CANTLON’S CORNER: PACK FAN EVENT, “PAINT THE ICE,” POSTPONED (UPDATED) 

CANTLON’S CORNER: PACK FAN EVENT,

“PAINT THE ICE,” POSTPONED

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – The annual fan event, “Paint The Ice” held at the XL Center was postponed Tuesday morning after a serious issue was discovered on the ice surface.

The brand new ice making system, which was hooked up to the old chiller system, was unable to make a complete sheet of ice. Spots of concrete in the area where the Hartford Wolf Pack defends twice were visible. The ice crew, and a local refrigeration company, Carrier, were on site trying to locate the problem and develop a remedy.

CRDA Executive Director Mike Freimuth was also on site. His only comment, “They have a month to get it ready.“ Freimuth was referencing the October 6th Pack home opener against the Charlotte Checkers.

Hartford PR Director, Bob Crawford, said the team hopes to reschedule the event in short order.

With training camp opening, a mere three weeks away, the hope is the Wolf Pack, and the UConn Huskies Hockey East squad will have the time to get adequately used to the brand new surface and in-rink conditions. Along with the ice, there are new dasher boards and a brand new, seamless Flex-glass. These renovations were part of a necessary 4 million dollar overhaul of the ice making system that started in early April. The process went full steam ahead in mid-May and included the pouring of a brand new concrete floor in mid-July.

WOLF PACK MAJOR SIGNING

After last year’s porous performance and the downward slide the Wolf Pack have had the past few years, the team took a major step in turning that around with the announcement of the signing of veteran center, Joe Whitney to a one-year AHL deal.

Whitney played for four years with Albany after completing a strong Division I college hockey career at Boston College (HE) where he tallied 142 points in 161 games for the Eagles.

Whitney has practically owned the Wolf Pack in his AHL career. Two years ago while skating with the Bridgeport Sound Tigers, he had nine points in five games including, not one, but two hat tricks. Whitney’s career numbers against Hartford during his years in Albany and Bridgeport are staggering. He’s registered 37 points in 33 games. Whitney suffered a broken leg midseason while with the Sound Tigers in 2015-16. Last year, he signed a lucrative $325K deal with the San Antonio Rampage. However, it didn’t work out too well.

Last year, he signed a lucrative $325K deal with the San Antonio Rampage. However, it didn’t work out too well.

Whitney and the Rampage team struggled as he posted just 28 points in 55 games. Whitney was dealt at the trade deadline to the Tucson Roadrunners where he logged just eight points in 19 games to finish out the year. Tucson, like the Wolf Pack, did not qualify for the AHL Calder Cup playoffs.

This signing, along with the signing of Paul Carey, and former UConn star, Cole Schneider, gives the Wolf Pack a bonafide number one line to start the season and will likely be their top powerplay unit.

RANGERS NAME LEETCH AND BRAD RICHARDS AS HOCKEY ADVISORS

The New York Rangers GM, Jeff Gorton, announced the naming of all-time Rangers great, and NHL Hall of Famer, and Cheshire, CT native, Brian Leetch and former Ranger, Brad Richards, as hockey advisors. The pair will assist the hockey operations department in hockey related decisions, as well as, on-ice player development and overall prospect development.

Leetch played 17 seasons with the Rangers tallying 240 goals and 741 assists (981 points as a Ranger 1,028 overall). Leetch played his public school hockey with Cheshire and prep school hockey at Avon Old Farms. Leetch received the induction call to the US Hockey Hall of Fame in 2008, and then the Hockey Hall of Fame in 2009. Leetch was the assistant captain of the Rangers squad that won the Stanley Cup in 1994 and was the first American born rearguard to earn the Conn Smythe. Leetch won an Olympic silver medal in 2002 and was the first non-Canadian Rangers captain. The Blueshirts retired Leetch’s number 2 on January 24, 2008.

Richards retired after the 2015-16 season. He played 15 seasons in the NHL with 298 goals and 932 points in 1,126 games and won two Stanley Cups. Richards’ first came with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2004 and then with the Chicago Blackhawks in 2015. Richards, like Leetch, won the Conn Smythe trophy. Richards received the award after the Lightning Cup win.  Richards played three seasons with the Rangers from 2011-2014 and had 151 points in 210 games.

PLAYER MOVEMENT

Ex-Pack and Ranger, P.A. Parenteau heads out of Nashville and signs a training camp PTO with the Detroit Red Wings. He was traded at the trade deadline last season by the New Jersey Devils to the Nashville Predators but played in just five post-season games and just one Stanley Cup Final game against Pittsburgh.

Tim Erixon, the ex-Wolf Pack/CT Whale defenseman has signed a training camp PTO with the New Jersey Devils.  Erixon spent all of the 2016-17 season with the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins. Jokerit Helsinki (Finland) acquired Wrixon’s KHL rights in the off season.

Chris Truehl of Quinnipiac University signed with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL). Fellow Bobcat, Tommy Schutt, signed a deal with the Norfolk Admirals (ECHL). The Admirals coach is former New Haven Nighthawks player and then head coach, Robbie Ftorek. Another Nighthawk is the team’s GM, Mike Santos. K.J. Tiefenwerth, who played his prep school hockey at Avon Old Farms, inks a deal with the Reading Royals (ECHL).

Chris Calnan of Boston College (HE) signs with the Binghamton Devils (AHL).

The list of Division I NCAA players since the spring who have signed North American pro contracts is 184. Division III provides 24 while 45 went to Europe for a total of 254.

Troy Donnay, who played just one game with the Pack in two years has switched teams leaving the Greenville Swamp Rabbits and joining the Kansas City Mavericks (ECHL) for this season.

Henrik Samuelsson, the middle son of former Hartford Whaler/Ranger/Wolf Pack/Avon Old Farms player and coach, Ulf Samuelsson, who split last season between Tucson and Bakersfield, signs a deal with the Idaho Steelheads (ECHL).

Ex-Sound Tiger Vladimir Nikiforov, who split last year with Alaska (ECHL) and MAC Budapest (Hungary-MOL), signs with Tulsa (ECHL).

Ex-Sound Tiger, Ryan Caldwell, switches teams in the Asia League Ice Hockey (ALIH). Caldwell leaves the Oji Eagles (Japan) to join the Daemyung Killer Whales (South Korea). Another ex-Sound Tiger, Jordan Hill, retires due to a hip injury leaving the Toledo Walleye (ECHL).

On the AHL to Euro front, ex-Sound Tiger, Mike Halmo, leaves the Syracuse Crunch to head to HC Bolzano (Italy-AEHL) while Cody Kunyk, who went from the Utica Comets to the EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL), switches teams again, signing with SaiPa (Finland-FEL).

81 AHL players have signed with European or Asia based teams.

Congrats to Braedan Virtue, son of ex-Wolf Pack, Terry Virtue, on making the Quebec Remparts (QMJHL) 25 man roster for the junior season that opens in two weeks.

AUSTRALIA CROWN NEW CHAMPS

After a record-setting season where the team earned the league’s top points, the Melbourne Ice capped their season by winning the AIHL 2017 Goodall Cup championship with a win over the CBR (Canberra) Brave 4-1.

The Ice broke a 1-1 tie late in the second period on a goal by eventual Championship MVP and Swedish-born, Sebastian Ottoson who had three goals in the two games. Ottoson helped the Ice capture their first title since 2012 with two more goals in the third period to put the game out of reach.

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