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By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack pre-season begins with a 3-2 shootout win over the Springfield Thunderbirds on Wednesday at Koeppel Community Center at Trinity College. Ryder Korczak scored the lone goal for either team in the shootout. Pack rookie netminder Talyn Boyko played the second half of the contest and stopped all three Thunderbirds attempts, first by Tanner Dickinson, then Mikhail Abramov, and finally Mitchell Hoelscher for the win. In the first five minutes of the third period, the Wolf Pack built a late 2-1 lead on the strength of two goals scored a minute apart. The second, a power play goal, came at 3:35 by newcomer Seth Barton. “Obviously, it’s the first time together," Barton said afterward with a big smile. "We have progressively gotten to know each other since rookie camp, and it was good to get one under (our) belt. It took a while to get (the game) going under our feet.  We had Boyk (Boyko) standing on his head helping the boys. Things went the other way for you because we had the shots (22-15 after two periods of play). It’s my third time going through this. A different group, different guys, different way of doing things. We had to get into a rhythm and it's been a welcoming place and looking forward to the next little bit.” Head coach Krie Knoblauch had praise for Barton's performance. “He looked comfortable out there. He was the quarterback and it looks like we'll keep him in that role.“ While the rosters were comprised of mostly ECHL-bound players, for the Pack, it allowed Knoblauch and assistants Steve Smith, Jamie Tardif, Colin Downey, and goalie coach Jeff Malcolm to get a glimpse of future possibilities. Pack General Manager, and Trinity Alum, Ryan Martin, Jed Ortmeyer, the Rangers' Player Development Director, and assistant Player Director, Tanner Glass also got the chance to assess what their depth players look like in the event of injuries or recalls this season. The team, especially the younger players, learned what the pace of a pro game looked like early. Luka Burzan lost the puck at center ice resulting from the efforts of the Thunderbirds' Alexandre Fortin, who brought the play into the Wolf Pack zone. Anthony Beauregard, off Fortin's pass, then netted a nifty backhander into the top part of the net over starting Pack goalie Olof Lindbom at 2:56. Lindbom made two strong saves about nine minutes into the first period. The first save was on Drew Callin and later on Keean Waskurak on a semi-breakaway. The early bumpy nature of play in the pre-season was to be expected. “There was good energy, but the first five minutes we were nervous, couldn’t put two passes together, but there were a lot of good plays too," Knoblauch said. Brett Berard played very well in the third period and for the majority of the second half of the game. “I liked that he was looking to shoot. He was getting his chances, getting the opportunities, getting to the middle of the ice. He really wanted that puck and took a big step. We didn’t see him a lot last year until he left college. I think he’s a better player than when he came to us last year. Just hope he continues to get better.” Defenseman Ryan McCleary, the son of New Haven Senator Trent McCleary, scored the first goal, a seeing-eye shot that found it’s way through a mass of legs and sticks at 2:13. Adam Edström, while not on the stat sheet, helped get the team out of the offensive mud. Though he did not score, he created chances, including an unsuccesful breakaway. “Edström, he’s a very strong skater and when he gets a step on a guy….he’s hard to catch. It’s nice to have a guy like that (6’7 and fleet of foot) who drives to the net. He’ll create a lot of opportunities, it was just unfortunate and too bad he didn’t score there.” Edström and Matt Rempe played together on a line with Sahil Panwar in the pivot to start off the game. Then to start the third period, Matej Pekar was in the donut hole as Knoblauch, never afraid to change a line philosophy, continued. NOTES: Dylan Garand, still in New York with the Rangers, is expected to play the whole game in Bridgeport against the Islanders. Knoblauch expects his timetable later in the week for the camp cuts to come. “Probably Friday or Saturday. I’m not sure right now.” Rempe was the last player off the ice pre-game. Mark Cairns made