CANTLON: WOLF PACK TRAINING CAMP PREVIEW 

BY: Gerry Cantlon, Howlings

HARTFORD, CT – Hartford Wolf Pack training camp for the 2018-19 season is right around the corner. Lots of news to share starting with the results from the Prospects Tournament in Traverse City, Michigan.

TRAVERSE CITY TOURNEY

The annual prospects tournament didn’t go well for the second year in a row.

The Rangers finished with just one win in four games.

One bright spot, however, was forward Jakob Stukel.  He had a point in three of the four games and a total of four points. In the Rangers’ last game against the prospects of the St. Louis Blues, an 8-4 loss, Stukel had an assist and finished a plus-three. Two free agent signees, Mikael Lundqvist and Ville Meskanen, had a rough game as each finished an ugly minus-four.

In 2016, Stukel was drafted by the Vancouver Canucks in the sixth round (154^th overall). Stukel played 254 WHL games with the Calgary Hitmen and Vancouver Giants. Last season, he scored 37 goals, and 64 points in 71 games with Calgary. Stukel should be in the Wolf Pack camp in two weeks, but on Friday signed an ECHL deal with the Wichita Thunder for this year.

Brett Howden had two assists in an opening 7-5 loss to Dallas. The game was Chris Nell’s only start of the tourney. He gave up all eight goals as the Rangers saw a 5-3 third-period lead evaporate in the loss.

In a 5-0 shutout loss to the host Detroit Red Wings, Howden tried to jumpstart the sluggish Ranger team as he tried to get into a scrap with Maxim Golod, just before the start of the second period.

The Red Wings outshot the Rangers 34-14.

Howden had a goal in the only win of the tournament, 4-2 over the Minnesota Wild. Tim Gettinger scored a goal and Jeremy Brodeur in net made 24 saves on 26 shots.

The Rangers were thumped by St. Louis in their tourney finale. Reese Johnson, an invitee, scored two of the four Ranger goals. Johnson is an undrafted forward who has played with the Red Deer Rebels (WHL) and can return for his over-age year.

The reason for the signing of goalie Dustin Tokarski and invite of Jeremy Brodeur to the tourney and now Rangers main camp has become clearer.

Brett Crygalis of the New York Post revealed Brandon Halverson is out six weeks having had a surgical procedure done on one of his knees. So, Halverson enters the last year of his entry-level contract and likely won’t be available to play until mid-November when he would probably be assigned to the Maine Mariners (ECHL) for rehab.

FORMER PLAYERS & COACHING MOVEMENT

A source in the Canadian Maritimes tells Cantlon’s Corner that former Hartford Wolf Pack right-winger, Shawn O’Donnell, has been given a training camp invite from the Rangers. O’Donnell played a period-and-a-half last year on a recall from Cincinnati (ECHL). He suffered a fractured cheekbone on an errant elbow on a corner play and wound up missing six weeks.

He was released after being medically cleared and returned to the Cyclones who he signed with during the off-season.

Just four years ago, O’Donnell was a walk-on who made the Wolf Pack out of the St. Mary’s Huskies (AUAA) Canadian college program.

O’Donnell, if he can stick with the Pack this year, is a leader and has a strong work ethic that filters down to the younger players.

Ex-Pack players are in several NHL training camps on a tryout basis.

Ryan Sproul is in the Calgary Flames camp on a PTO, so is Mike Paliotta (Westport/Choate Prep). He split last year with Toronto and Texas and signed an AHL deal with Stockton. Phillip Samuelsson, the eldest son of Whaler great, former Rangers player, and a coach plus a Wolf Pack and Avon Old Farms assistant coach, Ulf Samuelsson, is in the Flames camp too.

Samuelsson’s younger brother, Henrik, who was in Wolf Pack camp last year is in the Chicago Blackhawks camp this year.

Ex-Pack, Brendan Kotyk, is in Detroit’s camp after signing an offseason deal with Toledo (ECHL), the Red Wings Double AA affiliate.

