CANTLON’S CORNER: WOLF PACK OFF SEASON VOLUME 6 

Wolf Pack Off Season Volume 6

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Never a dull moment in hockey. Plenty to review as news still pours in from the Hartford Wolf Pack and the rest of the hockey world.

WOLF PACK SIGN ANOTHER DEFENSEMAN

The first signing under the Chris Drury regime as Wolf Pack GM has been made.

The Rangers signed defenseman Brenden Kotyk, 25, from the NCAA Frozen Four runner-up University Minnesota-Duluth Bulldogs (NCHC) who fell 3-2 to Denver University.

Kotyk, who stands 6-6 and weighs 240 pounds, spent three seasons with the Bulldogs.  He is a native of Regina, Saskatchewan.  

Kotyk skated in 41 games with UMD in 2016-17 where he notched three goals and had ten assists for 13 points. Kotyk served 57 minutes in the sin bin, which was the second-highest total on the squad.  He also was a plus-20, which was good for second-best among Bulldog defensemen and fourth-best overall on the team.

In 97 career games in a UMD uniform, Kotyk totaled seven goals and 16 assists for 23 points, along with 85 PIM and had a plus-25 for his career.  Prior to transferring to UMD, he played one season with Division III St. Scholastica College (NCHA).

Kotyk joins his former college teammate, Neal Pionk, who signed with the Rangers last month.

The Rangers also signed an undrafted Russian rearguard, Alexei Bereglazov.

It certainly appears as if there are going to be wholesale changes on the Pack roster this fall.

CALDER CUP FINALS

The Grand Rapids Griffins have staked out a 3-2 series lead over the Syracuse Crunch.

KELLY CUP FINALS

The Colorado Eagles captured their first title in a four-game sweep of the South Carolina Stingrays. Over the weekend the Eagles took a 6-5 Game 4 in OT to close out the series. It was the first series sweep since Greenville swept Dayton in 2002.

It was the Eagles sixth postseason OT win, a new ECHL record.

The championship squad featured a pair of former Sound Tigers, Darryl Bootland, and backup goalie, Kent Simpson. On the bench was an ex-Pack as their assistant coach, Ryan Tobler.

PLAYERS ON THE MOVE

Several ex-Pack players finding new destinations.

Former defenseman Lee Baldwin goes from Braehead (Scotland-EIHL) to HC Epinal (France-FREL). Former CT Whale, Andreas Thuresson, goes from IF Malmo (Sweden-SHL) to the HC Kunlun Red Star (China-KHL) where he joins Magnus Hellberg, who signed there last week, and ex-Pack and Quinnipiac Bobcat, Brandon Wong.  Joining them is yet another Wolf Pack alumnist to the Beijing bureau, former CT Whale, and Ranger Wojtek Wolski. The forward signed with Kunlun for next season as well after playing with KHL Mettalurg Magnitogorsk last season.

The AHL’ers to Europe list grew again this week. Chicago Wolves saw Alex Friesen sign with Leksands IF (Sweden-SHL). Brandon DeFazio, a former Sound Tiger, goes from the Texas Stars to HC Kunlun (China-KHL) while Kyle MacKinnon departs the San Diego Gulls to head to EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL)

Former UCON Husky, Trevor Gerling, who was in Wolf Pack training camp last year and split the season between the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL), was traded for ex-Pack Brodie Dupont at the trade deadline. He heads back overseas to HC Lyon (France-FREL) in the fall.

Ex-Pack, Corey Locke, changes team in Austria going from Villacher SV to EHC Linz.

One-time Wolf Pack from their early years, Darin Olver, switches German DEL teams going from Eisbaren Berlin to ERC Ingolstadt.

Ex-Pack David Wilkie was named Coach/GM of Omaha (USHL). He has been in Omaha, Nebraska for several years> He was an assistant for one year with University Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC) and the last six were spent with Omaha (NPHL), a Triple AAA level national level league. His son, Chris, was a Tampa Bay Lightning draft pick and recently transferred to Colorado College from the University of North Dakota.

Going to the University Nebraska-Omaha (NCHC) as its new assistant coach is former Sound Tiger goalie, Peter Mannino, who was an assistant coach with the newly crowned USHL Clark Cup champion Chicago Steel just two weeks ago.