some sound defensive plays. The Springfield Thunderbirds lineup featured Fortin, the nephew of former Hartford Whaler Jean-Sébastien Giguère, as was Chris Harpur, the younger brother of current Ranger and ex-Pack Ben Harpur, whom played with the Orlando Solar Bears (ECHL) last season. Jansen Harkins, the son ex-Whaler Todd Harkins, was taken by the Pittsburgh Penguins off of waivers from the Winnipeg Jets. Other notables in AHL training camps, David Spacek (the son of former Beast of New Haven Jaroslav Spacek), is in Iowa Wild camp after the Minnesota Wild drafted and signed him. Ex-Pack Peter Holland was sent to the Colorado Eagles by the Avalanche. In Tucson, ex-Pack Tyson Helgesen and Peter DiLiberatore (Quinnipiac University) are both in the Roadrunners camp. Brad Morrison, the nephew of former New Haven Nighthawk and current Manitoba Moose Head Coach Mark Morrison, and ex-Bridgeport Sount Tiger Collin Adams are both in the camp of the Abbotsford Canucks. The cousin of former Sound Tiger Mark Katic, Danny Katic, is in Manitoba’s camp, while Brooklyn Kamilkov, the son ex-Sound Tiger Konstantin Kamilkov is in the Providence Bruins' camp, and the son of ex-Whaler Derek King, D.J. King is in the Rockford IceHogs' camp. Former Sound Tiger goalie Christopher Gibson was reassigned pending a waiver clear from the Dallas Stars to the Texas Stars. Patrick Grasso, the cousin of one-time New Haven Nighthawk Tom Mullen, like many others is in the camp of the independent AHL Chicago Wolves. Logan Drevitch, the son of former New Haven Nighthawk Scott Drevitch is in Henderson’s camp. He signed with the Savannah Ghost Pirates (ECHL) and is scheduled to play with his brother Tyler Drevitch this year. Ex-Pack Shawn McBride leaves Sterzig/Vitipeno (Italy-AplsHL) and signs with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL). Trevor Zegras, (Avon Old Farms) signs a three-year extension with the Anaheim Ducks for $17.25M. Former CT Whale and Ranger, Matt Zuccarello, signed a two-year extension with the Minnesota Wild. Former Whaler and Ranger Marek Malik, is now the skills coach with HC Oceláři Trinec Czechia (Czech Republic)-CEL. One time Wolf Pack assistant coach David Cunniff, the son of the late, legendary New England Whaler John Cunniff, is now the assistant coach with the Utica Comets. Recently retired ex-Pack Kelsey Tessier, after finishing his career in France, goes back to where he started, becoming the skills coach for the Moncton Wildcats (QMJHL). Greg Moore, ex-Pack, Sound Tiger, and Springfield Falcon, who was a one-time Pack captain, let go from the Toronto Marlies, like Tessier goes back to his coaching roots. He is head coach of the US National U-17 team (USNDTP) and that plays in the USHL and his assistant is ex-Pack/CT Whale Chad Kolarik. Ex-CT Whale Kris Newbury, continues playing Canadian senior league hockey with Deseronto (EOSHL)-Easter Ontario Senior Hockey League. Adam Dawe, a UCONN (HE), half-a-semester post-grad last year re-signs with Newfoundland (St. John’s) Growlers (ECHL). UCONN opens their season this weekend on the road in a non-conference matchup against Colgate University (ECACHL) coached by ex-Pack Mike Harder. Goalie Remi DeSmith,(Torrington/CT Chiefs U-18 AAA-AYHL) is with the Gatineau Flames (QJHL), a Junior A club. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

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

By Gerry  Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack are among the final eight AHL teams still playing in May. What seemed improbable seven weeks ago has become reality. Trade deadline moves and an incredible streak of winning 15 of their last 18 games have brought them to this place in the season. They knocked off the Springfield Thunderbirds in the first round. They followed that up by eliminating the Providence Bruins in four games in the second round, despite finishing 17 points behind them in the regular season. That puts the Pack on a collision course in the Division Finals with the Hershey Bears, who finished the regular season 16 points ahead of them. Pack Head Coach Kris Knoblauch knows the tall order that lies in front of them. “(They’re) a big strong team. Outstanding defensively; don’t give you much room,. That’s in part because of their defense. They have some players who can score goals. Their team specialties (powerplay and penalty kill) are very