#bradsmyth

        The Hartford Wolf Pack will share an Igor Shesterkin bobblehead with the first 1,500 fans. By: Alex Thomas, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, CT – The Hartford Wolf Pack organization is excited to announce that they will celebrate the franchise's storied past with 'Wolf Pack Alumni Night' on Friday, April 7th, when the Wolf Pack hosts the Bridgeport Islanders. As part of the celebration, numerous members of the 1999-00 team that captured the city's first Calder Cup will be in attendance. The Wolf Pack will be joined by forwards Terry Virtue, Derek Armstrong, Brad Smyth, Ken Gernander, Todd Hall, Mike Harder, Stefan Cherneski, and John Tripp, defenseman Mike Mottau, and goaltender J.F. Labbe. The alumni will be signing autographs and taking pictures on the concourse of the XL Center before and during the first intermission of the Wolf Pack's pivotal game against the Islanders. They will join the Wolf Pack on the ice pregame for the night's ceremonial puck drop. As part of 'Wolf Pack Alumni Night,' the club will also be giving away an Igor Shesterkin bobblehead, courtesy of Xfinity, to the first 1,500 fans into the arena. The bobblehead will only be available at the XL Center's main entrance inside the atrium on Trumbull Street. Shesterkin, the reigning Vezina Trophy winner as the top goaltender in the NHL during the 2021-22 season, posted a record of 17-4-6 with a .934 save percentage in 25 games with the Wolf Pack during the 2019-20 season. He was selected to represent the Wolf Pack at the 2020 AHL All-Star Classic. As it is every Friday night at the XL Center for Wolf Pack hockey, it's $2 beers and $1 hot dog night! Fans can purchase $2 beers and $1 hot dogs until the end of the first intermission. For tickets, visit hartfordwolfpack.com. ABOUT THE HARTFORD WOLF PACK: The Hartford Wolf Pack has been a premier franchise in the American Hockey League since the team's inception in 1997. The Wolf Pack is the top player-development affiliate of the NHL's New York Rangers and plays at the XL Center. The Wolf Pack has been home to some of the Rangers' newest faces, including Igor Shesterkin, Filip Chytil, and Ryan Lindgren. Follow the Wolf Pack on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok. HARTFORD WOLF PACK HOME Read the full article

Members of 2000 championship team to appear at Wolf Pack’s last regular-season home game BY: Bob Crawford, Hartford Wolf Pack HARTFORD, March 6, 2020:  Spectra, operators of the XL Center and the Hartford Wolf Pack, announced today that the Wolf Pack’s last home game of the regular season, which is “Fan Appreciation Night”, Friday, April 10 vs. the Lehigh Valley Phantoms, will feature a reunion of the 1999-00 Calder Cup-winning Wolf Pack team. In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Hartford’s first pro sports championship, numerous players and off-ice staff from the 1999-00 squad will gather at the XL Center, for a pregame exhibition tilt vs. a team comprised of first responders from Connecticut and southern Massachusetts, and an autograph session. Among the players and other team personnel scheduled to be in attendance are: Derek Armstrong, Stefan Cherneski, Jason Dawe, Dan Goneau, Todd Hall, Mike Harder, Burke Henry, J-F Labbe, Jason Levy (equipment manager), Tim Macre (athletic trainer), Don Maloney (general manager) John Paddock (head coach), Brad Smyth, P.J. Stock, Tony Tuzzolino and Terry Virtue. The pregame exhibition will face off at 4:30 PM, and the jerseys worn by the Calder Cup alumni team will be auctioned off after their game, with the proceeds benefitting the Hartford Wolf Pack Community Foundation.  Following the pregame, the Calder Cup alumni will sign autographs on the XL Center concourse from 6:00-6:45.  The Calder Cup itself will be in the building for the night, and the Calder Cup-winning team will be honored in a special ceremony during the game presentation. The faceoff between the Wolf Pack and Phantoms that night is 7:15. Tickets for the April 10 game, and all 2019-20 Wolf Pack home games, are on sale now at the Sunwave Gas & Power Ticket Office at the XL Center, on-line at hartfordwolfpack.com and by phone at (860) 722-9425.  Tickets purchased in advance for kids 12 or younger start at just $10 each, and all tickets will have a $3 day-of-game increase. To speak with a Wolf Pack representative about season or group tickets, or any of the Wolf Pack’s many ticketing options, call (860) 722-9425, or click here to request more info.  To visit the Wolf Pack online, go to hartfordwolfpack.com. Read the full article

