CANTLON: WOLF PACK OFF SEASON: VOLUME 10 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – With free agent signings about to begin on Sunday, there is movement going on, not only with players, but with ex-coaches of the Hartford Wolf Pack.

GERNANDER MOVES ON

It’s not a surprise to hear that former Wolf Pack head coach, Ken Gernander, whose number 12 was retired by the team is moving on and in fact, heading back to his native Minnesota.

Confirmed by two pro hockey sources, Gernander has taken an amateur scouting position with the New York Islanders. He will be covering the hockey scene in The North Star State and is likely to focus on collegiate and junior hockey players.

When reached by phone Gernander was as cagey as ever. “I’m under contract with the Rangers till July 1. I have no comment, so talk to me in a few weeks.”

Gernander was willing to discuss his year away from the coaching business after being relieved of his duties and ending his twenty-year association as the face of the Wolf Pack, and 23 years within the New York Rangers organization.

“I got to do a lot of things on my list I wanted to do. One, I got my college degree in January, “ Gernander said. He received his degree in history from the University of Minnesota. He also became a full-time hockey Dad taking in his daughter’s collegiate games and driving his son with travel team hockey.

“I got to see my daughter’s (McKenna) first (college) goal and last one of the season and quite a few games in between. With my son, I got to know New Jersey highways quite well. For me all is good and everybody is healthy and doing well.”

Returning to his beloved Minnesota is not an eye-opener, but it closes the book on a chapter of the Wolf Pack’s early years of success.

18 former Wolf Pack players now have a son or a daughter playing in a high or organized level of hockey. Among the 18, there are 29 children of Pack playing.

MSG ANNOUNCES CONSIDERING CORPORATE CHANGE

Remember, sports is a business – a very big business.

The Board of Directors of Madison Square Garden have approved the exploration of the possibility of basically sub-dividing and amalgamating many of the disparate divisions of its sports franchise holdings, media holdings, and venue locations in the near future to become publicly traded entities. One of the pieces is the Hartford Wolf Pack.

How, where, and what that could look like won’t be known until filings are made with the SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) and after a serious gauntlet that’s required of legal paperwork is completed. Then, it will become a reality. There are many steps to go in the process.

This idea has been incubating in the corridors of the MSG cathedral for the last three to four years. A source familiar with the matter several years ago, spoke to the potential creation of a smaller MSG Division for all its minor sports assets. It would be called, “MSG Westchester” consisting of the Wolf Pack, the WNBA’s New York Liberty, and the NBA’s D-League team, the Westchester Knicks.

Two of the three, the Liberty and Westchester Knicks presently play their home games at the Westchester County Civic Center which is still owned by the county.

This idea was like a think-tank paper in an inter-MSG discussion and review. Nothing ever came of it. This announcement is an iteration of this original idea on a far broader, much larger scale. Given the recent media mergers, such as the recently federally approved AT&T-Time Warner deal, and the reported bid by Comcast to buy Fox properties minus Fox News, Fox Business Network, and Fox Sports-1, this is a response to a changing media market landscape.

How this affects the Wolf Pack within the MSG corporate structure and the issues surrounding the XL Center and its future remains to be seen, but will be need to be watched as this chapter develops.

When reached for comment on this, CRDA Executive Director Mike Freimuth sent a text response.

‘News to me….not sure it would have much, if any, impact on our relationship which is contractual.”

Read The Street Insider report on all of this HERE.

PLAYER AND COACHING MOVEMENT

Ex-Wolf Pack, and CT Whale, J.T. Miller hit the lottery landing a $26.25M, five-year deal ($5.25M per) with the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The AHL players leaving to Europe list has grown by four this week. The latest is goalie Steven Michalek  (Glastonbury/Loomis Chaffe) who heads from Iowa to EC Salzburg (Austria-AEHL). The first to announce it this week was Justin Hickman, who goes from Providence to Lillehammer IK (Norway-NEL).

Brenden Ranford of San Antonio, and Colin Smith of the Stockton Heat/Wilkes Barre/Scranton Penguins, are both heading to Eisbaren Berlin (Germany-DEL) .

The list will likely grow significantly next week when NHL and AHL free agency begins and the European contract signing period without penalty ends July 31st.

That makes players from 20 AHL teams that have seen at least one player leave and sign to play overseas and 40 players in total.

A late college-to-pro deal as underclassmen sophomore, Ross Colton, (Taft Prep) leaves the University of Vermont (HE) and signs a two-year, two-way deal with Tampa Bay who drafted him in the fourth round in 2016. He’s likely to start the season in Syracuse. He is the 20^th underclassmen to leave Division I college hockey.

Another NCAA-to-Europe signing as Rob Devaney of Babson College (NEHC) heads to Clermont (France Division-2). That makes 21 NCAA players who have signed for overseas hockey and a total of 210 college players have signed pro deal in North America and Europe.

Former Wolf Pack Matt Ford re-signed as the captain of Grand Rapids for next season.

Sound Tiger goalie, Christopher Gibson, re-ups on another contract with the Islanders. This contract is a two-year, two-way deal ($650K-NHL/$250K-AHL).

Ex-Sound Tiger, J.F. Berube, was traded from Chicago (NHL)/Rockford (AHL) to Columbus (NHL)/Cleveland (AHL). Next season Berube will play on a one way $700K deal.

Belleville fills its vacant head coaching position as Ottawa hires Troy Mann to be the new bench boss replacing Kurt Kleinendorst.

Milwaukee hired Karl Taylor as their new head coach (Tucson assistant last year) bypassing eight year assistant coach former Nighthawk, Stan Drulia.