good. We're just gonna have to find a way to the net,“ He said. Hershey's physical height is plentiful. The Bears are led by their captain, the 6'5 defenseman and ex-Pack, Dylan McIlrath. McIlrath was much maligned when he was a member of the Wolf Pack. He played on the last Pack playoff team eight years ago. Ironically, that year, they eliminated Hershey. Joining McIlrath is Aliaksei Protas at 6’6, Gabriel Carlsson at 6’5, Vincent Iorio at 6’3, and Benton Maass, who's 6’2. Their two in-house goalies include the 6’4 Clay Stevenson and the 6'3 Garin Bjorklund. Bjorklund was recalled when the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL) were eliminated from the Kelly Cup playoffs. It's possible that the 6’2 Zach Furcale will need to be dealt with all over the ice as well. The Bears have eight players who are 6’2 and taller. Casey Shepard will likely start in the net for the Bears. In terms of height, the Pack can counter with the 6’8 Matt Rempe and the 6’6 Adam Edström. PRODUCTION While during the regular season, no Wolf Pack player was anywhere near the top in player production categories. Now, in the postseason, the Pack finds themselves all over the stat sheet as the Atlantic Division final begins. Leading the way for the New York Rangers AHL affiliates is goaltender Dylan Garand who has a 5-1 with a 1.17 GAA, tops in the AHL. He also is at the top of the production sheet for netminders with two shutouts. He will likely start. In the plus/minus department, Ty Emberson is atop the AHL charts at plus-13. In second place in that category is Anton Blidh at plus-11. In assists, Lauri Pajuniemi is fifth-best in the league with eight. Tim Gettinger and Tanner Fritz find themselves in the Top Ten in scoring with seven points each. The Pack also has two of the top three leaders in PIMs. Adam Clendening and Will Lockwood. The top shot producer is Zac Jones. He's tied at 21. A team with a championship mindset expects to be playing its best and most productive hockey in the playoffs. The Wolf Pack are undoubtedly not only the best they've been all season, but you could also argue they're the best they've been in eight years. NOTES: The Rangers did some organizational housekeeping before leaving Tuesday to head to Hershey for Thursday’s series opener. They released from ATO and PTO deals 18-year-olds Bryce McConnell-Barker, who didn’t play, and Adam Sýkora, who played two regular season games and two playoff games. Sýkora might be added to the Slovakia World Championship team when the IIHF tourney starts May 12th running through May 29th. It's a 16-country tournament and will be played this year in Tampere, Finland, Pajuniemi's hometown. They will also play in Riga, Latvia. The team also sent home Maxim Barbashev and Ryder Korczak. When the Peterborough Petes earned a 3-2 victory in Game 7 on Monday night over the North Bay Battalion, it guaranteed that Brennan Othmann will not be coming to Hart City this spring. Othmann had the game-tying goal in the game, and in Game 6 had the tying goal and an assist on the game-winner. The Petes will also play for the John Ross Robertson OHL championship against the London Knights, coached by Dale Hunter, starting on Thursday. The Petes also feature Chase Stillman, grandson of former New Haven Knights and Springfield Indians' alum Bud Stefanski. A Memorial Cup berth for the tournament will be played in Kamloops, BC, at the Sandman Centre from Friday, May 26th, until Sunday, June 4th. That's where Garand spent his junior career. The Cup will be awarded to the winner. The Winnipeg Ice (WHL), coached by former Ranger/Whaler James Patrick, along with Easton Armstrong, the son of former Wolf Pack, Derek Armstrong, will be playing for the WHL Championship. They will have their home games (the first two) starting Friday at the Life Canada Centre, home of the NHL Winnipeg Jets against the Seattle Thunderbirds, Rempe's former junior team, that won 4-2 on Monday over the Kamloops Blazers, who still make the tournament as the host team. Lane Sim, the son of ex-Sound Tiger Jon Sim, was drafted by the OHL Sarnia Sting in the OHL Priority Draft a few weeks ago. He played for Weeks U-18 (NSMHL) in Nova Scotia. The WHL Bantam Draft is on Thursday. May 11th. Players from the two Western Provinces of British Columbia and Alberta and the three Western territories - the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, and