Luke Esposito (Greenwich/Brunswick Prep) is in the Edmonton Oilers camp this fall. Esposito’s uncle is Mark Messier, the former Ranger great, and captain. His great uncle was a longtime Hamden resident, the late Murray Murdoch. Murdoch was an original Ranger (1926-1937) and Yale University’s first head coach. His tenure lasted from 1938 until 1965.

Ex-Sound Tiger, Matt Donovan, signed a deal with Milwaukee for this season. He is in the Nashville Predator’s camp.

Max Pacioretty (New Canaan/Taft Prep) was traded from the Montreal Canadiens to the Las Vegas Golden Knights. Once there, he signed a four-year contract extension with the Golden Knights the next day.

Former Wolf Pack assistant coach, JJ Daigneault, has signed to be the new assistant coach in San Antonio this year. Daigneault spent the last six years in his native Montreal. He was fired after the season by the Canadiens.

Two weeks ago, the San Diego Gulls hired two new assistant coaches in ex-Pack, Sylvain Lefebvre, who had coached the last three Montreal AHL farm teams in Hamilton, St. John’s and in Laval. He like Daigneault were let go as part of the purge in Montreal.

The other is a nice surprise.

Ex-Pack, David Urquhart, an assistant at McGill University (OUAA) in Montreal the last four years with the Redmen and the head coach of the Serbian National Team contingent this summer at the IIHF Division II World Championships also signs in San Diego. The other Gulls assistant and goalie coach is ex-Pack, Jean-Francois Labbe.

Two Sound Tigers defenseman have called it quits. Mike Fornabaio of the CT Post reports both Patrick Cullity 31, and Kane Lafranchise 30, have taken jobs outside the hockey business.

Former Quinnipiac University (ECACHL) goalie star, Michael Garteig, signs a one year deal with Newfoundland (ECHL).

Chris Izmirlian, a former Yale Bulldog who split last year with Macon (SPHL) and Quad City (ECHL) – which has dropped to the SPHL – has signed with Greenville (ECHL) for this year. The Swamp Rabbits were the Pack’s ECHL affiliates last season.

Defenseman Mike McKee (Kent Prep) re-signs with Tulsa (ECHL).

Tyler Whitney, former Trinity College Bantams (NESCAC) has signed with Indy (ECHL). He is the youngest brother of former Wolf Pack and Sound Tiger, Joe Whitney.

Ex-Sound Tiger, Steve Tarasuk, signs with Rapid City (ECHL) coached by former Sound Tiger, Daniel Tetrault.

Scott Dornbrook of Miami of Ohio (NCHC) signs with Idaho (ECHL) while Justin Wade of Notre Dame (Big 10) signs with Cleveland (AHL) is in Columbus’s camp.

Kevin Loppato, from Division III Manhattanville College (UCHC), signs with Vannas HC (Sweden’s Division-1) making it 200 Division I players and 267 college players to sign in Europe and North America.

Former Sound Tiger, Johan Sundstrom, goes to Avangard Omsk (Russia-KHL) to Kunlun (China-KHL).

Ex- Sound Tiger goalie, David Leggio, goes from EHC Munich (Germany-DEL) to EHC Wolfsburg (Germany-DEL).

Ex-Pack, Richard Nejezchleb, goes from HC Litvinov (Czech Republic-CEL) to MHC Nove Zamsky (Slovakia-SLEL).

Brock Beukeboom, the son of former Wolf Pack assistant coach and current Rangers Pro Scout, Jeff Beukeboom, signs overseas with Alba Titans (Hungary-EBEL).

Austin Smith (Gunnery Prep) retires from playing. He won the Austrian Elite League EBEL championship with HC Bolzano (Italy). Concussions ended Smith’s career and, according to him, he a severe concussion last season that he played with even in the finals.

Ex-Pack, Rory Rawlyk, continues his career with Orlik Opole (Poland-PZIHL).

Former Sound Tiger, Johan Sundstrom, goes from Avangard Omsk (Russia-KHL) to Kunlun (China-KHL).

Thomas Sansone, who played with the Hartford Jr. Wolf Pack (USPHL-Premier) last year, has signed with the New Hampshire Avalanche (EHL) for this season.