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings SPRINGFIELD, MA - Shooter is where he deserves to be - The AHL Hall of Fame. For Brad “Shooter” Smyth, with his family and friends on hand, got to bask in the glow of the game he has loved so much. “It feels awesome to go to the Hall of Fame with all of these talented gentlemen, and especially to be recognized so early in my retirement. I’m just five years removed from my last game, and to get this honor so early into it, is very, very special for me, and for my family to enjoy it with me,” Smyth stated. His brother Greg Smyth, flew in from Hong Kong for the event. His wife Jackie was also in attendance. He called her his ultimate teammate when he paid her with a warm, sincere moment of thanks toward the end of his acceptance speech. “I love you very much. You stuck with me all these years bouncing around from place to place, I was kind of a human suitcase. Your positivity and sense of humor made it all worthwhile. I love you.” Smyth, known for his ebullience, confidence, and swagger, had his moments of doubt while he was with the Birmingham Bulls of the ECHL during the infancy of his career in pro hockey back in the early 90s. “Everyone has doubts as you strive to get to that next level. At the time, the Coast (ECHL) wasn’t comparable to the American Hockey League. A place like Birmingham was where you worked hard to earn that promotion to the next level and work on all aspects of your game. Once I got to the AHL, I never looked back.” In his first three AHL games in Springfield with the Falcons, a Connecticut connection helped him start his path to the top of the AHL mountain. The assistant coach with the Falcons that year was a former Hartford Whaler and a 50 goal scorer in the NHL twice, Blaine “Stash” Stoughton. “It was brief, but I really learned from him about the importance of the release of a shot, as well as, the strength of a shot.” He got his first big AHL break, with the expansion in Greensboro, NC of the Carolina Monarchs in 1995. That signing turned out to be a very sound decision. “I had a very good coach in Rich Kromm, and he knew my skill set and put me on a line with a super-skilled Gilbert Dionne and a great passer in Brett Harkins. I benefitted playing with those guys as a right-handed shot. I just loved standing in the slot. Our powerplay was lethal that year.” Smyth would score 68 goals in 68 games. He's the only player ever to have come so close to challenging the AHL record for goals in a season that is held by Stephan Lebeau when he scored 70 back in 1988-89 with the Sherbrooke Canadiens. Smyth is arguably the greatest Wolf Pack player ever, with a team-best 182 goals and 365 points through three tours of duty in Hartford. His time here made him grow fonder of the team, the players and the city. “I played a little in Hartford,“ Smyth said with a deadpanned, warm, wry smile, “We were a very close group and back then you spent more time with teammates as there wasn’t nearly the movement we have today. Then, you got to know people on-and-off the ice and the on-ice factor you got to know a person’s characteristics. We were a team that was built to win. Many guys like myself were signed to come to Hartford for that (express) purpose. To put all those pieces together, we had not a good coach - a great coach - in John Paddock. He knew how to push us and use all our skills combined to make a solid team. That’s why we won a title." Paddock was someone he truly admired. “John always knew the way to motivate players and teams. One way was that he would cut your ice time,” Smyth said with some levity in his voice. “It was because he was demanding of you in order to get results, and in the same way, he gave you room to be yourself and created that all within a team framework. He was a tremendous coach and its an honor to be with him here as part of the AHL Hall of Fame.” Smyth regaled the crowd with a Paddock story whom he followed to Binghamton and eventually got to play for in his hometown with the Ottawa Senators. “The veteran guys there some weren’t so happy with our ice time, and I was one of them. So, we're in Newfoundland and the other veterans said, 'You played with him for a few years, you go ask him.' So, John is scouting the morning skate. He's writing down line combinations and never took his eyes from what he was doing. So, I said to him, 'John, I want to ask you about something.' So, I let him know a few of the guys understand it’s a younger development team, but we're hoping we could