Former UCONN defenseman, Derek Pratt, who played five ECHL games with Manchester and South Carolina in the spring, signs an ECHL deal with the Rangers new Double AA affiliate, the Maine Mariners for the fall.

Joining him in Maine is another CT college hockey player. Ex-Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) Bobcat,  John Furgeles, transferred from UNH (HE) to QU is 25-years-old and has signed with Maine as well.

The first head coach for the brand new Division III program of the Albertus Magnus College Falcons program is a very familiar name in Connecticut college hockey.

West Hartford native, Kyle Wallack, an associate head coach at Vermont (HE) for the last four years, was named to guide the new program that begins play in the fall. They have a brand new renovated arena in New Haven in which to play in.

Wallack served as an assistant coach at Yale University for five years, three at Quinnipiac University and two at the University of Connecticut in his 15 year career.

Ex-Pack/CT Whale defenseman, Sam Klassen, will play senior league hockey with the Rosetown (AB) Red Wings this winter in the Allan Cup West League. They were formerly the Chinook Senior Hockey League. Last year he was with EHC Straubing (Germany-DEL).

Ex-Pack, Conor Allen, who split last year between Rochester and EHC Wolfsburg (Germany-DEL) signs with HC Plzen (Czech for pilsener) of the Czech Republic  Elite League (CEL).

Former Wolf Pack (seven game recall last season from Worcester-ECHL) and Sound Tiger, Chris Langkow, signs with MAC Budapest (Hungary-MOL).

Ex-Sound Tiger, Tim Wallace, goes from Sheffield (England-EIHL) to Milton Keynes (England-EIHL) next season.

Ex-Sound Tiger Rhett Rakhshani, switches Swedish teams from Malmo IF (Sweden-SHL) to Frolunda HC (Sweden-SHL),

Jamie Arneil, the nephew of ex-Nighthawk and former Rangers assistant coach Scott Arniel, changes Austrian addresses from Dornbirner EC to Vienna.

Ex-Sound Tiger, Sean Bentivoglio, re-signed with the Cardiff Devils (Wales-EIHL).

Former Wolf Pack head coach, John Paddock, announced that after four years as head coach of the Regina Pats (WHL), who lost in the recent Memorial Cup final, is stepping down from coaching.

Paddock is handing the reigns over to his assistant coach, Dave Struch, but will continue to be Regina’s VP of Hockey Operations and the team’s GM.

The WHL fulfills its vote back in November and reduces its regular season schedule from 72 to 68 games. It is the first schedule change since 1975-76. Now, they and the OHL play the same length of schedule. The QMJHL stays at 72. How soon before the AHL reduces its schedule?

Former Sound Tiger goalie, Stephon Williams, signs with HC Banska Bystrica (Slovakia-SLEL) after playing with Allen (ECHL) and San Jose (AHL) last season.

Cal Babych, the youngest son of former Whalers Dave Babych (father) and Wayne Babych (nephew) goes from Nanaimo (BCHL) to Canadian college hockey at the University of Calgary next year (CWUAA) next year. Babych’s middle son, Jarret, played last year in Canadian college hockey for Simon Fraser University (BCIHL).

Sad news to report as former Sound Tiger, Sergei Ogorodnikov, has passed away at age 32. He died as a result of injuries suffered from a recreational activity on a water scooter last weekend.

Ogorodnikov had been a third-round Islanders draft pick (89^th overall) in 2003 after a strong World Junior tournament with Russia. His one and only season in North America  with the now defunct Pensacola Ice Flyers (ECHL) he had 47 points (19-22) in 47 games was recalled to the Sound Tigers where in 27 games managed just three goals and three assists.

He spent the remainder of his career in Russia and Belarus playing in the VHL and Belarus league. He played in the first year of the KHL and two prior to that in the forerunner to KHL, the Russian Super League (RSL) and Metallurg Novokuznetsk..

The last two years he spent in Poland playing with Podhale Nowy Targ in the Polish Hockey League (PZIHL) was the second leading scorer on the team in the regular season was the second bests overall scorer in the post season.

CHL IMPORT DRAFT

The 27^th annual Canadian major junior league Import Draft for all major junior teams took place on Thursday and no Ranger European draft picks were selected of the 77 players selected.

The only players who were selected that were of note included the first British born and trained player Liam Kirk an Arizona draftee was selected by the Peterborough Petes (OHL) 1^st round, and ninth overall.

David Aebischer, Jr. a defenseman from Switzerland and the son of the former NHL goalie who played with Colorado, Montreal and Arizona was taken by the Gatineau Olympiques (QMJHL). He was taken in the second round (82^nd overall). The elder Aebischer last played in North America with the St. John’s Ice Caps and currently is the goalie coach for HC Fribourg-Gotteron NLA team and his son’s Junior Elite A League team.

HOCKEY RUMOR

The late news that the XL Center RFP amassed just a single bid (more complete analysis coming) means the already oft-troubled XL Center got another leg from the stool taken out from under them.

Media-types have postulated recently about a secret NHL deal and a team coming to Hartford is 100%, pure nonsense! There is zero interest in this market and in the latest wave of adding new markets, the city has not been a candidate. The lack of a new building, or regional sports network and an uneven a fan base provides no allure to meet the NHL basic criteria.

Toss in the RFP news the idea this a hot market is pure fantasy.

A long time and highly trusted source said, should there be no lockout in two years after Seattle is on its way, the NHL will grant two new expansion franchises, one to Houston and one to Quebec City and cap the NHL and AHL at 34 teams.