #1, and Hubie McDonough’s 31 in 1989 with the New Haven Nighthawks, the record McDougall shattered. Jack Drury, son of ex-Hartford Whaler Ted Drury and the nephew of the Rangers President/GM Chris Drury, acquitted himself very well with a 24-point effort (nine goals) in 18 games. The third best on the Wolves team and in the league will get a long look at training camp. Ex-Pack Joey Keane had a good run and deserved a shot up top. Richard Pánik, the ex-Bridgeport Islander, acquired at the trade deadline, got his second Calder Cup (Norfolk 2012) and will likely get another North American offer next year. The Wolves became the third Carolina-affiliated team to capture a Calder Cup. They did it in Charlotte in 2019, as the Whalers affiliate in Springfield, and again in Springfield in 1991, so ironic they won it in Springfield at the Mass Mutual Center, then known as the Springfield Civic Center. This win marked the first Calder Cup awarded in three years because of the pandemic. Former Sacred Heart University player Ryan Warsofsky became the youngest coach to win a Calder Cup. He surpasses Peter Laviolette. It was his second Championship behind the bench. His first came as an assistant in Charlotte. A DEEP TEAM Two players acquired at the trade deadline are both ex-Pack players, Chris Bigras from the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Wolf Pack’s Tarmo Reunanen (exchanged for UCONN alum Max Letunov). Unfortunately, he didn’t play one game in the postseason. Reunanen wasted little time after the season ended skedaddling back to Finland to play for Lukko Rauma next year. He played on the third defensive pair in Hartford. Now Bigras will likely be among the next batch to go to Europe. PLAYER MOVES Despite being Florida property, last season, Springfield’s captain, Simsbury resident Tommy Cross (Westminster Prep), was signed by St. Louis the day after the season ended. Despite being just 25 miles from Hartford has never been signed by the Wolf Pack or offered a contract. All his past and present teammates have raved about his leadership skills. He’s been out of the New England area just three times in his playing career as a youth with the Ohio Jr. Blue Jackets (USHL); in his first pro year, he played half a season with South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) and one season with the Cleveland Monsters (Columbus) as an AHL free agent. He has been a New England regional fixture playing at BC in college and Providence in his early AHL years. MEMORIAL CUP The Saint John (NB) Sea Dogs, the Memorial Cup host team, and a long shot at upending the Hamilton Bulldogs, did so in a 5-3 win. Future Bridgeport Islander William Dufour won the Memorial Cup Stafford Smythe MVP with a goal and an assist in the championship win. 39 days after firing head coach former Pack, Ranger, and Springfield Falcon Gordie Dwyer and his entire staff, including his assistant ex-New Haven Nighthawk Paul Boutilier, after a first-round QMJHL President Cup playoff first-round loss exit to Rimouski, they’re crowned champions. They won with an interim head coach in UNB’s Gardiner MacDougall. He had won the Canadian University championship a few months ago, and he acidly replied after the win, while being interviewed by TSN, "I’m glad I picked up the phone.” The Sea Dogs advanced with an improbable semifinal win against the QMJHL Shawinigan Cataractes. They built a first-period 3-0 lead. Dufour then showed why he was the QMJHL scoring champ firing off a natural hat trick and four total in the first ten minutes of the second period to secure a 5-3 come-from-behind win. Dufour already has signed his three-year entry-level contract (ELC) and will likely start next year in BridgeportHowever, heHe is still WJC eligible and was a finalist for the CHL David Branch Player of the Year Award. Hamilton upended Shawinigan 4-3 in overtime in the semifinal’s victory. He snatched what seemed to be a narrow win by Shawinigan, who scored late before Jan Mysak (Montreal) ended their dreams. Saint John, the host city, was the home crowd favorite. They became the first QMJHL team since Saint John in 2011 to win the championship in thy last hockey game in North America this season. AND MORE Ex-UCONN defenseman Yan Kuznetsov (Calgary), who missed a wide-open net late in the second, a year removed from Storrs, and undrafted captain Vincent Sévigny, the son of ex-Pack Pierre Sévigny, played his very last junior game both got to hoist the Cup and he scored in the first two minutes of the game. At the QMJHL annual holiday mid-season trading deadline, Victoriaville acquired Sévigny. One other CT connection was winger Cameron MacDonald, a Nova Scotia native from the Selects Academy at South Kent Prep U-15 team, and one game with the CT Jr. Rangers (NCDC) scored in the contest. There were several finalists for Canadian Hockey League (CHL) Awards. Incoming Wolf Pack Dylan Garand (Kamloops-WHL) for Goalie of Year won the award. Coach of the Year honors went to former Springfield King Brian Kilrea Award, a legendary OHL coach, one of the finalists was former Ranger/Whaler