Chicago Wolves, the affiliate of the expansion Las Vegas Golden Knights, named its new head coach in Rocky Thompson, fresh off winning the Memorial Cup with the Windsor Spitfires (OHL). Thompson had a ten-year pro career and was coaching for the last ten in the AHL, WHL, and NHL as an assistant before his stint the last two years with Windsor. Thompson, a hellion in his playing days, is the tenth on the all-time AHL PM list with 1,919 minutes.

The parent club also announced its second assistant coach for Gerard Gallant’s staff. Ryan Craig, who retires as an active player, takes the job. Craig played with Cleveland last year and was a captain on four AHL teams in his career including Cleveland, Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, Norfolk, and in Springfield, where he was the all-time leading scorer for the Falcons during their twenty-year history. He was also a captain for his junior team, the Brandon Wheat Kings.

Springfield announced the signings of six players for next year by their parent club, the Florida Panthers. Three of them are full-time returning Thunderbirds, Matt MacKenziwe, Anthony Greco, Ryan Horvat. Matt Buckles from Cornell (ECACHL) played with the T-Birds at the end of the season.

Two other signees are goalie Evan Cowley, a fourth-round draft pick from the NCAA champion University Denver Pioneers and forward Francois Beauchemin (no relation to the NHL player with the same name) as a undrafted free agent from the Charlottetown Islanders (QMJHL).

Jack MacDonald, the longtime AD at Quinnipiac University and who put the Bobcats on the national college hockey map, stepped down as the AD of the University of New England (Biddeford, ME) after just two years because of a serious illness in his family.

QMJHL DRAFT

The last of the Canadian major junior drafts took place in Charlottetown, PEI last weekend and some CT connections were selected.

In the top spot of the first round, second overall was Samuel Poulin. He is the youngest son of former Whaler, Patrick Poulin. He was selected by the Sherbrooke Phoenix. His older brother Nicolas is already on the team. Samuel’s godfather is ex-NHL’er Jocelyn Thibault, who is the team’s GM and who made the pick.

Former Wolf Pack Pierre Sevigny saw his youngest son Vincent selected in the second round (29^th overall) out of Trois-Rivieres (Three Rivers) (QMAAA) by the Victoriaville Tigres (Tigers). Victoriaville acquired  Pierre’s oldest son Mathieu, who was born in Hartford, in a pre-draft trade with Drummondville just days before the draft.

Ex-Pack Terry Virtue saw his son Braeden, who plays for the Middlesex, MA U-16 team the P.A.L. Islanders (USPHL-Premier) drafted in the eighth round (135^th overall) by the Quebec Remparts.

Henry Wilder from Hotchkiss Prep (Lakeville,CT) was taken in the tenth round  (170^th overall) by the Drummondville Voltigeurs.

John Fusco, the son of ex-Whaler, Mark Fusco who was the 1983 Hobey Baker winner out of Harvard, and who plays at Dexter Academy a Massachusetts prep school, was taken in the thirteenth round (225^th overall) by the Quebec Remparts. Fusco’s niece Bradlee plays for the nationally ranked Harvard women’s team. His brother Scott was a 1986 Hobey Baker winner, the only brothers to win the trophy.

Then a pair of Darien natives were taken.

First, the highly touted and regarded goaltender, Spencer Knight from the Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers, was selected by the Chicoutimi Sagueneens in the twelveth round (215^th overall). The 16-year-old, who had a 1.89 GAA for the New England Division I Large Prep School champions, is slated to play next year with the US National Development team that plays in the USHL and is committed early to Boston College in 2020-21. He will be NHL draft eligible in two years.

The other Darien native, Jack Ferguson, a right-handed shooting defenseman was taken by Drummondville in the 14th round (240^th overall).

XL CENTER AND HOCKEY ARENA NEWS

With the legislative session heading into overtime, the XL Center fate continues to remain in limbo.

“Because it’s a part of the overall budget discussion, it rolls into the special session too.” That was all CRDA Executive Director Mike Freimuth would say on the matter.

A long time hockey source with a pulse on the legislative heartbeat was not too optimistic.

“The XL Center will get some money at the end of the day, but nothing like they originally asked for ($125 million) or probably not even what the finance committee recommended ($75 million).  Things, as everybody knows, are very tight financially.”