get a few more minutes (of ice time).' John goes, 'I’m glad you brought that up.' Well, the first player was our tough guy. He says he's taking too many selfish penalties lately. The second guy we picked up on a PTO deal, and he had one goal and one assist in 18 games. Since you got back from Ottawa, you're not scoring at the same clip you were before, so does that answer any of your questions? We're done here.'" The packed house roared with laughter, but Shooter was not done yet. “So, I run out into the cold of Newfoundland, and the guys ask me, 'How did it go?' So, I told them. I said, 'The next time you want to ask him something, do it yourselves!' That was vintage John, he held every player accountable. There was no hiding in the lineup. That’s the way it ought to be.” Smyth gave a warm tribute to the Wolf Pack teams he played on. “We had the undeniable skill of Marc Savard, the leadership of Ken Gernander, and the competitiveness of Brent Thompson. We had all the elements, the fans, and the electricity (in Hartford). It was tough (for the fans) when the Whalers left, but we tried to provide the energy for the fans.” Two players from the Calder Cup team stood out for him. The first was goalie J.F. Labbe, who was the first of the four members of that Wolf Pack championship team to be enshrined in the AHL Hall of Fame. “I believe he was the driving force that led us to the 2000 Calder Cup championship. He was the definition of a big game goalie. I loved playing with him. Thanks, JF.” Smyth then paid homage to his lifelong friend, Derek Armstrong, who's now 3,000 miles away in LA. The pair started out as two high school age kids who were playing hockey in Ontario - their on-and-off ice chemistry was as genuine as you can find in pro sports. It was a true give-and-take friendship. “Derek Armstrong was special. The reason I got to talk about him is if I didn’t, he wouldn’t talk to me (anymore),” Smyth said with a laugh. “We're pretty tight on-and-off the ice. I loved playing with Army. His puck carrying skills, and savvy were second to none. The passion for the game, which I shared with him, was infectious.” Smyth ended it with a simple refrain, “Thanks for passing me the puck, Army.” You could almost hear Armstrong’s trademark gravely, voice saying, “Ha” as it bounced off the hills of Los Angeles making it's way to Springfield. Smyth ended his career playing for Armstrong, who was then the head coach for the now defunct Central Hockey League's Denver Cutthroats, The two were a coaching tandem there the following season before the team and league ceased operations. Smyth thanked his parents for all their dedication of driving him to every rink as a kid and helping him develop as a human being. He also thanked his brother Greg, who he attributes him as the kid-brother who got him started playing hockey. After the crowd had left, after he was signing some of the last autograph seekers at the Aria ballroom at the MGM Springfield, Shooter still had one more funny story to tell. “My brother Greg's name is the same spelling as a guy I played against. We're in St. John’s playing the Maple Leafs and Greg Smyth, who had a few penalty minutes in his career (1,970 to be exact) and he was nearing the end of his run there. We're on the ice at a faceoff and he looks over at me, skates past me and says, 'Good thing you spell your last name right, or I’d knock your head off.' I looked at him and was totally stunned. Nobody before or since had ever said that to me.“ Smyth was on the road well-traveled. From his days in London, Ontario, to Greensboro, NC, to Binghamton, NY, to Manchester, NH and Hartford with NHL stops in Florida, in New York with the Rangers and then in Ottawa. Brad Smyth has become an important piece of a quilt that has been knitted in the AHL fabric, and it now has a nice swatch with the name Shooter forever emblazoned on it for all to see. Photo by Gerry Cantlon Read the full article