the Yukon - are eligible. The US states of Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Kansas, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming are eligible to be selected. The QMJHL Draft is on June 10th at the Palais des Sports in Sherbrooke, Quebec. The draft is divided into two separate drafts. In the first portion, the selections are primarily for kids from the Province of Quebec, the Canadian Maritimes, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island-PEI, and Newfoundland. Occasionally, a small number of New England players get taken. A separate US Draft will be held afterward, comprising Northeastern US states Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont are taken. Any US-born player who plays a second of major junior hockey is NCAA ineligible. Players from European countries, excluding Russia and Belarus, are taken in the CHL Import Draft in which all Canadian major junior teams participate. It will be held a week after the NHL Draft on July 5th. Usually, the top slots are taken by NHL draftees. Now former Wolf Pack’s Adam Sýkora was taken first overall by Medicine Hat (WHL) last year but elected to stay in Slovakia instead. The USHL Phase I Futures Draft and Phase II General Draft were completed a week ago. In Phase I, Mason Kraft, the son of ex-Sound Tiger Ryan Kraft, was selected in the fourth round (48th overall) by the Sioux Falls (SD) Stampede out of Moorhead HS (MN). In Phase II, Sioux Falls also chose Anthony Bongo (Ridgefield) from the Mid-Fairfield U-15 squad in the second round (18th overall). In the third round (33rd overall), Matej Teply (Stamford) was chosen. He played for the Selects Academy program at South Kent Prep. He was selected by the Chicago (Ill.) Steel. In the fifth round (63rd overall), Ronan Buckberger, the youngest son of former Beast of New Haven Ashley Buckberger, was selected by the Madison (WI) Capitols out of the Saskatoon U-18 (SMHL) program. Two years ago, he was selected by Swift Current (WHL). Taft’s (Watertown) top-flight goalie Rudy Guimond (Yale -ECACHL commit), from Pointe-Claire, Quebec, was selected by the Cedar Rapids (IA) Roughriders. He was taken in the fifth round (69th overall). Tate Pecknold (Southport), the son of Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) head coach of the defending national champion Bobcats, Rand Pecknold, was taken in the 13th round (185th overall) by the Omaha (NE) Lancers. This season, he transferred from Avon Old Farms (CT) to St. George’s (RI). Lastly, Jackson Potulny, the nephew of ex-Pack Ryan Potulny, was taken in the 13th round (197th overall) by the Chicago Steel. He was selected from the U-18 team from the successful Minnesota program at Shattuck’s St. Mary’s (NAPHL). Back in the AHL, the North Division final pits the Toronto Marlies against the Rochester Americans. The Marlies feature Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) goalie Keith Petruzzelli, who won against the Wolf Pack in April. They may get some players from around the corner if Florida eliminates the parent Toronto Maple Leafs. Rochester features Michael Mersch, the son of late New Haven Nighthawk Mike Mersch and ex-Bridgeport Sound Tiger Mason Jobst. The Hartford-Hershey tilt winner will play the North Division series winner for the Eastern Conference crown. Out west, two of the newest AHL teams, the Calgary Wranglers and Coachella Valley Firebirds, will square off. Player-wise, Calgary has former Rangers Kevin Rooney and Dryden Hunt. They also have Nick DeSimone (CT Oilers-EHL) and ex-UCONN (HE) defenseman Yan Kuznetsov. Behind the bench as one of the assistant coaches is former Whaler, New Haven Nighthawk, and Springfield Indian Don Nachbaur. The goalie coach is ex-Pack Mackenzie Skapski and AHL coach of the Year for two years in a row, Mitch Love. The Firebirds have former Quinnipiac University defenseman Brogan Rafferty. The Texas (Austin) Stars in the Central Division have just one Connecticut connection in GM Scott White, a one-time New Haven Senator. The Stars will tangle with the Milwaukee Admirals, who received nine players from the parent Nashville Predators. They feature recently acquired at the trade deadline from Hartford, Austin Rueschhoff, and ex-Pack captain and former UCONN (AHA years) player Cole Schneider. Also on the roster is Luke Evangelista, a second cousin to