James Patrick of the WHL Winnipeg Ice. CHL IMPORT DRAFT Before CHL Draft occurred before the NHL made their selections, only 27 players were chosen out of the 120 slots. One move made before the draft was the rights of Brad Lambert, nephew of former Nighthawks player and Sound Tiger head coach and now the Islanders head coach Lane Lambert was traded by the Saskatoon Blades, who took him in the 2020 Import DraftThen, they were traded to the Seattle (WA) Thunderbirds. He is eligible for next week’s 2022 NHL Draft and is likely to be taken in the top ten picks. Next year is his last junior-eligible season for the Finnish forward. His cousin Jimmy is signed to start next year in Bridgeport. PLAYER AND COACHING MOVEMENT The Florida Panthers signed former Whaler head coach Paul Maurice. The Pack’s Anthony Greco signed with Frölunda HC (Sweden-SHL) for next year. Bridgeport Islander Aatu Räty finished the year in Park City with a solid eight-game audition (two regular season and six playoff games). This follows a stellar Finnish season between Kärpät Oulu and Jukerit. He is one of four Islander Finnish prospects invited to the Finnish camp to try to be on the WJC team for the redux event scheduled for August 9-20. The four include Räty, Eetu Liukas, Matias Rajaniemi and a long shot is Aleksei Malinen. The Rangers have forward Kalle Väisänen from TPS Turku. The US will open up against Germany on August 9th. Latvia was added to the tournament to replace a banned Russian team because of the invasion of Ukraine. All players eligible for WJC in December can play even if they have turned 21 in the eight months preceding the tournament. All games will be played at Rogers Place in Edmonton, and the WJC 2023 tourney will be played in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and Moncton, New Brunswick, next year. All WJC Games will be on the NHL Network. MORE MOVES Ex-Pack Darren Raddysh signs a two-year, two-way contract extension with the Tampa Bay Lightning paying $750K-$775K-NHL/$250K-AHL. Current teammate and another ex-Pack, Sean Day, gets a one-year extension in Syracuse and a nice raise to a two-way deal for $750K-NHL/$200K-AHL. Mathieu Olivier, the son of former New Haven Knights Simon Olivier, was traded from the Nashville Predators to the Columbus Blue Jackets for a fourth-round draft pick. Former Avon Old Farms Winged Beaver, Nick Hutchison, who wandered the hockey map last year with Adirondack (ECHL) and after a brief stay with Wilkes-Barre/Scranton and half of a year with the Manitoba Moose and former UCONN Husky and fellow Adirondack Thunder (ECHL) himself, Jarrod Gourley both sign one-year AHL deals with Utica. 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). Ex-Pack Danny Kristo heads from Västerviks IK (Sweden Allsvenskan to HK Dukla Michalovce (Slovakia-SLEL). He started last year at HC Kladno (Czech Republic-CEL) (Czechia), the Jaromir Jagr owned team he still plays for. Another ex-Pack, Simon Denis, comes back to North America from the Tokohu Free Blades (Japan-ALIH) and signs with Toledo (ECHL). EVEN MORE MOVES Patrick Harper (New Canaan/Avon Old Farms) heads from HPK Hameelina (Finland-FEL) to Mora IK (Sweden-SHL). He started last year in Milwaukee. Phillip Samuelsson, the eldest son of former Whaler/Ranger and assistant coach at Avon Old Farms and the Wolf Pack, leaves Oskarshamn IK (Sweden-SHL) and skates over to Fischtown (Germany-DEL). 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) after starting in Finland. Ex-Sound Tiger Matt Donovan leaves for Europe again after departing Milwaukee for Adler Mannheim (Germany-DEL) next year. Ex-Sound Tiger Josh Winquist, who split last year between Reading (ECHL) and Allen (ECHL), departs from the Allen (TX) Americans for HC Dukla Michalovce (Slovakia-SLEL). Reunanen joins 33 AHL’ers that have signed in Europe and the first American or AHL’er to sign in Russia defenseman Randy Murphy from Grand Rapids. STILL MORE D3 college commits Kevin MacKay from Aberdeen (NAHL) commits to Trinity College (NESCAC) of Hartford, and Bailey Irwin of Stouffville and Burlington (OJHL) heads to Albertus Magnus (NCAA I independent) in New Haven. One of the state's most prestigious public high school programs has a new coach. Hamden hired just their sixth bench boss in school history in just retired former West Haven special education school teacher Bill Reynolds. Reynolds, 70, is a former two-time champion at the school in his youth, and his brothers both played there. He coached at the Division II level at Cheshire and Guilford. He has ALWAYS wanted to coach Hamden and is fulfilling à lifelong goal and dream. He wanted the job when Bill Veneris got the job over thirty years ago. He replaces ex-Pack Todd Hall, who stepped down after twenty years back in April. A usually plumb job in high school circles both in Hamden and West Haven, but both schools are experiencing dwindling player numbers, and both could shockingly become co-op programs in a few years. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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mitchbeck · 2 years