BY: Jason Chaimovich, AHL SPRINGFIELD, MA - The American Hockey League announced today several changes to the playing rosters for the 2019 Lexus AHL All-Star Classic presented by MGM Springfield, to be held this Sunday and Monday, January 27-28, in Springfield, Mass. Providence Bruins forward Jordan Szwarz has been added to the Atlantic Division roster; Belleville Senators defenseman Christian Wolanin and Cleveland Monsters forward Nathan Gerbe have been added to the North Division roster, and Bakersfield Condors forward Cooper Marody has been added to the Pacific Division roster for this weekend’s event. Providence’s Ryan Fitzgerald, Rochester’s Lawrence Pilut, Cleveland’s Zac Dalpe and Tucson’s Conor Garland will be unavailable for the event. Szwarz has scored a team-leading 14 goals for the Bruins this season; Wolanin has 18 points in 26 games with Belleville while also appearing in 12 NHL games with Ottawa; Gerbe has recorded 29 points in 37 games with the Monsters; and Marody ranks fourth among all AHL rookies with 32 points in 29 contests for the Condors. A limited number of tickets for the 2019 Lexus AHL All-Star Classic presented by MGM Springfield are still available at springfieldthunderbirds.com/allstar. Priced at $39, $49, $59 and $99, tickets include admission to both the Skills Competition on Sunday (7 p.m.) and the All-Star Challenge on Monday (7 p.m.). The event will be televised live on NHL Network in the United States and on Sportsnet ONE and Sportsnet NOW in Canada. The All-Star Classic also includes the AHL Hall of Fame Induction and Awards Ceremony, to be held Monday morning (11 a.m.) at MGM Springfield. The ceremony features the induction of John Anderson, Don Cherry, Murray Eaves and Brad Smyth as the AHL Hall of Fame Class of 2019 as well as a celebration of the careers of honorary All-Star Classic captains Shawn Thornton and Rob Murray. Read the full article

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings.net HARTFORD, CT - Professional teams at all levels, all-around hockey had best hope they run short of pens, because this was a week that saw a great deal of movement. It starts in Hartford where the Wolf Pack had another busy week. WOLF PACK The Wolf Pack will have Boo Nieves back at center this coming season. Nieves accepted the qualifying offer he received form the New York Rangers that has him on a one-year, two-way deal paying him $700K at the NHL and $70K while playing in the AHL. His contract is the same one Steven Fogarty accepted from the organization two weeks ago. Nieves signing leaves just three Restricted Free Agents (RFA) from last year’s team who remain unsigned. Chris Bigras, who was acquired from San Antonio for Ryan Graves and who played well in the 18 games he played in Hartford, is the first of the three who are unsigned. The second is centerman, Peter Holland, who was acquired from Laval for Adam Cracknell. Holland was solid in keeping the Wolf Pack afloat at the mid-season for 16 games. He was recalled by the Rangers and never came back. Montreal signed Holland for $700K on a one-way deal for this upcoming season. The last player was a trade deadline pickup, Matt Beleskey. He didn't produce much in his 14 games, but he still has three years left on the deal he signed with Boston at $1.9 million per year. He's listed on the Rangers' roster and could be a buyout candidate. The Rangers currently have 51 organizational contracts, which is one above the 50 number permitted under the CBA. They are a shade under $23 million beneath the salary cap according to capfriendly.com. The Wolf Pack's current roster has 23 players and the Rangers have 24 with some arbitration hearings and RFA deadlines still to occur. It's inevitable that The Rangers are clearly going to be shifting players in one manner or another. The cap number that's been established for 2018-19 is $79.5 million with the 5% escalator that the NHLPA likely to exercise as they've done every year under the present agreement. The Pack made a small signing in Connor Lacouvee. It should make training camp for the Wolf Pack, which should be the most competitive in recent memory, especially among the goaltenders. Brandon Halverson, who's entering the final season under his entry level deal, and Chris Nell, in the second last year of his contract after playing with three teams last year including Hartford, Adirondack, and Kansas City in the ECHL, will compete with Marek Mazanec for the number two goalie slot behind the presumptive number one, Alexander Georgiev, assuming he isn't the number two in New York behind Henrik Lundqvist. Coming off a strong senior season with the University of Minnesota-Mankato, Lacouvee was signed to an ECHL deal with the Rangers new Double AA affiliate, the Maine Mariners. Lacouvee went 23-6-1 posting a 1.80 GAA and a .914% save percentage. LaCouvee transferred out of Boston University where he played under new Ranger head coach David Quinn. The Mavericks were eliminated in the opening game of the NCAA Tournament by the eventual national champion, University Minnesota-Duluth. PLAYERS & COACHING MOVEMENT On Saturday, The Rangers announced the signing of former Yale Bulldog