CANTLON’S CORNER: WOLF PACK OFF SEASON VOLUME 9 

CANTLON’S CORNER:

Wolf Pack Off Season Volume 9

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The Stanley Cup winner has been decided. The expansion and entry drafts are completed and now comes the hard work for NHL and AHL executives to put together their rosters for the upcoming 2017-18 season.

PLAYER & COACHING MOVEMENT

Five ex-Pack are finding new destinations for next season. Kodie Curran switches countries in the North Atlantic going from Esbjerg (Denmark-DHL) to

Kodie Curran switches countries in the North Atlantic going from Esbjerg (Denmark-DHL) to Storhamer (Norway-NEL) next season.

Ex-CT Whale Scott Pitt leaves Braehead (Scotland-EIHL) heads for MsHK Zilina (Slovakia-SLEL).

Josh Nicholls goes from EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL) to HC Litvinov (Czech Republic-CEL)

Hannu Pikkarainen (maybe the best Wolf Pack player name of all time) goes from Iserlohn (Germany-DEL) to Jukurit (Finland-FEL).

Tommy Thompson, who played three games with the Pack last season and spent most of the year in the ECHL with the Pack’s affiliate there, the Greenville Swamp Rabbits, signs with HC Nova Zamsky (Slovakia-SLEL).

AHL’ers heading to Europe is picking up. Add another ex-Pack as Danny Kristo, who played for the Charlotte Checkers, the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins and the Chicago Wolves in the AHL last year signs with Dynamo Riga (Latvia-KHL). 35-year-old Ex-Pack/CT Whale, Kris Newbury, who was in Charlotte and the Bakersfield Condors last season and one game with the Reading Royals (ECHL), heads to play for the Fischtown Penguins (Germany-DEL).

35-year-old Ex-Pack/CT Whale, Kris Newbury, who was in Charlotte and the Bakersfield Condors last season and one game with the Reading Royals (ECHL), heads to play for the Fischtown Penguins (Germany-DEL).

Ryan Johnston of the St. John’s IceCaps signed with Lulea HF (Sweden-SHL). Ethan Werek goes from the Texas Stars to Kunlun (China-KHL). Werek’s teammate, goalie Justin Peters, signs with Dynamo Riga (Latvia-KHL). Gary Nunn of the San Antonio Rampage signs with IF Frisker (Norway-NEL). Mattias Backman, who was loaned to the Hershey Bears at the end of the year after spending most of the season with Texas, signs with EHC Kloten (Switzerland-LNA).

The list of AHL players signing in Europe now stands at 43.

Former Wolf Pack Layne Ulmer and ex-Sound Tiger Mark Louis re-sign with the Cardiff Devils (Wales-EIHL).

Former New Haven Nighthawk and Springfield Indians player Chris McSorley (yes, Marty’s younger brother) after 16 years, steps down as head coach of HC Geneva-Servette (Switzerland-LNA) but will remain the team’s general manager.

Ex-Pack goalie and Yale University and Westminster Prep grad Alex Westlund returns to Augsburger (Germany-DEL) leaving the financially challenged KHL Medvescak Zagreb team from Croatia that has switched to the Austrian Elite League (EBEL) this year.

Former Wolf Pack head coach Ryan McGill is getting a second crack at the NHL. McGill was the CHL Coach of the Year for Canadian major junior hockey with the Owen Sound Attack (OHL) and was hired by the Las Vegas Golden Knights to be an Assistant Coach for Gerard Gallant’s staff. McGill joins Mike Kelly and Ryan Craig as assistants for Gallant.

McGill was an assistant with the Calgary Flames from 2009-2011.

Trinity College (NESAC) assistant coach Paul Kirtland takes the same position with Dubuque (USHL).

Getting new contracts include ex-Pack Tom Pyatt with the Ottawa Senators. Pyatt’s deal is for two years at $1.1 million per season. Wade Megan, the former Salisbury Prep player, signs a one-year, two-way deal with St. Louis at $650K-NHL/$200K-AHL.

Former Kent Prep player Noel Acciari, undrafted and a free agent signing out of college by the Boston Bruins snags a two-year, one-way deal at $725K a year.

Former Wolf Pack, Sound Tiger, and Springfield Falcon, Trevor Gillies has re-signed for another year with the South Carolina Stingrays (ECHL).

There were a couple more Division I college players who decided to leave school early. The latest is Frederick Tiffels of Western Michigan (NCHC) who signs with Pittsburgh/Wilkes-Barre/Scranton. Joining him is Spencer Foo from Union College (ECACHL). Foo signs with Calgary/Stockton (AHL) making it 36 Division I underclassmen who left school early to sign pro contracts.

Adding in one Division III player makes it 37.

In total 162 Division I players (graduates and underclassmen) have signed North American pro deals, throw in Division III that number raises to 182 and another 27 graduates in Division I and III have signed to go to Europe.

ANNIVERSARY

We just completed the 20^th anniversary of the Wolf Pack. We’ve also celebrated the 42^nd anniversary of the 1975 WHA All-Star game in Hartford. As the summer begins to set in, the last of anniversary “celebrated” was six years ago when on June 27^th the Connecticut Whale formally died.