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REED: JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN ACQUIRE TIM THEOCHARIDIS

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 had acquired defenseman Tim Theocharidis from the Adirondack Thunder in exchange for forward Vladislav Mikhalchuk. Theocharidis, 24, concluded his collegiate career last season posting 15 points (4g, 11a) In 35 games played at Arizona State University (NCAA). This past spring, Theocharidis (pronounced Theo-chair-dis) logged an assist in ten outings with Adirondack while making nine appearances with the Utica Comets of the American Hockey League. From 2018-2021, the 6-1, 183-pound blueliner recorded 39 points (12g, 27a) in three seasons at Bowling Green State University (ECAC). Before college, the Scarborough, Ontario resident played three seasons with the Carleton Place Canadians, posted 103 points, was named CCHL Defenseman of the Year, and won two league championships in 2016 and 2017. Mikhalchuk now joins the Thunder after registering 23 points in 49 games played with the Icemen last season. Theocharidis now joins an Icemen roster comprising defenseman Jacob Panetta and forwards Jake Hamacher, Luke Keenan, Mike Szmatula, and Matt Salhany. 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. JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN HOME Read the full article

#AdirondackThunder #AHL #AmericanHockeyLeague #ArizonaStateUniversity #BowlingGreenStateUniversity #CHL #ECAC #ECHL #HartfordWolfPack #JacksonvilleIcemen #NewYorkRangers #NHL #OrlandoSolarBears #UticaComets

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mitchbeck · 2 years

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REED: MIKE SZMATULA SIGNS 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 forwards Mike Szmatula (pictured above) and Matt Salhany for the 2022-2023 season. MIKE SZMATULA Szmatula, 29, returns for his second stint with the Icemen after posting 19 points (9g, 10a) in 32 games played overseas last season in Denmark with Sonderjyske. Szmatula played for the Icemen during the 2020-21 season where he collected 41 points (22g, 19a) in 62 games. The 5-9, 180-pound forward has totaled a balanced 140 points (69g, 71a) in 184 career ECHL games split between Jacksonville and the Adirondack Thunder. Szmatula (pronounced smuh-two-luh) has also appeared in five American Hockey League games split between the Stockton Thunder and Utica Comets during the 2018-19 season. Prior to his professional career, Szmatula totaled 108 points (47g, 61a) in four collegiate seasons split between Northeastern University (2013-2015) and the University of Minnesota (2016-2018). The Commerce, Michigan resident won a Clark Cup Championship and was named the Clark Cup Playoffs MVP while with the Dubuque Fighting Saints in 2013. MATT SALHANY Salhany, 29, joins the Icemen after playing with Szmatula in Denmark (Sonderjyske) where he accrued 30 points (16g, 14a) in 35 games this past season. The 5-10, 179-pound forward has posted 97 points in 148 career ECHL games in stints with the Adirondack Thunder, Reading Royals, and South Carolina Stingrays, which includes a 51-point and 26-goal season with Adirondack in 2019-2020. Prior to his professional career, the Warwick, RI resident played four seasons at the University of Alabama-Huntsville where he logged 43 points. We’re excited to have Matt and Mike in Jacksonville,” said Icemen Head Coach Nick Luukko. “Both guys are speedy, skilled, and are experienced forwards that will inject energy into our lineup every night.” Szmatula and Salhany become the first two players to agree to terms with the Icemen for the 2022-2023 season. TICKETS Full and partial season packages for the 2022-2023 season are currently available! Contact the Icemen office at 904-602-7825, or visit jacksonvilleicemen.com for more information. Jacksonville Icemen Hockey is Presented by Community First Credit Union #YourCityYourTeam JACKSONVILLE ICEMEN HOME Read the full article

#AdirondackThunder #AHL #AmericanHockeyLeague #BET #CHL #DubuqueFightingSaints #ECHL #HartfordWolfPack #JacksonvilleIcemen #NewYorkRangers #NortheasternUniversity #ReadingRoyals #SouthCarolinaStingrays #StocktonThunder #UticaComets

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