defenseman, Rob O'Gara who accepted his qualifying offer of a one-year, two-way deal paying $874,105K in the NHL and $70K for his play in the AHL. O'Gara was obtained from Boston for defenseman Nick Holden at the trade deadline. RW Kevin Morris, the son of former Nighthawk, Mark Morris, has gone from the Manchester Monarchs (ECHL) to the Coventry Blaze (England-EIHL) for next season. The AHL first released the home openers of all 31 teams. The Wolf Pack play host to the Providence Bruins on October 5th at 7 pm. On Wednesday, the AHL released the entire AHL team-by-team schedule for the 2018-19 season. The Pack's second home game is Sunday October 7th at 3 pm against the Laval Rocket. The top minor league affiliate of the Rangers have just five home games in the first seven weeks of the season. They will have two road trips of four and five games during that time span. Read the story HERE. The Sound Tigers signed 10 players for the upcoming season including the Bourque brothers, Ryan and Chris. Chris, 33, signed a one-year deal while Ryan signed an extension. This will be the third team where the pair will play for professionally, the first time was in Hartford, then Hershey and now BrIdgeport. Tigers team captain, Ben Holmstrom, his brother Josh, and Connor Jones have also signed extensions. Jones, of course, along with his twin brother Kellen, are the grandsons of former New Haven Blades player Terry Jones and both attended Quinnipiac University (ECACHL). Kellen is heading overseas to play next year for Vastervik IK (Sweden-Allsvenskan) after playing in Worcester (ECHL) last season. Goalie Jeremy Smith signed a one-year free agent deal with the Sound Tigers after playing last year in Charlotte and Jeff Kubiak, Matt Gaudreau (Johnny Gaudreau’s younger brother), Mike Cornell and Tyler Mueller. Ex-Pack, Ryan Haggerty, (Stamford/Trinity Catholic) re-signs with Wilkes Barre/Scranton. Former Yale goalie, Alex Lyon, signed a two-year extension with Philadelphia. His first season is $750K for the NHL and $250K for the AHL. His second year is a $750K one-way deal. Lyon’s former college teammate with the Bulldogs, Adam Larkin, has signed with Reading (ECHL) for the upcoming season. Ex-Pack, Michael Joly, signed a one-year AHL deal with the AHL newest team, the Colorado Eagles. Last season, his second as a pro, Joly helped lead the Eagles to their second consecutive ECHL Kelly Cup title leading the league in the regular season with 41 goals in 52 games for 67 points. Joly was named playoff MVP with his 29 points in 24 post-season games. He played 19 games with three goals and seven points while on recall with San Antonio. Joly will have a brand new bench boss in one-time Sound Tiger head coach Greg Cronin. He was named as the Eagles first AHL head coach. Cronin was the second head coach in Bridgeport history. He was there for two years (2003-2005). Cronin was in his second tour as an assistant with the Islanders and has coached for over 30 years. He was an assistant coach at Colorado College for three years in the early 1990’s. Cronin’s assistants will be the Eagles ECHL head coach Aaron Schneekloth and former Wolf Pack, Ryan Tobler. His post game rants were usually amusing, very colorful and often unprintable. Tucson inks the Klima twins, Kelly and Kevin from Chicoutimi (QMJHL), They are the sons of former NHL’er, Petr Klima. The Roadrunners also signed one-time Ranger draft pick, and an ex-Sound Tiger, Daniel Maggio, who signed a one-year AHL contract. Maggio spent most of last year with Ft. Wayne (ECHL) and a 13-game recall time with Tucson. Ex-Sound Tiger, Harry Zolnierczyk, signs with Springfield, his seventh AHL team. Adam Erne (North Branford) inks a one-year, one-way ($800K) deal with Tampa Bay. The Lightning also added Iowa head coach Derek Lalonde as a new assistant coach. Ex-CT Whale, Christian Thomas, departs from Wilkes Barre/Scranton and heads to Rogle BK (Sweden-SHL). Former Wolf Pack captain, and Sound Tiger player, Joe Whitney, and who's about to become a father for a second time, has signed a Euro deal with HC Linkopings (Sweden-SHL). Also joining him on the AHL-To-Euro list is Patrick Wiercioch of the Utica Comets who hooks up with Dynamo Minsk (Belarus-KHL). Ex-Sound Tiger, Darren Nowick, who split last season with Stockton and Kansas City (ECHL), signs with Vasterik IK (Sweden-Allsvenskan). Dustin Gazley departs Hershey for EC Salzburg (Austria-AEHL). That makes 48 players plus a coach who have signed to go overseas. 