The original name was supposed to be the Connecticut Whalers. The name and logo were presented for AHL approval, but there was one problem. Someone forgot to tell the NHL, the owner of the name, “Hartford Whalers.” The NHL summoned Howard Baldwin, Sr. to New York. He was told he couldn’t use the name in any way, shape, or form. A new logo and name were created using the old Springfield Indians logo for the Whale logo and the rest is history

The ill-conceived and financially insolvent creation of the Baldwin’s – Howard, Sr., and Jr.,- left nothing, but a trail of debts to a tune worth more than $3 million dollars, as well as leaving bitter feelings in the Hartford business community. They destroyed the Wolf Pack brand name.

The slew of creditors included office staff, twelve banks, media companies – like the recently shuttered Connecticut Radio Network, an unpaid lease to the team offices, a concession contract held by Delaware North, numerous local vendors who went unpaid, even the State of Connecticut for the snow plowing bill at the infamous Whale Bowl game at Rentschler. All of those went unpaid.

That season, their GM was Bob Crawford (the former Whalers player, not the long-time radio voice of the Wolf Pack), who quit after just two weeks after not having reviewed the finances yet. The team held a press conference touting him being in the position! A formal notice of him leaving occurred two weeks later.

The shenanigans went far and wide, like an employee driving the team Hummer vehicle around the greater Hartford region that had an order of repossession on it! The team staff being laid off at the end of the season after the conclusion of its last game.

The Rangers terminated their deal first due to a failure to pay the full affiliation fee and the failure to pay the Reebok team clothing contract negotiated for the NHL and AHL. Then AEG terminated their portion for failure to make their last rental payment and were paying $25K a game in rent,

The Rangers and AEG forged a one-year relationship to run the team in the last year of the management deal that AEG had (the original portion with Northland Corporation ended in acrimony after just three years with AEG buying them out) and brought back the Wolf Pack name, which has never recovered from this very bad business decision.

Wondering how they did not end up in jail? The Baldwins had a slew of superb attorney’s who were paid as the Baldwin’s had nothing under their own name. Everything, including housing and cars, was under Hartford Hockey, LLC. They shrewdly declared HH, LLC a dead entity. It had no revenue to make payments despite having required financial obligations and entering into and making agreements for various goods and services.

Moral and financial bankruptcy all rolled into one.

The damage done was incalculable and caused great injury to Hartford hockey proper that it has yet to recover from.

CHL IMPORT DRAFT

The 26^th annual CHL Import Draft for Canadian major junior hockey was held on Wednesday.

The Rangers recent draft pick Filip Chytil (1^st round, 21^st overall) was taken in the seventh overall by the North Bay Battalion (OHL). Last year, Chytil played in the Czech Elite League with HC Zlin and had some time with their junior team PSG Zlin.

Two other first round picks had some local ties. Going fourth overall was Alexei Toropchenko by the Guelph Storm (OHL). He is the son of former Springfield Indians player, Leonid Toropchenko.

Zack Malik was taken 19^th overall by the Sudbury Wolves (OHL) from the HC Vitkovice Juniors program (Czech Republic). Malik is the son of former Hartford Whaler, New York Ranger, Beast of New Haven and Springfield Indians player, Marek Malik. The elder Malik is an assistant coach with HC Frydek-Mistek (Czech Division-2).

The only other name of note taken was Kristian Reichel in the first round (29^th overall) by Red Deer Rebels (WHL). The young Czech is the son of longtime NHL’er, Robert Reichel who played 830 NHL games with the Calgary Flames, Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Islanders, and Arizona Coyotes.

IN MEMORIAM

Cantlon’s Corner is sad to report that former Hartford Whaler, Dave Semenko, has passed away at the young age of 59 from pancreatic cancer.

Semenko was best known for his twelve-year career in Edmonton as Wayne Gretzky’s bodyguard. That came in an age where the game was more, “rough and tumble.” Semenko played first in the WHA and then in the NHL when the Oilers who he won two Stanley Cups with.

Semenko also scored the last goal in WHA history at 19:48 of the third period in a 7-3 loss to the Winnipeg Jets in the last Avco Cup final on a goalmouth feed from Ron Chipperfield (one of the best hockey names of all time).

He compiled only 1,153 PM in his NHL career (1,256 combined WHA-NHL and 1,984 if you include his time with the junior Brandon WHL). He was a giant man for the times and had enormous hands for taking care of business. He battled all the big boys of his era such as the late Bob Probert, Basil McRae, and Tim Hunter.

Had the pleasure of meeting and chatting with him several times when he was a pro scout with the Oilers. He was always amiable and being out West, coming East he always talked to a reporter to get a lay of the land of the AHL East teams. We exchanged information that helped each of us.

We shared a few pints at the former Hartford establishment, “The Red Plate” after a game several times and had some laughs.

Rest in peace Dave.

Here’s a link to read on his life and career. You’ll find it HERE

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