former Whaler Brendan Shanahan. The winners of those two series will battle for the Western Conference championship. The Charlotte Checkers released Mackie Samoskevitch (Sandy Hook) and Skylar Brind’Amour (Quinnipiac University) from their PTO and ATO deals. Charlie Risk of the NCAA Division III Independent, Albertus Magnus College (New Haven), signs with Mont Blanc (France-FFHG Division-2). HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - The Hartford Wolf Pack went thru the paces Tuesday in preparation for Game 1 with the Springfield Thunderbirds at the Mass Mutual Center on Wednesday and Game 2 on Friday at the XL Center. Dylan Garand is being handed the baton to handle the goaltending, and the Pack forwards must work on solving the Thunderbirds goalie Joel Hofer. The Thunderbirds (38-26-3-5) were 9-2-0-1 in the season series and had points in nine of the twelve games. The Pack defense also needs to find a way to neutralize forwards Will Bitten, the top scorer in the season series. Bitten has eight goals and 15 points after playing in all 12 games. Martin Frk led the team in the season's scoring with 30 goals and 64 points. He, too, did well against the Pack in the regular season. The Pack must also contend with containing defenseman Mike Perunovich. On the Wolf Pack side, they will need to get offense and score on Hofer, who was 7-1-1 with three shutouts against the Wolf Pack. He holds a .955 save percentage, and Hofer had three of the four shutouts the team endured this season. The Wolf Pack were scoreless over 120 minutes in the last two meetings. Will Cullye led the Wolf Pack in the head-to-head matchup. He had nine points in twelve games (six goals and three assists) in the season series and fifth best among all AHL rookies. The Wolf Pack (35-26-4-7), with 81 points, enter the playoffs in fifth place in the Atlantic Division. Cullye and Lauri Pajuniemi had hat tricks against the T-Birds, the first the franchise has had in a year and a half. The Wolf Pack's road mark this year at 17-13-4-2 was the best since 2015-16, when they last made the playoffs with 21 road wins. The Pack lost leading scorer Jonny Brodzinski (21 goals and 48 points) to recall by the Rangers to be among their Black Aces for the playoffs. NOTES: The Wolf Pack did some roster housecleaning and made depth transactions with Jacksonville. In separate transactions, goalie Parker Gaghen, who came in as an emergency backup twice, will be available along with Talyn Boyko for backup duty behind Garand. The defense added Cooper Zech for depth. He was acquired at the trade deadline from the Chicago Wolves as part of the multi-layered Patrick Kane deal. Easton Brodzinski was returned to the Icemen. The Rangers won Game 1 of their series against the New Jersey Devils, 5-1. One-time CT Whale Chris Kreider scored twice. THE ISLANDERS WILL STAY IN BRIDGEPORT The Bridgeport City Council agreed to $28 million in arena upgrades at the Total Mortgage Arena in exchange for a new ten-year lease to replace the expired 20-year lease from last year at the original $20M figure. The late Roy Boe initially negotiated the lease in 2000 when he brought the Beast of New Haven from Carolina thirty days after they were suspended and briefly mothballed. His bid of 20 years at $20M beat out the Beast by a wide margin (11 years at $1.1 M). After making the initial payment, however, Boe never made another payment. The lease was then negotiated with Center Plate Management, the food and beverage company of the arena that initially ran the building for the first ten years starting in 2000. However, Center Plate elected not to renew its management deal when it expired or made a bid on a new contract. The new deal concludes four years of contentious negotiations between the city, who owns the building, and the Islanders. The city cited legal costs over $6000K, matching the figure the city claimed the Islanders owed in back rent. In addition, the Islanders said that promised building renovations were never performed as per the original lease and never occurred under Boe or the aegis of Charles Wang either. Boe and Charles Wang both had ownership of the AHL team at different times. Unfortunately, both men are now deceased. The Islanders (nee Sound Tigers) also cited the new amphitheater across from the parking lot from the arena on the stadium site of the Bridgeport Bluefish, a