23 teams have lost at least one player. Greg Rallo, after 615 AHL games and over 700 pro-and-minor pro games, retires from Texas to become an assistant coach with Milwaukee. He replaces former New Haven Nighthawk, Stan Drulia, who was made a Pro Scout by Nashville after eight years as an assistant coach. Former Beast of New Haven and NHL enforcer, Peter Worrell, was signed as an assistant coach with the Fayetteville Marksmen (SPHL). Worrell’s coaching career began after his 2010 retirement. He was the head coach at the collegiate club hockey level with the Florida Atlantic University Owls (ACHA Division-3) and North Broward County Prep School over the last seven years. The Owls made it to the regional finals this year before losing 2-1 to the University of Central Florida Knights in double overtime. Ex-Pack, Pascal Rheaume, was named head coach for the Val D’Or Foreurs (QMJHL) and his assistant coach is ex-Sound Tiger super pest, Pascal Morency. Ex-Pack, Brodie Dupont, signs with Dornbirner EC (Austria-AEHL). Ex-CT Whale, Andreas Thuresson, has signed with HV-71 (Sweden-SHL) after splitting last year with Kunlun Red Star (China-KHL) and SC Langnau Tigers (Switzerland-LNA) in the second half. Ex-Pack, Layne Ulmer, re-signs with defending EIHL champion Cardiff Devils (Wales-EIHL). Ex-Pack, Jordan Owens, goes from the Fischtown Penguins (Germany-DEL-2) to Sheffield Steelers (England-EIHL). Alex Barron, the former QU Bobcat, moves from Coventry (England-EIHL) to EHC Freiburg (Germany-DEL-2). Mark Naclerio (Milford/Avon Old Farms) goes from Reading (ECHL)/EHC Linz (Austria-AEHL) to Asiago AS (Italy-AlpsHL). One time Wolf Pack, Brandon Alderson, goes from Heilbronner (Germany DEL-2) to Villacher SV (Austria-AEHL) Cederic Lacroix from University of Maine (HE) signs with Wheeling (ECHL). That makes 161 Division I players to sign a North American pro deal and 213 total college players to sign North American or European deals. A third US collegian transfers to Canadian college hockey. Freshmen Owen Stout of RPI (ECACHL) goes to Queens University (OUAA). After all the tragedy, the Humboldt Broncos are putting back together a hockey team. The team has named a new head coach and GM in former AHL’er, Nathan Oystrick. A Saskatchewan native, Oystrick retired two years ago was an assistant with Atlanta (ECHL) for one-year and was the head coach at Colorado Academy High School last year. The Broncos assistant coach, Chris Beaudry, who didn’t ride on the team bus that day, not surprisingly has taken another assistant coaching job with the Melville Millionaires (SJHL). The team is interviewing presently for his replacement. In conjunction with the North Peace Navigators of the Junior B level NWJHL (North West Junior Hockey League), located in Peace River, AB, the Broncos late coach Darcy Haugan, a native started out as a coach, they will host the first games the Broncos play this season, a two-game exhibition on September 1st and 2nd against the Whitecourt Wolverines (AJHL) and Grand Prairie Storm (AJHL). The team’s regular season and home opener will be against the Nipawin Hawks, the team there were going to play that fateful day in game 5 of their SJHL playoff series. The game is on September 12 will be carried live on the NHL Network at 9:00pm EST via TSN of Canada and CTV Saskatchewan. XL CENTER UPDATE The RFP process is now closed and just one bidder submitted a bid to buy the XL Center. That organization is the Oak Street Real Estate Capital, LLC of Chicago. Clearly, the CRDA had hoped for a few more bids to sift through over the summer, but given the buildings dire financial picture and the complicated ownership arrangement that may lie ahead IF an agreement in principal is reached. Whatever occurs this will be a very complicated negotiation if one is ever started. The Chairman of Northland Corporation the enigmatic Larry Gottesdiener who owns the much needed and debated XL Center Atrium gave a lengthy and broad ranging interview with the Hartford Business Journal. Clearly, he is staking a out a position that he is going to hold out on the XL Center atrium in the hope they he will be able to obtain the building if it were closed. By being a title holder of the portion of the property could buy it conceivably for what Oak Street said it would pay for the building $50 million and then rebuild the whole Trumbull Block as it is known. When Northland Corporation teamed up with AEG to run the XL Center that is what one AEG official said then was the primary long term objective of Northland. Read the complete story HERE. Read the full article

  BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings HARTFORD, CT - With the Stanley Cup Final now in full swing, news continues to be made around the globe in the world of the Hartford Wolf Pack and hockey news in general. PLAYER AND COACHES & MOVEMENT Ex-Pack, Magnus Hellberg, after being a part of the Swedish gold medal winning World Championship team switches teams in the KHL going from Kunlun (China-KHL) to SKA St. Petersburg (Russia-KHL) for a million dollars a year according to Swedish on-line sports publications. Ex-Pack, Matt Carey goes from Leksands IF to Karlskrona HK in the Swedish Allsvenskan League. Kasperi Ojantakanen of UConn (HE) has signed with the Finnish Elite team KooKoo for next season. He is the 15th NCAA player to sign with a European team. OJ, as he was known to his UConn teammates, is also the seventh Husky to sign a pro deal since their season ended earlier this spring in Boston in a loss to the BU Terriers in the Hockey East playoffs. Charles Corcoran (New Canaan) goes from Brown University (ECACHL) to Dundee (Scotland-EIHL) next year. Scott Moldenhauer departs from Western Michigan (NCHC) to head to San Diego. The second transfer to Canadian college hockey occurs when Ryan Burton leaves Union College (ECACHL) to play for Brock University (OUAA) in Ontario. That makes 197 overall American collegian’s to sign a pro deal. UMASS-Amherst gives a two-year extension to head coach Greg Carvel. Denver University (NCHC) tabs assistant coach David Carle to replace Jim Montgomery who took the top job in Dallas with the Stars. USA Hockey moved quickly to replace David Quinn, who took the Rangers job last week. The American hockey organization chose a new WJC head coach in Mike Hastings from University Minnesota-Mankato (NCHC). Milford native, Colin Sullivan, who played at Fairfield Prep (CTPUB) and Salisbury Prep (CTPREP) leaves Atlanta (ECHL) and heads to HC Chamonix (France-FREL). Matt Caito, (Salisbury Prep) who played with Rapid City (ECHL) and nine games with Iowa signs with EC Graz (Austria-AEHL). The Wheeling Nailers (ECHL) sign former UMASS-Lowell (HE) head coach Mark Dennehy as their new bench boss in the fall. Austin Cangelosi leaves Binghamton and signs with Lillehammer (Norway-NEL) next fall. Cangelosi's signing brings the AHL to Euro list up to 17 players and has seen 12 AHL teams losing at least one player thus far. Ex-Pack Nigel Dawes was named KHL Top Goal Scorer of the year. Early last month it was announced he was going from Barys Astana (Kazakhstan-KHL) to Avtomobilist Yekaterinburg (Russia-KHL) next season. Paul Jerrard, long time AHL player and assistant coach, following being let go by the Calgary Flames, becomes an assistant coach with the University of Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC). Jerrard was drafted by the Rangers in 1983. Former Ranger, John Vanbiesbrouck, after having spent five years as the GM of the Muskegon Lumberjacks (USHL), has been named assistant Executive Director of Hockey Operations for USA Hockey. Two sons of Hartford Whalers made collegiate commitments. Caden Brown, the son of Jeff Brown, currently with the St. Louis Jr. Blues (TIEHL), will be a University Wisconsin Badger (Big 10) in 2021-2022. A player going collegiate a little earlier is Ethan Manderville, the son of Kent Manderville, who split this season with Kanata and the Ottawa Jr. Senators (CCHL) this past season has committed to the Colgate University Red Raiders (ECACHL) in 2019-20. He was a 2016 draftee of Cedar Rapids (USHL) and Ottawa (OHL) and is NHL Draft eligible this summer. Goalie Nick Ellis (Pomfret Prep) who played this year with Bakersfield (AHL) and a couple of games with Wichita (ECHL) has called it career early. He is returning to the Nutmeg state to be an assistant coach and teacher with New Milford-based, Canterbury Prep. Springfield signed a contract extensions with Bobby Farnham, who made $350K AHL last year. The parent club, the Florida Panthers, signs Josh Brown for a two year, two-way deal ($650-700K-NHL) and ($85-100K-AHL) and Linus Bystrom to a one year, two way deal ($650K-NHL-$100K-AHL). HC Bat Yam won the short season Israeli Hockey League title beating CIHS Metula 5-2 in the championship. AHL CALDER CUP FINAL The Texas Stars knocked off the Rockford Ice Hogs 2-1 in overtime Monday to win the Western conference championship and advance to the Calder Cup finals against the Toronto Marlies. The series will be a 2-3-2 format starting in Toronto this weekend. The first two games will be on Saturday and Sunday at 4:00 pm with all seven games being broadcast on the NHL Network. They will pick the TSN-2 feed.  