Meanwhile, across the country it looks likely the NHL will find itself in Seattle in the very near future. A former AEG executive who help run both the LA Kings and Toronto Maple Leafs, Tim Leiweke, is part of the new arena management company – OVG (Oak View Group) – that was selected mid this week to renovate the Key Arena at a cost of $564 million. They beat a bid from Seattle Partners (SP), a combo bid from his one-time former employer AEG and Hudson Pacific Properties.

Reminder, the renovation at the XL Center has been pegged at $250 million, but with unspecified costs to purchase the atrium and demolition costs.

SP pulled their bid of $521 million late last week.

Read a superb piece from the Seattle Times on these latest developments HERE.

Faster than you can say NHL, you will find Commissioner Gary Bettman in Seattle to secure the NHL rights to the arena as its first major tenant. The NBA has expressed reluctance to return to the market after moving the Seattle Supersonics to Oklahoma City in 2009.

The Seattle market has been a major goal of Bettman and the NHL for a variety of reasons.

One to balance the NHL between the East and West with 16 teams each. He’s also looking to help their national advertising strategy since they have no TV rights fee from NBC Sports Network (NBCSN), which is based in Stamford, with national advertisers being in the 14th largest TV market, which Seattle is. It would also help Vancouver with a nearby regional rival that will make a dent in their travel log, the highest in the NHL. It also helps with a regional sports network (ROOTS Sports Northwest) there to help with the Center Ice TV package.

At the announcement Wednesday several NHL Board of Governor heavyweights were in attendance in Francis Aquallini of the Vancouver Canucks and Peter Lukko of the Florida Panthers, the former Global Spectrum President and right hand man to the late Ed Snider.

The 55 year old building that presently has just two tenants, the WNBA Seattle Storm and collegiate Seattle University basketball programs.The last hockey tenant was the junior league Seattle Thunderbirds (WHL) who moved to nearby Kent in 2009.

The NHL BOG would handle the expansion application and the project would be three-to-four years for completion. A portion of the financing is coming from none other than MSG. Already this deal has the NHL written all over it. The NHL does have a process that Bettman wants strictly adhered too (see Winnipeg and Las Vegas) in seeking an expansion or if necessary relocation of a franchise, so these are early important, but just first steps.

Once an MUA (Memorandum of Understanding) is reached with the NHL and exclusivity rights in a new building is agreed to, then the wheels will move forward if all of this can be achieved in the next six months Bettman is to be applauded if it all falls into place for accomplishing a major objective.

Having Leiweke involved, having emissaries Acquallini, and Lukko there at the mayor’s side at the announcement and getting MSG in a complex financed project and a Letter of Credit from Goldman Sachs in OVG’s  back pocket if they secure an NHL franchise, is a shrewd and good management and like Las Vegas he beats other sports leagues to this opening.

Seattle is a city where East meets West as a major port area (as is Vancouver) for good and products from the Pacific Rim there is a strong viable market that will expand in the future.

This is another fine companion piece of the Wednesday announcement. HERE

The only fly in the ointment is the never-ending soap opera in Arizona. The Coyotes can’t secure the funding via their state legislature for a new building in the eastern part of Phoenix. They will see their lease expire in Glendale after next season as the city exercised its out clause.

The NHL maybe forced to relocate them to Seattle. Hockey sources have said that the NHL envisioned Seattle as an expansion market capping the league at 32 teams getting another $500 million expansion fee and then could relocate a team out East to Quebec City and the Videotron Centre with Carolina or Florida, the two most likely relocation candidates

However, should Arizona stay in place which it has dodged so many times over the last ten years, would also also grow the AHL Pacific Division to allow Vancouver, who’s very happy in Utica to, unfortunately, relocate their AHL team out West and Seattle coming in would then get an AHL team out West.

Expect two other former AHL cities to become homes for the ECHL in the 2018-19 season, Portland, Maine and the recently departed Albany, New York market. This would make eminent financial sense for Utica in the near future to potentially exit the AHL with Glen Falls (Adirondack) already in the league and Manchester, New Hampshire.

Quad City (ECHL) becomes Las Vegas’ secondary affiliate to the Chicago Wolves. Calgary switches their ECHL affiliate leaving Adirondack for Kansas City (nee Missouri) who were the Islanders affiliate last season. Former long-time AHL coach and player, Rob Murray, lands in Tulsa (ECHL) to coach after the Alaska Aces folded.

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