former Atlantic League baseball team, and they felt it violated the non-compete clause in the original lease. Boe turned over ownership after failing to pay the Islanders their required affiliation fee. They nearly had the franchise suspended by the now-retired AHL President, CEO, and AHL HOF member, Dave Andrews. The late Bill Torrey, a former NY Islanders part-owner, General Counsel, and NHL heavyweight in his day, persuaded Boe to relinquish his operating control of the franchise. In addition to defaulting on paying their affiliation fee, Boe and his son Todd didn't pay many local vendors and employees during their brief ownership. The XL Center is run by OVG (Oak View Group), which also runs the Total Mortgage Arena. They are waiting for bids on the long overdue renovations at the XL Center to come back in. OVG hopes the bids come in close to the $107.2M estimates they received last month from SCI Architects and Dimeo Construction. In addition, they are handling the stalled, unfinished construction of the sports betting area at the XL Center. Does OVG operate the arena in Bridgeport under a management fee or on profit/loss? It is unknown. Spectra, at the time, inspected the books; a source revealed at the time, 'they ran from the building' and never put in a bid. Unfortunately, the contents of the contract are not a matter of public record, so there's no way to know what is in the details. When Wang came in after 2010 to run the building, he created a company to do it after the management deal with Center Plate expired. The company Wang created was run by the owner of The Rinks at Shelton, Howard Saffan. He was summarily dismissed several years later after his billing to the Islanders for their practice ice time in Shelton was less than honorable. He owns and operates the amphitheater with long-time concert promoter Jim Koplik. The number of NCAA college pro signees is 226 from Divisions I and II. Hockey East leads the six collegiate conferences with 36 signees for the second straight year. The rest are NCHC-36, CCHA-31, Big Ten-28, ECACHL-23, AHA -20, NCAA Division I Independent,t-13, and Division III-28. Ten head to Europe; departing early are 37. The transfers for both grad and in-school are even at 35. Canadian college is just one so far. University of Dubuque (Iowa) is going NCAA D3 in both men's and women's hockey in the NCHA conference as they will get a shipment of players from Finlandia University (Hancock, MI) from the school that is closing entirely at the end of the school year. The team will share the Dubuque Ice Arena in the city with the USHL Dubuque Fighting Saints. One coach has stepped down, and another one has signed an extension. After 30 years, Colgate Red Raiders (ECACHL) coach Don Vaughn has stepped down. A national search for a new bench boss has already begun. After a strong year, Alaska-Fairbanks Nanooks (NCAA Independent) Erik Largen was given a new five-year deal, as the school just missed out on an NCAA regional berth. However, they collected 20 wins for the first time in nearly two decades. Cheshire native and former Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack, Robert "Bert" Malloy, and his fellow Australian teammates dropped the first two games at the IIHF Division II Group A tournament. They suffered an 8-1 loss to host Spain in game two. Malloy had two shots and was a plus-one in the loss. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

By: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT -  With his first contract nearing completion, Scott Howson, AHL President,  Scott Howson is facing an insurrection from league owners. It has become severe enough that the NHL's second-in-command, Bill Daly, has been brought into the fray to deal with the issue. An unknown number of teams apparently want to end the relationship with Howson and go in a yet undefined different direction. The first report on this story came during a segment of The Insiders on Tuesday night's TSN Montreal Canadiens - Philadelphia Flyers broadcast. Right off the bat, Darren Dreger, one of TSN's top reporters, dropped the bombshell. Howson was selected to replace AHL Hockey Hall Of Famer Dave Andrews (1994-2018), who has now retired to Phoenix and Cape Breton. Several long-time top sources were equally as stunned and perplexed by the news, with only one offering an opinion. Unfortunately, at this