When the series shifts to Austin,TX for Games 3, 4, and 5, they can be seen from a Stars perspective on Fox Sports Southwest. In their lineup, The Marlies have Ben Smith (Avon/Westminster Prep), ex-Pack, Chris Mueller, and Mason Marchment, son of ex-Whaler Bryan Marchment. Texas features ex-Pack Mike Paliotta (Westport/Choate Prep). He started the season in Toronto before being traded to Texas on January 11th. In addition, Texas has two ex-Sound Tigers in Colin Markison, and Matt Mangene. Brian Flynn (Pomfret Prep) was with Montreal last season on the roster and their GM is former New Haven Senator, Scott White. A series of AHL head coaches have gotten NHL coaching gigs in the past week. Todd Nelson goes from Grand Rapids to Dallas as an assistant coach. Mike Van Ryan goes from Tucson to the St. Louis Blues to be a new assistant coach and the latest, Ryan Huska, goes from Stockton to Calgary as an assistant coach. AHL President and CEO Dave Andrews, completing his 24th year at the helm, has been given a contract extension until 2020 by the AHL Board of Governors. Andrews is the second longest serving head of the AHL in its 82 years. The late Jack Butterfield served the longest at 28 years. ECHL KELLY CUP FINAL The Colorado Eagles are ahead two games to one over the Florida Everblades winning game with 5-4 OT win. Ryan Olsen scored the last two goals for the Eagles including the game winner at 7:18 of overtime. Ex-Pack Michael Joly scored his tenth of the post season for the Eagles first goal. The two teams played games four and five in Florida this weekend in Estero,Florida. Florida won Game 2 with a 4-3 overtime win. Florida’s Mitch Heard scored with 36 seconds left in the first overtime for their first win. The new ECHL team in St. John’s is ditching the name of the city as part of the team name. They will be going with the Newfoundland Growlers honoring the dog breed from the region. The Growlers and the Maine (Portland) Mariners, the Rangers new Double AA affiliate of the Wolf Pack start play in the fall. The ECHL have seen affiliations renewed for four teams including Worcester with the Islanders, Adirondack with New Jersey, Tulsa with St. Louis, and Wichita with Edmonton. Newfoundland has not announced their affiliation, however it’s expected to be either Montreal or Toronto. The league announced they will have a new Commissioner voting in Ryan Crelin to replace Brian McKenna in the fall. MEMORIAL CUP FINAL Congrats to the Acadie-Bathurst (New Brunswick) Titan in shutting out the Regina Pats 3-0 to capture the 100th Memorial Cup title. Goalie Evan Fitzpatrick after having little work in the first two periods was sharp in the third to engineer the shutout of the host team. The Titan (pronounced tee-ton) Liam Murphy (Killingworth, CT) a Hartford Junior Wolf Pack alumni, helped with timely goal scoring in the series. The team’s GM is former New Haven Nighthawk, Sylvain Couturier. The Pats are coached by former Wolf Pack head coach from their Calder Cup year John Paddock, who had a great post game comment, “We needed two pucks tonight because they had the other one for most of the game.” Paddock’s 17 year old nephew Max put on a fantastic goaltending performance with 41 saves. The teams top player, Sam Steel, an Anaheim first round pick, was voted tourney MVP. Regina also had on its roster Jansen Harkins, the son of former Whaler Todd Harkins and Jake Leshychyn, the son of former Whaler, Curtis Leshychyn. The Canadian Hockey League, the governing body of Canadian major junior hockey, released its award winners. The CHL Coach of the Year is ex-Pack, Drew Bannister, of the OHL Salt Ste. Marie Greyhounds. Leftover from WHL Bantam Draft is another son of an ex-Hartford Whaler, Ridly Greig, the son of Mark Greig, an amateur scout for the Flyers. The annual QMJHL Draft in Shawinigan, Quebec on Saturday produced the lowest number of New Englanders ever selected over the 14 rounds. Just three were selected from Connecticut all of whom came from the Selects Academy program at South Kent Prep. The highly regarded Josh Lawrence from Fredericton was taken in the first round, fifteenth overall by Saint John. At, age 16, has already given a verbal commit to BU for 2020-21, but if he continues to progress and is NHL Draft eligible, it will be interesting which direction he goes. Charles Desrochers went in the second round, 32nd overall to the Saint John Sea Dogs. Then Ethan Phillips was taken by the Halifax Mooseheads in the 13th round, 232nd overall. Read the full article