point, facts and solid information are hard to come by. "I'm puzzled by this," the source, who asked to remain anonymous, stated. "He got the AHL through the pandemic, opened four brand new state-of-the-art arenas (Laval, Henderson, San Jose, and Coachella Valley), and the NHL has majority ownership (22 of 32 teams). I can only surmise that a block of independent owners are unhappy somehow. It's perplexing. When Scotty played, he was a lawyer-like in every way back then; I can't imagine that's changed. "Did he rub somebody the wrong way? I don't know. I am in the dark on this as much as everybody. If Daly is involved, however, that's significant." With the 2/3 majority ownership, the NHL has full veto power over the direction of the league. There are no more independent teams. The last two were the Worcester (MA) Ice Cats in their first season under the late Roy Boe. They're no longer in the AHL. Worcester is now an ECHL city. There's the other, the long-gone 1991 New Haven Nighthawks. They have comprised of Quebec Nordiques (now the Colorado Avalanche), farmhands, and free agents. Dual affiliations are a thing of the past too. The Charlotte Checkers were split by the Florida Panthers and Seattle Krakken last year while their new building in the California desert was being built. This was the first one since the ill-fated, two-year experiment known as "The Beast of New Haven" in the late 90s that was shared by both the Carolina Hurricanes and Florida. The AHL had come a long way in 46 years since they nearly went out of business during the WHA-NHL war before they merged in the late 1970s. The league was nearly scuttled when they almost fell out of the minor-league required range of having six teams to qualify as a minor league. They put an expansion team, then a brand-new expansion team called the Maine Mariners, affiliated with the Flyers, in a location that saved the AHL, which had lost cities and players in the WHA-NHL war. Ironically, Portland, Maine, is no longer in the league but has a team called by the original name of the Maine Mariners, now in the ECHL. The AHL absorbed six teams from the original IHL (International Hockey League) in 2000. It comprised Chicago, Grand Rapids, and Milwaukee (all still playing). Manitoba is the second edition of the Manitoba Moose. The Utah Grizzlies have dropped to the ECHL. Gone are the Houston (TX) Aeros, who became the Iowa Wild. The minor league hockey scene went thru a boom-and-bust cycle in the early part of this century. The Western Professional Hockey League (WPHL) folded in 2001, and pieces went to the Central Hockey League. However, one city, Austin, TX, formerly the Ice Bats, survived in a new form as the Texas Stars. They lost teams (with great logos) like the Amarillo (TX) Rattlers, El Paso (TX) Buzzards, San Angelo (TX) Outlaws, and the Lake Charles (LA) Ice Pirates. The Central Hockey League (CHL) went out of existence in 2014. In the second creation of the league, only the Tulsa (OK) Oilers, Allen (TX) Americans, and Wichita (KS) Thunder have lived on in the ECHL. The West Coast Hockey League (WCHL) also quit the business in 2003. Only the Idaho (ID) Steelheads in the ECHL and the San Diego (CA) Gulls and Bakersfield (CA) Condors make up the AHL Pacific Division survived. The United Hockey League (UHL) went out in 2007. Living on from that league in the AHL is Rockford Ice Hogs. Now in the ECHL are the famous Ft. Wayne (IN) Komets (in their fourth league) and Kalamazoo (MI) Wings, and the Quad City (IL) Storm are in the SPHL, the fourth league. So the city has been in. The WHA-2 lasted one year (2003-2004), and only one city is still involved in hockey, Macon (GA), which has from Whoopee to Trax. The reborn Atlantic Coast Hockey League (ACHL) lasted one year (2002-03) and had two cities still in hockey Macon and the Knoxville (TN) Ice Bears (SPHL). The AHL is married to the NHL with 32 teams like the NHL direct affiliates, and the ECHL is up to 28 cities and affiliates to the AHL. The AHL has remained quiet. The only low-grade rumbling is the Nashville Predators, who are potentially looking to leave Milwaukee for a brand-new, closer-to-home arena built by the Predators in Sumner County, TN. It will encompass 100,000 square feet a half-hour from Nashville, and two other small arenas are already built in Bellevue, TN, and Antioch, TN. AHL HOME Read the full article